Page 18 - TEARS OF SUFFERING

TEARS OF SUFFERING

aunt’s family was so blissful that he forgot his late
parents. In his life, he had never experienced such
comforts in a hospitable home and the joy of going to
school in a new school uniform. He assumed everything
was perfect.

Months passed in a joyous state, yet, nothing is eternal. It
was a short-lived joy, much to his dismay. There was a
motive behind his uncle treating him well. He wanted to
grasp Ugyen’s inheritance from his parents, but it was
registered in his mother’s name. The avaricious uncle
wanted to transfer the land to his wife, but Wangmo
wouldn’t consent to his idea of betraying her nephew.
She wanted to be fair. She told him she would never
deprive her nephew of his mother’s inheritance, but her
husband would insist. He got furious. And when she
refused, he despised the boy.

One day, he scolded the boy for a petty misdemeanour,
and he spanked him when he committed another
blunder. It wasn’t too long when his uncle ill-treated him
like his step-father. Ugyen was back into the miserable
world. Uncle entrusted him with works he could not
shoulder for his age and physique. Uncle hated the boy
as if he was born to be hated. The boy did the laundry
for the family and cleaned the room every day. He
cooked and if the curry wasn’t tasty, the temperamental
uncle flung it on his face. One such incident, his uncle
flung the steaming curry at his face and his aunt had to

18