Speechless

Amay is as nervous as any day but today the matter is extremely serious. From his silent life, he continues to gather expressions for what is about to come. He moves forward his trembling legs asking strangers in a strange colony with even more strange expressions for address written on paper, without words. 

 

“Oh Masterji’s house? Take first left and then after a few steps you’ll see red-bricked house and that’s the one you’re looking for, beta, God bless you,” an old and extra generous man finally solved his riddle. For the generous part, he is used to it. People felt more miserable for him than he actually felt for himself. He found it strange, always. The man stares back at the package he was carrying and he feels curious but before he could ask anything, Amay left.

Without words yet brimming emotions, he walks towards his destination, though all he wants in that moment is to look for an abyss and fall in it. He is looking for a girl, who does not know he exists, or the story that has brought him here. He has no reason to be discreet but still he has to be careful. He is standing near the doorway and surveying the golden banquet hall, which is filled with refined bodies in saris and jackets, and beautiful young women with straight hair who never show facial expressions. But they will, soon. Any moment now.

After some awkward instances of glare and stare, his eyes set on an old man whose forehead was crinkled and a constant anxiety waving in eyes. He should be the man who can help him out of his situation, Amay wonders. He goes straight to the man and signals him to come alone with him to a corner. Amay prefers people when they are alone because then it is easy for him to express his sign world. 

“Anything important, beta,” the man asks.

 Amay’s throat goes dry. He feels choked though he isn’t about to say anything anyway.  He looks in the man’s eyes that appears blank and filled with haste to go. At that moment, Amay takes out his worn-short-notepad and pen and writes, “Do you know Komal? There’s an emergency”. He keeps it short as he grows dubious if this man could help him.

“Yes, I am his father, Omprakash. What kind of emergency are you talking about?” the old man asks curiously as he holds the notepad. Amay picks the notepad while man’s patience teeters on the edge. He is feeling as nervous as a criminal standing in front of police. His hand’s grip seems to be weakened by the burden of responsibilities. 

“The bridal lehanga, that you gave us, met with an accident and” Amay looks above midway while writing and founds that the old man is peeking into his notepad. Omprakash’s eyes gradually gets filled with fury as he reads those words. Without giving the boy a chance to complete his sentence, he roars,”What on earth is this supposed to mean?” People, who were earlier pottering around, look in their direction with curious eyes.  

Amay bows down with folded hands in front of Omprakash to calm the storm coming. He never understands why people misuses their ability to speak. Sometimes, he usually feels lucky to be a mute. At least, he is the one who comes under the sword of words, not the one who uses it.

“Do you think we will forgive this, my daughter’s wedding is tonight, is this all a joke to you?

“Tell me, the dress is really ruined or you people sold it?

“Don’t you even think that I will let you people go with this!”

Omprakash continues shouting loudly while his blood rushes to his face as his daughter’s eyes come in front of him. All he sees in them are tears of disappointment. 

Komal came down to see what was going on in the hall that all her aunts are murmuring about. As soon as she hears about her wedding dress, tears starts shedding even before she realizes it. She has spent a whole week beating the scorched sun to find what she was looking for. Komal has always been a poised and aesthetic woman with very particular choices. She was the one who her friends, cousins and friends of friends’ consulted while selecting gifts or decor for their new homes. So, she knew no other wedding dress could replace the one she has chosen for herself. Her dream world seemed to have shattered now.

Amay mulls over his father, Sundar’s, decision to send his dumb son to this dramatic family. His father thought a mute person will get an extra edge over this mistake. But it all seemed to be in vain. They’d discussed last night, with tired and feared eyes, about what all could happen with Amay in that big house filled little-spaced hearts right now.

From his own conversation in his head, he shifts his gaze to the girl who has just entered his vicinity. With long, black hair neatly tied in a braid that went till her waist, clad in light pink salwar-kameez and with beautiful twinkling eyes, stood the bride. He could see her little makeup which feels extraordinary on her pretty-round face, just like her father. For a moment, Amay forgets all his miseries and contents his eyes with this beauty.

“What has happened, baba?” Komal finally utters while fighting back her tears. 

“Nothing, Gudiya, go back to your room,” Omprakash said, though he knew Komal must have heard everything. 

When Komal doesn’t move, Omprakash takes the boy and her to a nearby room to avoid any gossip from the relatives present in the hall. As soon as they reach the room, Komal said,“Then why are you so tensed? Is everything okay with my wedding dress?” Komal looks at the boy standing beside her dad holding something wrapped in brown tattered paper. She thinks it must be her beautiful dress which has been ruined by this pitied boy whose eyes are bouncing all over her room. She has just heard her father’s voice not the boy’s and she wonders why. 

“The laundry house which we have trusted for so many years, ditched us on this auspicious day, I don’t understand how to respond to this. This boy can’t even utter a single word, and the main problem is how to get a dress for you in such a short notice!”

“Everything I did for you, beta, has gone in vain” Omprakash talks his heart out and wailed to her daughter.

 “It’s all these laundry people’s mistake. Omprakash, handover this boy to police. These douchebags! We don’t even know if he is actually mute or acting like one. You don’t know such cheap beings. Let me handle this.” Omprakash’s elder brother enters the room and roars. Amay looks directly into this rude man’s eyes. He has seen enough world to know this man’s words were nothing but hollow. Amay doesn’t know how to shield himself from the words thrown at him. He just looks at Omprakash with pleading eyes who has known his father for long to understand that it is one unintentional mistake and they are no thieves.

Amay’s father is a man of honesty and hard work. Sundar, is one of the few washermen in the small city who never misses any deadline or crease on clothes. He has not made money but name in his forte. Amay knows his father’s attitude is of no use for the world they live in but he never stops supporting him. Sundar has told Amay stories many a times about Masterji, Komal and other family members as they’re the one who offered him a glass of water every time he went to deliver their laundry. For Sundar, it  is the best someone has done for him. But after that dreadful evening when accidentally the hot iron placed on table to cool down, fell and got stuck to beautiful red net of the dress lying an inch away from it, Sundar felt ashamed to show his face to Masterji. He knew how much Masterji loved his daughter and he has witnessed how Masterji has saved penny by penny for Komal’s big day. Hence he has asked his son, Amay, to tell about this mishap.

“No Bhaiya, whatever I say in anger doesn’t matter. I know Sundar. He cared for Komal.

“What has happened was destined, Bhaiya. Sundar just became the way for it. It’s all my bad deeds and karma. Oh my God, show us some mercy, I can’t delay this wedding,” Omprakash says after a pause as he resigns to the situation. His anger melts down with tears from his’ and Komal’s eyes. He desperately wants a way out of this.

At this moment, for the first time Amay feels if he could say something, and that is, “Thanks”. He looks down at the package for which he has bestowed anger on his father. Amay is not a bad man but he is smart enough to know how good people, like his father, get treated in this world. He never does anything for the world more than required. So when the next morning after their tragedy, Sundar bought a new dress for Komal, Amay couldn’t keep calm. He knew deep down nobody would consider the dress his father bought.

But standing now in front of Komal and the old man, Amay feels doubtful. He thinks even if they don’t accept it, Omprakash will forgive him and his father. So he finally breathes air of relief and walks to Komal. He then unwraps the package and extends it to her. He wants to say, instead of writing, to her “It’s not expensive like your previous dress but it will definitely look beautiful on you”. Amay feels strange how he has desired to say something which is a rare thing. He was usually satisfied with his notepad life. 

Komal unfolds the dress and feels surprised. She wasn’t expecting what she sees, a deep red velvet lehanga to match her golden blouse. She runs her fingers on the bottom embroidery and her eyes twinkles with joy again. “I like this, baba,” he looks at his anxious father and says. Omprakash takes the dress from her hand and surveys it. No doubt, the dress isn’t an expensive one which he has dreamt for his daughter but it is beautiful enough to be worn by her. His furious eyes now gets filled with gratitude. 

“Who has bought this, is it Sundar?” Omprakash asks the boy.

Amay nods and feels happy that Komal likes it.  

“In lieu of the ruined one?” 

Amay nods again.

 “Tell him, we liked it but I am still his Masterji, ask him to come tomorrow and collect his payment as well as dress’s”

Amay feels confused. He knows his father won’t accept it and he would get a good chiding if he agreed to Omprakash. He starts shaking his head in disagreement.

Omprakash smiles at Amay and moves forward to hug him. “Send Sundar tomorrow, I will handle him,” Omprakash says while his chest broadened with gratitude for Sundar and happiness for his daughter. That is all the old man needed.

  

That hug was the most unexpected thing for Amay. He stands stunned with affection, that the hug left him with. He never expects such gestures for a poor and mute man like him. All he has ever got is pity from others. But this old man did the opposite. Amay’s heart gets brimmed with reverence for him. He thought his father was right when he used to say,” Not all humans are bad, some are just having a bad day”. He realizes the worth of his father’s good deeds. He gets ready to leave the house when he hears Komal say to him,” Don’t forget to attend my wedding tonight along with Sundar Chacha and Chachi”. He feels speechless in all its true sense.