It was the cold winter of 2006 and Thimphu was a beautiful heaven carpeted by layers of frozen snow flakes. Thermometer read negative temperature which varied time to time yet didn’t spike up towards positive reading. Wang Chhu was frozen still as if it was a wide road rather than a river.
“Achu..chu..chu..Achu…”, Neten Lhamo was experiencing the bitter cold as she walked up the Lungtenzampa towards the Memorial stupa, carrying an eight months old baby in her belly.
She was twenty-two, unmarried woman from Dawakha, fell victim to an Engineer who visited their village. Tenzin graduated from College of Science and Technology and employed privately for contract basis in Peljore Construction for five years. Lost in the battle of sexual desire, she got pregnant and was chased away by her parents from home when the baby was about to be born because she didn’t reveal father’s identity, feeling betrayed.
Unfortunately, it’s winter which made her condition even worse. She managed to admit herself to JDWNR Hospital and few days later – i.e, on 10th Dec, 2006 – a baby girl was born, however, Neten was unprepared to be the mother by any means. Giving birth in winter was perhaps extremely bad experience ever. Three days later, Neten sneaked out of the Post-Natal ward without being noticed by Nurses around, taking her baby with her. Highly suspicious of a planned escape yet she walked normally out down towards three main entrance.
A few meters away from the entrance was a huge green waste bin. Looking around in all possible directions, she headed to the green bin. Without a pinch of hesitation, she dropped the baby in the bin and hastened towards Memorial stupa. However, unfortunate for her and so fortunate for the baby, a young man in his late twenties had spotted what happened which he could not believe, stood bewildered for a while and immediately went to pick up the baby. No sooner did he pick up the baby than he rushed after the women.
‘Hey! Lady……. what do you think you are doing? Wait’, the man shouted on top of his voice breathlessly as the woman sped up. It was unanticipated at all and Neten began to fear as embarrassment warmed her whole body but she continued in her own face.
‘God! Who the hell is that man? I need help, tell him to leave me alone’, she appeared apprehensive and insane.
A few minutes later, the man with stranger’s baby in his hand caught Neten just above the Memorial Chorten. ‘Hey, just wait here. I am Nima Yoeser’, he introduced and continued their conversation reluctantly. After a long duration of tearful conversations, Nima accepted that there is some truth in her action but still didn’t forgive her for such a heartless action.
A stream of vehicles were in flow here and there. Mountains around the Thimphu were still wearing snow caps. Think blankets of snow had evaporated under a warm morning sunshine. Wang Chhu resumed its flow. Memorial Chorten standing still as it always was, Nima had a strange feeling of belongingness to the child he was holding.
“Neten, if I say I want to take this baby with me, are you okay?”, Nima decided to act on his unusual feeling that moment. He has known her name while in conversation.
It was a fast move for a man who have never thought it before. Even though she had left the baby in the bin, Nima still needed consent from mother. Nima still didn’t know baby’s gender. Perhaps, God is blessing him as a man he wanted to be. Nima graduated from Sherubtse college with B.A. Dzongkha and English honor at the age of twenty-four and over the few years he got the good position in the Language research centre. However, had decided never to marry his entire lifetime for a reason he himself didn’t know.
