I am not Mahatma by Harshavardhan C (i am reading a book TXT) 📕

I am not in hurry nor did I tell you to go fast” Dr. Glady D'Souza shouted at the driver.

“Sorry madam, I have not exceeded speed limit. It is an express way and we need to maintain specific speed, but some school children have suddenly come across the road. And I am forced to apply breaks suddenly to save them.” The driver was feeling sorry.

The children, who were crossing the road raised hue and cry. But to their dismay, they weresaved.Dr.GladyD'Souza found the innocent children feeling happy, being saved from a major accident. But, without knowing these things, she shouted the driver.

“I am sorry.” She was feeling guilty.

“Doesn't matter madam, we are adopted to receive both banging's and blessings from the customers. By the wayare you flyingto U.S madam?” He took little liberty and asked her.

“No”, she said.

Later, he dare not ask her.

“I am coming just to give farewell to my daughter.”She clarified his doubt.

The driver could observe herfeelings. She was feeling sad for something.

As she appeared to be communicative, the driver felt comfortable to continue his conversation.

“Is she your only daughter madam?”

“Yes, yes”

“I think she is accompanying her husband?”

“No, she is unmarried.”

“Sorry madam.”

“It’s Okay.”

“Is she going for employment?”

“She is coming to Airport to bid farewell to her boyfriend cum classmate.”

“Fine, is she an engineer?”

“No, she is a Doctor.”

“Why are you carrying bag and baggage madam?”

She was silent for a while.

“Sorry madam, have I taken liberty to interfere in your family matters?”

“Not at all, and there is nothing to feel afresh now man. In fact I have been encountering these questions all throughout my life. Off late, I have noticed what I have lost. But stillI I could not take a decision”

“Is it regarding your daughter madam?”

“May be you are right.”

“If you don't mind, shall I advise you madam?”

“Yes of course, you seem to be elderly man nothing wrong, you may please”.

“Why don’t you send your daughter also abroad along with her classmate for higher studies madam?”

She knew that fact, but she had been struggling a lot to take a decision.

“Am I wrong in advising you madam?”

“No, not at all, you have rightly advised me man. Thank you. Now I have to take a right decision. Otherwise, I am going to miss the best movements in my life journey. Please, go fast and take me to my daughter.” She out burst herself.

“Sure madam. “ The driver drove the taxi jubilantly.

51

“Madam shall we go on express way or on regular route?”

The cop while driving his motor cycle asked Dr.Honey.

“No, please take me in express way. I have to reach the airport at once.”Honey requested him.

The constable turned the vehicle towards express way. The airport was about eighteen kilometers ahead of them. Honey was looking at her wrist watch. She was in tension whether they could reach the airport in time or not?

The motor bicycle stopped automatically in the middle of the road.

“What happened?” She asked him in anxiety.

“I will check it up madam.” The cop parked the vehicle at the extreme left of the Express Way and trie to find out the cause.

He thought it might be due to over flow of petrol, he closed the pipe for sometime and he tried to start the vehicle, but in vain. He noticed that it was not due to over flow of petrol, but he forgot to refill the petrol tank of his motor bike.

“I am sorry madam, I have forgotten to fill the petrol tank of my vehicle, since it has been in reserve long back and now it is also exhausted. There is no way, as we are in the middle of the express way. Madam, you may please go by some other means.”
She was standing on the road side, looking for ongoing vehicles for lift.

Police vehicle was just stopped on the road side near to them. Even before Honey could ask for lift, Mrs. Rebecca Solomon got down the vehicle and hugged Honey affectionately.

“Thank God, I am searching for you dear” Rebecca Solomon held her two palms and took her to the vehicle.

The cop wished Mrs. Rebecca Solomon.

The driver drove the car towards Airport, while both of them occupied rear seats comfortably.

“Now tell me frankly dear, what have you decided?” Mrs. Rebecca Solomon asked her anxiously.

“Sorry aunty I could not understand what you mean?”

“I am asking you dear, are you interested to go abroad?”

There was no response from Honey. She was in a state of confusion. But still she was thinking.

Mrs. Rebecca Solomon couldn’t understand her heart. However, she decided to speak out the fact.

“Why can’t you take a decision Honey? Afteral it’s your carrier and future dear?

“In fact, I am interested to go abroad aunty. But, I have no support at home. Mum is not convinced. It’s my bad luck aunty.”

Mrs. Rebecca Solomon could see that Miss. Honey was feeling a lot, for loosing the opportunity to go abroad for doing higher studies.

“Suppose, there is somebody to sponsor you, would you like to go abroad?”

Honey couldn’t reply her.

“Even to reply me also, do you need to take the permission of your mum?”

Mrs. Rebecca Solomon lost her temper.

Still there was no response from Honey.

“Doesn’t matter Honey. If you feel it that sensitive to answer me, you need not.”

“Sorry aunty, I don’t say no, but at the same time I can’t say yes. I am unable to answer as I am puzzled in between my mum and Arjun. I couldn’t dimarkate love from lust”.

“I am sorry Honey. Please correct yourself regarding the use of the words, ‘love and lust’. You may love your mum, but it doesn’t mean that you are not in love with Arjun. At the sometime what is there in between Arjun and you is also true love not lust. The word lust is a very cheap bondage between the man and the woman. Please try to delete the word lust from your mind book dear.”

“I am sorry aunty and I am unconditionally apologizing and withdraw the words. But at the same time I am unable to take a decision and I feel you only can guide me properly.”

“Remember dear, me and your mum are not the ultimate for Arjun and you. Please don’t forget that we are mothers first and like any other parents, we are also selfish for our children. I have decided to send both of you abroad Honey.” Mrs. Rebecca Solomon took out air tickets from her vanity bag and kept them in her hands.

Honey saw the tickets. The tickets were booked on the name of both Arjun and Honey.

She was surprised, which meant that Mrs. Rebecca Solomon had already accepted their love.

“Aunty, are you confident that I would fly to the U.S.A along with Arjun?”

“Yes my child, true love never fails.”

“But, I am feeling for my mum.”

“Of course, it is the feeling of every bride, but when once marriage is solemnized, they forget their homes. They build their homes with their newly weded husbands and begetted children.” Mrs. Rebecca Solomon consoled her.

“But now if I leave my mum, she will be deserted. Nobody is there to look after her. What shall I do? Please tell me aunty what shall I do?” Honey couldn’t take any decision nor could control her emotions.

“I ensure you dear; you both will leave India with the blessings of your mum. I promise you that I will take care of your mum.”

“Thanks aunty.”

The vehicle was going at high speed as fresh as her feelings and emotions.

52

“Driver will you please stop the vehicle?” Dr. Glady D ’Souza asked the driver.

The driver of the call taxi didn’t stop the vehicle.

“I say stop the vehicle.” This time Glady shouted him.

“Sorry madam, I couldn’t hear you properly” So saying he stopped the vehicle.

There were number of vehicles laying on the road side one after the other. There was Police checking going on ahead.

But, surprisingly, she got down the call taxi along with her two suit cases, and paid him taxi fare.

“Airport is still about 5km away from here, and you are going in a wrong direction Madam.” He told her.

“Its okay doesn’t matter.” She cut the topic abruptly.

She was walking towards the city and not towards the Airport.

The driver couldn’t understand her mood. Initially she appeared to be friendly and well mannered, but now she got herself suddenly irritated. Finally, he understood that she was an only customer and he was only a driver of the call taxi.

She walked for about two kilometers, covering her face with a scarf under the hot sun, carrying the two brief cases.

In the meanwhile Mrs. Rebecca Solomon’s vehicle just crossed her.

“Aunty, there is my mum” Honey showed her.

Rebecca Solomon identified her, and asked the driver to reverse the vehicle.

The driver did so.

Honey got down the vehicle and hugged her mum.

“Please get into the vehicle at once.” She alerted them.

The mother and daughter forgot the surroundings.

“I am cautioning you, it is not safe to stay outside, please get in Doctor.” She raised her voice.

Mrs. Glady's attention was drawn towards her.

“I am sorry.” Honey held her mum’s hand and brought her to the car.

Mrs. Rebecca opened the rear side door of the vehicle.

Both the mother and the daughter got into the vehicle.

The driver drove the vehicle towards the Airport.

While passing Police check post, the driver showed his identity card “

No cop was daring enough to stop the vehicle, though the vehicle of Mrs. Rebecca Solomon did not have police identity. They understood well that Madam Officer used to avoid pomp and show and avoid police identity due to security reasons.

“The cops are hunt after the hardcore militants. We have definite inputs about sabotage of either aero- plane or Airport by insurgents. In the process of checking and cross checking by cops, I am confident that no one could escape from the bird's view. Hope you might have understood the seriousness of the situation Mrs. Glady?” Mrs. Rebecca cautioned her.

“May be you are right madam. But, today’s’ threatening call regarding the militants moving and planning some untoward incidents in the twin cities is only a fake one madam.” Mrs. Glady said.

“I don't think it is a fake call Mrs. Glady.”

“Sorry madam, I know it is a fake call, because I only have rung up and informed the Airport Authorities.”

“Strange! Why have you done this? What for Glady? We don't' expect such a silly and pseudo call by an important leader and a doctor like you Dr.Glady. It has made mess of things you know? We have dumped entire city Police force in and around the Airport and conducting vehicle checking en-route, you Know Glady.”

“Sorry madam, your integrity, sincerity, and hard work are highly commendable.To save innocent public, you have been doing yeomen service to the public, and is really appreciable, but as I have no other way to meet my daughter and Arjun, I have done so.”

“I see, are you coming to the Air Port to bid farewell to our children?”

“No, it is only to take my daughter with me and to say a final word to Arjun.”

“Final word means, do you want to give a warning to my son?”

“Whatsoever you may think, but I don’t accept their union.”

“To break their love I suppose you need not come to the Air Port Mrs. Glady, and I thing you have no belief in them, may be you might have suspected that they elope from India.”

“Never, my daughter is not that weak to be trapped by your son, what do you say Honey?” Mrs. Glady looked at her daughter with much confidence.

“Thanks mum for believing me.”

“I congratulate both of you. But I doubt that it wouldn’t come heartfully from you Glady.”

The latter was trying to tell something, but Mrs. Rebecca Solomon interfered.

“Why don’t you think in their own interest Glady, afterall as a mother you must know the heart of your daughter? It is only to satisfy your ego she has succumbed to you, but ask her frankly. Do you think she marrys somebody, and live happily without Arjun? I don’t think so. And