Page 96 - Love Story of a Commando

think that qualifies as serious enough to face bullets and blasts so often. I
had no answers and I cried some more.
A failed romance, a broken heart, a sinking career, a hopeless life,
disappointed parents and violent adventures now and then.
No one deserves a fate like this. My parents raised me with hope and
faith. They believed that I would grow up to lead a regular city life as an
independent, liberated woman standing on my own feet, to marry a man with
a house and car, then produce at least two grandkids for them with whom
they could play and spend the rest of their lives happily ever after.
Was that too much to hope for?
I, Riya Khanna, an engineer, an ex-corporate professional,
compassionate teacher and only child of my parents, was running across an
unknown jungle full of dangerous animals and even more dangerous people
through the brambles and the bushes to save my fucking life which I, either
way, had never valued much.
But that does not mean my parents deserved to shake their heads in
despair again while pointing fingers to each other for my reckless life with
the idea that one of my parents could not groom me well. All those heated
debates on failed parenting that started with Mom’s standard ‘It is all your
fault, I told you to check her a bit. But no! You would not listen, now pay the
price’ to Dad never actually reached a conclusion. Dad would also retaliate
with how my mom failed in her motherly duties to raise a daughter like me
who is never concerned about her life and future like ‘Sharma ji ki beti.’ My
mom would have a trillion incidents on her fingertips when she had asked
my dad to discipline me, but no, he never listened which eventually led to
my daredevil attitude. No one could ever reach a conclusion about whose
fault this was while raising me.
I was sure that if I managed to survive this one time, they would
surely disown me as well, if only they could escape the heart attacks.
I stopped for a while to catch my breath when I heard footsteps
behind me.
Startled and confused, I ran with full speed. I stumbled through the
dense forest. The small pointy plants almost pierced my torn shoes but every
time I would stop to catch hold of my breath, I could hear the footsteps
growing closer. Suddenly I spotted some ruins in the distance. I headed
towards them and found myself facing an old temple. I entered the temple
courtyard. Reeds and wild bushes had invaded the courtyard filled with
cobwebs, pigeon shit and a gloomy silence. Naked stones stared at me; a
horde of pigeons fluttered around, and flew out into the dusk. I moved out to
the adjacent room and came across a massive granite sculpture of Shiva. It
looked ancient, more like Buddha, except for the third eye on the forehead.