Sorry for the delay, but I finally got enough time to update, so here it is. I hope it meets your expectations. Please do read and comment
The next day went presumably well for Bani, as could any day considering the circumstances she was in. In the morning, the other women had teased her about last night and had kept badgering her with questions about how her "first time" was. All Bani could do was look down at the floor and let them think what they wanted to. She couldn't risk telling anyone what really happened last night, in fear of one of them men finding out. If any of the men found out, she knew that they would take her some place else and would make sure that she never met with her brother or any of her family members ever again. If that ever happened to Bani, she would be as well as dead. She wouldn't be able to stand it. Now that she had regained that sense of hope again, she didn't want to take any chances of any one snatching it away from her.
That night, Bani was dancing with her eyes closed, as usual. She didn't like to see the faces of those men staring at her. She would rather just keep her eyes closed and keep waiting for it to end. That's why, that night, Bani didn't notice her brother in the crowd. He wasn't looking at any of the other girls, but was just looking at Bani. When Bani finally opened her eyes, she noticed him and just stood still for a moment, forgetting what she was supposed to do. One of the men noticed and started hitting her to continue. "Hey, you!!! Start dancing again, or else you won't be getting any dinner tonight" he said in the hoarse voice Bani was so used to by now.
Just as it was about to end, Pushkar, instead of throwing money, threw a note at Bani. At first, Bani didn't notice, but when given the furtive glanced by Pushkar, she finally got the message. She hurriedly picked up the message and ran back to the room. When she was sure no one was watching her, she read the note.
Hey Bani di,
I know I shouldn't have left you there all by yourself, but I had no other choice. I couldn't risk any of the other men finding out that I'm your brother and I'm trying to help you get out of here. So, Bani di, listen to these instructions very carefully. If anything messes up, then I'm not sure what's going to happen to you. Every night, at around 12:00, a truck comes to the club, and it drops off beer and other alcoholic beverages. I paid the truck driver to wait for you until 1:00 am, which should give you enough time to get out and get onto the truck. I know that this is very risky, but trust me; it's the only way I think you can get out. I have a guy on the inside, who I'm paying to put sleeping pills in the men's drink, so it should make it easier for you to escape. Hope to see you soon.
Pushkar Bani read the letter and re read it to her heart's content. She fell asleep thinking of how her life would be once she got out of this he*l hole. She knew tomorrow would be a life and death situation. If she was caught, it would be the end of her. She was so nervous she could barely sleep the whole night. When she did sleep, she had weird dreams of her running towards the truck, but never being able to reach it and the men behind her telling her she would never be able to escape from their clutches.
The next day, Bani had a smile on her face the whole day. When the women inquired as to why she was so happy, Bani wouldn't reply, but would just let them make up their own stories. By the end of the day, Bani was so excited, she almost told one of the women about what she was going to do. Fortunately, at the last moment, Bani's brain started working once again and she restrained herself from talking any further. It was almost 11:30 once all the women were brought back into the room. Bani knew she had to wait at least a half hour before she left. She had to think of a way to get out of the room because one of the men always locked the room after putting the women in them.
Bani thought the maybe they would forget this time, since Pushkar had said in the letter that he had paid someone to put sleeping pills in their drinks. The more Bani thought about it, the more irrational it turned out to be. Just in case, she thought she should have a plan B. Better safe then sorry was her motto. She then decided that when one of the women came back from their "private" sessions, she would hurriedly push the man into the room, lock the door, and run out herself. She thought it would give her at least 5 minutes before any of the other men found out about it: ample time for her to run out of the building and hide onto the truck.
The time finally came for Bani to go and she was as nervous as humanly possible. She thought her nervousness was sure to be a possible give away to the other women, but apparently they were too wrapped up in their own problems to notice her. One of the men finally brought a woman, who Bani noticed to be Puja, back to the room. Just as he was about to close the door, Bani kicked him in the shin, pushed him into the room and ran off. It took Bani a minute to realize that she forgot to lock the door, but she thought that maybe if she ran fast enough, she would still make it. Just as she was turning the corner, she got the surprise of her life.
How evil of me to stop there, but that's what I call suspense. đ Anyway, to find out what happened, do read the next part đ đ
Part 5 Page 8
Edited by ~Unforgettable~ - 18 years ago
Anupamaa
Udne Ki Aasha
