Malaal- Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

“It’s okay, do as I tell you. Everyone would be busy in breakfast that time. I’ve set up a ladder around their window last night. Just do the job with a pillow and leave.”

“But I want my money in advance.”

“Do you think that my plans are stupid Varun? Once I would be the daughter-in-law of this house, which would be soon, I will pay back the money which you had to give as the rent for the car and clothes. And much more for the murders. Okay?”

“Okay Radha. But won’t we get caught by any chance?”

“No, there’s already one person who will be blamed by Rashi. And that would be Kokila. Rashi would surely blame her for this. Because I’ve manipulated her to make her believe that Sahir and Samar are obstacles in Kokila’s plan to safeguard the company in Ahem’s hands. Don’t worry. And just do your job.”

That’s what Radha had thought. But Rashi hadn’t blamed anyone and left the house. Radha was getting anxious because if Rashi would’ve blamed Kokila, surely Jigar would’ve hated her even more and any chances of her accepted back would’ve gone. But since it didn’t happen, Radha anticipated that Rashi might come back, rather be called back by Hetal and Kokila and slowly every misunderstanding would be cleared. She had to stop it from happening. At any cost. She had an instant plan. Even she shivered when she thought about it, but now she was in such a situation that it was either her or Rashi. She had to kill any humanity left in her, if it was.

“What if Rashi hates Jigar so much that she never returns? I know that the drama that happened today would be sorted out by the family sooner or later. I would’ve to play one last trick: that would make Rashi hate Jigar like anything. And I know what it is.”, she thought.

She knew what it was. She reconsidered her decision many times but finally her evil side won over her. She called Varun, for one last job.

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“Mummy, why did he do this to me? He blamed me for our children’s death...”, her voice broke, unlike the emptiness in her eyes.

Her mother wasn’t in a mood to answer. She was in grief, after all her grandchildren had died. Plus, her daughter had been thrown out of her house. She had done so much to get Rashi settled in that house and now everything had gone waste.

She finally spoke. And speak she did, but was it less than spewing poison?

“You. Rashi. I am ashamed to call you my daughter. Were you not satisfied with the money you were getting from your husband? I know that Gopi gawaar had more money than you, but we could’ve done something to make you the Queen of Modi Bhavan. But you had an affair with someone and killed your own children? How can you huh? Now see, you have lost everything! Your family, your kids and all the money that we had managed to get our hands on. Now I have to bear the burden of taking care of you and all the taunts that the people of the chawl would throw at me!”, she screamed.

Rashi couldn’t believe it. She looked at her mother with wide eyes. She was heartbroken and dead inside but all her mom had to worry about was money? 

“She too blamed her for everything? How can she? I thought we had the strongest relationship in the world but...”, she couldn’t think or say anything anymore.

“Mummy, leave me alone! Yes, go to YOUR house without me and don’t worry about me, which you won’t anyway. Assume that I am dead for you! Anyways, I was just a money minting machine for you all these years. I am a fool that I thought that you loved me. I hate you Mummy and I won’t show you my face anymore. Happy now?”, Rashi cried amidst tears of anger. She turned and stomped her way, to the nearest bus station.

“Hunh. As if. She will be back once she stays alone for an hour or so! My bad luck that I have such a useless daughter.”, Urmila said to herself and walked towards Rajpalnagar.

Sorrow and realisation were slowly drenching Rashi like rain. She took small, slow steps, unintentionally taking deep breaths with each, as her mind opened her treasure of memories in front of her eyes.

“Rashi, I’ve got this anklet for you.” She laughed on herself, how it hadn’t made a difference to her then.

“Jigarji, I am afraid of medicine tablets...”,. When she had stood in the rain with Jiggi Maasi and got a cold. And made love to Jigar for the first time. How both of them had been sneezing the next day. Rashi chuckled with herself.

How Jigar had helped her close the window and been so close to her for the first time. How they had met and flowers had rained on them. How he had proposed to her as a practice to do it for Sonal. How, slowly, she had fallen for him. Madly.

Rashi knew that she was living the sweetest memories one by one, so that she looks at them for the last time and bury them forever. Like they never happened. Like she was never in love. And just preserve the pain that Jigar had given to her. The hatred. The grief. She looked around, she was already at the bus stop. She had no clue where she had to go. She had never seen such hardships, she wondered why God had got her into this. But some tiny part inside her knew that although she wasn’t as all-good and sacrificing like Gopi, but was definitely more clever than her. There was always a risk taker inside her. Maybe, a Rashi that wasn’t made for Modi Bhavan. A Rashi that was enough for herself. That Rashi would always come out during her kalakaries. For all the wrong reasons, but she knew that being ‘that’ Rashi was her only chance now. Her only shot at survival. She sat at the bus station and opened her phone to Google some job prospects in finance sector in Gujarati cities. She wanted to move to a city that was atleast much distant from Rajkot. Her mind stuck at the name: Ahmedabad. Yes, it would be an expensive city but the job prospects their were high. “You can manage”, that’s what her practical mind told her. “Go back to your love”, her heart said.Her mind was running quick and she didn’t want to lose the battle that life had thrown at her face. 

“So here you are, Rashi Modi huh?”, she heard a male voice.

She looked around and saw three unrecognisable men. With a smirk and a lust in their eyes.

“Your husband told us that you cheated on him. He wants us to teach you a lesson. After this, you would hate any man’s touch.”, the bulkiest of them said and smiled wickedly. They slowly walked towards her, their intentions clear from their eyes.

That was Radha’s final and most brutal move.

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Hey folks, I didn’t really expect much response on the story but u guys are awesome. Do give ur feedback and rightfully expect me to update soon!