Tears

 Madhuri entered the Bapat household as a newly wed bride , with dreams in her eyes coupled with tears shed due  to a mixed emotional turmoil, reflecting her state of mind . Her tears reflected her grief of leaving the comfortable cocoon of her parents home , the apprehension towards the life to be , and of course , the joy of living the rest of her life with the man of her choice , Jaideep . An intelligent, quiet, handsome and loving young man . As she kicked and stepped on the bowl of rice , as was the tradition, she managed a faint smile amidst all her emotional turmoil. Jaideep , on the other hand, held her hand firmly in a show of support. Mrs Bapat , Jaideep’s mother held the Aarti thaali , eyes brimming with tears of joy as his father, Mr Bapat,  looked on , eyes full of love . 

 The Bapats were well known in the society for their simplicity and humbleness . Theirs was a typical middle class Maharashtrian Koknastha Brahmin household. Gradually Madhuri settled in the family and won everyone’s heart with her sweet simple nature . Life was good . They were blessed with two daughters Shivani and Shweta. Jaideep was a good son, husband , father and a good provider for his family. Every cloud has a dark side to it . From being a social drinker , he gradually became a borderline alcoholic. The camaraderie and the friendly chats were soon replaced by bickering , nagging and fights between the husband and wife , while the parents and children looked on . Each night Madhuri used to shed tears of anger, anguish and despair, while the daughters Shivani and Shweta wept their heart out shedding tears of fright and grief and finding solace in their grand parents arms . Mrs Bapat  was a silent spectator shedding tears of sorrow, while Mr Bapat  would stand stoically with unshed tears in his eyes . 

The happy , humble and simple family became a subject of gossip amongst the colony as the fights and shouts wafted out through the windows. 

Life went on with the same turbulence , Jaideep grew older but not in any way wiser . His body couldn’t handle the years of alcohol abuse anymore. He started complaining of nausea , flatulence and vomiting. The skin pallor started turning yellow and on medical examination, he was diagnosed with Class B Liver Cirrhosis which didn’t have a very good prognosis. He was advised a Liver Transplant. The family was shattered, while Madhuri stood by like a solid rock . Each of the family members were tested for the best match . Mrs Bapat  and his two daughters turned out to be the best match. However, due to her age , Mrs Bapat was advised against donating her liver . The permissible age for organ transplant is between 18-60 years of age . She  wept and was inconsolable, shedding tears of distress and despair. Shivani, the older one of the two had just turned 21. A beautiful young girl , having inherited her intelligence from her father,  was the next choice. Shweta’s eighteenth birthday was a couple of months away . 

“ Baba, I am there for you “, Shivani reassured Jaideep. He was already suffering physically, but his mental agony knew no bounds . “ Please forgive me”, said he , as he shed tears of guilt .” I have not only brought this upon myself, but have also put your life in danger. If something happens to you, I will never be able to forgive myself “, he continued weeping tears of guilt, despair and sorrow and expressed his concerns to the doctor. “ The liver is the only organ which has a unique capacity to regenerate itself after damage , both you and your daughter will be perfectly fine “, reassured the doctor, “ but neither of you should contract an infection immediately post the transplant , and needless to say , Jaideep, you will have to go in for a rehabilitation, else Shivani’s bold efforts will go in vain “ That night Jaideep couldn’t sleep, he wept all night till his tears dried up . He felt like a criminal, he was strewn with guilt and couldn’t fathom the love his daughter had for him , despite the tough childhood he had given her .

All the tests were run on Shivani , she too had a lot of apprehensions and fears , just like the rest of the family . The question “What if….” troubled not only Madhuri, but also Shivani . Madhuri and her mother in law cried in front of God and shed tears  of faith in the almighty. Mr Bapat  stood by as a silent spectator, his face expressionless , eyes brimming with tears , giving support to his family . 

The day arrived , both Jaideep and Shivani were in the ICU for three weeks for post operative care , finally the doctor declared that the transplant was successful. Shivani too had recovered and could go back to leading a normal life. They were discharged from the hospital and came home . 

Once again Jaideep’s mother had the Aarti thaali in her hand . Together , she and Madhuri shed tears of joy and relief as the father - daughter duo entered the house . 

Mr Bapat released all his angst and the  unshed tears , finally flowed as he bowed his head in gratitude to the God almighty . 

The simple , humble Bapat family had come back .