The Rapist

When he was boarding the train the young man hanging from the door asked him where he would like to go. He didn’t reply and slowly pushed himself into the compartment within the spread-out, dispersing crowd.

The trains don’t remain breathlessly crowded in the early afternoons till now.

He had several thousand of rupees in his front pocket, his earnings for the entire jail period of ten years. He touched them several times. Do the trains still have pickpockets? He had no idea about the current status of the daring money-lifters in the daily passenger trains. He became their victim a couple of times in the past, before hitting the jail. Those not-so-good experiences made him automatically extra-cautious inside the train this time.

Surprisingly the sudden change of his surrounding environment was not getting him through any special feelings. The life behind the bars had just been free to meet another chance of mingling with the mainstream. But his excitement was thoroughly blunt, so far.

Ten years back the court proved him guilty and pushed him hard into the jail. His family appealed to the High Court but somehow it did never work out. He had regular visitors in the jail for the initial three years but after that they abruptly stopped meeting him. Till then he didn’t see any of their faces. He was totally clueless about their whereabouts, well-being, even survival.

His mind was then desperately trying to locate his close friends. Mantu, Rustam, Mack.

Charges were also framed against Mantu and Rustam along with him but the court couldn’t find evidence to establish their engagement with the crime. They later on came to the jail to meet him. ‘We escaped. But you are trapped.’ They said to him. ‘Don’t worry. We will go to the higher court to free you from here.’ Same thing was told to him by his wife and brother-in-law (sister’s husband). When he started eyeing the string of hopes they shunned him in the jail and put a permanent full-stop to their visits. His preliminary restlessness slowly got transformed into dull frustration followed by an apathetic inertness.   

He strongly felt he has no place to go after the jail where he can start his life afresh. His own people abandoned him the way his destiny played the funniest game with him.

He was punished and lost the ten most valuable years of life in the abyss of jail for the crime he never committed.

But he was very much with the gang of Mantu, Rustam and Mack when they were executing the foul play.

He could have made at least an attempt to stop them!

He only enjoyed seeing them raping the innocent girl without an iota of sense that the load of whole crime will finally fall on him.

His friends escaped. Mack who was the most active and violent across the inhuman act bypassed even framing of charges due to high level political links. The other two used their money to shut the mouths of the cops.

He had neither money nor political power so landed giving the heavy price. The girl only recognized him in the identification parade in the police station.

He had truly been trapped as told by his friends. He could never come out of the trap since then.

The society will now look at him through the lens of rape. Probably that’s the key reason why his family members deserted him so abruptly during the course of his punishment.  After all his two daughters have to get married and a convicted rapist’s daughters have least chance of getting married.

He had fully endorsed the decision of his wife and family members to shun him. He didn’t carry any regret except a suppressed concern.

His would-be life after the jail when all the doors opening to his past life had been permanently closed.

His mind was floating aimlessly in the air of uncertainty. Where he should go, what he should do, how he should lead his life, now?

The train was touching the stations in regular intervals with the passengers’ non-stop getting in and going out. He slowly brought himself near the gate. Time has come to choose his own destination.

After a short while he found himself stepping into the platform of a never-heard-before station. He waited on the platform till the train fully left and took a deep breath to proceed towards the outlet to exit. 

His mind became suddenly active. The need to seek for a cheap shelter is the most urgent now followed by making a livelihood to meet the basic necessities of life. He could only think these two.

But the question is who will give job to a man who had just gone through a rigorous imprisonment for rape?

He stopped thinking about the future for the moment.

While enquiring a tri-cycle puller outside the station told him about a near-by road-side motel which has low-cost lodging facilities. ‘I can take you there for ten bucks.’ Said the puller.

He agreed.

Luckily he got a room there though the toilets were separated and common for the other boarders. He didn’t mind.

The next thing he did was taking an early dinner and getting into a bed. His body badly required a good rest.

The hard floor of the prison was finally replaced by at least a bed. He didn’t take much time to dip into the slumber.

He didn’t know how long the sleep lasted. But it was disrupted under highly unexpected circumstances.

The sudden, repeated bangs on the door! His first reaction was the cops make a comeback to catch him again.

But for what?

He waited for some more seconds to only see the bangs becoming more intense and frequent.

He opened the door.

There was a young girl with propped up eyes, messy dresses and completely disordered hair. The moment she saw him she grasped his arm. ‘Please let me be in for some time.’ She murmured.

He couldn’t figure out anything for a moment.

The girl almost pushed him in. ‘Please help me. Otherwise they will catch me and rape me.’

The very word ‘rape’ alerted him in a second.

‘Who will rape you?’ He asked instantly.

The night around seemed to be deep and sulky with occasional pounding of the gigantic trucks on the highways.

‘My four friends who took me out for a nightlong outing by cheating.’ She suddenly broke in tears. ‘I managed to escape and sneaked in the motel for a shelter. They must be chasing me by this time on their car.’ Her subsequent words hit his ears harshly to give him a queer feeling.

 

Ten years back four of them enticed Beena to go for a picnic with them at the outskirts of the town. She couldn’t resist their insistence, especially of Mack. She was also looking for a break from the banal routines of life being a widow and mother of two with plethora of domestic responsibilities.

He knew from the beginning the three of them had hidden sexual desire for Beena. He should have cautioned her but didn’t.

His guilt number one.

When they were raping her one by one, Mack even went twice he was puffing a cigarette and keeping a close eye over the surroundings to comply with the instructions of the rapists. ‘Alert us if you see someone encroaching.’ Mack even went several steps ahead and pushed a gun into his hand. ‘Don’t hesitate to show this stuff to any unwanted intruder. At least do this favor to your friends till you are not screwing her up.’ Mack meaningfully winked at him.

He never had the desire to sexually unite with a helpless, unwilling woman.

But that didn’t undermine his offense a bit. He let the crime happen like a speechless spectator in front his eyes.

His guilt number two and the most serious one.

He actually feared for his life knowing well Mack carries his gun wherever he goes and can use it on the slightest provocation and resistance.  But the gun was handed over to him during the entire act of rape. He could have intimidated his rapist friends with the gun.

He didn’t.

His guilt number three.

 

 

‘Please, please. Save my life.’

He looked at the girl’s eyes. They were speaking from a fretted, devastated soul.

Ten years back Beena’s eyes carried similar urge on that eventful day when she found him not getting involved in the rape act. He ignored them and let his friends go fully for it.

Beena brought the punishment to him for neglecting her appeal to rescue her from the rapists.

He actually deserved that.

 

Few minutes later he saw a big Scorpio taking a sudden turn to halt near the motel with four young men jumped off the car.

‘They have reached! They have reached!’ The girl muttered hysterically. ‘Please let me take shelter in your room. Close your room from inside.’

He let her get in and closed the door instantly.

The girl almost squeezed herself in one corners of the room behind the bed, panting heavily.

‘Don’t worry.’ He raised his hand to him and said. ‘No one can put any harm to you here, as long as I am alive.’

Soon they heard the slamming on the doors of the neighbouring boarders outside their room with heated talks and vulgar words. The crazy boys already got into the motel to desperately look for their prey.

The girl was shivering in pain and fear.

He stood up and brought himself close to the door.

Soon they will bang on his door and ask for the girl, may be get inside to find her out.

 

He stood still, quiet and determined behind the closed door.

 

 

The rapist will see the end of rape, tonight.

 

 

Reviews

[Coyote Poetry]

Powerful and sad story. The story told of abuse and I liked the deep thoughts and the ending. Rape is a heartless and cold crime. Thank you dear friend for sharing the story.

Coyote