PART 3
THE PRESENT
The presentation was a success and Creative Wings had bagged that account of women’s apparels. Everyone was ecstatic, as it was a very important account. Bagging this, would put them straight into the big leagues. Everyone knew, it was Saroj’s fresh ideas and her zeal which added the spark to this and made it a success. Everyone celebrated this success in the party which was thrown by the Creative Wings, everyone except for Saroj. She was nowhere to be seen.
Ajit looked out of his cabin’s glass walls. He saw everyone either dancing, or taking shots, wearing colorful decorations around their neck, hats and what not. His mind swiftly went back to that day of the college farewell party where he helplessly kept waiting for Saroj, only to find out that she was gone.
“NO!! NOT AGAIN…” Ajit thought to himself, and went towards his desk, grabbed the car keys and his phone and instantly left his office.
He reached Saroj’s building in next twenty minutes, parked his car and headed to the sixth floor. On reaching the sixth floor, he looked around to identify the apartment, when he saw a money plant and few decorated cloth made, colorful birds hanging on the sides of the door in a beads thread. He instantly recognized this to be her apartment and rang the door bell.
Within thirty second, the door was opened by a little girl, wearing a pink and white color night dress, with soft woolen cat faced slippers, two cute pigtails dangling on both her ears, round black eyes, with equally round and chubby cheeks. For almost five second, they both kept staring at each other, while Saroj kept asking from the living room, “Who’s it Nishi?”
After having no reply from that cute bundle of a girl, Saroj came walking towards the door and stood surprised, “Ohh…Ajit…Hi…!! What a surprise!! Please come it! Nishi, let uncle come it beta…!” Ajit understood that Nishi was confused and scared to see this new face, so he sat on his knees to reach her height and said, “Hi Nishi. I’m Ajit. I’m your mamma’s friend. I came here to meet her.”
“Only her?” came a sweet response from her. She was so sweet and so innocent, Ajit thought to himself feeling happy and warm inside. He took her tiny arms into his, held it gently and said, “Of course not Nishi. I actually got to know, that in this house, there lives a sweet doll who goes to school. I came to meet her. Do you know who that is?”
“Meeeeeee……..” Nishi went running towards her mother while saying this and wrapped herself around Saroj’s legs. Saroj and Ajit were now smiling at each other. Ajit entered into the room, while Saroj went opposite to close the door. Once they were all in the living room, Ajit actively helped Saroj making Nishi eat her dinner and put her to sleep.
When Saroj was trying to put Nishi to bed, Ajit came out of the bedroom and started exploring the living room. The room was nicely kept, with few toys fallen here and there. What he liked the most were the framed photos hung on the wall of Saroj and Nishi. They looked so happy with each other. Suddenly, he thought of something and started looking at all those photos intently again, as if looking for someone in particular.
His search was abruptly halted by Saroj’s voice which came from the back, “Whom are you searching for?” He looked at her innocently and said, “Your husband? I couldn’t locate him in these pics!"
Within a fraction of second, Saroj’s expression changed. A kind of pain spread across her face and her eyes were filled with anger. Ajit was getting confused and intrigued by all this. He had never seen her like this before. Saroj said, “I have to tell you something Ajit, something which I have never told anyone.”
“You can tell me anything Saroj. You know that!” Ajit said this while walking a few steps closer to her. Saroj walked a few steps back. Trying to avoid his gaze, Saroj said, “I don’t have a husband. I never got married. I….I am a Rape Survivor Ajit….AND Nishi is a Rape Child…!”
TO BE CONTINUED...
