It was a small circular area in the middle of the huge hall where she was standing with her hands tied behind, her chudidar covering the whole of her stance dwindled in places, her eyes red and bleak, her face blank as she looked down, dreading internally with each passing moment.
She could hear mumbling sounds from the darkness that surrounded her and she could even feel Rohan and Akash, the two men who brought her to that place impatiently waiting behind her, just when the room was illuminated, too brightly for her tired eyes causing her to shriek them shut almost instinctively. As she heard the loud dominating foot-steps filling in the room announcing the presence of a few other people, trying to adjust to the illumination she finally opened her eyes and what she saw next killing her from inside, even if anything was left.
There were a lot of other girls, pretty much of her age or even more, dressed in all possible sparkling, lingerie or revealing clothes, way too much of make-up, way too much appeal, and everything of which giving her the exact idea of where she was. But there was one thing common in the eyes of every other girl in her view, and that is huge amount of sympathy or rather empathy in the way they looked at her. The mere realization caused her to shudder internally but she somehow knew the worst was yet to come. As her gaze wandered along linearly, it came to a halt on those two pair of obnoxious large pair of eyes covered all over by thick mascara, highlighting the wicked glare she was throwing causing Khushi to squirm with disgust all over again.
"Let me see what have you got us this time"
Khushi barely processed the words spoken by that evil voice, just before the stout lady dressed in dark red saree came around her and before she realized, the zipper of her dress was torn apart from behind, teamed with her sudden loud cry as she found herself standing in nothing but her innerwear, while the ruthless lady walked around her observing every bit of her exposed body.
"Rohan, what is going on, Rohan...please!" Khushi found herself earnestly call out to her alleged husband even as she struggled to stand with her eyes tied behind. "Rohan, please don't do this..."
"Feisty one she is, you will have to tame her..."
"------I'm surprised you couldn't do it, even after using the marriage this time, doesn't all your girl friends come hopping to your bed right away?"
"I told him, harsh would only work with this one, he tried the traditional way, oh what a waste!"
She heard the exchange between the three people surrounding her, and her heart only bruised more with each verbal assault she was being subjected to. "Oh she is worth the effort looks like..."
**
"YOU ARE NOT GIVEN A CHOICE HERE! DO YOU GET IT???"
"QUITE A STUBBORN ONE YOU ARE! HAVEN'T YOU LEARNT A LESSON YET??"
Being captivated in the strangers arms, struggling to get away, yelling and protesting as much as she can, finally her temper got better off her and she hit the person right in his groin, causing him to yelp in pain, even as unethical curses filled in his words, he got off her in quick awkward moments and rushed out the dark room, straight to give his piece of mind to Jasmine----- the wicked old lady fat lady.
"What the f**k?? We don't come here to rape girls you hypocrite! Give me my money back!"
Jasmine rose to her feet anger filling in her nerves hearing the very same thing for the fourth time in the week that Khushi stayed and the new lamb in town, as she called her, was getting on her nerves.
**
Her hair was gripped tightly, her head was pulled back and she was all the way being dragged down the stair-case, Jasmine's jaw clenching, her fierce glare and the drunken odor disgusting Khushi, as Khushi struggled against her, trailing beside her owing to the force with which she was being dragged.
"You think you can get away with anything huh chicken?" she heard the lethal voice, close to her ear; she could sense the lady's jaw being clenched, as the rushed onto Khushi's senses, adding to her mounting disgust.
"Listen to me and listen to me real good, this is your life and this is what will happen with you from here on, so you better accept the reality and open your bloody legs!"
Khushi's face remained stern, determination evident in her tear strained eyes, just as her hair was released and she shifted her eyes to lock with that those wicked ones right now staring back at her throwing daggers. "Try me. No bloody penis will enter me without my consent!"
That earned her another slap right across her face but the determination in her eyes remained intact. Khushi was surprised with her own sudden developed boldness, but she realized she was stubborn even. She would fight all she can until she wouldn't be able to fight any longer. The decision was made in her mind and she was determined.
"Try me huh? Too bad, shouldn't have said something like that..." The voice of the lady came as she threw her the most dangerous look possible and even as Khushi's insides shivered in revulsion, her eyes remained intact and fixed on that of her assailant, as she noticed something being communicated across through gestures across the prostitution place.
**
As another stranger men, charged over her all too seductively, yet forcibly, Khushi not only flustered and felt a piece of shit but was also determined to get done being tortured all at the same time. Million things crossed her mind, but all she knew was, she wasn't giving in, not now and not any sooner. But this cannot go on like this, she knew and she realized. This time around, she wouldn't be spared of self giving in, she have processed as much, and accepting it all what she was left with... she gathered as much.
"NO!!" she told herself shrieking her eyes shut just when her top was being ripped at her shoulders and the stranger man, started sucking her shoulder molds.
A quick decision was made, hasty one rather and all she knew was she wanted to get away, somehow anyhow. Disgust filling in her nerves, not figuring out anything else to do, she closed her eyes yet again and thrust her hand in one swift moment between the man's legs causing him to yelp losing his focus all in quick mere seconds. She then brought her hand over to his shoulders looking at him seductively, turning around and pinning him to the door in one sudden moment, and the person was all but a goner.
Fixing his eyes on him, making sure his concentration was at the where her hands roamed over his body, she used her other hand to slightly drag the bed making sure the screeching sound isn't too loud. Just when he noticed the events around him, she dragged the bed in one vigorous moment, her tortured cry in an effort to pull the weight echoing along with it, the sound of which making an impression to the exterior that she was finally been plucked, and before he could realize what was happening, she thrust him between the bed and the door, jumped over the bed, covering his mouth to avoid his scream resulting in him biting her mouth, even as she hid her own sobs, pain and adrenaline completely filling her insides.
"You cannot force a girl to do anything...!" she whispered, her messed up hair falling as veil on the sides of her face, her eyes covering in thick blackness and her pupils red, her voice hoarse and her hands poisoning the hefty person completely. "ANYTHING..."
The next moment saw her fiercely bang the window doors with her own hands, the glass of which piercing her skin something she was least bothered about and she hopped out of the aloof building, crawling, kneeling, hiding, jumping and finally escaping away even as she heard sounds of men following right behind her.
**
She ran as fast as her legs could take, she hid in places, the dark night and lack of oxygen suffocating her every passing minute, but she ran, seeking, peeping, playing and manipulating with her twisted ways and finally when she realized she was alone and succeeded in misleading whoever were following her, she fell on her knees, vigorously rubbing her hands in disguise, crying and loathing everything she had gone through, she held the sides of her hair and broke down being completely shattered pools of tears drowning her in as she collapsed on the lone high-way road of Mumbai city.
**
Kamothe Police Station
Mumbai
12;30 am..
"Rohan Singhania!!"
"------May I help you?"
"The Singhanias, Rohan Sighania, Akash singhania, the whole family! They are frauds... they are doing this, they... me, Rohan, my husband, he... Sold... They cheated, my parents, Delhi..."
"Constable! Get her some water!"
"------why don't you sit down, relax and file your complaint child"
The inspector of police looked at her in his own concerned way, as tow woman police reached out to her, offered her the typical army quilt in which she wrapped herself, sitting down and drinking some water, as she wiped her tears and tried to calm down her nerves, the inspector just looked on, observing it all silently.
"Whats your name?"
"----Khushi, sir, I..."
"Where do you stay?"
"---Delhi, but sir my Parents..."
"How did you end up here..."
"Sir, I want to file a complaint..."
"----you were saying your parents?"
"Yes, they are in Mumbai, but sir, Rohan Singhania..."
"-------Do you want to call your parents first? I think I know what you are talking about..."
**
"Pa..."
**
As the three of them sat across the wooden table in the wee hours of the following morning, the inspector taking in all the information Khushi gave and all the information communicated by Shashi about the alleged marriage along with photographic proofs, he remained silent and serious.
"Sir?"
"------we need to look into this Mr.Guptha, these proofs will only prove your daughter's marriage with Rohan singhania, and that will help them take your daughter with them again. Is the marriage legally registered?"
"Sir, we didn't have time..."
"Damn! Then you cannot even legally file case for divorce, you can definitely accuse them of sexual harassment, but..."
"----sir, there are hell lot of girls like me he has been playing with..."
"Let us look at your safety first Ms.Khushi" the inspector spoke to a shivering Khushi, encircled in Garima's hands and shifted his attention back to Shashi, whose face remained tortured and completely alarmed.
"Give me a minute, I'll be right back"
**
"You proved to be fiercer one than I thought!"
She squirmed at the familiar voice and jerked into a standing position but before she could react, her father charged holding Rohan's shoulder and clenched his teeth. "How dare you?? You bloody burglar!!"
"Whoa! Whoa! Relax Shashi,it's you who believed in me blindly..." He said removing the elder man's hands from his Khadi shirt and walked towards Khushi even as Khushi involuntarily hid behind Garima, just when Shashi marched towards them guarding her. Rohan uttered a wicked smile yet again and looked in between the two of them at a positively horrified Khushi.
"Do you even realize what this one case would do to the whole of my family business and my political career even?"
"No one! I repeat no one ever dared to even escape our sketch!"
"Inspector!!" Shashi yelled, causing Rohan to laugh out loud and Akash joined in too walking in instead of the inspector enjoying the captive yet again.
"Boss?" Akash asked coming in view of Khushi and Rohan all but nodded taking in the confused, alarmed glances of the three victims in the room. Akash at once charged at both Garima and Shashi, walked them away using the backward exit of the room, while Rohan wrapped his hand around Khushi, smelling her disgusting her even and dragged her out following right behind Akash.
The three of them were pushed into the same ambassador car, and instead of coming in along with Khushi, Rohan stood out looking at her through the window, while Akash handed the car keys to Shashi.
"Can you drive Sasurji? I'm giving you a chance, forget everything deal it is, forget the case, police reporting, take your daughter, I'll not talk about this ever again... yeah? You see when it comes to my political career nothing else matters..."
Just as the car sped away from the two monsters, Rohan extracted the photo-albums and videos, while Akash offered him the lighter, as he placed his own phone at his ear, Rohan lighted the proofs, looking pointedly at the zooming away car.
"You've been such waste of time Khushi..."
"------You ready with the truck?"
Were the last words that came out of the two men simultaneously, as Khushi looked back at them from the rear screen all too suspiciously...
**
"Impulsive desperation it was or rather a real urge to see everything alright and it seemed to be coming so easily, I don't know what it was Arnav, he just grabbed the keys from that tall man, and drove away so vigorously...I can still remember the look in his eyes..."
"----sab theek hojayegaa Chutki, tum dekhna..."
"But I knew things were far from going to be alright, I just knew it somehow and it turned out I was right..."
"-----Oh no no no!!! the brakes!"
"What happened?"
"-----Garima, I can't apply the brakes...!"
Khushi swayed sitting in the back-seat, wrapped in her quilt, she closed her eyes, realization completely dawning onto her...
"What better way than to die along with your parents? Well, That's what I thought..."
The car sped away, twisting and turning with Shashi completely failing to control it and just when Khushi thought it was time, Garima pushed her vigorously out of the car and just as khushi stumbled on the highway, her body rolling over, she watched in horror as the car came in collision with a truck all in quick mere seconds all right in front of her eyes. She ran as fast as her tired legs could take her, down towards the stumbled car, into the bushes and sprang right towards the car door, reaching for the disoriented bodies of her parents...
"Ma!!"
"Maa!" Khushi cried relating to her own stance of her past, in-acting and explaining to Arnav who was silently watching her say everything.
"Ma!!, she dint respond, whatsoever...and I wanted to check Pa too, but Arnav, he was at the other end of the door, how am I supposed to leave her alone? I couldn't...couldn't even balance her bo...body that was falling from the side window..." she used her hands, as if her mother was right in her arms at the moment and Arnav's heart broke yet again, not being able to see her pain any longer. But Khushi, was lost in another time, she wasn't there, she was just, not there.
"Pa!!"
She ran across the bushes towards the driving door, opened it, causing her father to fall right in her petite arms, even as she struggled to him together... "Pa! Please open your eyes! Please!!"
Just when she gave up expecting she heard the little whispering of her father. "Pa!"
"I'm sorry Chutki... I'm so so sorry!"
"No!!!"
"We deserve this punishment, go live your life honey, they wouldn't know you are alive..just go!'
"NO!!! NO!!!!"
"You are stronger than you think love, just go! We will be watching you!"
"Go Khushi!!!"
**
"And they are gone...they didn't take me with them Arnav, they didn't! They just left me all alone! I begged Ma so many times, why did she push me, why??? Many times looking up at the stars I find myself asking her, why did you push me Ma, why?? But----------"
She didn't cry, nor did she broke, just was lost somewhere into the deeper shadows of her past and all he did was look on earnestly, his heart bleeding along with that of hers, quite oblivious to her.
They just sat there, silently beside the window, as moments turned into minutes and minutes turned into hours and as the sun finally showed after the dark night, they still continued to sit in absolute silence, too occupied with thoughts to speak and too lost in memories to respond.
**
Cricket
Kumkum Bhagya
44