Memories

I was little bit surprised by his behavior! He was holding that pen and the writing pad and giving all the answers by writing on it… papa was busy talking to him. I thought he might be dumb! Perhaps he cant speak or he has got some infection in his toung or something like that! This “infection” terms always comes to my mind whenever I enter papa’s patho lab! I really don’t think in a patho lab one can expect a different word other than this!
Whatever! That man and his deeds were really very interesting!.. my papa was questioning something and he was giving answers by writing! I was observing his writing speed and he was very fat at his work!
“meet my daughter!” papa introduce me with him!...i was not at all ready for that moment!... I just smiled! He offered his hand with a cute smile on his lips! I felt the firm grip! I wanted to know whether he was ill or just cant speak… I was busy in search of a MY MOMENT with papa so that I can ask him about the condition of that man! I didn’t have to wait long. “He neither can hear nor speak! He’s Kanu Ba’s brother in law! Remember her??... he has passed law this year! Look at his handwriting!” papa gave me a piece of paper! There were some Assamese scripts written. I agreed with papa! He has written that beautifully! For the first time i made a direct eye contact with that man! A sweet smile was covering his lips! He was a person in his late twenties. Had a fare complexion and have got two broad eyes! More than his eyes, I loved the shape of his eyebrows! It has got a shape that of a bow!!... he was wearing T-shirt with that faded jeans… for the first time I had an direct interaction with that kind of person! Means physically retarded! I really don’t know whether it will be the appropriate word to describe him, “Retarded”!... was amazed like anything and I was starring at him!... but It was my luck that by that time he was busy with his mobile!writting some messege!
“if he cant hear you then how did he was answering you! He cant hear anything na?” I asked papa… I saw that he was not using the hearing aids also! Papa just smiled and said, “he can read your lips!” it was like another googly for me!... I have heard all that things, have seen in movies that someone reading your lips movements! Again I started starring at him! He suddenly looked up to me… perhaps ma facial expressions were telling him that I was bit confused! He wrote something on the pad and gave it to me. There were the words “WHAT?” I moved to papa! What to tell him?? “ ask his name!” papa tried to rescue me! I asked! He observed ma lips smiled! Gave me another piece of paper writing his name. “Madhur”! “what a sweet name!” I thought. Then after that I started asking him questions and he was successfully and brilliantly gave me the answers with the pen and thepapers! I saw him laughing,but it was totally soundless! “How to react to this person? Should I be sad that he has some limitations in his life or happy that against all the odds he’s enjoying life!?” I was confirmed that he was really very comfortable with us! Felt happy for him! Papa asked him suddenly, “when will u marry???”
I waited for the answer eagerly because that was the same question I was thinking about!
He gave the paper to papa writing “Yes, am in search of ma partner!”
Papa: “what quality do you want in that girl?”
Madhur: “she should also be deaf and dumb like me!”
I was just touched by his answer! After giving that paper to papa he laughed! Soundless!!
I still was starring at him! He looked at me! Two beautiful deep eyes, that sweet smile on his lips… how amazing this person is!... I started imagining his life after his marriage! Two silent persons! For people like us, silence can kill someone, but for them that silence will be full of words and emotions! That will be the another beauty of life!...
I was leaving my papa’s lab. I said him goodbye! He replied and gave me a piece of paper again!
“you have a good heart! Never let it die! God bless you. You look beautiful when smile!” those words were enough to make ma eyes wet! I left the lab as soon as possible! I didn’t look back! I treasured that paper till the starting of ma engineering life! Papa asked me that night what did he write in that last paper! I lied him and said, “that was only ‘Bye’!”
But it was ma bad luck that I lose that paper!... where and how don’t know! But I still remember his handwriting!
Yesterday papa told me that Madhur died last month! He was suffering from cancer!
Today am missing his that piece of paper, which he gave me 6 years back!
Why didn’t I look back to him that day???!!! I still remember his silent eyes, his bow shaped eyebrows!
Madhur didnt got the chance of marrying someone…