Reality of Family - A Short Story

 Reality of Family

             "None is happy", consoled Hari himself. Hari was a man of 30 years. He was living with his family in the village Ketupur. His family consisted of his parents, his wife Shital, his two kids and his sister and her to kids. They had financial freedom, but no peace in the family. His parents were the worst kind of People ever lived. The situation was very beautiful in the beginning when Hari was a bachelor. He earned decent income and bore all the expenses of the family.

               Hari used to give all the salary to his mother, who spent all without thinking of the future. Even she did not think of her daughter's marriage. His father was a bastard who only thought of his own comfort. A very lazy person he was. He stopped working when Harry got the job and threw the whole family on Hari. So, when his elder sister Nila attained 25 years, Hari asked his mother, "Mother, how much have you saved?" His mother replied, "Nothing." He felt a jerk. Hari then asked his father to sell two kathas out of their seven Katha land to marry his sister to a wealthy family. His parents just denied. Ramu, his father, said, "After selling land we have to live on road." Hari was surprised, "What a father!" "Will we live on road after selling two kathas out of seven kathas?", he asked himself. Yet he kept mum.

              Hari's mother asked him to borrow from his colleagues. He did that to marry his sister whose responsibility his parents forsook. After his sister's marriage, his father escaped home telling that he was going to earn money. alActually he knew the next condition of the family.So, he escape. He did not send any money during his stay abroad. Hari and his mother suffered a lot. Fortunately, Hari got another job of better salary. Hearing this, his father came home. He saved nothing. Now Hari did not give his salary to his mother. One year later, Hari was married to Shital.

            Now the actual episode began. His mother knew that his sister was not happy. So, the happiness of Shital made her jealous. She started torturing her. Shital had to wake early in the morning, cook food for everyone, wash the utensils - every work of his household. Hari arranged for a home-maid, but his mother turned her away. She even called his wife in various names. Harry could not do anything but endured his wife's suffering. One year later, Hari's mother brought his sister and her two kids home. From then they were living with them.

             Hari's sister followed her mother. She did not do any household work. Shital's work-load increased. One day, Hari saw his friend living in a rented house and came to know family quarrel as the cause. Then Harry consoled himself saying "None is happy".

Read Next Short Story (Think Big)
Read Previous Short Story (Malign Greed On Nature)