Every year 19th September used to be a very busy day for the 32-year-old general physician Vikas. His clinic remained closed for the entire day. The house used to be abuzz with arrangements for the death anniversary of his beloved father Nilesh. A day before both the clinic and home had a fresh garland on his father’s respective photos. The day used to start with a quick early bath that proved to be an elixir for him. The breakfast was never hurried and calm descended from all corners of his palatial bungalow where he used to live alone after 2 years of practicing as a doctor. He started practice 6 years ago. 

He fulfilled all the desires of his father and being a doctor was one of them. Excursions to lush green outdoors was a favourite getaway for his father who was a lawyer till his very last breath. Vikas was his favourite companion after Nilesh lost his wife to a brain tumor. Vikas was too young to understand the disappearance of his mother and accepted his fate of being a motherless child. The grand ritual had the best of food and arrangements for the relatives and close ties. Vikas was in the good books of all. The priest used to bless him after the end of the yearly ceremony. Vikas always bowed his head in respect and bade farewell with hope to see him next year again. 

The women in his huge clan had eyes for him as for them he was a prospective groom for their daughters. With a lot of style and charm he used to brush them aside and instead he used to share biodata of his friends to fill their needs. Vikas was 5’8 tall with a wheatish complexion and an athletic body. He had all the ingredients of a family man as he cared for whoever attended, gave a very warm welcome always, attracted women of all ages and men appreciated him for the way he had shaped up his life. Vikas had an air of mystery around him though which was both interesting, intriguing as well as annoying for some. 

A death anniversary is never a happy moment so his sombre self was mostly understood by many. The servants in the house saw to it that all orders by their master were carried out with diligence and discipline. It was a ritual to light a candle as a mark of remembrance before the ceremony progressed and he did it with all his heart. Half of the day used to go in creating an atmosphere that always ended in perfection and was applauded whoever attended the ritual. People loved to personally meet him and leave the premise by uttering words of love, comfort, goodwill and appreciation. Vikas internally used to be on a new high but never it came to the surface. 

Being a doctor was not easy and he just didn’t see himself in a casual relationship or a married life. He just wanted to heal people from their medical miseries. 19th September was also a day where he termed it as his mother’s death anniversary too. His father had never shared with Vikas the actual death date of his wife. A photo used to hang in the hall of his father’s house while growing up. Nilesh always felt that he was Vikas’s mother and father and strived to give the best of both worlds to him always. After his father’s death due to a cardiac arrest which was too sudden in the same year he started practice, within two years he bought a self-financed bungalow and had moved in there alone. 

Watching Vikas pour love, affection and devotion to his departed parents was a balm for sore eyes. He was a perfect example of a good devoted son. Many people his age awed as well as hated him for the same reasons. Vikas was neither interested in men nor women to distract himself; he was too focussed being a doctor. Never minted money and tried to heal whoever came to his clinic. September of 19th most of his patients missed him and he knew this bit. Internally this used to make him happy as he felt at least something he is doing right in his life after all. 

After having dinner when the servants used to retire for the night in their quarters, Vikas used to leave for his father’s house that was located a good 2 kms away from home. Once he entered the abandoned abode he used to open all the lights and fans of the house and draw all the curtains. In the drawing room after dusting off the dirt from his father’s photo he used to keep it on the central table of the drawing room. By unbuttoning himself he used to be stark naked and give himself pleasure for a good one hour and climaxed everytime on his father’s photograph with disgust, expletives and extreme anger. Those outdoor excursions with his father were torment and remained unhealed invisible scars as child abuse did the damage then and for later years too. He could never share this bit with anybody and suffered within.

Once the anger and expletives used to tire him he used to cry for hours and stay in darkness. In darkness he used to get clothed and after drinking loads of water, head towards the room with a very very heavy and broken heart where his mother’s photo was kept. By holding her framed photograph and clinging it to his body he used to talk to her about things that tormented him as well as spoke at length about his patients. By doing so it made him feel good and light. Often he fell asleep and a whole new world greeted him in his dreams where there was love, good moments with his mother and father. This last bit of the day was his favourite and always refreshed him for a new day next morning.