Humanity & Human

Miracles in Daily Life-4

 

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Lisa left for London as her daughter grew about three months old and Salma Begum brought her granddaughter on the same day.

Arif took leave for the first time after joining and came home.

He lifted his daughter, a soft doll from heaven and cuddled her in his chest for a long time.

-A feeling like no other. It’s like feeling oneself in one’s own bosom. The first sight and the first touch of his daughter bemused him.

A heavenly sense of pleasure ran down his veins all over.

Normally reticent Arif became talkative. He started talking with his daughter as if she was understanding everything.

The boat that heaved and rolled so far in the swelling sea got an anchor. The little daughter of Arif kicked up ripple of life overflowing the whole family.

-What name should I give her mom?

-Her mother has named her Eva.

Salma Begum retorted while caressing the baby.

-Eva!

Arif got totally startled. The name sounded very familiar and appeared to be one of his own choices.

Arif recollected; he told Lisa that he desired that their first baby should be a girl. Arif’s mother always liked a girl baby in their family of men only. She had two twin sons; Arif and Araf.

-If it’s a girl, we’ll name her Eva, meaning life, a living one. She will always live with us anywhere any time infusing life to us.

Arif only confided that with Lisa. None else to know that.

-But is it possible that Lisa kept that in her mind after all those!

-Then!

He got a shock. Everything turned turtle.

-Yes, by that I’m going to call her. Remarked Salma Begum very lightly.

Mother’s remark jerked him back to present.

Arif started rearranging his dreams centering Eva. He started repairing torn strings of his dream afresh.

Having discussed with his mother, Arif decided to take Eva with him. His mother was there at the first place, moreover one of his distant Aunt, Rahela Begum would love to stay with them looking after Eva.

Thus, Eva’s life started as her father’s daughter.

As Eva was growing up, the unkind facts of life stealthily kept intruding and crossing her way very untimely.

Arif always tried to gradually rear up Eva to remain prepared to face the unpleasant facts of live as an when that crops up.

About her mother, Arif always tried to give a very positive picture of Lisa, resisting Eva from growing any antipathy about her mother.

Very gradually and subtly, Arif helped Eva to paint a picture about himself. He also convinced Eva so that she kept the story only to herself, not sharing with anyone.

Arif convinced his daughter that he went astray in his young days, for which he was compunctious ever since. He committed a great sin and deliberately kept that secret to all.

-Lisa, your mother is an educated, good looking lady, belonging to a renowned family. If she was not married with me, she would get definitely a much better husband. And finally won’t have to leave her husband just few days after marriage.

-Your mother was a real good lady, I don’t know why she had to be married with a man like me.

Arif used to be in tears once discussing the matter with his daughter, his voice choked.

-But ever since I got you, I’ve rectified myself completely. I forgot my early life.

Arif used to cry profusely while talking the subject with his daughter. He used to clasp Eva in his bosom and say “please don’t leave me ever like your mother, then I’ll be totally alone and there won’t be any pretext to live”.

He used to cry and kissed his daughter like a mad man.

Little girl, Eva did not understand much, but used to wipe tears from her father’s cheek.

The expression of love from a little girl like that used to overpower Arif with emotion. The soft touch of tender palm of Eva appeared to be hand of Lord assuaging all his pain.

Arif repeated the same story to his daughter many a times. Thus the story appeared to be true to himself also.

-What else he could do other than taking the blame on him. As he really did not know why did Lisa leave him?

Once Eva grew up a bit, she used to ask about where does her mother live etc. as Arif could successfully grew a respectful place for Lisa in her daughter’s mind.

-Your mother lives in London, I know only this much.

Once grown up, Eva tried to search out her maternal granddad’s side, but without any avail. All of them migrated to London by that time.

-Who knows, how is my mother! Eva always wondered.

-Once I grow up more I’ll seek out my mother to tell her, ‘mom you are wrong, now my father is a good man, best in the world’.

Eva always used to hide her face in her father’s bosom once she rued like this.

Arif also used to give way to his tears cuddling his daughter.

-You are also not well papa without my mother. Ah, if mom would keep a bit patience then she would see my father is changed so much.

Eva always regretted the separation of her mother.

To foster Eva to be a self-supporting confident girl, Arif used to encourage her in extra curriculum activities, like singing, dancing, playing etc. Thus, Eva also got a good scope of remaining engaged.

Eva passed her Secondary School with top grade.

That day, when the result was out, Arif had a vision of Angels alighting from the heaven in numbers made a fare of merriment to partake to his good fortune and bless Eva.

After having a long session of fun and frolic, Eva went to bed exhausted.

Arif cried like a baby, embracing his mother, father and aunt, Rahela Begum.

Arif’s parents had been in agony ever since the debacle happened to Arif. A sense of crime always haunted them because of the plight of Arif, a bright son with full of possibilities.

They only came to know a couple of months after Arif’s marriage broke that an incident which took place ten years since then, where Arif, their obedient son had to take a step on their persuasion, as the only way to protect the prestige of the family which has made him pay so dearly for his whole life.