World away from my world

part 3

Mia did not sleep the entire night. She sat beside the window and looked out into the empty sky. A million things crossed her mind. Her school. Her friends. Her parents. How could she be so far from all that. She remembered how one day when was lying in her mom's lap, her mom was singing to her.

"Why do I have his green lotus on my neck Ammi? My friends make fun of me. They call me lotus princess." Mia tells her mom.

"Well, they are just jealous. I think it makes you look every more beautiful."

"Can I get laser treatment. They remove stuff like this."

"This isn't something that you can treat honey. This is something that treats us." she had murmured absent-mindedly.

Why did they not tell her? She could have atleast been better prepared. Learned some kind of martial arts to protect her against the human missile that is her husband - she thought looking out of the window. All she could see was the huge mountain range. Archisando - never had in her life had she thought she would even visit this place forget being its queen!

~

It was morning and there was knock at her door. She opens it cautiously. There were the two maids whom she had seen in the night. They hand her a couple of familiar looking bags. They were her bags. What was in them? She readily took them and started opening them.

"Your parents left some necessities apparently. Clothes and stuff." she heard him say. She looked up to see that he was getting ready eating morning breakfast.

"Your breakfast is here too. My brother wants to meet with you. Is it okay now?" he asks her.

"Your brother?"

"Abhay. My younger brother. He is 15." he smiles.

"Why does he want to meet me?"

"Beats me." he shrugs.

"When can I talk with my parents?"

"Persistent little thing you are! Aren't you?"

He takes his phone and talks with someone. She couldn't understand what he was saying. Finally, he holds it to her. "It's ringing." he gives it to her.

Mia grabs the phone immediately.

"Ammi?"

"Mia? Honey, How are you doing?"

"Ammi, what is all this? You guys just left? How can you do this to me?"

"We are sorry honey. We just did not have the face to say goodbye. We thought you would understood everything yourself. You would understand that we did not have a choice beta."

"I don't understand Ammi. Please. You have to take me home. I cannot stay here. I do not even understand the language. Ammi please...." she cries.

"Mia...honey...that is your home now. There isn't anything we can do darling. I am so sorry."

"I am an free citizen Ammi. Please have me extradited. Call the foreign..."

"That's enough." Samar grabs the phone from her.

"Mrs. Zardosi. I will take good care of her. Please don't worry. Good bye." he hangs up.

"WHY DID YOU DO THAT! I WAS TALKING TO MY MOM!"

"There is a limit for everything, Meenakshi. You are not a small girl. Girls of a certain age get married and move in with their husband. Haven't you heard of it? This isn't that unusual."

"NOT unsual? Are you crazy? I am 18 years old and was my way to the best medical schools in the country. One fine day, I am put into a completely different world, a world that I would not have imagined in my worst possible nighmares. I was married forcefully to a guy who is scares the living daylight out of me. My parents have left me without any rhyme or reason. After raising me as the most precious thing in their whole world, they just ABANDONED me. I have no idea how you got them to do that. You and everybody around talks to me as if this is NORMAL. NOT UNUSUAL? I am LOSING my fucking mind!! It cannot get any more UNUSUAL for me!!!" she yells at his face.

He grabs her hand, twists it behind her, glaring into her eyes. "You are way beyond line Minakshi. One more word and I will make sure you will live to see MY worst possible nightmare. I will not have you utter another expletive or insult against me, my country or my people. You are my wife. Better get in line and respect the things that I respect.

"Samar Bhaiyya..." a skinny looking teenager walks in along with an older woman.

"Hey buddy." Samar leaves her hand and immediately changes his mood. He bumps his shoulder with his brother playfully.

"I am so excited to meet Bhabhi. Hi Bhabhi. I am Abhay."

"Minakshi, this is my spoiled little brother Abhay. He is someone who can talk with your language. And Abhay try to teach her Anglian okay."

"Hi.." Mia murmurs weakly.

"Wow! You are so pretty. I could not see you during the ceremony. You were surrounded by all those priests. Samar Bhaiyya is my favourite person in this world. So, I think I want to be friends with you. Friends?" he extends his hand.

Mia smiles, inspite of the being flustered deeply by Samar's threat right before. She extends him her hand trying her best to appear civil.

"Actually, your Bhabhi did not get much sleep. Let her rest. Come on, I will drop you at school today."

"Okay. I am starving though. Let me eat."

"Yeah. Go ahead buddy. Dig in." Samar tells him and turns towards Mia.

"The old lady here." he signals the old lady towards them. "This is Leena Bhai. She will be with you all day. She can teach you the language. She can even be your translator. I have to go now. I will see you later. Stay calm." he tells her and walks to Abhay.

"What do I do?" she asks after him.

"I told you, learn the language. I am sure Bibi jaan and Mom will come see you at some point. We have the Mahadweepa ceremony today. You will see. I don't want any drama."

~