Hello...!
This evening we have the 14th episode of the story Disguised. Happy Reading...!
Episode14:
Sandesh couldn’t sleep that
night. He was a lot tired. Yet, he couldn’t get a wince. His mind was busy
thinking of a way that could free Sukruthi and might give her a better life.
All he had to do is make her understand and accept his words. He didn’t know
what to say to her. Then, a thought struck to him which changed the course of
his thinking and helped him find a way out of the problem.
“Do I love her?”
* * * *
Sandesh and Sukruthi were in a room,
inside the pub. When Sandesh came, by looking at him Sukruthi understood that
he wanted to discuss some serious matters. So, to get some privacy she had
arranged this room which the pacifiers used to give ‘private dances’ to their
customers. She thought they will be away from the eyes of the manager and other
dancers only here.
They were both sitting on
the only furniture available in that room; a bed. The room was quite congested.
There was not much space apart for a bed and few feet of free floor where one
could barely easily walk with their body stretched. Sukruthi was sitting on the
head-end of the bedding, leaning to the wall and facing Sandesh. Sandesh too
was facing Sukruthi with his one leg folded on the bed and the other left
freely on the floor. They were sitting there for ten minutes; silently.
Sukruthi kept staring at Sandesh’s face and kept ignoring it, looking abruptly
at the empty wall. He understood he had to put out his words sooner or later.
Finding a way to start the conversation, he spoke out.
“Err... Why are we in
this room?”
“I thought you wanted to
speak something important. As you know, we can’t talk much openly between those
loud music and creepy looks. So, I arranged this room”
“I see”
“We can use this room
for barely three hours. So, whatever you want to speak, now’s the time”
“Well, then. I was
thinking of freeing you from this hell”
“Freeing me? Do I look
like a captive to you? I love this place, Sandesh”
“No, you don’t. The only
reason you’re working here, holding your breath, is because of its pay. You
definitely aren’t happy here”
“Yes, I agree. I’m not
happy here. And the reason for me to work here is its steady income. I’ve a
family to look after, Sandesh. I won’t get any better job for my qualification
in the outside world. I don’t want to see my family suffer. Let me alone suffer
for them instead”
“Nobody needs to suffer,
Sukruthi. There is a better life apart from these sufferings. All can be happy.
You just have to keep your mind open for my word”
“Even if I want to run
away from this place, it’s not easily done. In these places, WE are assets. Our
employer won’t let us go just like that”
“You are not a slave. I
can try talking to him. If it doesn’t work, we can get help from police”
“You think they will
help us? These places are breathing freely because of their own protection.
Some do it for bribe, while others do it because their higher officers order
them to. There is no running away from this place”
“There has to be a way”
“There is a way. But,
it’s merely a hope”
“I want to hear it”
“When we join, they make
us sign a contract. It states, if an employee wants to quit, she has to deposit
‘ten lakh rupees’ to compensate the loss arising from her”
“Ten lakhs?!”
“Yes. It’s all well
planned. One can’t save that much amount by working here in a short period.
They have to do everything to accumulate it. And, by the time it’s done, the
wish to get free will be completely destroyed. Because, they would’ve got
adjusted by then to this environment”
“You can silently slip
away from this place. Don’t come back when you go out for shopping. I can take
you as far away as possible. They can never find you”
“Oh! They will”
Saying this, she stood
up. She lifted her T-shirt a bit and slid her jeans on the left side of her
waist. There was a mark of cut which was about an inch wide. It looked as if
she had undergone a minor operation. She let him take a clear look at it before
returning to her previous position. Then she continued,
“There’s GPS device in
me. It keeps them updated about my location. As soon as we join this place,
they put it inside our body and will take it out only when we fulfil the
contract or most likely, when we die or grow old enough to get ourselves kicked
out of this place”
“That’s barbaric. That’s
also against your rights. How can someone do it? It has been six decades since
we got freedom and still you guys are being ruled and used”
“Who is free in this
world? When was the last time you lived freely? If freedom means not getting
ruled, them no one is free. All are still being ruled in one or the other way.
Employees are ruled by managers, managers are ruled by higher authorities, children
are ruled by parents and later in old age parents are ruled by children. No one
in this world can never be free, Sandesh. We are all slaves to a cause”
Sandesh was stunned to
witness the cruelty that still existed in the modern age. Then he found his tongue.
“So, ten lakhs will do
it?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll get the money. How
soon can they free you?”
“Why would you do it?”
“You gave me my life.
It’s my responsibility to help you get yours”
“You don’t have to,
Sandesh. I’m already adjusted to this life. Even if you free me, the society
may not accept me, I may not get along with it. It’s not that easy”
“There’s more”
She looked at him as if
she knew what he was about to say. He continued,
“I’m attracted to you.
Many tried to change me; failed. But, you succeeded. In fact, I let you succeed
over me. My pride seemed nothing in front of you. It felt really good being
with you. At altered my spirit. I want that to last long. I want to be with you
forever and ever. I love you, Sukruthi”
“C’mon, Sandesh! There’s
no such thing as love in this world. It’s just a physical attraction. I won’t
say its lust. But, it definitely isn’t love. It’s a curiosity to explore a
different sexed person, that’s all”
“It’s not just
attraction. It’s purer than that. I know it”
“Okay. I’ll agree to
that. But, is you loving me alone are enough? Don’t I have to love you back?”
Sandesh fell silent.
Sukruthi looked deeply at him. She saw something which she hadn’t seen till
that day. But, how could she accept this? He deserved someone better than her;
she thought. She got up and moved towards the door. Stood there for a while;
thinking something. She latched the door firmly and kept her hands on the door
as to get strength from it. The sound made Sandesh to look at her direction.
She reached for her T-shirt and removed it slowly, giving away a generous sight
of her bare back to Sandesh. She then turned to Sandesh, removing her jeans.
Sandesh was puzzled. He exclaimed,
“Wh... What’re you
doing?!”
She smiled softly and
came close to the bed. Leaning slowly, she pressed her lips on Sandesh’s.
* * * *
The couple were lying on
the bed closely; tired. Nothing covered their body, except for a layer of sweat
and a thin blanket. Sandesh was sleeping facing the roof, Sukruthi’s head on
his chest. They were partly asleep, partly awake. The feeling that covered
their souls is hard to put into words. Sandesh pulled Sukruthi closer and
embraced her tightly, kissing her forehead. She gave no response. But, a soft,
relaxed smile flashed through her face.
* * * *
Finally got to read it amidst of aal the 'getting stuck' :P lovely write :) keep it up
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