She looked from behind the glittery curtains as her mother danced to the beats of dholak. Samira,was warned by her mother not to enter the living room while entertained. However her curiosity could not keep her out of the place. Just as she looked,her mother caught her eye and made a gesture to get out of there. She no matter how much loved her mother she knew the chances of being battered were pretty high if she didn't run back to bed.Scared and oblivious to her surrounding,she ran back to her room for it was late night and her mother's gesture had scared her to her soul.
In the morning the house, nevertheless a building with so many rooms and so many halls with rhinestones and pearl curtains was so much quieter, silence that almost seemed deadly. All the chaos and clatter and shouting and abusing all engulfed by the quiet. Samira woke up early today. She obviously couldn't sleep her mother's angry eyes wouldn't let her. Early in the morning when she moved in the halls swaying all those cluttering things that were everywhere.
Her mother's room was big,cheap fabric curtains that surrounded the bed and she was still asleep from the late night work. Samira slipped in her mother's bed and hugged her as she whispered,"sorry ammu",in her mother's ear. Ammu would playfully slap her and hug her. And they would sleep quietly till the shuttle and clatter of the Kamala Rani's brothel began again, as now it was not their mom but their kids. All the commotion would just come to life and another day at Kamala Rani's would start right away.
Mornings were mostly about crying and cringing children, some of them going to school, some babies crying to be fed,as the night would lead them far from their mother. And some elder one's helping their mother's,studying for a better life, working to earn their living. Suddenly a place quiet like dear would start the churning of live with the dawn.
Well Samira , she was 18, petite, young beautiful and an adorable only child of her mother. She was her mother's only hope to get out of the quicksand of evil,she entered tears ago in her youth,her poverty and a family to support had made her to join this brothel. However she was just disowned by her family and kamala rani's became her home. For Samira she had imagined a life of better living,and a respectable job to earn her living. She would send her to all the next schools,keep her away from her clients.
Samira,on the other hand was a bright student,focused and good at what she did. She had gotten a scholarship in her school,academic achiever,sports prodigy, what ammu was not, she had it in her. She had however managed to score a scholarship to the prestigious St. Lawrence law school,on her line to become a lawyer. Of all the feathers in her hat,one that didn't go unnoticed was her beauty. Anyone who saw her would to admire her, would crave to have her. Even if it was for a night. Ammu had received numerous proposals for Samira to bedded, for a handsome amount, some would ask to settle her up in an apartment as a mistress,and also a couple of marriage proposals.
Ammu, had somehow known her daughter too well,and also known the business too well to let her beloved be absorbed in the vicious cycle,she had once been engulfed in. She realized her hopes, ambitions and aspirations to let go of her.
St.Lawrence was a prestigious law college in whole of the region. Her classes were set up. She made friends quickly,and even faster did they leave her in the trenches, for the background she came from made her secluded. But only one out of hundreds, Raj, as cheesy it may sound helped her get adjusted,befriended her inspite of knowing her background . They had come close as the months passed. They had fallen in love. At least samira had after seeing his concern for her, even after knowing about her background. She had fallen for him quick, his heart melting," its only you who matter to me", words would force her to clench her heart and give it to him.
It would have been and ideal damsel in distress saved by the knight in shining armour story in some other time, in some other phase, well this, this was the real world, real time. Real Life.
Raj made it seem all so good with all the rosy picture he would paint for their future, after their law college. And she would just smile at her good fate, what had it led her to. She was falling for him every minute of the day, ammu had known about this and warned her to be careful,as she was well aware of the deceitful ways of the world. Ammu had known about raj's persistent indications of getting intimate with Samira,but Samira avoided all the thoughts and always find a way to fall for his sweet self.
One day out of the blue, raj had popped out a tiffany box and asked Samira to marry him. She who had fallen for him accepted in a blink and they married in a small temple,knowing ammu wouldn't approve and so will Raj's parents after knowing her background. Well, as they say, some black marks couldn't even be covered by the Sun.Samira and raj both had informed their family of being out that night for a group study at a friend's place. The just married couple than went for their first night to a nearby hotel, on an isolated road.
The room was almost slightly bigger than a dingy,with a bed with a fancy but cheap bed spread, Samira frowned at that, and so did Raj, on seeing her reaction. " It was all I could do with my left pocket money", he said sadly. Samira however smiled and hugged him. Followed by their night of passion with each other. With each passing moment she fell for him, and than tired with the flame of love they slept hugging each other in a sweet deep sleep.
It was just the break of morning when samira woke up, her face glowing with the passion she had felt last night. She didn't see raj by her side, wondering he must have gone to the washroom. Her face paled ,something inside her died and her dignity striped when she saw a wad of cash placed on her night stand.
