You Are The Star Tonight

Tara was looking at her grandfather, trying to find the answers of her numerous questions but only silence was answered to her, a long defying silence.

Mr.De was looking at the distant moon shining brightly in the dark sky, something was different today, the moon was shining way too brightly today as if consuming every ounce of darkness from that scary black sky.

After a long time, he spoke.

"Tara..." Mr.De said with a small smile on his face.

Tara was startled with the sudden noise in that silent room. She looked at her grandfather intently.

"Tara... it's been so many years since you came into our lives, your presence brought the most awaited spring in all our lives, not only joy but laughter and relief all came into our lives holding your hands " Mr.De looked at Tara briefly before again staring outside at the moon.

"The first day you step foot in our house , I saw my daughter smiling again, I saw my daughter happy after a very long time and you were the reason of that happiness" Mr.De smiled when the image of his daughter smiling at the little toddler came into his view.

"I saw my whole family bustling with happiness you just painted our lives with so many different colours..." Mr.De smiled unconsciously when the little Tara sitting on his office desk and giggling on some random thing greeted his memory.

"You were so full of life, you slowly became the live of your brothers. Your father was always a quite man but you changed him too, I still remember how he used to celebrate your each and every achievement no matter how small they were..." Mr.De slowly looked at Tara who was looking at him with a sad face.

"Thank you Tara...for saving the family from all the misery all the pain and from...me." Mr.De choked.

"Grandpa..." Tara said in a broken voice.

"Mmhmm...child let me speak today" Mr.De silenced Tara and held her hands softly.

"Tara...you came into our lives and solved everything but I destroyed everything again..." Mr.De's eyes glistened with tears he hid for years.

"Tara...your uncle was the one who killed your parents...he was the one who ordered that truck to bang in your parents car which caused their deaths...but he did all of this under the influence of alcohol and jealousy... beleive me Tara...I never supported his crime but this old man was afraid that day.... afraid to lose his another son when one of his son was lying dead there....your grandpa was a coward that day...and maybe he still is " Mr.De tried hard to stop the sobbing sound but his tears betrayed him, his whole body was shaking, the once proud man was crying his heart out before his granddaughter.

On the other hand Tara was silent, oddly silent, she was just looking at the old man crying, her face was devoid of any reaction she was just looking blankly at her grandfather.

Just when she thought of saying something very harsh to the old man about his past mistakes, a picture of a gentleman came into her view...her uncle.

She remember that man very well, his soft smile that can make you feel loved, his fatherly features that always gave her a vibe of belonging, the mere thought that, that man planned her parents accident was killing her from inside, she was not ready to believe it but somehow it was the truth, the painful truth.

She looked at the old man before her crying his heart out as if the tears he was hiding for years were all flowing down.

Tara had to make a decision today, a very difficult one at that but she was oddly confident today.

She looked at her grandfather, she held his hands tightly.

"Grandpa...." Tara called out for the old man who was crying his heart out.

"Hmm..." Mr.De looked at her slowly.

"Have some water..." Tara slowly walked towards her desk and brought some water for him.

After both of them settled again on the sofa, she quietly held his hands again.

"Grandpa.... it must be hard for you..." Tara slowly wiped the tears off her grandfather's face.

"Huh...what!! " Mr.De who was preparing his heart for the worst reaction from her, looked at her face with a shocked reaction, he never ever thought that she would remain this calm after hearing the truth.

"It must be hard for you that day...to send your son away forever...away from everything...it must be hard to stay away from him" Tara said softly.

"Grandpa...I never met my parents in my conscious state, I don't even remember their face but I know they loved me as their child, every parents love their children...I don't know why uncle did that, that day but what he did was wrong... was so gravely wrong" Tara tightened her grip on her grandfather's hand.

"Grandpa...but I can't hate him now...I just can't... whenever I think of him a gentle image comes into my view a man with a calm smile, a man who loves me...a man who left everything behind...that is even more painful than going to jail for the crime...he left his sons behind, he left the company, he left his right to be the next heir...he left everything and he is alone right now.... completely alone" Tara said softly.

"Life is hard grandpa...but when we are together with our family everything becomes so easy...he left that too...he left his family... grandpa sometimes self guilt is the worst punishment a person can get...and I know he is suffering from it...just like you" Tara wiped her tears off.

"Grandpa....let's stop all of this now..." Tara said with a determined tone.

A story that started with an extreme desire of revenge should not end with one. Revenge is easy but correcting your mistakes is the hardest thing a man can do sometimes.