(Nandini)
I bid him bye smilingly but somewhere I felt incomplete, I wanted to go back to them but I just couldn’t go. I couldn’t trust them. I sat down on floor and pulled my suitcase out, I unzipped it and took out a musical showpiece which mumma and papa gifted me on my 6th birthday. It was and is my favourite. I pressed the button and it played a beautiful music, it touched my heart and pinched it, this music reminds me of them. I kept looking at it sitting on the floor remembering the day I got this.
Flashback:
It was my sixth birthday and my parents said they won’t celebrate my birthday, I was sad, I was sleeping. A voice woke me up. “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Nandini, happy birthday to you, may you have many more, may you have many more, happy birthday dear Nandini, happy birthday to you,” sung mumma and papa, at that time mumma was alive so I was the only child. I sat up and smiled at them, everyone fed me cake. “Where’s my gift?,” I asked them. “Its here,” said mumma and gave me a showpiece.
“Thank you mumma,” I said kissing her cheek. Everyone gifted me.
Fb end.
I miss you so much mumma. I cried keeping my arm on the bed sitting on floor holding the showpiece keeping my face on bed wetting the blanket.
I felt a hand on my shoulder and wiped my tears and looked up. “Why are you crying? Are you OK?,” asked Manik’s mom. “Yes aunty I m OK, I will come after freshening up,” I said and got up and ran to washroom and splashed water on my face looking at my reflection in the mirror and went out of the room.
Aunty greeted me and I did the same with a faint smile. We had breakfast, I ate very little, less than half. Nowadays I eat the amount which helps me stay alive. I went to the room and again my gaze went on the showpiece I left on floor in a hurry. I picked it and kept it in suitcase and got a call, I received it without seeing who’s it. “Hallo Nandini, please come back to our home, you won’t face anything like that again,” new mumma said and I couldn’t help but cry.
“I also want to come but I can’t, sorry but think by my side too,” I said and cut the call. I excused myself and went outside the house roaming on streets. I didn’t realized when a car came and stopped beside me. “Didi,” the voice said and I turned to find Rishabh. I hugged him. “Rishu I missed you baby,” I said. “Let’s go home,” he said. “I don’t want to go,” I said. “Why?,” he asked. I told everything and he got shocked and held me. “How can they do this to you? And of course I trust you, what are brothers for? To protect their sisters, I will do the same, come with me,” he said taking me to car and I sat inside.
We reached the house in short time and got out the car. I went to that house again unwillingly and rung the doorbell. New mumma opened the door. She attempted to hug us but Rishu stopped them. “What’s wrong with you all? How can you throw out my sister? Isn’t she your daughter? You should’ve supported her but you..,” he said and I stopped him. “There will be no affect by you on them, they don’t care anymore, I don’t want your relation with them to spoil, please forget it and move on,” I said calmly.
“No, whenever I needed your support you supported me and today is my turn, I will speak and not you,” he said and turned to mumma again. “Mumma, why you did that to her? She is your daughter for God’s sake,” he said. “Rishu I don’t need anyone, please don’t spoil your relations for me,” I said and turned to go. “OK so till you don’t return I will also not go home,” he said and I was so sad that because of me everything is ruining. “Don’t insist, just go, you can call me whenever you want,” I said with a sad smile and he hugged me and cried.
“Please don’t go, I m nothing without you, who will scold me when I sleep till late, when I won’t study, who will I talk to, please don’t leave me,” he said cryingly. “Shhh, don’t cry, you are my guddu right? Don’t cry,” I said and wiped his tears. He hugged me again and I went with heavy heart.
I was walking back to Manik’s house when felt pulled and I fell right on the front passenger seat as I was pulled in a car. I got scared and wondered who’s the one who pulled me inside. I turned to see who’s it and to my shock it was sir. “I m back my love, how dare you choose that doctor over me? I m your true love and you’ll have to obey me,” he said twisting my hands, it pained a lot and I cried. “I can’t love you please leave me,” I said pleading to him. “No no no you’re only mine, I will see how you don’t become mine, wear this ring,” he said making me forcefully wear the ring. “And you’re mine, hahahaha,” he said and laughed evilly while driving the car. “Sir please leave,” I said and he stopped the car and it was a temple. “You will be legally mine now,” he said. He laughed and laughed while I cried and cried.
He pulled me out of car and took me inside the temple, I bit his hand and tried to run but he held me, I threw vermilion in his eyes and ran as fast as I could until I collided with someone familiar and it was Rishu. He looked at sir then at me. He made an angry face and went towards sir, I got scared that he may harm him too but he couldn’t see Rishu.
Rishu went near him and beated him black and blue until he was fully weak. I smiled feeling proud of him and he hugged me. “How did you know I m here?,” I asked hugging him. “I was following you making sure you reach safely and I saw him so I came here,” he said. “I m proud to have a brother like you,” I said. “I m also proud of you,” he replied,”come I will drop you.”
I entered Manik’s house around 5 pm and prayed in the small temple of house to keep my family safe no matter how much I hate them and went to Manik’s room and just played with the showpiece mumma gifted me listening to its music lost in my own world.
(Manik)
I entered my house at 8:30 in night and went to my room, I saw Nandini playing with a showpiece listening to music it had. She wasn’t the same sad Nandini I met in hospital, in fact it seemed like a little kid is sitting in front of me. She was just being like a kid, but something caught my attention. The hand marks on her wrists looked like as if someone twisted her hands. Who would do this?
I sat in front of her and she didn’t feel my presence. “Nandu,” I said softly and she looked at me. “Manik, when did you come? Please don’t go leaving me alone again, I feel scared,” she said and started crying like a child hiding her face in her palms. I moved her hands from her face and wiped her tears. She hugged me tight by my waist. “He has come back,” she said and I got shocked.