The tale of Two Hands

                                                   A tale of two hands

Robert drove in past the gate to his house. His house was in full darkness apart of the light from his headlight that led him to the car porch. Usually, when he turns the lane to his house, he may see the lamp kindled on the wall of his gate and all the house will be illuminated by then, that clearly shows his surroundings. But things changed today. He turned off the ignition of the car and stepped out with many thoughts running through his brain that are negative. He slowed his footsteps to the door moving his eyes around and looking for anything suspicious, but he could find none. Negativity is making him tiring and made him lose all his hope and he muttered himself "Prepare for the worst. Don't lose your control, if anything sudden happens to you Robert". He slowly clutched opened the door and searched for the switch to turn the light on. Suddenly the candlelight gleamed, followed by a song, a birthday song for the day was the birthday of Robert. His wife and his child Kevin had arranged a surprise for Robert, decorating the whole house with colorful papers and balloons. They pulled a trolley of White cream, vanilla cake for him and handed over him the knife. Still, they have been singing the song repeatedly when finished and it lasted until he blocked their mouth with a piece of cake. Robert gifted for his son a remote control car for that he was asking for a long time. His son, Kevin accepts the gift, hugged and kissed him back. The family then sang and danced together and were in a complete mood of merrymaking, a sweet small family full of love.

Robert and his son sat down for the dinner, which consists of, obviously food, but especially with a full turkey and a vintage bottle of wine which his father-in-law gifted him for his birthday. At the prayer before the dinner, his doorbell dinged that too at an unlikely time. Smiling, he turned to his wife and asked "Have you invited anyone?" To which the reply was a shrug. They usually don't get any visits from anyone at this time, but who is at the door? He again walked slowly to the door and again clutched opened the door, but seen none. The porch and garden are still in darkness as he forgets to switch on the light in the middle of merrymaking. He turned the light on and quickly passed his eyes around to confirm that the surrounding is safe. But before closing the door, he found a gift on his doorstep, neatly wrapped in a square box and beside it lay a letter which shows "A gift from a very old friend". Again, before closing the door, he saw a police car chasing down a man in the west of his house. Of course he was puzzled, but the gift in his hand grabbed his attention from the blinking light of the police car. At last he closed the door and went back to his chair where he was sitting for dinner. In the meantime, Kevin continued the testing of his new toy hitting it on the sofa and passing it through the Robert's legs.

He untied the ribbon and tore the wrappings and dropped the papers down, in which his wife gave him a lengthy frown. But he didn't mind that at all and was wondering at seeing a box and on it a small pack of cloth tied at its top. He took the pack outside the box and untied the thread tied around it. He looked at his family and boasted on the love that his old friends still have on him. He recollected some old names like "It might be John, no, no, might be the jack". After assuming many name, with a smile, he put his hand in the pack of velvet cloth. His face started to shrivel, and a stink filled the air. He pulled out his hand and realized with a broken heart that he dipped his hand in someone’s shit, that too, of someone having a bad loose motion. His face remained shrank, suddenly he puked all over his lap and floor. The air got mixed up with the bad smell of puke too, which made his family also go shrink. But the boy couldn't resist laughing and he burst out into it followed by his wife, Cecelia. They both laughed their ass out which made him so angry.

."Shut up, you!! He paused and stared at them and he continued "I hate this forever" and he stared at his right hand fully dipped in shit and continued "and I hate this hand also forever."

From that day onwards, he started to hate his right hand and he tried to avoid things that he did with his right hand. Whatever he does, the smell of the shit and the scene it dipped in shit came to him. He started to eat using spoons and he started to wear gloves. For him, he believed that his right hand betrayed him and he decided to train himself with his left hand. But the initial days are of failures, not only for him but for everyone.

On a monsoon night, the atmosphere was very cool and wonderful. The wind was slow and calm outside. Robert was reading in his bedroom when his wife came in. She looked so hot in her silk transparent night dress and with her hair set free. The fragrance of her perfume seduced him and her look made him horny. It then started raining outside and she turned on the music on her stereo. A soft music of romance influenced their mood and they moved onto the session of lovemaking. He undressed her in the way he liked and kissed her deeply. He started to caress all over her with his right hand. When holding her cheek and reaching for a kiss, he came in close contact with his right hand, which brought back those memories of shit and its smell in his. He quickly withdrew himself from her and ran straight to the washroom. It was an incident for him to hate his right hand a lot more and an urge to bring him familiar with his left hand. But since then, his wife hasn't allowed him to even touch her body which made their sex life to a temporary halt.

As the days followed, he felt difficult to focus on things. Whatever he does, those memories keep haunting him. But his depression was about not getting the full control over his left hand apart from minor improvements. He couldn't concentrate on his work which cost him his self-respect. He would kill the man who had done this to him that much sarcasm he has faced from his son and his wife. He understood it has been affecting his identity and the respect his family has in him. That was more than tolerable. In the meantime, his wife tried to change him by advises, but everything ended in shouts or unnecessary misunderstandings.

Robert decided to take his family for an outing on a weekend by constant persistence from his son, Kevin. By then he became used to with his left hand. Now he could write straightly, but little discomfort was still there. They decided to take a road-trip to Goa beach. On their way, they camped on a hillside with a tent. The night was decorated with stars and it was a twilight. His wife decided to spend her time reading near a campfire with a bottle of beer beside her. Kevin spent his time motoring his new remote control car near the hillside. In the meantime, Robert took a quick siesta. Then, he saw a dream very strange and frightening. An argument between both his hands in deciding who is, best. The conversation goes like this:

"Hey, you shit smelling hand of master. Why can't you cut yourself to death rather than making master much depressed" teased left hand

"Whatever you say, I am more powerful than you, filthy Situationist" frowned right hand.

"Situationist? Me? Very funny!! I helped him when you betrayed him. You are a cheat who cheated your master and I am  the helper of my master" replied Left hand grinning.

"Do you call me a traitor? If you once again say anything about me, I will kill you, for sure?" Answered right hand in a great rage.

"If you kill me, my master will kill you at the very next moment" grinned left hand.

"Then I would better kill him first" muttered Right hand and grabbed at his neck tightly. Left hand tried to pull right hand from grabbing his neck, but it failed. It was then, a long shout wakened Robert from his siesta and found himself grabbing his neck and choking. On his second choke, his wife ran to him crying and shouted at him. "Kevin slipped from the cliff. Help him somehow!!

Robert ran out of the tent and saw Kevin hanging on the third rock of a cliff some distance below his hands could reach. He dropped his left hand to him, but he could not even touch Kevin's hair. He lie on the ground and again dropped his right hand, but this time he can grab his hair, but unable to pull him up. Behind him, stood his wife Cecilia, weeping loudly.

"Shut up you filthy" he paused and continued "Don't make the kid afraid. Go away from here," he yelled at her.

"How could I keep calm when I see my son near his death?" He yelled back.

“Don’t utter a single word again. If I hear any more movement of your lips, I will plaster it till this ends." Replied Robert as giving a warning

Then he turned to Kevin and said in a calm voice. His heart is thumbing very quickly, but he tried very hard to remain calm in front of his son. The small hands of Kevin are still holding on a wide rock below the cliff, but soon he will go exhausted. The kid is crying loudly as he felt the strength of his hand loose.

"Son, don't leave your hand. Look, look at me. I am here and I won't let you go. Do as I say. Will you?" He asked in a calm way.

The kid stopped crying and stared at his father.

Robert continued" Just try to press on the rock and jump as high as you could. I will grab your hand and will pull you up. Don't worry son. Just try to do as I say." His voice was very much in confidence. Even if it is a risky chance, he could find nothing other than his idea he just said.

Kevin on the other side hesitated in his father's choice. He resisted his decision due to fear of falling down. Again, Robert dropped his hand, leaning much more down to him, but he could not get a good catch. He insisted Kevin on trying what he said before. After many times of insisting, Kevin finally decided to go on with his father's choice. His small hands will have the strength for a good push. After taking some breath, finally he pressed on the rock hard and jumped and got his father's hand, but it was slipped again. But Robert was not ready to give up this time, he caught Kevin's small hand before passing his palm and pulled him up with his full power above the cliff. The quick hit on the ground made Kevin faint.

Soon after he opened his eyes, he ran back to his father and jumped to his arm. Robert took him by both his hands and pulled him to air and caught him which the kid likes most. He then grabbed his father's right hand and kissed on it and said: "This is the hand who saved me, dad. The hand of god is this for me". He caressed himself on the right hand of Robert. But this time, no haunting memories came to him of shit or its smell.

After the incident, Robert opened a beer and sat down near the cliff slowly taking each sip. By the time his wife came near him and rested her head on his right shoulder.

"Have you realized anything now honey?" Inquired Cecelia.

"What?" Asked Robert.

"That you are holding this beer in your right hand." She answered, pointing him to his right hand with a smile and she continued:

"It was you who made the matter worse darling. It was your thoughts which changed you in the meantime. Anyway, past is passed, but you should understand one thing, everything happens for a reason. In your case, your hate to your right hand, made you practice with your left hand. Now you can do things comfortably with both your hands which made you an odd one. Nothing of yours is better than the other. Everything does their own part and is best in their roles. She paused and sighed, then continued again:

 Remember when you pull Kevin up the air and caught him back? Gladly, you did that with both your hands. You couldn't have done that either with your left hand or your right. When they joined together, it bought to you, the happiness of your child. Some things happen in unlikely time, but our part is to believe that everything happens for a reason and make that reason, to gain something in us rather than losing many things. From now onwards, you will respect your right hand as the hand which saved your son's life and your left hand as who supported you for your child's happiness. Taking things positively is a big thing my dear," she finished with a big kiss on his right hand.

From then on, Robert considered both his hands as valuable and it gave him more confidence in him to do things throughout his life. Now Robert is a man who takes things as positive initially and there goes about their life happily ever after. But still the man who gifted the life changing present still remain as anonymous. But I know where he is and let it remain in me for the safety of Robert and his family.