"It will be available by the month......but keep the launch after month and a half, changes can be made after all......" python said fumbling with his tie. He loosened the knot as it literally was choking him.
"Sure Mr. Python, I'll have your message delivered to Mr. Raghu. Anything else which I can do for you....." Karn's robotic voice reverberated inside the chamber. Python huffed after struggling with the tie for 15 minutes straight.
"You can charge yourself up karn....... that's it for now....." and with that the robotic voice wasn't heard after. Madhushree sat on the bed, watching him attentively as he did something with his tie. He didn't know how to tie a knot she could tell it by the way he was striving hard to achieve that. He wasn't looking at her for he was just too scared. He knew he had hurted her, not physically but mentally, and he just didn't wanted to face her. Therefore he tried to keep his eyes on his tie while furtively peeking at her through the corner of his eyes occasionally.
"What's your real name python......" he spun and gasped. Was she talking to him??? He was uncertain at first but with the empathetic look in her eyes, he was sure that she was indeed talking to him. Python was shocked because no one ever tried to ask his name before. She looked into his passionate eyes, waiting for an answer.
"Adhiraaj......Adhiraaj Suryavanshi." he said with an austere tone but compassionate eyes. She tilted her head and looked at him.
"That's a good name.......why would you want to change your name to 'Python'....." she asked innocently. He chuckled but that wasn't an amusing one rather it held dolour and pain. He came towards her and kneeled down beside the bed so she could lock her eyes with his.
"Because that's what I am......A Python...." he replied with a smile which was far from happy.
"Why would you say that????" she whisper-asked and he chuckled.
"Ajgar hi to hu mai.....apne ma baap ko nigal gaya na......." tears lingered in the corner of his eyes though that smile on his face never wiped out. She couldn't take her eyes away from his deep piercing ones, especially when they held so much pain.
"That's not true......" she whispered as tears build up in her beautiful eyes. He took a deep breath, trying to keep those tears at bay.
"I didn't choose this name madhu....... this world did......" he confessed and her tearful eyes watched him with empathy. Under those menacing eyes hided pain and suffering beyond anyone's expectations. She sniffed and held his big hand.
"But why would the world say that......." she asked lowly and he gazed at her with love and hope. He sniffed and started.
"I wasn't born rich madhu, besides I hardly had anything. My father was a descendant of Suryavanshi's but due to some tragedy or should I say 'family politics' he was ousted from his own clan with his parents when he was very young. My grandparents died pretty early leaving my father to survive on his own and he did that by doing odd jobs. He was a small gardener appointed in a whimsical wealthy man's garden. When I was born, my mother was diagnosed with explosive tuberculosis. Tuberculosis was no longer a death certificate but for someone who hardly had money to afford two time meals, it indeed meant death. I hardly remember anything of my mother, all I recall is a woman lying prostrate on a squalid bed, coughing and crying all day long. You know madhu, I was probably three at that time but I had the responsibility to clean my tiny shabby house and look after my mother. I remember kids around my slum, teasing me, calling me names because I never used to play with them. How could I after all that work which was bestowed upon me. My father was a really nice man but extremely hapless and powerless. He used to come back around 10, exhausted, but he never showed that to me. After coming from work, he used to cook food and I.....I clearly remember it was mustard greens which we had probably every day for it was the cheapest food available that time....... the only food my father could afford with his meagre salary. People in my slum called me a devil, that I am responsible for my parents dismay but my father always shared differing opinions. He believed that he was the luckiest man in this entire world because I was his kid. Unfortunately the world thought otherwise. And then, when I was 4 my mother passed away. My poor old man didn't had enough money to arrange for her last rites. We cremated her, my father had to sell away our only utensils to arrange money for wood. We are the descendants of Sun, there are plenty of rites which have to be followed after someone's death but my father just couldn't do anything due to lack of money. Thankfully, a humble priest helped us and somehow we came out from that tough time. " he paused to sniff. Madhushree had tears brimming in her eyes as she heard him attentively.

He looked into her teary eyes and sighed, ignoring his own tears.
"But perhaps the God had something worse in store for me. Days after my mother's death, my father fell victim to the brutal tuberculosis. The public doctor said that he had acquired this disease from my mother.......how I escaped that is still a mystery to me to this day. My father's health began deteriorating but he still continued to work just to fill my tummy. One day he took me to his boss' bungalow.....this bungalow was his. And I can't forget that day.

"Please my lord, I have a child...... how will I raise him....... please have mercy on me and my child....... don't terminate me from this job......." cried a thin, middle aged man as he wept on the feet of a fat man who was busy in playing with his daughter. A little python, quietly watched everything with fire in his eyes.
"Shyam.....just throw him and his son out........I don't want any of my family members to catch disease from him......" he said impudently. Python's hands balled into fists as a man clothed in black began dragging them away.
"My lord please......at least give me money to treat myself.......... please........." his father wept bitterly as they were thrown out of the bungalow. The door was forced shut on their faces. His father sobbed and held his hands.
"Raaj........you saw this man today right. You also have to be as rich as him...... and I believe in you my son........I know that one day you will come back here and throw this man out the same way he did us........You understand me right!!!!" his father said with tears in his eyes. Python nodded and hugged him.

My father lost his job and now the meals were cut down to one in the whole day. We sold everything, from our beat up furtniture to our only pair of good clothes. We were left with practically nothing. My father's health went from bad to worse and finally he was just a dead body. You asked me why did the world gave me that name....... it's because I devoured my parents. That was the day I recieved this appellation 'Python'." he sniffed as tears ran down her eyes. I was not a day more than 11 when I was left all alone in this world with nothing but my father's believe. It was hard madhu......in the slum it was absolutely harrowing for me. No one wanted to employ me or even talk to me......they all just thought of me as a bad luck. Besides the landlord would just come storming every other day demanding his rent or threatening to kick me out. I chose the latter and left the slum for good. In this world I had no one who would take me in, hence I was forced to move into the house of someone I hated the most. God. I took my quarters in a temple, thankfully you don't have to pay rent there. I remember sitting on the temple steps one frosty night, alone and shattered, waiting for my own death. I don't know how and when that enigmatic fellow fell from infinity and I found him sitting beside me.

" Who are you....." asked 12 year old python, shivering in the biting cold. The man had a cryptic glow on his face, he was clad in yellow. Yellow rarely suits man, especially in formals but somehow he looked dashing in yellow. He smiled, a gracious smile it was, as he took off his blazer and wrapped it around young python's shoulders. Python looked at him shocked.
"What are you doing......." asked python though the warmth of the blazer was honestly very comforting. The unusually handsome man ran his fingers through his hairs and python didn't know why but he felt as if his father was stroking his head. Python's eyes began to tear.
"I'm sorry I don't know you.........I......I......" he sniffled looking into the man's compassionate eyes. He could see tears building up inside the man's eyes as well, besides he had this weird aura of familiarity which python found pretty comforting. The man cupped his face.
"The days of tears are gone now......" his extremely masculine voice rumbled under the silence of the night. His fingers stroked python's hairs and something weird started happening inside him. He began having visions of galaxy, constellations......planets. Python's breathing was shallow while the man firmly did something to him. Slowly python looked at him and realised that he was doing anything but harm.
"I won't allow filthy humans to disparage my bloodline.......no son of mine will face the atrocities of humans but shall rule over them......" and he rested his forehead against his.

That's weird but I felt as if sparks were glowing inside my head. As if my body was generating electricity. When it was all over and I opened my eyes, he was gone. But perhaps he didn't leave me empty handed. Next day, a philanthropist's car broke outside the temple.......I, who held no knowledge of any vehicle, surprisingly fixed his car. The temple priest was shocked and the wealthy man was impressed. He asked me if I would fancy to work in one of his garages.......I agreed. I was the youngest in my garage but everybody was impressed with my work.......they loved me and cared for me. Besides what else a party of poor men can do except for loving their own kind. Slowly I became everybody's favourite, especially that philanthropist's. When I was 20 i built my own car, it was a very simple model and I had assembled it with the help of the unused parts of other cars. I remember to this day how my garage workers were literally going bananas over that. At that time, I had never thought of having my own company but the philanthropist proposed to finance my company........I always wondered why was he so devoted towards me. It wasn't until later when I found that his wife and son had died in an accident few years back and therefore whenever he saw any kid, he would be more than ready to help him. You know nobody knew my name in that garage, I was the youngest so everybody just called me 'laddy' or simply 'young Einstein' i know that sounds weird but they did. So when the philanthropist asked me to choose the trademark, I chose python and so kept the name of the company python. And then I met pandit, a 15 year old boy running from his cruel step mother. We formed a pair and to this day we are still the best pair known to history. When I was 30, I was already a billionaire and on exact day of November 2, the day my father was humiliated 19 years back.....I bought all the shares of that filthy man's company and threw him out the same way he did us. Since then this bungalow is mine.........." he paused as he looked at madhushree's crying face. He wiped her tears and started.
"You know....... the world thinks that I have everything........billions, prosperity, fame......but nobody knows that I never asked for it......." he said and madhushree could only cry at his misery. He chuckled as tears streamed down his eyes.
"Ye bangla, ye gaadi, ye daulat........ maine ye sab kabhi nahi maanga tha madhu........ mujhe to sirf choti choti khushiyan chahiye thi. Ek chota sa ghar, tumhare jaisi ek khoobsurat si biwi, do bacche..... bas aur kuch nahi. Mai to bas itna chahta tha ki mai jab ghar aaun kaam se lautke, to do bacche papa papa kehke mere paas daud ke aaye....... puche ki papa mere liye kya laaye ho. Ek biwi jo muskurake puche ki mera din kaisa tha....... iske alawa na kuch aur mujhe tab chahiye tha, na ab chahiye......" he sniffed and locked his teary eyes into hers. She hugged him and sobbed, thinking of all the pain he has endured all his life.

For a moment they both said nothing, although their tears told a lot more than they could've said. Python for the first time felt relieved, as if a huge burden has been lifted off his shoulder because the pain you bear inside you for years, it just eases like that when you share it with someone who truly understands you. She softly pulled away and python felt bad that he had shared this with her, he never wanted her to cry, he can see anything but her crying this bitterly. She cupped his face and said.
"Perhaps you don't know fool or perhaps nobody was sane enough to tell you that pythons don't eat their parents....... cobras do but in cases when no food's available." she pouted and python desperately wanted to kiss that adorable pout. His tear filled eyes adored her while she sniffled.
"You aren't a python but a miracle.......you are not a bad luck, nobody is because people with bad luck are not sent to earth, my father used to say this. You are special......very special...." she whispered with tears. Python pressed his forehead against her. They both cried as their sobs filled up the silent chamber.
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