Original Konkani short story: Kumsar
Author: Glynis Dias
Translator: Mukesh Thali
“Hi! Sweetie, are you up? Good morning.”
“Good morning, Irmav.”
“Come on, wash your face. I’ll give you tea.” With that, Jonas led his sister Trisita to the basin.
“Come on, Monica, let’s get her.”
As Jonas instructed, his wife, Monica, brought Trisita over, sat her down at the table, and began to give her tea.
Twenty-year-old Trisita looked like a cute doll. Her figure was beautiful. She was virtuous by nature and good at everything. But Trisita was born blind. For many years, her mother and brother had taken utmost care of her. Everyone had refused to marry Jonas because of his blind sister. But Monica had accepted everything. Four years rolled by but, Trisita never received any bad word or disregard from Monica. They took her out sometimes. She was taken for Mass every Sunday regularly. Besides this, if there was a party, birthday or any other funeral nearby, they would not hesitate to take her out. Despite being blind, they never let her feel the lack of eyesight.
“Mom, Uni and all, where is everyone?” asked Francis, as he stepped into the house.
“Poota, when did you come?” Mother was surprised to see her other son Francis at the house.
“Yes, Mai, I just came. Where is Uni?” he asked, referring to Trisita.
“They are inside. We just set up dinner, Monica is feeding her.”
“Hi bro! When did you come?” asked Trisita.
“I’m stepping in right now.”
“Mom, will you please arrange a plate for our Padkur? Let him get some rest.”
“Aage Uni, I’m no longer a padkoor anymore. I’ve become a vicar.”
“Come on! It’s better to call you a padkoor only. You did not even send a message that you are coming?”
“I wanted to surprise you. Could not even make it for Christmas.”
“She was upset that you didn’t come for Christmas!” Monica exclaimed.
“Well, you see, now I’m a vicar. I have more work to do now. That’s why I can’t attend all functions,” Francis explained to Trisita in a persuasive tone.
Francis became a priest six years ago. While their mother was over 60 years now, their father, Joao, had passed away before he saw Francis in the priesthood.
When Joao was alive, he was only concerned about his daughter who for him was like a spun doll of wax. It was Trisita who was most loved at home. A lot of music had been brought for her to listen to in order to entertain her. There were always songs about God, social, love, and political events. From this ,she could predict what was happening in the world in which she lived. Joao had said in his last moments as he died, ‘Do whatever you can, but don’t let my daughter feel any pain.’
Rocky, their neighbour, would be there for at least two hours when he got home from work in the evening. The same age as Trisita, he worked in a chocolate factory. He would come and tell Trisita about things that had happened throughout the day. She respected him. He would sometimes joke, “I’m going to pick up this doll someday.” Trisita would then become cautious and try and get him out of the house.
Jonas was a football coach. That’s why he always got home late. It was Monica, Trisita and the elderly mother who were at home all day. One day someone caught sight of this happy family.
Monica and Jonas had left for the wedding reception party of a distant relative of Monica. Mother ate, fed Trisita, and went to bed. As usual, Trisita began to listen to her cantaram. Her mother didn’t nail the door because she thought she would have to get up when Monica and Jonas arrived. That was around eleven o’clock at night.
“Leave me, save me…!! Mom…!!!”
He had squeezed her face. Trissita called out to her mother in distress, but her calls dissolved into her room. He had closed the door. Besides, no one could hear anything from the sound of the cantaram that Trisita had played on.
Around one at night, Jonas and Monica entered the house. They were surprised to still hear songs playing. They surmised that Trisita must have fallen asleep while listening to the songs. But when they went to turn off the music, they found Trisita lying in a corner, groaning, her clothes in disarray. They realised something bad had happened.
“Sweetie, what happened? Don’t cry.” With that, Monica grabbed her tightly in her arms. They had understood everything they needed to know. Someone had taken advantage of Trisita’s blindness and ambushed her when he saw that no one was home. Her eyes were streaming with tears. Tears were flowing for a terrible reason as never before. They never dreamed that they would have to experience the tears in her eyes like this.
Monica somehow silenced Trisita. She tried to explain a lot to her. But the tears in her eyes could not be stopped. Her soul was wounded. Someone had drowned out everything that mattered to a girl. Jonas called out to her again and again. But then he decided to leave the two ladies together and sat down in the hall. He realised that perhaps if he was next to them, Trisita wouldn’t be able confide in Monica. He didn’t let his mother know any of this. If she had known, she would have been crying and panicking. She slept soundly in her room.
After a while, Trisita told Monica everything that happened, and Monica came and told Jonas. Jonas’ anger reached its peak. But none of them knew who the culprit was. But Jonas was determined to find this nasty person.
By morning, mother and later Francis came to know of it. Francis was very sad to
hear the news.
Since Rocky often came to the house and often joked of running away with Trisita, the mother suspected him. One day my mother asked him about this. He got irritated with her and went home angry. From that day on, he stopped coming to Trisita’s house.
The rumours continued doing the rounds with the villagers. They asked each other if any stranger had come to the village that day. Jonas was also eager to find the culprit. Since that day, Trisita had been quite mindful of the horrible incident. She would not eat. She sat alone in silence, depressed. Jonas was shocked to see her in that state. It had been two months since the incident. He had inquired wherever he could inquire. But no one knew anything.
Monica, on the other hand, was acting like a crazy person. Looking at Trisita also bothered her. In such a situation, only another woman can understand the pain of one woman. Monica worried that if anyone found the culprit, they would take him to task.
Francis came and went at least once every fifteen days inquiring with concern whether any clue was found. Day and night he prayed for Trisita, asking God to punish the man who had done this.
As the feast of Easter approached, Kumsar (confessions) were going on near the church. They were held in the morning and in the evening. Many people came to the Passover to confess in to the risen Jesus to save them from their sins. Today, Padvigar Francis was manning the confessions.
“By the cross of the Holy Cross, deliver us from our enemies, our God, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen!”
“I am a sinner, O Lord Almighty …….I pray again to the Lord our God for me.” said the young man, smirking.
“Now tell me your sins….” said the Padvigar Francis.
“Father, I….. I have committed a great sin….”
Francis advised him as best as he could and then sweating got up and went to the feet of the Saibin Mai and prayed.
For so long, the whole village, including his family, had been looking for this man. Today he had walked up to him. “Even though I know who he is, I can’t tell anyone. I will move around with guilt in my family,” he thought to himself. Again and again the young man’s words rang in his ears.
“…..Father, I have committed a great sin. The incident happened on 15th of January. No one still knows about it. But since that day, Saibinn Mai Mother has been crying in tears in my dreams. Nothing works right, Father. I went to the house to go to the party with my sister Monica and my brother in law. When I stepped in, they had already left for the party. The mother was fast asleep. I couldn’t control the current of feelings and without a backward choice or thought…….”
