Cherry Blossoms - Part 6 (END)

            But he had no choice but to think things over now.  He was beginning to understand how difficult it was going to be and he was in no mood to let Arnav off the hook like others had done.  He was preparing himself for a long-drawn battle starting with his own family because he was sure that they won’t agree to his approach.  They would have preferred some other way of getting rid of the person who had harmed their family.  But for Krishna it was not just a question of ego but justice.  He wanted everyone to know who Arnav really was. 

            As he prepared for the battle, he could see that Sneha was slowly fading away… he was worried.  

            Meanwhile, Sneha felt as a mere observer of all that was happening around her.  She had never been a chirpy and lively person.  But slowly, her smile faded away.  She saw others look at her questioningly but she had no longer the courage or force to say anything.  She had suddenly realised how fragile she was.  She didn’t want to harm anyone and felt that by punishing Arnav she was actually going to kill her own spirit.  She was a non-violent person who believed in forgiving and forgetting.  But this was so hard to forgive or forget.  Arnav had taken away her childhood… he had killed her spirit and now he was going to kill her by making her do things that were against her nature.  The sadness in her eyes hurt.  And her silence froze all questions.  Krishna was too busy trying to get Arnav punished to pay any attention to his wife for whom he was doing all this.  

            Sneha’s silent and sadness pushed Krishna further and further away from her.  She no longer felt attached to anything and one day Krishna woke up to find her gone.  He searched everywhere like a dutiful husband but in a way he felt relieved because this was making him feel so hollow inside.  He had never told Sneha how he couldn’t bear to see her sad and silent and had thought that she knew… 

            And Sneha was feeling so lonely.  She hadn’t left any note, nothing.  No one knew whether she was dead or alive.  Whatever the case might be she hadn’t used her credit cards or bank account.  They had searched for her for some days, some had continued for some months, only Krishna continued to hope against hope that she’d return to him one day.  He felt guilty but there wasn’t much he could do.  He had failed where he wanted to succeed.  Everyone wanted him to remarry but Sneha was the essence of his being and he couldn’t think of leaving her even when she had left him.  His love for her grew with every day that passed and no one could ever replace her in his heart.  One day, fed up of being pressurised, he went to the temple and renounced the world.  He had done his own last rites and no longer belonged to this world.  He was alive but life had gone out of him long ago. 

            Sneha had always known what he was doing and had done her best to help but there was little that she could do for him from where she was.  Tears welled up in her eyes again and as another cherry blossom fell at her feet she saw Arnav go to another little girl… another Sneha?

Cherry Blossoms - Part 5

            "Krishna, I hope you know what it means to register a case of CSA in our country, and that too against someone as rich and influential as Arnav."

            "Raghav, I know that it's not going to be easy.  But..."

            "Easy?"  Raghav interrupted, "Krishna, not only is it going to be an uphill task but extremely dangerous as well.  And I am not talking about your, Sneha's or your families' reputation."

            "Reputation?  Have you seen how Sneha is suffering?  I am rich enough to silence the whole world and as they say even a bad reputation is a reputation.  My family's reputation has been built during hard times and hardships will strengthen it further, if anything.  Only middle-class or nouveau-riche people care about reputation.  People like us don't give a damn about what others say.  We tread on dangerous roads and continue the journey.  This will set an example for anyone who dares play or even think of playing with us or our sentiments."

            Raghav was stunned to hear these words from the scion of one of the most esteemed families of the country.  He looked doubtful but remained silent.

            Krishna broke the silence.

            "Raghav, all I want to know is what should I do to get Arnav behind the bars.  What does the law say?"

            "Krishna, the problem is that our law, like the society, is silent about the matter."

            "What!"

            "Well, you see, in our country Child Sexual Abuse is a matter of shame just like rape.  People don't want to admit that it exists.  As a result, there is no legal framework for CSA or victims of CSA.  There have been efforts by some individuals and NGOs in this direction.  But there's not been much progress."

            Krishna was shocked to silence.

            "You mean Arnav will get away with his crime?"

            "Well, firstly, beware that it's going to be a very long war.  There will be several battles that you'll have to fight before you can think of winning the war.  One thing that Arnav can't say is that Sneha gave her consent and so it was a consensual relationship.  Our law is very clear about it.  One can't sign any contract till one is18.  So she is actually safe on that front.  From what you told me, it appears that she was subjected to CSA when she was 4-5 years old and it continued till she was 10-12 years old.  So in no way could she give her consent.  Now, as it will be treated as rape, they'll ask for a proof.  It's easy to accuse someone but how will she prove it?  She was just a child so she didn't understand it and so she was not ever examined by doctors for the same.  So all possible medical and forensic evidence, including DNA, has disappeared forever."

            Krishna was listening silently.  He had never thought about all this.

Cherry Blossoms - Part 4

            Krishna couldn't control himself.  He shook with violence.

            "Arnav is in for a big shock," thought Raghav.

            Of course, like most lawyers, Raghav was aware of Arnav's penchant for young children, especially girls.  At least one couldn't accuse him of gender discrimination but this didn't make it easy to forgive or forget his deeds.  Legal community knew him well and he had a reputation, albeit a negative one.  How he and some of his colleagues wished that one of these days he'd be killed in an accident!  And some of them had even thought of arranging one especially for him.  But at the same time they felt that this would mean letting him off the hook too easily.  Yet it was so difficult, nay almost impossible, to nail him for his crime as most of the victims refused to come forward to register their complaint in the first place and when some did, they were reduced to silence either with money or by their own family's sense of shame.

            This was the first time a victim was going to come out in the open.  And the fact that the accused and the victim had been seen recently with each-other, on the occasion of Sneha and Krishna's wedding, wasn't going to make things easy.  Arnav had known Sneha's family for a long time.  Arnav and Anand Kaushal, Sneha's father, had known each other for over 20-25 years now.  Now that Sneha's story was going to come out in the open, Arnav will have to face someone whose social status was higher than his own and it won't be so easy for him to stifle the case this time.  At the same time, it also meant hard time ahead for Sneha's parents we well as her in-laws.  The wedding of the year was about to become the nightmare of the decade for all concerned.

            Raghav was glad that he had been chosen for this task.  He was sure to be in limelight and gain popularity, both within lawyers' community as well as among public.  He had heard the tales of other victims and knew how harrowing it must be for Sneha.  Poor Krishna!  Did he have any idea what he had taken on?  His love for Sneha was taking him towards unchartered waters.  But will his love withstand the difficulties that awaited him?

Cherry Blossoms Part - 3

            "Sneha is very ill," Krishna was saying. 

            "Shoplifting..." thought Raghav.  Or maybe Sneha wanted to write her will.  Other than that he couldn't see why would Krishna come to him?  He was a lawyer, not a doctor, for heaven's sake.  But he remained silent.  He wasn't there to judge people.  His job was to help his client to the best of his ability.  And it was important to be attentive.  He was a good listener but this was so unusual.  So he worked hard and concentrated to listening to what Krishna was saying.

            "Sneha is very ill.  Though I know it's not her fault and we have found the cause but we don't know how to act on what we have found and if there is anything we can do."

            "But if she is sick then you should take her to a doctor.  I am not one.  But if you want I can suggest some good ones."

            "It's not that."

            "Then what is it?"

            "Well, she is sick because she has found something that happened long ago."

            "..."

            "When she was very young, someone took undue advantage of her innocence and took away her innocence.  Somehow, she had suffered a sort of amnesia and it all came back to her recently."

            "Are you sure of this?"

            "Yes, I am."

            "You know often some people speak like this just to make others' interested in themselves, especially people like Sneha who are simple and who haven't done anything in their lives."

            "Raghav!" Krishna felt anger rise within, "Be careful.  You are talking about Sneha, my wife."

            "I know, Krishna.  But how can you be so sure that all this is true."

            "I am sure because I was with her all the time when she was going through that hell.  I was there when the psychologist hypnotised her and made her remember all that.  I was there when she would sob the nights and tremble at every sound.  I was there."  Krishna was almost shouting. 

            Raghav was glad that his office was sound-proof.  Otherwise, regardless of whether they had signed a non-disclosure agreement or not, the way Krishna's voice was reverberating in the office everyone would have known and it was serious, really serious. 

Part 4....

Cherry Blossoms Part - 2

            He was really confused.  It was as if he had been put in the sea and asked to cross it and he didn't even know how to swim.  But he was damned if he didn't give it a very good try.  He decided to consult his lawyer the following day.  Raghav was a very experienced lawyer who had a flourishing law practice in the city.  He usually dealt with commercial matters of Krishna's company but he had already fought penal cases as well.  He passed the night with great difficulty.

            Next morning he got ready early.  When he came downstairs there was no one around.  So far, so good.  He didn't want to explain to everyone what was going on.  Of course, the day will come when he'll have to tell everyone but that day was not today.  He arrived at Raghav's office.  As expected, Raghav was already there.  Krishna didn't know how and where to start.  What if Raghav told about this visit to someone in his family or worse, to Arnav?  He couldn't take that risk. 

            As Raghav offered him a cup of tea, he continued to think things over.  At last, he gathered courage.

            "Raghav, today, I have come to discuss a very important matter with you."

            "I know."

            "You know?"

            "Of course, anyone could understand the importance of the matter by the fact that you deemed fit to descend to my office so early in the morning.  Usually, you simply call me up or send me an e-mail or if it was really so important then you'd have sent one of your employees.  But today you've come yourself.  On top of that you've been fiddling with that pen ever since you entered my office."

            "Oh."  Krishna looked down and saw that he was indeed fiddling with a pen.  He forced a smile but it refused to light his eyes.

            "What is the matter?  Is there something wrong with the contract that I drew for you the other day?"

            "No, it was perfect, as usual."

            "So..."

            "Well, it is a very important matter and I would like to know if you can keep a secret..."

            "You no longer have faith in me..."

            "No Raghav, it's not that.  Of course, I have faith in you but this is a very delicate matter and I want to be sure that no one will ever find out about it."

            "Well Krishna, you are my biggest clients and your family owns almost half the businesses in this city..."

            "Yes, but I don't want anyone, not even my family to know about this discussion."

            "OK, here's a confidentiality contract..." said Raghav handing him some papers, "but anyways, as an advocate I am already liable to be stuck-off from bar if I reveal any discussion with you.  But hopefully this will help you have more faith in me..."

            "It's not that Raghav.  It's just that the matter is very delicate," said Krishna going through the contract.  He seemed satisfied with the clauses, "Let's sign it."

            They signed the contract.  Krishna kept one copy of the contract in his bag and left promising to return in an hour or so.  He returned home.  He went to his room where he kept the envelope in his safe and went downstairs.  The whole family was gathered at the dining table.  He sat there with everyone quietly absorbed in his own world while everyone continued to chatter about mundane things.

            "Krishna, is everything all right?  You are very silent today," asked his mother.  She looked worried.  Krishna gave a weak smile and remained silent.  He didn't know what to say.  He loved Sneha too much to subject her to this humiliation.  He wanted to get Arnav punished but he didn't want everyone to know about what had happened.  He knew what may happen if everyone knew the truth.  Sneha had always been so nice with everyone and this wasn't her fault.  Now it was up to him to ensure that she was safe and away from harm.  He won't let anyone harm her.  He was the first to finish his breakfast.  He wasn't really hungry anyways.  But now what?  He had no choice but to wait for everyone to finish and he wanted to be away from it all.  At last, everyone finished breakfast and he could leave.

            He almost rushed out of the house.  Everyone looked at him in surprise.  What was he up to?  But a look at him and they knew that he wasn't going to tell them anything.  They remained silent and continued with their daily chores.  Krishna went immediately to Raghav's office.  Raghav was waiting for him.

            "Raghav, something terrible has happened."

            Raghav looked at Krishna with surprise.  Had he lost all his money?  He wasn't a gambler.  Had someone cheated him?  Had he been ruined?  Or had he done something illegal?  But Krishna wasn't someone who had ever considered doing something illegal.  He was a law-abiding citizen.  But the matter appeared to be serious and the way he was acting was almost as if he had committed some crime.  Raghav prayed fervently that may his suspicions be unfounded.  But he was worried.  Krishna's family was one of his best clients.  His reverie broke with Krishna's voice.

            "It's Sneha," he was saying, "We need your help and advice to do something about it."

            Evidently Raghav had missed an episode.  Now he understood that it was Sneha who had done something illegal.  Sneha... sweet Sneha, obviously she wasn't what she appeared to be.  Someone had once said if something seems too good to be true then it surely is.

Continued (3)...

Cherry blossoms (1)

            Another cherry blossom fell at her feet and she continued to stare at it... in silence... with tears flowing down her cheeks.  The world seemed to close in on her and she was just a prisoner, a prisoner of her own fears.  There was no one in whom she could confide.  She remained seated on her bench in the park.

            She hurried aside as she saw him enter the park.  As usual, he was smartly dressed or dressed to kill, as someone had once said; only it was the truth.  He was as handsome as she remembered.  It was as if nothing had changed though she was no longer the same person.  In fact, it would be better to say that she was but a ghost of her old self.

            It was the same time of the year when the fragrance of cherry blossoms filled the air and she longed to move out... how she would have loved to make him suffer for all that pain, solitude... but all she could do was stare at the man who had destroyed her life.

            She still remembered the young, chirpy girl that she used to be... all those years ago.  But it was so long ago...

            She returned to the present.  What use was it to cry over spilt milk?  It was all over and she couldn't change the past.

            She looked up at Arnav.  He was right there in front of her laughing and playing with a group of children.  She wanted to run but her feet seemed to be stuck to ground.  She wanted to shout, tell the children to be careful, to run away from the demon but words wouldn't come out of her mouth.  Tears welled in her eyes.

She remembered the conversation that she had had earlier with Krishna:

"Why am I so scared all the time?"

"Don't worry Sneha.  Everything will be all right."

"How do you know?"

            Looking at Arnav she could feel the anger rise in her... anger for destroying her life, ruining her and closing all doors to happiness.  Therapists had tried to cure her.  Everyone told her that forgiving Arnav would heal her.  But the memories of his dirty hands on her made her revolt against all those platitudes... because that was all that such words meant to her.  Only the wearer knows where the shoe bites.

            How could they even pretend to understand her pain?  They were not the ones who had undergone all that... she felt like throwing-up... of course, several years had passed since that time... time of innocence.

            She had been a pretty little child as fragile as these cherry blossoms.  A young flower whose fragrance perfumed her parents' house.  A chirpy child who'd lost its smile in a few days. And no one had understood why.  Her parents hadn't recognised those tell-tale signs.  And she'd felt so guilty and ashamed.  How could she tell them what she'd done?

            It was only after years of therapy that she'd realised that it wasn't her fault.  Now she knew what lay behind those forgotten memories.  Of course, some of it was still buried deep within her.  But she remembered enough to know the name of her foe.

            It was a pity that she'd not understood this earlier.  How long had she hidden behind these clouds?  And when she'd realised the reason behind her fears... it was too late.  She'd lost everything.

            Yes, that sweet child had grown up to a beautiful and shy young woman.  Then her parents had found Krishna, the perfect match.  He was nice and gentle.  She was extremely happy.

            They were young and life was waiting for them.  Their marriage united the two families as well as businesses.  Everyone was happy.  And then they left for Europe.  It was the beginning of spring and the air was filled with fragrance of cherry blossoms.  She was so happy.

            But it was then that darkness overshadowed their lives.  It entered without knocking.  None of the two was prepared for this.  It happened.  Just like that.  One night, she woke up suddenly.  She had had a nightmare.  She didn't remember much.  But she was too scared to return to sleep.  And Krishna had cradled her in his arms the whole night.  But it didn't stop.  It became a routine.  She'd hardly gone to sleep when she'd wake up, trembling, sweating.  Krishna didn't understand what was going on.  Neither did she.  It was then that they decided to visit a doctor who in turn advised them to go and see a psychologist.  She had refused.  Why should she go to see a psychologist?  She wasn't mad, was she?

            Krishna had started losing patience.  He just shared his name with God.  He wasn't one.

            Finally, they'd returned to India earlier than planned.  It was supposed to be the best time of her life and it had proved to be a nightmare.  Finally, after much persuasion she had agreed to visit a psychologist.  At least Krishna was back with her, supporting her.  Thank God!  She was no longer alone.  But it was getting more and more difficult... her nightmares continued.  She didn't get better.  She didn't understand anything.  Why was this happening?  The psychologist insisted that she had suffered some sort of trauma in past and that was what had resurfaced in her memory.  But she couldn't believe it.  She had never had any negative experience in life.  Though her life wasn't a bed of roses but the thorns weren't too sharp either.  Her world was full of small joys in which the big sorrows appeared like nothing.  She had had her share of pains but she was happy and satisfied.

            So what trauma was the psychologist talking about?

            She wondered but had no reply till one day it all came back in form of a nightmare.  She knew Arnav's familiar face.  How could it be true?  Was it just a fantasy?  Had she become so pervert?  She was disgusted with herself and felt ashamed of herself.  She felt so dirty.  She woke up and rushed to have a bath.  But the feeling wouldn't go.

            She remained in the bathroom for a long, long time till Krishna knocked.  He looked worried.  She immediately covered herself and came out sobbing.  Krishna didn't understand what was happening.  He simply hugged her tightly and remained silent.  After some time as her sobs subsided and she stopped shaking, he brought her to bed.  She looked at him with eyes full of tears.  He didn't know what was going on.  Women were so mysterious.  Only God knew what had happened to make her cry this time!  So he remained silent and held her in his arms.

            The night passed and the morning brought sunshine and the fragrance of cherry blossoms.  Sneha woke with a smile as if the previous night had never occurred.  It was only as she looked at the sunny garden, full of cherry blossoms that she remembered everything.  She broke into tears again.  Krishna entered.  Evidently, he'd not really slept and was worried to death.  He loved her.  The marriage had been arranged but Sneha had bewitched him in no time.  He knew that they were made for each other and heavens had been really kind to him that they'd arranged that match.  He couldn't bear to see her sad.  And it had been several weeks since he last saw her smile.

            He decided to take things in his hands.  Mysterious or not, he couldn't bear it any more.  He wanted to get to the bottom of the matter.  This time he had decided.  Enough was enough.  Every time he saw her cry, his heart broke in several pieces.  He couldn't take it anymore.  It had to end. 

            But he knew that she was close to breaking point.  She looked so fragile.  He entered carrying tea for both of them and forced a smile.  She, too, forced a smile.  She knew that he was trying to be kind in spite of himself.  She felt really bad about it.  They sipped the tea silently, lost in their own thoughts, thinking as to how to break this wall of silence.  Slowly, Krishna put his hand on hers, looked in her eyes and smiled.  Once again, she forced a smile.  She felt safe.  It had been a long, long time since she felt this way.  She somehow knew that he cared and that she could have faith in him, that he'd never let her down.  So this was how amidst sobs and pain she told him the whole story.  He couldn't believe it.  Arnav, of all the people!  How could he have done this?  It was just not possible.  But then he had also seen the hell that Sneha had been through since the past couple of months and knew that she wasn't lying.  But Arnav!

            Now it was his turn to face the truth.  And it was painful.  But he knew that any negligence on his part would have terrible consequences for Sneha.  He was no longer alone and couldn't escape the truth.  He felt like killing Arnav; but knew that it wouldn't be the right thing to do.  It was such a delicate matter.  With whom could they talk about it?  Was there someone who could help them find a solution?  Could he actually lodge a complaint against Arnav after all these years?

Continued(2)