Silent:
Raavi folded the clothes with a heavy heart, internally weeping at the day’s events. It seemed that every day since her marriage had been getting even worse than the day before. She had walked into this relationship, fully aware that there would be consequences but hadn’t realized that she would have to endure such an insulting environment on top of her wounded heart.
She cradled her wrist gently, examining the array of bruises that had lined up since this morning. Her first gift from her husband – his nasty imprints on her soft skin. She cursed herself for not remaining silent, for adding salt to his wounds. But she wondered what had she said that elicited such a brutal reaction from him? She hadn’t insulted Dhara Di, in fact she respected her too much to even think of disrespecting her.
She simply had questioned her methods, wondering if this truly was the right course of action. Did she have no right to add her two cents in on family matters? Should she always remain silent even if the situation in front of her was clearly getting out of hand?
And when he had so brutally grabbed her hand, why didn’t she say something? Why did she remain silent when he crushed her wrist with his hand? She had always retaliated before they had gotten married, annoying him incessantly with her kindness. Why didn’t she say something when he explicitly told her to either agree with his Dhara Bhabhi or stay silent? What happened to her individuality and self-respect then?
Earlier she had been cursing herself for opening her mouth but now she felt that she hadn’t said enough. Of course, she deserved this beratement because she let him walk all over her. Of course, he wouldn’t see the error in his ways because she had done nothing to condemn his harsh behavior. Of course, he would assume that she would remain silent at his beck and call because she hadn’t refuted his obnoxious orders right then and there.
If it was her silent behavior that had encouraged him to behave so rudely, then enough is enough. She wasn’t going to mope around the corners of the house, crying silently over her misery out of the public eye. If he had the audacity to manhandle her out in the open area of the kitchen for anyone to see, then she would make sure to give a befitting reply in such a public manner as well.
She wiped her tears and resolved to never let her silence do the talking for her ever again. If there is one thing she is going to teach Shiva Pandya, it is going to be how to respect all women and not just his Bhabhi and Maa.