Photo credit (Edited In Pixlr)

Riko, an exceptional renowned artist and Agnes, a high school teacher being married to each other for eight long years without a child. Though they have never let the remorse rule them, and always accepted it as their fate. The absence of a baby never have been a threat to their warm relationship. This empty but deep portal of love acted as a canopy to the sadness of the denied answers from the fertility clinics. Agnes couldn't think of leaving him, while Riko believes that adoption is vaguely possible.

Time moved swiftly, and their need for child slowly began to diminish as their work became their priority. Riko excelled in the traditional art of his culture that reflected the spirituality. He portrays the gods and the saints fused with a modern form of oil painting in his canvas.

Riko's uncle, a small merchant in Gharighat, a remote village about 50 km from the city was a happy man and had taken care of him since his parents passed away in the horrifying bus accident that shooked the whole state. Riko then a student of the eighth standard at a private school in Noida city, was broken down by this which resulted in a full-year loss for him. This incident changed his life over the unfortunate death of his parents.

His uncle had no sons as his only daughter was married and being a widower was staying alone at the time Riko's arrival. It was seven years he had been staying with four dogs and a few hens, who were his family. Riko's arrival had made him less lonely and he was glad that someone was there to talk or at least listen.

The first few months, it was hard for Riko to get along with the new situation but gradually he began to accept this as his fate and tried to live a normal happy life. They currently did not have a feeling of comprehension among them and close by neighbours interfered with them. This went on while things deteriorated and without much reason. Slowly, they both believed that their stars were responsible for their little quarrels.

One day when Riko came home late in the evening after school, fighting mud wrestling with, his uncle didn't open the doors for him, Riko slept on the cowshed all night. The next morning, his uncle forced him to be in and Riko went inside.

With many ups and down Riko never gave up his ambitious dream to see himself at Louvre Museum Paris, the heart of modern art. He kept his artistic hope alive despite all the odds in his life through sketches and watercolour as he couldn't afford costly materials which he needed for oil painting on a canvas.

Like this, many years passed and he had completed his secondary education (12th) which brings him to the Noida city, the place where he belonged. He started his graduation in one of the colleges in Noida being on a rent house, as his uncle had already sold his parents flat years earlier. He wanted to join the fine art colleges to live his dream but had no enough resources or no one to support him. His friends keep suggesting him to join the army or be a local inspector putting real efforts into it and need to quit his pipe dream.

Riko on the other hand neither argued with them nor tried to explain the situation but on the contrary, worked hard and tried for a part-time job to support himself. He got one right after weeks but somehow his insufficient earnings at the kids' art school were only enough for his study and his daily needs. He still couldn't afford the materials he needed for his art which he badly wanted.

He was igniting the flame of his dream through the resources he had, the same old watercolour. He would stay awake in the midnight with the lights on and sometimes candles and his artwork. Three years passed, he finished his college and with the help of some of his friends opened a creative art school within a few months for his daily living.

He was an eager beaver and never felt the need to reveal his secrets until he met Agnes.

Riko's life changed with Agnes's entry and brought a great transformation in his character as well as career. It seemed Agnes was his lucky charm which was missing, and now that she is into his life, everything was heading in the right direction.

Five years later, after getting married to Agnes, Riko started collaborating with his fellow artist all from the country and never hesitated to try a newer form of arts. Gradually, People started recognizing him and his works. He at one time who was not able to move to Kolkata to showcase his art was now able to reach every exhibition corners of the nation. During this time, he also managed to complete his fine art course. To test his artistic skills he moved out of India to showcase his talent on the canvas, even winning prestigious awards. It seemed his life was changing and Riko was an inch far away from his dreams, his dream to see his painting hanging on the walls of Louvre Museum Paris.

On the contrary, Agnes was turning to a bookworm living her recluse life as a solution to keep her thoughts away from Riko who was travelling around the globe. She wanted him near her, within her world, small but full of happiness.

Though he was a restless dreamer, unsatisfied with his work and was always on a quest to achieve more. For him now the sky was the only limit. One after another, awards came flying in and he became a sensation, staging exhibitions throughout the globe.

His dreams were coming closer, but he was losing Agnes and was paying a price for it. Days were turning to week, weeks into months, and things started getting unstable, while Agnes loneliness attracted her to Piyush, in search of a close companion. Piyush was her colleague and five years younger than her. Agnes slowly, fall for him and both started dating each other. She saw in Piyush, a partner to share her feelings while Piyush saw a soulmate in her. This temporal love made her feel like she was stepping on two boats in the same ocean of loneliness floating towards revealing secrets.

The twist followed when Riko, chasing his dreams out of his country was now attracted to a young girl Simran, a curator at a museum in Abu Dhabi. They have known each other since their struggle days, the days they were colleagues in the school where they taught. Though, he never allowed this attraction to be transformed into a deep desire and preferred to limit this to the friendship line. Simran's bond with Riko was unbearable for Agnes and Piyush was the outcome of this fury. The fury of Riko neglecting her existence, because of another girl.

Piyush family was pressurizing him for his marriage while Agnes never had any plans to leave Riko, nor she was ready to face the societal contempt as an adulteress. Furthermore, she doesn't want another Riko in her life and all that she had gone through was plenty.
The time she was alone, before being with Piyush, she had even decided never to remarry again, and with Riko was her first and the last.

She told Piyush about her open attitude about life and that she needed just a companion, not bondage for life. He was deeply hurt hearing this, however, he wanted his name not to be linked with a married woman. It was tough for him but he moved in his life by marrying his classmate from his engineering batch in an unglamorous ceremony.

Agnes somehow gathered her strength to bear it for the last time, the pain of separation from the second person in her life. The healing indeed took time but it did work. Agnes had met her lover in secret while Riko's nature was certainly flirtatious but she was the only lady he loved and had never loved anyone than except her.

Riko returned home to India after a couple of months of his exciting adventure, fulfilling his dreams and exhibiting his art at Louvre Museum in Paris. The whole world on his feet and he felt everything was going perfect in the right way until he opens up the storehouse to look for his old art toolbox. He found a diary of his demure wife hidden in between the old sofa cushions. Riko read how his wife was fighting loneliness, and also about Piyush. Riko who had struggled throughout his life in the past had received the first warmth of secure life from Agnes, and couldn't afford to lose her despite her betrayal.

After knowing that Piyush got married, Riko cancelled all his appointments just to be with Agnes and gave her the space to heal herself, he made sure not to talk about the issue or ask for any explanations from her. He knew that if he wants her back in his life, he needs to be with her constantly.

Riko during these days started to work on his another artistic masterpiece in his studio, a few miles from his home - The painting of a nude lady standing and holding a huge book covering her chest along with her long silky hair blowing in the wind. The shape of the lady's body in the painting was very well defined with all its contours but the face had been blurred and heavily shadowed. There was a black mole right above the fingers on her left hand that was holding the book.

After two weeks of work, one afternoon Riko called Agnes in his studio to see the painting and she was astonished by his work. The beautiful form of a lady just lured her mind, the artistic details within it was so lively. Quickly she noticed the mole and knew that the lady in the art was none but herself. For a moment, she thought if Riko had found his diary, but she was also glad that it had reached its intended reader. The questions that struck her mind was - Why nude, why not in a dress? Giving priority to her egoist nature, she walked out of the room with her usual graceful composure, saying that she was getting late for the school meeting and would comment on his art later.

Riko in a quick move grabbed her on his arms and said, " I'm with you forever and always because you make me complete, you may be a bit taller than I expect, a little more beautiful than I deserve, the smile which I want to witness every day being with you." The guise of strength and pride Agnes was wearing melted into tears and she left the room, without uttering a word.

Riko hurried after her and shouted in a trembling voice shouted, "Are you leaving me, Agnes?"

Agnes gave a wry smile looking back at him and said, " I'm always with you Riko. It was not me who flew away to grab more awards, more fame. You are a genius with a marvellous stroke!"

With the promise of throwing a party in the evening for his achievements, Agnes smiled and drove away.

The End.

The remaining parts of Father - My Patriot will be posted soon :)

Thank you for reading!

I am razeiv,
Short stories writer, an art lover
from NorthEast, India.