My eyes might have turned a shade of red by now as the person sitting in front of me speaks.
"You're experienced, doctor and I ....well I am rich." The man says from his tobacco snuffed mouth .....turning red just like my eyes.
"Tell me how much would it be sufficient to for you to tell the sex of my baby." He speaks further.
"Why would you want me to do that.?" I grit my teeth. There's no way on earth I'm letting him know it, if that is the reason...that what I'm thinking of.
"I don't want a daughter."
How bluntly he says that. With no effort. As expected
It squeezes a sixteen year old heart.
"Why?" I want to sound brave but it just comes out like a bare whisper. How much I have fought against it ..against this inhumanity. And still people have the gut to commit such a heinous crime.
"Doctor please, it's a family matter." It's his wife this time. She fuels my anger.
Again a woman against woman, this time.
"Right." A family matter. To snatch a child's goddamn life.
I rock my chair staring at the couple as they occupy the front two seats of my cabin, talking to me.
My hold on the paperweight tightens as something triggers me, consuming me into the past.
But now it wasn't the time to go back into the time. Without thinking twice I text on a number.
"We need to talk." I recline on my chair till it stretched upto it's limit. And fold my legs and after I have recieved the text I was waiting for, I give them my most innocent smile.
One. Two . Three. Four ....
I count the seconds. And just after ten the door to my cabin opens hard.
A man dressed into police uniform barges in with constables and further his hand holds handcuffs.
Tsk. Tsk.
The husband turns to me and throws me a look of betrayal. "You think I'll let you go just like that." I say.
"You're are threatening me?" He bangs his fist onto the table, scattering his child's sonography.
"No she isn't." Prashant, the inspector who also happens to be my friend begins before me. "She is doing it. We are here to take you to jail."
"What's my crime." He glared.
"Doctor Neitra has pressed charges against you for pressurizing your wife for female foeticide which if you aren't aware of.....is a crime."
"No." Says the wife and if she wasnt pregnant right now I would have surely punched her gut. She fucking defends him. "We just wanted to know the sex of the baby. She's lying."
The police drags away the couple out of my cabin. "Don't worry I'll make sure he gets what he deserves. You okay.?"
I sigh hard and slump into the chair. He gives me water. "It's the third case in this month." I say.
He nods sadly. "I don't know if this ever leaves this society but you need to know that you are really doing a good job." He shuffles my hair.
I nod. "I am okay.It would be better if she isn't born to such parents."
They are going to have a daughter. My throat tightens. The fact that she dies anyway. If not in her mother's belly than at her father's house on a daily basis.
"They deserve to be childless." He leans against my desk. "Just leave all these. Let's go for a nice dinner." He tries to change my mood.
"I would have joined you but my parents have called me to discuss something important."
His expression tenses. "Would you be fine?"
"I will." I can't cut them off my life. Because I can't change the fact that I share the same blood as them.
I pack my things after he leaves and drive to my hom...sorry house. It's been months I have been there. I remember how I convinced them to live in my self bought apartment and my workplace being near from my apartment supported me in this decision. But that was just an excuse. An excuse that helped me get away from a toxic household.
The tire screeches as I pull up on the front door of the bunglow. "Aagyi?" My mom smiles at me.
(Came?)
"Yeah." I occupy the sofa and take my apron off my shoulders.
"I'll serve the dinner." She saunters away happily.
It's funny how people are at each other's neck, when under the same roof while the heart yearns when the distance grows. However she is being overly sweet today which is not settling well with me.
"Didi." Shashank hugs me from behind bringing me a smile onto my face.
I remember the day when I held the little devil in my arms, the cute little bundle of joy. I was fourteen that time. Even though it was wierd parents having a kid at that age, I loved him dearly.
Untill things took a drastic turn that separated me from my Mom, although I should say parents...but dad was never involved in the picture at the first place. He was always so distant
"Everything going good?" I ask.
"Yes. Yesterday I failed my maths test." His expression falls but he changes it quickly and says, "but mom didn't scold much, just dad did." He grins.
Hmm. Lovely boy. Although I want to be a little selfish but I would never want him to live the same childhood as me.
I kiss his cheek. I don't even remember what standard he studies in but don't ask. It would hurt him.
We sit in the dining and my dad comes out of his office and settles on the head chair. "How's work Neitra?"
"Nice." I try to sound as polite as I could. He engages himself conversing with Shashank.
It has always been small talks related to career and work between us. Neither he tried to cross the imaginary boundary (that none of us did but was somehow created), neither did I.
My mom serves me the dishes she made and softly pats my head.
Her touch no longer affects me. Nor do I yearn for her anymore.
After that day. No deep connections. No deep talks.
I was closer to her and she betrayed me.
"teer chahe kisi ka bhi ho...chubhta sirf tab hai jab kaman koi apna kheechta hai."
(There were countless arrows directed towards me but only those wounded who were arched by the bows of my loved ones.)
Never understood it until my mom betrayed me.
I take a bite of her food and it unlocks the same taste from early years of my life.
"Me and your father wanted to talk to you about something." My intuitions never failed me. I knew something was cooking up.
"Ek bade Ghar ka rishta aya hai tumhare liye." It's my dad this time.
(We have a marriage proposal for you.)
And now I notice the slight tint of grey in his hair and beard. My father is turing old. The thought is shakening and even though I don't want to feel anything I can't stop.
"So?" I ask. Its not the first time we are talking on my marriage.
"We want you to get married."
"And do what."
They don't have any replies for this but counterattack.
"It's a responsibility of the parents to settle their children if they bring them into this world. We won't be here forever beta." You were there? When? I choose not to speak. "You have reached the age to start a new life with a new family."
Like first one was bearable enough. I want to mock.
"Please. Think about it okay. Your parents are getting old. People in the society constantly nag us about -
"Society. Society.Society. To hell with it. When something has ever been about me!" I bang the table hard.
"Neitra! There's a kid on this table." My father shouts.
"Right." I chuckle. "It has been about everyone rather me."
"You are getting us wrong."
I glare at my mom now. Something flashes against her eyes and an expression of plead engulfs her. So she remembers.
It angers me further.
"You need to stop giving into your temper everytime." Dad breathes longer and falls on his chair with a glass of water.
Guilt surrounds me no matter how much I push it away or try to stop myself from feeling.
Shashank hides behind mom, scaring away from me.
"You have responsibilities as daughter to fulfill bacha. You have a brother to look after." Emotional blackmail it is then...her all time favourite weapon to be used at me.
Apart from rod, stick...or hand as a child. I wonder if she sells the same abuse to my brother in the name of discipline. Or maybe she is too old to use her hands anymore.
"Responsibility itself is the word that doesn't suits your mouth." I try to speak low.
But my dad hears it and looks at us in confusion.
Ofcourse he doesn't know a thing. Doesn't matter because even if he did...he would have probably blamed me for everything. It's better he doesn't know.
"Neitra please."
I stare at my still full plate of food that I badly wanted to have. "I'm not marrying anybody and thats final."
I turn my back and start leaving.
"I have given them my word. You want your father to go through that humiliation in the society."
I swear if I hear the society word once again I'm gonna....
"Tumhe hamaari Kasam." My feet stop right at the posh Mahogany large door of the house. "If we even mean the slightest to you, agree on this."
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