CHAPTER 1
Sultan Singh, a truck driver by profession, married Seema 10 years back. It was a love marriage with both families against it. But what the world can do when the two lovers has already decided in their heart. They left their respective homes without the blessings of their parents and got married. They decided to settle in a town which was a little far away from the Jammu city. They took a small house on rent, in fact it was just a room with a small kitchen and for the rest they were dependent on their landlords, who being very generous and kind, never let the newly wed couple miss their families.
Time moved on from days to a year and from a year to years. Both worked hard for their future and the future of their children. Sultan began to spend more and more time on his truck assignments which were mostly from Jammu to Srinagar, when he was lucky enough, as it allowed him to be with his beloved on every 3rd day. Seema, on the other hand, also began working as a helper to a Ladies tailor and it let her use her spare time when Sultan was away and what more, it brought an amount of Rs 3000 more to their monthly income.
They had their first child, Manu, in 1998 and after Aashi’s birth in 2001 they decided to add no more members to their family of Fantastic Four. Children grew and were admitted to a nearby school when their respective age of freedom was over.
Time moved on from days to a year and from a year to years. Sultan began to take long assignments to rest of India as it brought more money home. Now he began to come home only twice a month and it put all the responsibilities of children and home on Seema, who has to leave her job as there was no other option.
As the love fades all the promises made are tested with time. Sultan also faced the test and he failed. During one of his journey, far away from home, he began to drink again and it required just a little push from his fellow drivers this time. The habit of drinking which he had left 2 years before their marriage, out of love for Seema, had begun to allure him again and this time it was hard to resist. A pledge was broken that day and with it he began to drink again. Though he was a master of his senses even when drunk, he never drove when drunk and always used to make it sure that his family didn’t know of it.
