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Writer's note : Hi guys , this is the first time I am writing here, normally I write fan fictions. This story is based on a true story about a friend of my grandmother's. one she always used to boast about knowing. When my grandmother told me her story I always thought that it was inspirational to woman everywhere so today I thought of writing it down and posting it. Of course I don't know all the facts right but here is my attempt and I hope you guys like it.
A little courage and some hope
Veera stood in font of the mirror, maybe examining herself or just plain staring. At first glance she looked like a normal woman. Above average in the looks department. Her forehead is adorned with the the married woman's trademark sindoor...while you can say that. Her delicate neck is weighed down by the heavy mangal sutra. She looked well, normal. But the more you come closer ,the more you see the hard, bitter truth. Her eyes are blood shot red, probably from crying and countless sleepless nights. The reasons are clearer as as she rolls up her long sleeves to reveal a scar...no multiple scars. Each one of different origin but its obvious they were inflicted by the same monster. She carefully caressed her wounds but flinched when the pain kicked in. This one was fresh. Each one was caused for the same reason by him. Life can never be easy when you are married to an alcholholic.
She spent every waking moment in fear. Fear of hurting his ego. He was jobless while she held a degree. Knowing your wife is better than you hurts a man's ego the most. He comes home drunk every night and well you know the rest. Her life was torture but she knew what her mother always taught her...a woman gets only the same happiness her husband gets, otherwise she does not deserve any happiness at all. That was what she said when Veera finally gathered the courage to tell her about her husbands real face and that's what she said on her deathbed before leaving Veera alone to fend for herself from the wrath of her husband.
She looked at the clock 20 minutes to 12 midnight. He will be home of course drunk by then. She felt at her stomach. How can something grow inside her when she herself felt so empty, so undeserving...she laughed at the sheer irony of her name Veera . She felt like a black patch , something unwanted but cannot be removed no matter what. She thought of the way her dad had always dominated over her mom. Never allowing her to eat until he eats. She remembered her mom staying up , hungry for hours waiting for him. Was it a curse to be born a woman? Don't we deserve happiness...thoughts like these sprinted across her mind as tears started rolling off like pearls exiting through the highly familiar path . She thought of her child. If she was born a girl...will she have to go through all of this? Was there no end to this vicious cycle?
Maybe there was , a sudden burst of numbness had entered her...a distant yet familiar feeling. Something which she hadn't experienced for a long time. She recognized it as hope. A hope for a new dawn. Where her child will be happy. Somewhere without fear. Somewhere where she could smile freely , laugh freely, live freely. That was it. She had enough of drowning in her own self pity and dying so slowly. She was a woman and a proud one . She got up in a jolt of emotions all aiming at her. Practicality and logic was all left behind and hope and courage took over. She packed a bag...no not packed ..she stuffed her bag with some suits, some papers and something's she didn't recognize..she didn't have time to recognize. She picked up her bag and ran. This time she wasn't fueled by fear but by pure courage.
She ran and ran as fast as her legs could carry. The heavy downpour outside did not hinder her pace in fact she accelerated and stopped only when she realized that she was far far away. She stood there surprised at what she just did...she burst out laughing and sat on a bench near her. She had just noticed the rain but did not take it as a bad omen. She took as the water which was washing away her bitter past. She touched her forehead as she saw a red powder washing itself away as if on command by god. Now there was only one thing tying her down. She held her mangal sutra and without hesitation , she snapped of her neck numb to the pain it caused...not numb but knowingly oblivious. She held it In her hand for a while and dropped onto the ground where it was washed away into a nearby drain by the rain. She looked up at the sky and smiled after a long time. There was happiness in the world for woman even without a husband and she deserved all of it. Now she was free. And so was her child . She Finally felt like she deserved to let someone grow inside her. deserving Enough to give her child a proper upbringing. She got up and started walking towards her future. Sure she had no money but she never felt richer. She was alone but she never felt more supported. She had absolutely no idea what to next but she never felt more at peace. She never looked back once np because she knew anything was possible with a little courage and some hope...
~The end~
Thanks for reading guys..I just hope I was able to do justice to her story..I would love to read your reviews and criticism. So please hit like and comment and thanks for reading
Udne Ki Aasha
Jaane Anjaane Hum Mile
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