As they both stared out the double-paned windows that covered
each wall of the office, Dr. Kevorkian wondered if Sita would answer his
questions. Each time they would meet,
she looked for the chaise lounge that was adjacent to his desk. It was there where she lay down
with her legs crossed and arms dangling from both sides, twisting the strands
of the white shag carpet. Dr. Kevorkian had
never encountered a patient like her, but then again after twenty years, he had only had three clients. He found his calling in the field of psychology and being
a part-time life coach to those who were in need of motivation and confidence-building. When he started his practice, the courts assigned Sita to Dr. Kevorkian after her abduction.
Dr. Kevorkian: Sita, are you going answer my question?
Sita: And what question was that?
Dr. Kevorkian: How did you feel when Ravana abducted you? From the court's transcript, you never answered
the question. You said, and I quote...
“When Ravana took me
from my love, I only imagined that I would be lost from his arms forever. Each day I spent at Ravana’s palace became
another night, and another night became another week, which turned into months
at a time. I would kneel in the room of jewels and gems near the fireplace that
burned an everlasting fire, while Ravana would stand behind me breathing what
felt like a warm mist on my neck and whispering things in my ears. He then would
put his hands on my waist, two on my shoulders, and one in my hair.”
So, what I asked you, and have been asking you for the past twenty
plus years is, how did you feel? What emotions came over you? Did you think that
Rama would save you?
Sita: Maybe you’re asking the wrong question. Maybe you should ask if I went willingly.
Dr. Kevorkian: Did you?
Sita: Rama stated in court that day, “Sita had an
opportunity to jump from Ravana’s shoulders, but then again she is afraid of
heights.” Did you not tell Rama that I blame myself for the abduction, and the
reason why I continue to have nightmares is because of a guilty conscience?
*Sita sits up looking at Dr. Kevorkian after not receiving
an answer.*
Sita: What are you
writing?
Dr. Kevorkian: My grocery list. Would you like to see?
Sita: No…but I want to tell you something.
Dr. Kevorkian: Okay?
Sita: Sit next to me.
Dr. Kevorkian: You can’t tell me while I sit here, and you
sit there?
*Sita pats the chaise lounge signaling Dr. Kevorkian to
sit next to her. He stands up and walks near the chaise lounge with his yellow legal pad in hand, and proceeds to sit
down.*
Sita: When I was four, my mother had a best friend who built her home next to our palace. I
could see her home from my window. It
was covered in ivy vines and golden-colored bricks. Each day, my mother and her friend would go
into the garden, and my mother's friend would bring her son Aakarshan. He had a gift of attracting butterflies, and he
would call upon them so they would sit on the flowers and fly around in the
garden. Sometimes, Aakarshan would
whisper to one whenever he knew I was watching him from behind a tree, and tell
it to fly near me and land on my shoulder.
We became close over the next few years until my mother died. From then on, her friend and son was banished
from the palace because Papa was overwhelmed by the memories of mother. I always
looked out the window to see if I could catch a glimpse of them from their
patio, and I never did. As the months passed,
those windows were boarded up, and the house was left empty. When Papa finally gave me freedom to walk to the
market with Pahdam, my governess, it was there in the market where I saw the beautiful butterfly boy. I ran up behind him and put my hands over
his eyes.
“Guess who?” I said.
The man started to smile and turn around. He
looked me in my eyes and said,
“Girls like you
should be more careful when touching men they do not know. It may come
off as promiscuity unless that is what you are aiming for.”
I was confused, and I did not know why he was
being cold. I knew those chestnut brown eyes,
coal black hair, and skin that was the color of amber. He even smelled of honey and lavender. I just stood before him, and he yelled at me to
go. Each night I thought of him until
the day I met Rama. When Ravana abducted me, I began to think of Aakarshan.
Our mothers would tell us the stories of the Gods and demons that walked amongst
us here on earth, and the story of Ravana was my favorite. Aakarshan and I would run around the garden
and pretend that Ravana had taken me far far away, and each time Aakarshan
would save me. When Ravana did abduct me,
I wanted Aakarshan to save me. I hoped for him, and I prayed for him. Rama ended up
defeating Ravana, not Aakarshan. When I
dream, I don’t dream of Ravana. I dream
of Aakarshan and of him holding me in his arms. When I wake up, I see an unrecognizable
man lying next to me. Can I tell you a
secret?
Dr. Kevorkian: Yes.
Sita: Before I married Rama, I found out that Aakarshan was
actually the first man to complete Father’s task with the bow of Dhanush Shiva,
not Rama. Phadam told me that Aakarshan proved
to papa that he was worthy to take my hand, and Papa told him no. So when I was abducted by Ravana, truth be
told… I did go willingly.
Author’s Note:
This story was inspired by the Indian Epic “The Ramayana” written by R.K.
Narayan. In the epic, a princess by the name of Sita fell in love with a Prince named Rama after only seeing him once. Rama too fancied Sita. Rama did not know that Sita was the daughter of King Janaka. Sage Vishvamitra ordered Rama to complete King Janaka's bridal task. Any man who was able to complete the task would marry King Janaka's daughter. King Janaka's bridal task consisted of a man stringing the bow of Dhanush Shiva. In
Rama’s attempt, he broke the bow into two pieces showing the great power that he possessed. Rama and Sita wedded after receiving the blessing from Sita’s father. When the wedded couple arrived to Rama's palace, Rama's father felt that he should be the chosen one to rule over their land. When Rama's stepmother discovered this, she protested and reminded the king that he promised the throne to her son. Rama was later sentenced to
exile in the forest for a period of fourteen years. Sita followed her husband into exile, and was abducted by the demon king Ravana. Ravana took Sita to Lanka
where he resided and later was defeated by Rama in battle.
For this story, I wanted to give Sita a
life before Rama. In the epic, readers
are not given any information on her life previous to her meeting Rama. I felt that Sita was not her own person, but lived in Rama's shadow. Adding the character Askarshan to the story was eliminating the attention that was given to Rama. I wanted Sita to experience a love before Rama, a love that she had never quite gotten over. Moreover, I chose Dr. Kevorkian to be her psychologist because was an advocate for assisted suicide. He believed that a person should be able to make their own decisions when it came to their personal lives whether it was considered moral or immoral by law.
