The Unfruitful Fulfilment

Mahesh was always displeased with his parents as they gave equal importance to his elder sister who was adopted. Though his parents had never taught him to treat her with disdain, he had somehow concluded that an adopted child doesn't deserve to be loved.

' Don't put your hands on me. Why don't you understand that I despise you?'- Mahesh misbehaved with Rita whenever she tried to shower love on him. She would never complain to her parents about him as she did not want Mahesh to be scolded because of her.

Time flew by very quickly and Mahesh grew up into an adult. Rita tried to make the equation better but a sense of camaraderie could not develop between the two and ill feelings from her brother's side kept on increasing. Once Mahesh was wondering as to what will happen if her elder sister is given half of her family's property as is done normally. So one day, he approached his father with this question to which Mr Kaul said that the property would be divided equally.

' What do you think you are doing? Depriving your son of his inheritance to fill an adopted woman's life with luxurious is an aweful thing to do. We have already done enough favours on that poor girl by raising her up. Now I feel the time has arrived for her to get out of our lives'- Mahesh demanded.

' That's enough my son. There is nothing like doing favours in providing a proper life to a child. She is nothing less than my daughter now and I am not depriving anybody of his rights. You will be given your share and so there is absolutely no reason for you to feel offended or insecure'- Mr Kaul replied.

Mahesh fumed and went back to his room. Rita was present there and she overheard everything. She considered herself guilty of creating a rift in the family. How in the world can she exit out of her brother's way which only seems to please him? Mahesh was scheduled to go abroad for his studies the following day and he did that.

' Life is much better here. I do not wish to go back to the house wherein I shall always be belittled for that adopted lady'- he thought to himself after reaching abroad. His girlfriend was also accompanying him who was there for the same purpose. She was a carefree girl. Mahesh learnt from her that while she was in India, her parents wanted her to take care of her two year old brother to which she straightaway disagreed due to which they had to rope in a nanny as both of them would be mostly out for work. After hearing this, he recalled that even both of his parents were working when he was a toddler but Rita was the one who took his care and technically played a big role in bringing him up.

' Well that was anyway her duty. Even we haven't done less favours on her. Why am I bothering myself?'- Mahesh justified on developing a sense of guilt.

After few days, he again remembered as to how she gave away her income to the family without complaining when his parents were going through a financial crisis. He respected and loved Rita until one day he was informed by one of his paternal cousins that they are not of the same blood and probably that brought the change in his attitude. Mahesh gave this whole procedure a thought many a times and eventually began to realise that the blood relations should hold no signifance in front of relations made out of love. He decided to leave his studies and come back to his Rita di to apologise. She will surely forgive him when she will find him in tears but to his horror, he found out that the one who could bless him with forgiveness is no more on arriving. Her sense of blaming herself for snatching Mahesh's right had annihilated her and she was down on bed for several days and a week ago she breathed her last. Mr Kaul sunk into a trauma and he did not even answer his son's question of how did it happen. Mahesh got to know about it from their butler. He could not comprehend as to how to console her heartbroken mother who was howling in pain till now. This time he found nobody to blame except himself. One of Mahesh's wishes got fulfilled that the whole property would now go to him.