Granted

As the young couple entered their new home excitedly Doyel watched them wistfully from a distance. Her partner however kept busy with the makeshift shelter he was building for Doyel and himself. Unlike Doyel he did not believe in holding on to the emotions they once had about that land where a brand new one storey house was now standing. Doyel had planned on hating the occupants but on seeing the happy smiles of the couple she could not bring herself to even faintly dislike them.

Inside the same house Preeti and her husband Jay were busy settling down. Preeti was in the advanced stage of pregnancy and they needed to convert the place into a comfortable home as soon as possible. The humble house had only one bedroom, a kitchen, a bathroom and a small living area. But it was a lot for the couple.

Jay’s father worked as a security guard at a bank in the city and he had hastily built the house when he heard that he was about to become a grandfather. The small house was located in the outskirts of the small town where Jay was an employee of a private mill. In terms of money they were quite a poor family and Jay’s father did not think twice when he displaced Doyel and her partner from the plot of land before building the house. To be fair the land belonged legally to Jay’s father and the ageing man was only trying to secure the future of his bloodline when he asserted the same.

Preeti understood her father-in-law’s point and was forever grateful for the home but she still felt a surge of sympathy when she caught Doyel staring at them through the window. Her partner still refused to look in their direction. Preeti set out some rice and fruits in a plate and rushed to offer them to Doyel and her partner who clearly looked famished. It was time for damage control.

But Doyel and her partner were in no mood to make friends with Preeti. They quickly receded into the woods adjacent to the house before Preeti could reach them. Disappointed Preeti stood at the door looking in the direction in which the couple had disappeared. After pondering for a while she placed the tray on the hanging ledge by the main door and retreated into the kitchen.

After some time Doyel and her partner felt the moan of hunger twitching in their tummies. The more they tried to ignore it, the wilder it started to become. Finally they gave up and went to devour the plate of food offered by Preeti. By the time they had finished they had forgotten to even note the taste of the food. But their anger towards Preeti had melted away.

Preeti had gotten busy with the daily chores of her home. It was late afternoon when she felt tired and worn out after setting the house in order. She went out to fetch the plate to wash it and was very pleased to see it polished clean. She looked up and caught a sight of Doyel and her partner. Her partner was shy or perhaps he was still ignoring them. Doyel however looked straight at her and gave her a smile. It was a great feeling for Preeti.

From that point onward, things began to grow better between the two families. Though Doyel liked Preeti she did not make any attempt to reciprocate Preeti’s call to sit with her for a quick chat. After observing them carefully Preeti realized that they spoke in a very different way. They seemed to be forest dwellers speaking a dialect that Preeti was completely unfamiliar with. She sighed; she would have to settle for the silent bond for the time being.

Soon Doyel found out that she too was going to be a mother. The news should have shocked a couple who could barely manage to find two square meals a day. But Doyel and her partner were happy. In their simple life the addition of children would open up new dimensions.

That day as Jay was returning from work he carried in his hands a bag full of ripe fruits. Doyel could clearly see a delicious looking papaya peeping from the bag. She salivated spontaneously. She could eat fruits only when she found them from the woods and did not have the money to buy from the market. And she had not seen a nice and ripe papaya in the woods for a long time. Perhaps other members of her tribe had taken them away quicker but no one had ever offered her a bite of her favorite fruits.

Inside the house Preeti greeted Jay with a big smile and took the bag of groceries and fruits from him. They exchanged pleasant small talk as Jay washed his face and hands and Preeti proceeded to make a pot of tea.

Feeling much fresh Jay sat down on the floor folding his legs. His wife handed him a cup of hot tea along with a bowl of puffed rice spruced up with mustard oil and onion rings. As Jay took a sip along with a mouthful of the delicious snack, his exhaustion seemed to fade away.

 “Eat the fruits…I selected them especially for you.”

“We will share them,” Preeti said as she sorted the stuff.

“No. You eat now. It’s for our baby. We can share later,” Jay insisted.

“You are getting thinner,” Preeti put her hands on the forehead of her husband. “I know you are worried about money. After the baby is born I will work too.”

“What? No. Who will care for the baby then? Besides what work will you do?”

“Don’t worry…I will take the baby with myself. I have seen a few rich homes close by; they might hire me as a domestic help.”

 “Your husband can manage to provide for both his wife and child,” Jay smiled.

He pulled Preeti closer and started kissing her.

Doyel watched in sheer amazement from outside as they started to get intimate. In her culture a pregnant woman would not even think of having sex. She looked at her partner who was preparing to retire for the day. She longed for him suddenly but in the end she chose to suppress her urges.

Preeti was unaware about this little invasion of her privacy and continued to enjoy the loving touches of Jay.

What Doyel did not know was the fact that Preeti too had once seen Doyel in her private moments with her partner. Preeti had gone to close her windows when she unintentionally saw them in the act.

The concept of privacy or the breach of it did not seem to bother these two females. There was no salacious intention in their minds and it was plain curiosity which prompted them to witness the passionate moments.

The unusual and mostly quiet friendship of Preeti and Doyel continued. Since both of them were pregnant they felt the need to look out for each other even more. Sometimes Doyel found herself longing for the peace and security of Preeti and Jay’s life but she was never jealous about their apparent prosperity.

Preeti often offered flavored biscuits and nutritious fruits to Doyel. A grateful Doyel sang out sweet songs of motherhood that she had learned from her tribe. The two mothers-to-be took care of each other as they looked forward to the arrival of their little ones.

Preeti’s health started to weaken as her due date approached. Then one day she told Jay that she was feeling a bit too uncomfortable since early morning. A tense Jay decided to take Preeti to the hospital in the afternoon without waiting further.

Doyel watched with a worried face as Jay helped a fatigued Preeti into the ambulance. She looked up at the sky which looked dark and angry. A storm was about to come any moment. Doyel prayed for the safety of Preeti and her unborn baby.

The storm finally came in the evening. The wobbly shelter where Doyel and her partner lived looked like it would give away any moment as the powerful winds threatened to blow it apart. Terrified they ran under the shade of Preeti’s house and stood clutching each other. On any other day, Preeti would have asked them inside but both Preeti and Jay were gone that day and the house was locked.

Doyel felt scared about the life growing within her and leaned on her partner. Suddenly without any warning a loud shard of lightning lashed down and hit the tree in front of them. In single second a wave of current travelled through the wire Doyel and her partner were inadvertently touching under the shade and snuffed out their lives.

The last sight that Doyel saw was that of their shelter burning down in front of her eyes. Her last thought was of being homeless again as she left the world that had consistently failed to give her much.

After a few days Preeti came home from the hospital with a little boy in her arms. Both the mother and the child were healthy and everyone agreed that it was Jay’s prudent decision to admit her early that day which had saved a lot of unnecessary trouble.

The moment she entered the bedroom, Preeti saw the skeletal remnant of the once large and shady tree standing somberly outside. She ran towards the window as a rush of worries grasped her tight.

“Where is Doyel? Her home is gone!” she asked Jay in a panic stricken voice.

“The birds died in the night you gave birth. It seemed like they got electrocuted. I’m sorry Preeti.” Jay put his hands on Preeti’s shoulders as streams of tears rolled down from her eyes.

Sensing the commotion, the sleeping baby woke up. He looked out of the window and saw with wide eyes the beautiful morning light. A burnt tree caught his eyes and a faint strain of recollection stirred up in his mind. He looked at his mother’s face and felt a deep sense of happiness.

He so wanted to comfort the lovely woman in front of him. He had much to tell her. That Preeti did not have to worry about Doyel anymore. That the dying wish of Doyel had been granted. And that Doyel had been upgraded to human life as her own child.

The baby opened his lips attempting to speak up but only a funny sound and a half smile came out as Preeti looked down in wonder. It was enough to make Preeti forget every bit of grief and return the blissful smile.