Ramayya drove to Subhash's house. When he reached there, he noticed that the engagement decorations had been removed. The house looked silent and sad.
Subhash was sitting quietly. When he saw Ramayya, he turned his face away.
Subhash's wife came forward angrily.
"Why have you come here now? You already destroyed our family's happiness. Our daughter was waiting for her engagement day, but you insulted us in front of everyone. Now we are only praying for her recovery."
Ramayya stood silently.
Subhash looked at him and said, "I never refused to repay your money. I only asked for some more time. You could have spoken to me privately. Why did you have to insult me in front of everyone?"
Ramayya lowered his head.
"You're right, Subhash. I thought only about my money. I never thought about your family's feelings. I made a big mistake. Please forgive me."
Subhash replied, "Will your apology bring back my daughter's happiness?"
"No, Subhash. I know it cannot. I cannot change what happened, but I truly regret my behaviour."
Subhash's wife asked, "If something like this had happened to your daughter, would you have remained silent?"
Ramayya looked down.
"No. I would never have accepted it. I should have thought about your daughter as I would think about my own."
He folded his hands and said, "Please let me know if you need any help with her treatment. I will do whatever I can."
Subhash replied, "I don't know whether I can forgive you now. We need some time."
Ramayya nodded.
"I understand. Take care of your daughter. I will leave now."
He walked back to his car without expecting them to thank him or forgive him.
On his way home, Ramayya thought about what had happened. He finally understood that saying sorry was not enough to repair the pain he had caused.
He had taken the first step by accepting his mistake. Now, he had to prove that he had really changed through his actions.
To be continued...