As
Euthra’s car disappears from his sight; without even thinking about Yethro’s
emotions, Tshegyel walks towards his car. Catching the door knob, he looks back
at Yethro, who stands in front of the building looking terrified. He has no
idea what she will think of him. Then, walking back to her, he grabs her hand
and pulls her towards the car.
“Can you help me with something?”
She does not reply. As she sits down, he
starts engine and follows Euthra’s car. Once in the main road, looking at
Yethro, he says, “Can you please tell me something about Ani Euthra? Why she
became nun?”
Still looking horrifed, she sits saying no
words to him.
Without looking at her, fixing his eyes on
to the road; he starts, “I am sorry to inform you that Euthra was my first love
and will be my last. I know you will understand. You are younger than me and
you deserve a young and smart boy not oldie like me.”
She stays stuck to the seat silently. He is
not sure if she is even breathing. Nevertheless, he keeps talking assuming that
she is listening to him. Euthra’s car has disappeared from his sight. He speeds
up overtaking other cars and buses.
“Yethro, I have been waiting for her, till
now. That’s why I was not able to marry you,” says Tshegyel, catching Euthra’s
car. He cannot stop the car and talk with her, but he will definitely take
opportunity to talk with her at the airport. He is not sure if Euthra knows
about him following her car.
“This is one-sided story,” says Yethro,
looking at Euthra’s car in front of us, without looking him.
“What do you mean?”
“She is gone now. What’s the use of
waiting? She is a nun now. Nun. She is never coming back to your life,” says
Yethro, looking at him, loaded with emotions.
He cannot respond her and her words ring
sense of truth in his ears but his heart cannot accept those facts.
“Why did she become nun?”
He asks slowing the car down, as Euthra’s
car stops at the roadside shop, a few meters away from the Chuzom bridge.
“According to some people, five years ago
she went back to her village in search of her father when she landed up in
nunnery at Trongsa. Staying as a nun for one year in the nunnery, then she came
to Thimphu and started this charity organization. For first two years, she
dedicated to providing basic needs like food, shelter and clothes to the old
people found in and around Thimphu. At first, she was all alone. She started a
page on Facebook and sought donations. With the little amount, she got she
would provide food to those old people. Then, she started to get more
donations. After helping old people with basic needs, she realized that instead
of helping them, it would be better to take them back to their homes. As of
now, she has taken 99 people back to their homes. Her mission was to help only
hundred people.”
Listening to Yethro’s narration, he
interrupts, “Why hundred?”
“By then, she will be blind,” says Yethro,
taking out her phone.
On hearing these, he pulls over the car to
the roadside. Not believing her words, he shouts, choking with surprise,
“What?”
“Actually, she has donated one of her
kidneys. She is heading Bangkok today to donate other one also. Then, she is
going to donate her eyes.”
As Yethro finishes this statement, he hides
his emotions and starts to drive. As the wheels hit the road, he stays silent.
After driving for half an hour, he catches Euthra’s car. Instead of heading to
Paro Airport, her car crosses the airport and heads towards Paro town. He
follows the car, maintaining distance, when Yethro sleeps beautifully. The car
stops in front of a hotel. Getting out of the car, the driver opens the door
for Euthra. She gets out and looks around. As she gets into the hotel, he parks
his car a few metres away from hers.
Walking into the hotel, he goes directly to
the reception desk. He asks about Ani Euthra.
“Sir, do you have appointment?”
He does not but he has to lie now.
“I am her health advisor,” says Tshegyel
confidently.
Taking phone to her ear, the receptionist
gets busy. Keeping down the phone, she looks at him.
“She is upstairs. Conference room.”
Thanking her, he walks up the staircase
thinking about how to start the conversation. There are many rooms, thus he
walks along the corridor looking for the conference room. Finally, he finds the
room. Standing in front of the door, he lifts his hand to ring the bell when a
man gets out of the room. He smiles at him and walks away along the corridor,
talking to the phone.
Pushing the door, he walks into the room.
On seeing, Euthra, he lowers his head down, hiding his face. Observing him
carefully, looking at the man standing beside her, she says, “Please, I want to
talk with him once.”
The man walks out of the room obediently,
as Tshegyel stands in front of her. Looking at him, she says, “Please, be
seated, my friend!”
Lowering his body down on to the couch, he
takes a glimpse of her face. Her fairness has gone. Her face looks dark. She
looks frail.
Smiling at him, she says, “You may not be
able to recognize my face. Can you?”
Tears filling up his eyes, he says, “I
can.”
“Tshegyel, how are you?
He does not respond. Keeping his head down,
he stays sobbing not being able to tolerate the pain she is going through.
“Life is unpredictable. You may not know,
how badly I treated my mother. I am very guilty and I cannot forgive myself. I
want to meet her again and seek forgiveness but I cannot do that. Thus, I chose
to be a nun. Staying in a nunnery, I didn’t find the meaning of life, thus came
here to help old people. This is my life Tshegyel. I am very happy to know that
your fiancé is working in my organization,” says Euthra, her face brimming with
happiness.
He stays silent without saying a word.
Taking a sip from the cup, she looks at him, “I am happy to meet you before my
world becomes dark. I will be living tomorrow to Bangkok for eye surgery.”
The man who left the room a few minutes
ago, walks back into the room. Standing in front of her, he says, “Ani, your
parents are waiting outside.”
Nodding her head, she looks at Tshegyel,
“Tshegyel, keep one thing in mind, even blind can see kindness.”
Story by: Phurpa Dorji (PJIKKS)
Chapter 12 Tomorrow @9PM
