Fallen Angel

The apple of my eye!Here he was after ten long years of fervent prayers and hope.We were blessed with an angel.......our little angel!Words cannot express what I felt holding his delicate miniature form against my bosom.Doctors too heaved a sigh of relief as it was a complicated delivery......like he had fought against all odds to be with us......to be ours!

A few days later we brought our bundle of joy home.We wanted nothing but the very best for our Yuvaraj,the prince of our life.Our lives revolved around our Yuvi........all his needs,his demands were fulfilled.The best toys,the best clothes,the best school........all vied vied for his attention.Servants were at his beck and call and a chauffeured sedan was at his disposal. He grew up in the lap of luxury,his dad,after all was one of the six leading industrialists of the country.What he could not give him was time.meetings,seminars and over-seas visits ate into his family time.

I more than made up for Yuvi's dad's absence.I smothered him with unfailing,unquestioning love.All through his growing years i pampered him and spoilt him rotten.I saw that he got everything he desired.In the bargain I failed to realize how my little angel was turning into a devil incarnate.He took things for granted and caused great misery to those around him except for his doting mam who failed to see the Satan behind the angel's mask.

My Yuvi was quick to realize this weakness of mine.He had me securely wrapped around his little finger.I danced to his tunes. he back-answered the servants and at times hit them too.They were admonished by me for no fault of theirs.His friends at school and in the vicinity bore the brunt of his bullying.Complaints trickled in from his teachers about his undesirable behaviour but,I ,as always,supported him though deep inside I knew that he was at fault.Little Yuvi was now a strapping,handsome youngster. He drove drove with the speed of a formula One racer and had many collisions in the bargain.Thankfully he was unhurt and was bailed out of his misadventures due to his dad's connections.He clubbed wildly and his gang of friends smoked and boozed late into the morning hours.He was also suspended from his college and was now as free as a flying kite.......exploring the azure skies.

Then something happened............that changed my life forever.There was an uproar in the locality.A young girl from the neighbourhood building had been gang-raped.The ghastly deed was splashed all over the newspapers.She was raped repeatedly all through the night in a moving Innova after being dragged inside while on her way to her class in the evening.What was more shocking was that after the deed she was left for dead,thrown down a cliff.It was a miracle that she was alive,thanks to a good Samaritan who happened to pass by at that time.

The victim was in a coma and had severe injuries.The shell-shocked parents were too grief-stricken to answer questions put forth by the investigating team.It was a difficult case that would take probably months,maybe years to solve........if at all it was solved.Each day i saw the news and learnt that even after a week had past there was no breakthrough.Life for me was not the same..............I was hurting inside.I felt a stabbing pain inside my inner core when I saw the pictures of the girl in a comatose state.Why did I gasp for breath when i saw the empty ,pleading eyes of her parents???

Yes............!!!I was awake that dawn.I saw the silver Innova come to a screeching halt in the compound of our building.Out trundled five drunk lads who climbed on to the safety of the terrace.They were in a celebratory mood at that unearthly hour.I was awake as something was making me feel uneasy and I had heard and seen the unthinkable!The chilly breeze carried bits and pieces of their conversation my way......"The bitch.....acting too high and mighty........now it is safe,she would have recognised us otherwise........." And then I heard the unmistakable drawl of my Yuvi,"The F@#  bitch!!!Was a great lay though!"

Yes.!!!My Yuvi,my angel had committed this dastardly act along with his gang of friends.They had raped the girl and squeezed out the life in her.My angel...my Yuvi had turned into satan and I was a silent witness to his transformation from a bundle of joy to a fallen angel.Was this why there were complications during his delivery......Subtle signs to to tell me of the impending horrors??Could I live all my life with the bitter truth gnawing at my insides??

I had to take a decision..........the right decision.I wanted to be free from the shackles of love that had made my angel into a monster.Even as I picked up the receiver,I felt knots in my stomach and a piercing pain in my heart.I dialled the number mustering all the strength I could..........."Is this the Bandra police station???Sir,this is about that rape case near Yuvaraj Villa............"