SPY

Meet Again

A week passed and I didn't step out of the house except for visiting the doctor. My body was relaxed these days but my mind was in turmoil. "Lonely" is the right word to describe how I feel. 

"Ma'am, do you know that police caught the terrorist of the March attack?" Sheela didi asked and I nodded in response. 

"He should be hanged in public," she said. 

"No, this should never happen, even if that person is the most wicked in this world," I politely said to her. 

"Why Ma'am? He killed many people." 

"This will bring chaos. " 

"No, this will bring peace. If people have fear then only they will not do wrong things," she said wiping the floor. 

"There is a butcher shop nearby and almost all of us ignore when he chops meat because it is normal for us, we all know that people are going to eat it. The way we ignore these animal killings, likewise we will ignore human killings if punishments are given in public. And in such a scenario, there will be no difference between human life and animal life. This situation in no case will bring peace but it will create disorder. Leave it, you are too naive for this discussion." 

"Maybe you are right," she continued, "One man from my village lost his life in that attack, he was the only earning member of his family and now his family is living in poverty, they have nothing to eat." 

"Didn't they get compensation from the government?"

"Moneylender took all their money because he took a loan from him," she said and left my room. 

"These unregulated moneylenders are one of the reasons why we are still lagging," I murmured. 

In the evening, I decided to go for a walk. I was in my world when I met him again. He was with his mother, who was in a wheelchair. 

"Oh hello Miss Ravi," he said, waving at me. 

I swear if he was alone I would have ignored him. I waved back and passed a smile to her mother. 

"Mom, she is our new neighbor," he said to his mother. 

"Ravi, what is your caste child?" She asked. 

I believe some things can never change in India, one of them is casteism. Unwillingly I told her what she asked. Before she could ask anything more, Sagar said to her, "We are getting late, you need to have your medicine," and took her away. 

I came back home. It is very noisy outside and the silence of the house is eating me up. What is wrong with me? When I am with people I want to stay alone and when I'm alone I want someone by my side. 

"Should I go and visit Dipti and Abhishek?" I thought and decided to not ruin their life. "Maybe I should go shopping, it may lighten my mood. 

"Shopping.... Indore.... You are beautiful, " everything came back in flashes. 

I remember how I begged him and he didn't show mercy. That day I realized that the world is not a bed of roses as my parents depict to me. 

He ruined my body and my spirit. I tried to protect myself but he was way too strong. I am disgusted that a man who was my father's age raped me. He treated me like an object who is lifeless. 

Not once not twice, he raze my body eight times and when he was satisfied he told his man to shift me with other girls, which he was selling for prostitution. 

"Stop Ravi..... You should forget about it, " I said and came back to my senses. I wiped my tears. 

I heard a woman's voice, she was shouting. I decided to go out and look at the matter. The sound was coming from Sagar's house and her mother was screaming at him. I decided to go back as it seemed to be a family affair but my step halted when I heard the sound of breaking glass. 

I rang the bell and Sagar opened the door, I came in and looked for his mother. I thought that he did something bad to her. I was wrong, it was his mother who hurt him. 

I want to thank A_Tale_by_Rashmi for her support. Good luck for your future and I hope we'll keep supporting each other. Thank you for your valuable votes and feedback.