A very special thanks to Steve(Steve Ciao) for editing this part. Your editing is simply brilliant just as your stories. Thanks to all the readers especially Ashok for encouraging me to write the third part. Thanks to the author of the hindi story which inspired me partially.
None of the characters involved in sex are below eighteen years of age.
***
Vijay speaks
That morning was the last that Labanya saw. She closed her eyes never to open them again. The world tore itself apart for me. Was it a punishment for the crime that I had committed? Somehow I had to find my own answers. I had to keep myself strong for the baby. But, my baby was she indeed mine? Ankita Didi was staying close to her all the time and attending all her needs. It was that phase of her life where a mother was all she needed.
Ankita Didi and my mother in law stayed with us till the last rituals of Labanya. Never once did Didi talk to me during this time. And perhaps, my mother in law was not aware of the heinous crime that I had committed. They left me in my loneliness after the
shraddh
of Labanya. 'They', meant all of them; Ankita Didi, her mother and the two babies. There was nothing in the world that could justify rape, but I had found a weak reason to justify my action. I had seen Labanya in Didi's face just before making her the victim of my carnal desires.
***
Ankita speaks
After the last rites of Labanya, I came to stay along with my mother. That I was a rape victim was a secret locked away deep inside the core of my heart and I realized that I had to live with it for the rest of my life. Taking care of one baby was a huge responsibility but now I had two to take care of. The changing of diapers, cleaning their clothes and nursing them took away a lot of my time and I didn't find time to even think of myself. I was unexpectedly a widow, and some of my wishes were going to stay unfulfilled for life.
It was on one such morning that I woke up to a bad dream. Something in me said that my father in law was not doing well. My mother in law had already passed away hearing the demise of her son. I should have stayed with him and performed the duties of a daughter in law but I had instead preferred to move along with Labanya. Yes, I had to pay a heavy price in guilt for not performing my duties.
I tried to call on his number but the phone was out of reach. I didn't have the number of any of the neighbors, which added to my worries. Having considered carefully, I took a big decision of moving along to my in laws house and staying with my father in law. The sky was overcast and there were predictions of heavy rains. I let my mother know my decision. She asked me to wait till the weather cleaned up but I was not prepared to take her suggestion.
I packed a few of my clothes and those of the babies. I booked a cab and proceeded straight to my in laws. By the time, I reached his town I was greeted by a change in the weather, heavy winds and rain now lashing down. It was two in the afternoon but the town had gone dark. The cab dropped me at my destination and left away.
With both children sleeping in either of my arms, I knocked at the door but no one answered. I waited sometime before knocking again and this time my call was answered. The door opened and I stared into the pale face of my father in law. He looked very sick and even before I could fall at his feet as a gesture of greeting elders, he fell down.
The room was dark. I laid down both the babies on the nearby bed and lighting the torch of my mobile I again rushed on to him. He was breathing and that was the sign that he was alive. I took a long breath as a sign of relaxation. I felt for his pulse and realized that it was weak. I rushed to the basin to bring some water within my palm and sprinkled it on his face. There was a slight reaction in his face before I sprinkled some more water. He responded by slowly opening his eyes. He stared at me for some time before saying in a weak voice:
"Beti, why are you here? The weather is so bad and you have a baby to take care of."
It seemed he was not aware of Labanya's death.
"Papa, can you get up and move to the bed?" I asked him.
(Beti means daughter in Hindi and Papa is another term for father).
"Beti, I have had five bouts of loose motion since this morning and it has made me weak. There is power failure since morning and the water purifier is not working. I have been sleeping since morning before you came."
"Papa, let me boil some water for you. But please catch hold of me and I will take you to the bed."
It took me a while to make him rise. He was six feet tall and as he put his weight on my shoulders, I realized that it was a difficult task to carry him. He took tiny steps and that actually helped me in moving to his bed. I laid him on the bed and then rushed to the kitchen to boil some water for him. I took a pan and after filling it with tap water, I placed it on the gas stove and lit it.
That was when my little girl started crying.
"She must be hungry," I thought.
As I took the baby to my breast, I scratched my brain with ideas to revive my father in law. Deaths had become too common in my family in the last few months and I was not ready to leave him so soon. He needed electrolytes and fluid. Fluids could be replenished by water, but the electrolyte part! I needed salt and sugar for that. It was dark everywhere. Could I find them in the kitchen? By now, time was very vital and every moment seemed precious. Should I wait for the water to cool? A few intravenous fluids could do the job but that needed a qualified nurse. I needed an anti-diarrheal. And, maybe I had it in my purse.
I looked at my baby and patted her gently. She was sucking at my breast vigorously to satiate her hunger. And, that was when an idea struck me.
Could I breastfeed him
? I was producing plenty of milk and that could take care of the fluid part. And when my boy had developed diarrhea, the doctor had said that there was no need for additional electrolytes as he was being breastfed. So maybe breastmilk could take care of the electrolyte part too. The idea seemed weird but had logic.
Only if Papa would agree to my proposal, I could try this experiment. It was dark everywhere and uncovering my chest to him did not seem a big deal especially since his life was at stake.
It took me another few minutes before I finished feeding my girl. I lay her down next to my baby boy and went to the room where my father in law was resting.
"Papa, are you awake?" I called to him lightly.
"Yes, beti," he said in a weak voice.
I moved myself in the direction of the voice with my mobile torch and sat next to him. I had to let him know my decision quickly. I ran my hand through his hair.