THEN [FATE]
Does she have a name?
Shall we call her fate?
Nameless, motherless, father unknown, no one to call her own. Somewhere in the confines of a shanty town filled with thieves, pickpockets, prostitutes, she sat.
A lock of hair fell across her face as she painted her toes with a cheap nail polish.
The tiny tv blared the latest film songs and she hummed along.
She could not bear the insistent sobbing by the other girl who was curled up in the corner of the dingy room.
Will you shut up, she looked up a tad irritated.
There is no point crying. There is no one listening to your cries. No one will come and comfort you. No one will help you get out of here.
Her voice flat, emotionless, no feelings, no pain, NO nothing.
She stared at the girl for sometime, bent her head back to her toes.
There was momentary silence as the sobs quieted and tv stopped blaring as the power went off..
The tiny room was hot. But she had got used to it over the years.
The fingers applying the polish stopped as she heard the footsteps.
The sound always made her cringe. Her lips thinned as she pressed them tightly. A drop of polish red polish dripped onto the floor.
Reema the voice rasped.
How she hated that name.
She did not look up. Her eyes closed. She knew what the next words will be.
"Get Ready". You have a client the voice continued.
Reemmma. The voice was near the door now.
Rasili Bai stood there almost blocking the entire doorway.
Her beady eyes lined with khol, her lips stained with paan looked at the girl sobbing and then at Reema.
Tacky artificial jewellery shown from her ears and neck.
She opened her paan dabba for another paan. Her bosom heaved as she looked angrily at the sobbing girl,.
Reema got up, never once looking at the Rasili.
The girl stopped sobbing and huddled more into the corner, fear giving way to tears.
Ganesh Kartikeya
Shiv Shakti
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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