Loneliness - A.Vamanacharya (ebook reader screen .txt) 📗

Loneliness
LONELINESS
Priti a young bank executive had to undergo loneliness for whole day and night, because her husband and six year old daughter were out of station and returning on Monday morning. The day was being a Sunday and weekly off to her bank. She was seriously thinking to get out of loneliness. Loneliness is more than the feeling of wanting company or wanting to do something with other person. She was fully aware that to be free from the loneliness, one must engage in some work. Last year, when she was deputed for training from the bank, one of the faculty members delivered a thought provoking lecture on ‘loneliness’. She was in the habit of noting down the important points systematically in a journal. She had developed a rare quality of revising the points at a later date to recollect the whole topic. With an intention to be engaged, she took out the journal to go through the points on ‘loneliness.’ She read all the points with brief notes taken from the lecture. While going through it, she was confronted with the terms ‘state loneliness’ and ‘trait loneliness.’ She wanted to know which type of loneliness she was undergoing. She could not make proper distinction between the two. Her doubt was remained unsolved even after spending much time. Priti was most unhappy for not understanding the correct meaning of the terms and continued her efforts to find out the meaning. While searching the books in her home library, she found a book with the title ‘Loneliness to Happiness’ written by a reputed author. She could arrive to the meaning of the terms from the book as a ‘person is experienced loneliness most of the time; such type is called as ‘trait loneliness.’ If a person is experiencing for a particular situation is called as a ‘state loneliness.’ Priti felt her loneliness as a ‘state loneliness.’
It was 10 a.m. in the morning, Priti received a telephone call from her friend Saroja, who informed about the burglary, where burglar entered in one of the houses in the locality and decamped with the booty and the police had already commenced investigation. Immediately, Priti recollected an unforgettable incident of about seven years happened in her life. Priti thanked her friend for giving an opportunity to recollect the past incidence to overcome the loneliness. She didn’t express this to her.
In those days, it was her regular practice to return home from the bank invariably before sunset. She being a lady had to take precautions in view of the disturbed conditions prevailed in the city. One day, there was a delay of more than two hours due to the presence of the auditors, to whom she had to provide relevant information and statistics. Her branch was under audit. On that particular day, when she was supposed to sit late, the branch manager arranged bank’s car to drop her home. Naturally, when she was asked to sit late her boss used to provide bank’s car. While coming back from the bank on such days the boss might have felt unsafe of going alone on her two wheeler motor bike. By the time Priti reached home, it was already 8.30 p.m.
Immediately after entering home, her habit was to check the messages recorded in the telephone. The answering machine displayed two calls. One was from her husband Pravin that he may be late by two hours. Another message was just hello, hello and expressed repeatedly why the instrument was not lifted. It appears the caller was surprised to hear Pravin and Priti not in home, please leave your name, telephone number and the reason for call in brief. Probably, this gentleman does not know the facility of recording the message in the telephone.
Priti was staying in the rented house along with her husband on the first floor consisting of two bed rooms with attached bath, specious hall and kitchen. The owner was staying in the ground floor. She wanted to relax for some time in order to be relieved from the whole day’s exertion. After about five minutes, she went to kitchen with an intention to prepare dinner. She had no mood to start and thought of taking rest for sometime. She sat on the sofa to watch television. There were no good programmes. She was just changing the channels fast with the help of remote. In one of the channels, there was an announcement regarding one criminal, who was involved in number of crimes including murder and dacoity. His photograph was displayed frequently on the television screen. He was a middle aged man having big moustaches, baldheaded and black complexion with a five feet nine inches height and noticeable scar on the forehead. On seeing this man, one thing flashed to her mind having seen this person yesterday on the road. She had in her mind the complete picture of this man. An amount of Rupees one hundred thousand was announced as a reward for those, who trace out and report to the nearest police station. In the meantime, she heard a sound from the outside and became scared. She went to the balcony to know from where the sound was emanating. It was nothing but a passerby, who was drunken and shouting at the top of his voice. After convincing herself, she wanted to have relaxation and sat on the sofa viewing television.
Priti was thinking seriously, why Pravin didn’t come even after two hours. She was just speaking to herself about Pravin never adhering to keep up the time even on a single day forgetting his own words. Whenever, she asks him to return from his office as early as possible, his reply was straight, expressing inability to return early due to a specific time frame. He further said if this project was completed within a stipulated time with success, he would get promotion with a hike in the salary and certainly think of going out for a week. It was not possible for them even to plan for honeymoon even after completing the second wedding anniversary. She was really frustrated with the sorry state of affairs prevailing between them. She was also equally responsible for this, because of her nature of responsibility as a Manager of the Credit Department in the bank.
It was already half past ten; there was no sign of her husband reaching home. She went to balcony and opened the door and windows curtain to see outside. There was absolutely pin drop silence on the road. On the terrace of opposite house, a young lady was feeding her baby by showing towards twinkling stars on the sky. Priti was able to hear her song, “twinkle, twinkle little star how I wonder what you are…” There was no traffic and the pedestrians on the road. One car and two bikes were parked just in front of the house. She was seriously thinking and getting nervous because of Pravin’s late coming. Then her attention was diverted outside towards the big banyan tree existed just opposite to balcony. A middle aged man having big mustaches was standing. He resembled with the man shown in the TV just few minutes before. He was busy in conversing with somebody over cell phone. She didn’t pay much importance to the man and again sat on the sofa to relax. Her curiosity to see that man increased.
Again, she went to the balcony and observed with anxiety. He was speaking in the cell phone but looking towards her. She was quite sure and confirmed that the man who was outside must be the same person displayed in the television. She became nervous and restless and her heart was beating at a faster rate. At that point of time, it was 11 p.m. she had no other choice except to keep herself free from fear. The horror movie was on the television. Immediately, she changed the channel to another, which was showing the comedy serial. Priti made up her mind to prepare some light food. Pravin had warned her not to eat spicy foods, which may lead to ill health. She went to balcony again and observed outside. The same person was sitting beneath the banyan tree. But this time his attention was straight towards the balcony where she was standing. A doubt was flashed in her mind. She wanted to see him very closely. She took a binocular and viewed through it. Even in the dim light, she could see clearly the mustache, black face and noticeable scar on the forehead. His dress was not clearly visible. Her curiosity was still increased and viewed with close angle. She realized fully that he was none other than the person shown on television. At that point of time, she was thunderstruck and panicked not knowing what to do further.
Immediately she had decided to close the windows, balcony door and all other doors and checked the locks perfectly. She tried to check the day’s paper to get full details about the man. She wanted to see him again in the television. She could not remember the channel, where this man was shown. She wanted to recollect the telephone number of police station and got it from the telephone directory. But due to fear, she didn’t want to inform the police and just wanted to contact Pravin and seek his advice in this regard. The security guard in his office told her that Pravin had already left. She thought Pravin might take another fifteen to twenty minutes to reach home. Priti went to worship room and offered prayers for few minutes. She became brave to some extent and again went to balcony. To her surprise the mustache man was not there. Suddenly she took a deep breath and was about to close the balcony door, seen the same man was standing at the different location. This time he was not using cell phone but looking towards her as if he wanted to target their house. Virtually, she became very much upset and failed to think properly as how to get out from the danger. Priti had no way left except to pray God to rescue her from the untoward incidence going to happen. She could not control her senses under such a situation. In the absence of Pravin, she had no courage to take any drastic action. She tried to apply her mind properly in order to overcome the situation.
First action was closing all the doors and windows with double locking. Secondly, inform the owner of the house over telephone to come to rescue in case of such eventuality. Thirdly, pray God to give strength to jump in to the action, which was expected. Priti sat on the sofa with an intention to relax. In the meantime, somebody knocked the main door. She had purposely disconnected the door bell for safety purpose. When the door was being knocked repeatedly, she went slowly towards the main door and peeped into the small safety glass provided on the door. The mustaches man was looking without making the movement of his eyes. Next moment another person in place of him appeared! He was exactly the same person shown on the television screen. The series of events, which took place within a few minutes, resulted in her a kind of psychological weakness. She prayed to God that Pravin should come and drag these persons out. To her bad luck, Pravin did not come. She was really surprised to see the man, who was none other than the owner of the house. She was thinking why this man has come all of a sudden in the late night. He was supposed to collect the rent on