Rani stayed and worked in a nunnery after her tenth grade. A few years later, she fell in love with her friend Gita’s brother. One fine day, she packed her things and moved to his house. A week later they got married. Rani welcomed her new life although she was an unwelcomed guest in the new house. She felt happy to have a place to call home.
Love faded, reality hit her. The men of the household spent their hard earned money on liquor. Rani resumed her work to meet day to day expenses. She travelled from house to house, cleaning floors and washing dishes. Soon, she became a mother of two. Despite all the hard work, every day she returned home to complaints and bad words. She spent sleepless nights but never took a leave from work.
Meanwhile, her sister-in-law Gita got married. After gifting her with two children, the man abandoned her. The drunkard absconded with Rani’s gold chain which she had bought with her own savings. Gita and her children returned home forever. Beds and mats filled the small rooms, nine people slept under one roof.
Rani often missed her own family. She was young when her father moved away with another woman. Later, her mother found another man to live with. While she tried to run away from her bitter past, her marriage did not do justice to her either. Rani lived for her children. After a day’s work, she hated going back home. Every evening, she wondered where else would she go?
REMINISCENCE 