1 Chapter 1

It was raining outside.

She could smell the earthy hint in the air. It must be cool out there, she thought. As she kept staring at the ceiling, beads of sweat formed on her forehead trickled down her sideburn, glided along her neckline to be lost in her cleavage, which her blouse could barely cover. She felt exposed like never before. She had been sitting there on the bed for hours now, scantily clad in whatever left of her previous clothing. Her hands were stretched above her head and tied to rusted iron loops on the wall. Her feet spread apart to the farthest inhumanely possible and were held in position by a pair of iron clamps to an iron rod. She was gagged up till throat with old stinky socks bundled up together.

Dwija closed her eyes, her stomach growled.

"Eat and then go, beta", her mother had run after her the entire morning with an aluminum plate. Dwija had peeked earlier, it was roti and gur and she just hated it. Her mother kept chasing her as she moved around the room getting ready for the day, yet she did not take a single bite out of it.

"Maa, I will have lunch at college, you need not worry.", she whined.

Her mother dropped the roti in a small casserole near the stove and busied herself with her kitchen chores. "Take the paper on the table and meet Mohan in the city. He is a distant cousin of your father. Give that to him.", she had said.

Dwija reached out for the paper and opened it. It was a white paper, much older than the present day. There was a sole thumbprint at the bottom of the page in blue ink.

"What is this Maa?"

"It is very important beta, don't lose it. It is kind of your grandfather's will. Mohan knows a lawyer; he will get it notarized while mentioning that it was your grandfather's will to provide that land to you. We need to hurry. You know right how your father's siblings are? If they find out the paper is with us, they will try anything to snatch everything away."

"I won't do this.", Dwija retorted.

"I did not ask you; I am telling you to take the paper. Mohan will come to your college and collect it from you. You need not do anything.", her mother was getting angry.

"Why are you being so greedy Maa? I don't need any property. How many times do I need to tell you Dinesh kaka is good! He treats me like his own daughter, he won't let anything happen to us. So, what if he takes the land, he will provide for us, will sponsor my education, he has promised me".

She turned around after saying that, and while softening her tone she continued, "And don't you care about Mithila Bua. If Sashi is there, he won't let his mother harm us".

She grabbed her backpack and was about to get out of the room when her mother grabbed her by her elbow and pulled her into the room. She slapped Dwija across her face. Dwija fell on the floor by its force.

"You said what!! I am being greedy!!" her mother let a burst of humorless laughter. "You don't want to get married, you don't want to work in the fields like other girls, you don't want the land, and you don't even want to do a simple task I ask you to do. And you say I am being greedy! For whom Dwija? You are skipping food because you don't like gur. Do you think I don't know that? I also know that you won't purchase food at college. Now tell me which mother likes her child staying hungry just because we can't afford food to her liking? We need food to at least feed ourselves, and we need money for that. Money!! Do you understand?". Her mother gripped her hair and held back her head forcibly while meeting her gaze. Her hoarse voice was acid to Dwija's ears. Tears rushed down her cheeks. Her mother let go of her head and pushed her with her leg.

"I keep thinking and fighting for your sake and you say I am doing these petty jobs because I am greedy! Sometimes I really doubt if you are my daughter!"

Her mother kept on cursing her and hitting her with her bare hands, her red and green glass bangles were breaking into twos, threes, and tens maybe. Dwija's arms and cheeks were scratched red. A pair of hands grabbed her mother from behind and another pair helped Dwija up and led her out of the house with her bag. She was too shocked by her mother's outburst. She did not register that she was already riding away from her mother.