Darkness to Light

By Andrew Pappachen

A young boy grew up abused by his father who was alcoholic and physically used to abuse his wife after getting drunk every evening. He never abuse his three girls. By the time he became an adult the father dies, his sisters all got married and moved out. He was living with his mother and later moved out. He found some small job and met several w

• Language: English
• Publisher: Go To Publish
• Release date: Mar 23, 2021
• ISBN: 9781647493868

Andrew Pappachen

Andrew Pappachen Andrew Pappachen, born in India in 1948 and migrated to USA in 1973 has been living in New Jersey ever since. He has a Masters Degree in Chemistry from Kerala University, India and has taken a Master Degree in Environmental Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology, New Jersey. He has a Certificate in Public Administration from Rutgers University, New Jersey. He has been working in government for the past 47 years, retired in 2018 as Director of Public Works after working in a Municipal Government for 44 years and then worked in another Municipal Government for 3 years.. From 2012-2020 he served as the Environmental Commissioner in Montville Township, where he lives. Andrew Pappachen has published several books in USA, LOVE WITH THE GHOST, RYAS OF LIGHT FROM THE DARKNESS OF A PRISON CELL, A JOURNEY ALONE, ZERO TO INFINFINITY AND STORY OF ACHU. This book is a New Edition of A Journey Alone with two parts Andrew is from Kollad, Kottayam, Kerala, India and married to Somini, who is from Vadavathoor, Kottayam, Kerala. Andrew has two children Simmy, who lives in Florida and son Kevin, wife Grace and daughter Anna, who live in Teaneck, New Jersey. Andrew has been a very active community leader among Indian and Asian Americans for the past 40 years in USA. He is the founder leader of World Malayalee Council, he served as its global chairman and global president for four years each. He has been a the founder member and President of Kerala Association of New Jersey, Kerala Center New York, Asian American Political Coalition and Asian American Heritage Council of New Jersey. Andrew was aboard member of Federation of Indian Associations, New York and chairman of India Day Parade, New York. Andrew has also published several books in his native language Malayalam. Andrew also is a philanthropist helping people in need in his native country India. Andrew wishes that his life story will provide the reader interesting information about the life of an immigrant from India both in personal and professional life.

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Darkness to Light

Copyright © 2021 by Andrew Pappachen

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher or author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Although every precaution has been taken to verify the accuracy of the information contained herein, the author and publisher assume no responsibility for any errors or omissions. No liability is assumed for damages that may result from the use of information contained within.

ISBN: ePub: 978-1-64749-386-8

Printed in the United States of America

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Contents

Preface

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

References

Preface

This is a revised edition of the original book, Rays of Light from the Darkness of A Pr ison Cell .

What is darkness? It is a phenomenon where there is no light. Light allows us to see everything, to walk, run, work, read, write, and to see the colors and the true expressions of others. If there is light, we cannot hide anything. Darkness is scary and evil, only good when we close our eyes and sleep. We cannot live in this world like the three monkeys that see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil. Just as we must have day and night, we must also have good and evil or light and darkness. When our life is full of light, we see good things, speak good words, and hear good sounds. When our life is in darkness, we become evil, think of bad things, speak bad words, and hear bad sounds. Through this novel, I narrate the story of a man who had bad experiences in his childhood, and who was never able to see the light, so he became a criminal and ended up in jail. While in jail, he sees light through readings and help from his mother and a jail guard. He comes out of the jail as a person who has seen light.

I often wonder why people cannot always act nice and love each other. Why are there killings, cheating, and other crimes? Why is there jealousy, anger, and hatred? Why is there no love? Why do people say bad things to be straightforward and truthful? Every religion teaches us to be good individuals. We see criminals and thieves put in jail. Yet people’s evil acts continue. Can we live in a community where everybody is nice? Can we have a society where everybody is good? Can we have a political system where there is no corruption? Can we create an environment where we can trust everybody? Can we love each other? I hope this novel will help you think of all these things and live a life of goodness. Let us be watchful of darkness and lead our light through light. There is only one life to live in this world. Provide light to the World, your community, your society, your friends and your family.

Chapter 1

Alfred looks through the small hole in the wall of his prison cell and sees the beams of light from the full moon. But his cell is very dark. It is past midnight, and there is pin-drop silence. He can see some light rays from a light inside the prison corridor a few feet away from his cell. He has been locked up here for more than a month. He is taken out of the cell once a day for an hour with chained hands and legs. Otherwise he is confined to the prison cell. The food is served to him through the little window. Alfred is outraged at his conditions, but there is nobody to com plain to.

Alfred remembers sitting in the courtroom and listening to the prosecutor, who accused him of killing a woman. He could not remember killing her, but he remembers the woman lying on the floor with blood flowing from her chest. He then told the police that the woman was murdered by an intruder while he was out. When he came home, he saw the front door was opened and saw the body of the woman lying on the floor with blood flowing from her chest. The police believed him and comforted him. But later, the police came to the conclusion that he had killed the woman, and they charged him with murder. The murder weapon was the big butcher knife that was kept in the kitchen. The police could only find Alfred’s fingerprints on the knife handle. They could not find any other evidence that somebody from outside entered the house. Alfred’s lawyer asked him several times what had happened, and he told the same story to the defense lawyer also. The defense lawyer could not represent him properly, since Alfred did not have a credible story to tell. Even though he said that he had gone out, he could not say where he went and whom he met. Alfred does not remember anything. He is confused. He is sentenced to be in maximum-security prison for twenty-five years.

Alfred cannot sleep. He closes his eyes, and his thoughts go back to his childhood. He is the youngest of four children, with three older sisters. His father, Jerome, was a mechanic and worked in the nearby auto repair shop. His mother, Betty, worked as a waitress in the nearby restaurant. They lived in a village away from the city. His mother used to work ten to twelve hours every day. Jerome used to come home drunk after work. Alfred’s grandmother—his mother’s mother—lived with them, and she took care of the grandchildren until his mother came home. Betty was a quiet woman who never complained about her husband, even though occasionally he used to abuse her physically. When Alfred was convicted of second-degree murder, his mother was weeping heavily. Nobody else was there to weep for him. His sisters were not in the courtroom.

Alfred’s father had died a few years ago. His father always treated his sisters very well, but he used to shout at Alfred and made him do all the housecleaning. His sisters were given freedom, and they always ganged up together. He used to hate his sisters. He used to complain to his mother about his father, but she could not help him, herself a victim of his father’s abuse. His sisters are all married now and live far away from his mother and him. He has no relationship with his sisters.

Alfred had dropped out of high school and started work in a nearby foundry. He moved out of the house and lived alone in a small apartment. Since moving out, he did not have a close relationship with his father and sisters. He used to visit his mother regularly at the restaurant where she worked. He met a woman named Janet, who used to work with him, and started a friendship with her. But Alfred was unable to show affection to her. She started complaining to him that he did not show any love toward her. Alfred could not help himself. In his mind, he felt hatred toward women, yet a physical attraction toward her. He was very confused, and he started taking drugs to escape from his strange feelings. His hatred toward women increased. He started arguing with his girlfriend. One day, they had a big argument, and he stopped seeing her.

He decided to move out of the area, so he found a job in a factory in the city. He told his mother that he was moving to the city and promised to visit her often. In the city, he lived in a small room in a poor neighborhood. He continued his drug habit. He was leading a lonely life until he met a woman in the neighborhood who worked as a waitress in a restaurant, just like his mother. They became friends, and they met regularly. She also lived alone in the area. He told his