I have pleasure to launch a new series on this blog – MINI STORIES MANY. Appearing periodically, each little tale will reflect an unusual problem that the society faces and the methods the people adopt to tackle it -- some bold and some queer. Or, the fiction flick will unearth the secret games that men, women and teens play now-a-days. Every imaginary yarn will end in a totally unexpected way. Here comes the first mini story! Happy reading!!
AGONY, ECSTASY AND SURPRISE
(By Subbaram Danda)
The wedding of Ramya and Prem was a grand affair. Dainty decorations, traditional rituals, lively entertainment and exotic feasts marked the two-day event. High-flyers of Chennai from every walk of life graced the occasion lavishing on the couple pleasantries and presents.
Ramya’s designer bridal costumes at the reception lent charm to her ravishing beauty. She was an MBA employed in a multinational corporation. Prem’s handsome features stood out in the elegant brocade sherwani he wore. He was an M. Tech in Information Technology from the elite Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai, heading a large team in an international software company in the city. “Made for each other,” was the comment almost everyone made.
Blessed by gurus and elders, they began their journey of blissful married life with a honeymoon in Shimla. The resort where they stayed offered all comforts. The mountain range around and the various tourist attractions appeared mesmerizing. They felt they were on top of the world!
A few days passed and an unexpected development shook the couple. Prem went on a short trekking expedition to a hillock nearby with a group of holidayers. He hit a rock, slipped, fell, rolled a few feet down but quickly managed to hold the ground. He was hospitalized for two days. After treatment for pain in the groin region he was discharged.
A vacuum
On returning home, the couple wanted to treat the mishap as a bad dream and went about their routines as usual. The wheel of time moved fast. Suddenly, they realized that a strange vacuum was building up between them. Yes, their efforts to have a child eluded them. However, their love for each other remained undiminished.
Their relatives and friends started making enquiries why they were postponing having a child. Day by day the pressure mounted. Finally, they decided to check with a leading doctor without the knowledge of their elders. They underwent tests and more tests. Ultimately, the medical report came and it shattered their dreams. Prem would not be able to beget a child, on account of the fall he had while trekking in Shimla.
That night Prem was in tears. He pleaded guilty before his wife. But Ramya was courage and confidence personified. She consoled and comforted him. “Never mind. It is not your fault. We can adopt a child,” she tried to pacify him. “I promise my love for you will remain the same,” she assured him. He took her into his arms and kissed her passionately.
Expert advice
Quietly they both got a transfer to Bangalore and set up their family there. Days and weeks passed. One fine morning Prem bunked his office without the knowledge of his wife and went to a famous fertility clinic. The chief andrologist went through his medical reports, examined him thoroughly and advised him: “Yes, you cannot become a father. But, there is nothing to despair. You can adopt a child. Better still, your wife can receive donor sperms and conceive as in the normal course. What is important is that you should first make up your mind and then convince your wife. It should not be impossible. Think it over carefully.”
That night he was totally distraught. He did not like his dinner. Ramya sensed his odd behaviour and asked him inquiringly, “Tell me honestly what happened today. Whatever it is, I have the capacity to take it.”
As they went to bed, Prem opened up and disclosed what transpired at the fertility clinic. After a short pause he added, “I feel you should consider the doctor’s suggestion.” Her reaction was violent. She threw a pillow at him and shouted, “What do you mean? I cannot accept artificial insemination. Let your doctor go to hell. Though my outlook in life is modern, I immensely value our traditions and practices. I cannot receive somebody else in my womb. You and only you are for me. Remember the vows we have taken at our wedding invoking the divinity. We have to remain loyal to each other through thick and thin.”
The next day they did not speak to each other and went to their respective offices mechanically. Surprisingly, in the evening when Ramya returned home she appeared somewhat mellowed. She had a discreet talk with her best friend in the office and also managed to meet a religious guru. What they told her had an impact on her attitude.
Changing mood
She was crying when Prem came back. Controlling herself she hugged him and said, “More than me you seem to be highly distressed. I don’t like to see you that way. You are very important to me. I have decided to agree to the procedure suggested by your doctor.” Prem’s face reflected a strange glow.
The couple had a session with the clinic’s psychologist. He counselled them: “Gone are the days when people had reservations about the new treatment. Our regulations do not allow you to know whose sperms you are going to receive and similarly the donor cannot find out who the recipient is.”
The andrologist joined them: “We store hundreds of specimens in a process called cryo-preservation at temperatures of minus 196 degrees Centigrade, having collected them from men in the age group of 18 to 40 after vigorous screening for ailments and defects. The procedure of implantation called “Donor Insemination” is simple in the hands of an experienced specialist and not expensive either. Specimens received even 28 years ago are being used now with highly successful results.”
He went on: “We can make available to you anonymous profiles of donors listed on the basis of their height, weight, colour, educational background, achievements, blood type, ethnicity and religion. You can make your own choice.”
Final selection
Ramya and Prem spent a week going through the profiles online and finally selected the specimen of an Information Technology-studied Indian youngster for the simple reason that his attributes matched those of Prem.
At the fertility clinic on a day suggested by the physician, Ramya underwent the procedure. “It is a great success. All the best,” the doctor wished her. True to his words, she conceived without any complication.
The joy of the couple’s parents and relatives knew no bounds. They were under the impression that her conception was in the normal course. A function to celebrate the baby shower saw the likes of the wedding of Ramya and Prem.
On the predicted day, to the delight of everyone, Ramya delivered a baby boy with chubby cheeks and rosy lips. “He looks exactly like his father,” many visitors praised the new-born. The husband and wife received the remarks with a smile but were amused.
Affection unlimited
Ramya and Prem took care of the boy extra-ordinarily well. They loved the little new member of the family without any reservation. She resigned her job to be with the child round the clock. Toys, garments and fancy items of every kind were purchased to pamper the baby.
The boy, named Teja, grew up enjoying the love and affection of his parents in abundance. From school to college he moved. An intelligent lad, his academic achievements brought further sunshine into the family.
The boy had an uncle in Chennai. There was a function in the latter’s house and the entire family of Teja attended it. After the ceremony the uncle called the boy to his room and told him, “I don’t know whether you are aware of a secret about you. Prem is not your biological father. You were born to your mother through donor insemination. I am the only person knowing this fact other than your parents. Your mother had confided it with me, as she and I are very close to each other.”
Teja felt he was being lashed and tossed by a storm. He wanted to cry out loud but controlled himself. He maintained an eerie silence.
Search for truth
On returning home, he confronted his parents head-on. “Is it true? Tell me the truth,” he cried, as tears rolled out of his reddish eyes. Ramya took him into her arms, wiped his tears and nodded. As she opened her mouth to narrate how it all happened, a thunder of grief struck her. The next moment she swooned. She regained her consciousness after a while and made an effort to disclose everything but Prem did not allow her to strain herself.
The next few days Teja’s mind was a devil’s workshop. He wondered whether at least Ramya was his real mother. Or was he their adopted son? He was in no mood to trust them anymore. He wanted scientific proof.
He sought DNA tests to ascertain whether there was any biological link between him and the two. They reluctantly agreed.
Wonder of wonders
The DNA report startled them. It stated clearly that Ramya and Prem were both his biological parents! For Teja, it was like a delightful shower on a sizzling summer day. His joy knew no bounds. He swore to finish off his uncle for all the lies he had uttered. But Ramya and Prem were aghast. “How could it be,” they wondered in silence.
That night Prem’s mind raced back in time. It was his final year M.Tech. at IIT. There was an advertisement in a magazine asking for donor sperms from senior students. He was one among many who donated. Could it be his own sperms that fertilized his wife? But something puzzled him. His donation was in Chennai and his wife underwent insemination in Bangalore.
The next day, he made enquiries at the fertility clinic citing the terrible havoc that the insemination had caused in his family. On great persuasion the andrologist, who was still in service, checked old records and disclosed that the clinic had at that time received some samples from Chennai and the specimen used to impregnate Ramya was indeed Prem’s.
At dinner time Prem narrated to Teja, as Ramya listened intently, the story of his college adventures and his subsequent marital voyage with all its turns and twists. A pall of uneasy quiet enveloped them and then a burst of laughter splintered the silence.
(1,700 words)
June 23, 2012.
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