I am going to see her after 3 weeks. I don’t know if she has
put on weight or has lost some more. But regardless of how she is right now,
she is my Aama. My dear Aama is the most beautiful woman in the
world. The policeni didi calls her, Dui Saye Paitalis. No it’s not her pet
name. It’s her no. at the center she is staying right now. I don’t like to call
it a jail, for me center sounds better.
My Aama’s real
name is Sunti Devi Magar. But very influenced by the Nepali movies and a big
fan of Niruta Singh, the actress, she christened herself as “Niruta Magar”. She
claimed that Sunita Devi is too old fashioned. After marriage also she kept her
maiden name, she always joked “your bau’s
surname sounds funny so I never kept it”. She was 15 when she fell in love with
my Bau who was 10 years elder to her and
with a big dream to live in the cities, she eloped at a very tender age of 16.
Life was hard in the city. Very different than what she had thought
and imagined. My Bau was a bhariya at a wholesale shoes trader in the China
Market ( Mahaboudha). Every day he had to drink so there was no question that
any money was coming home. Aama used
to tell me that, he has something going on with the bhatini sauni, but never told me anymore details. I have once saw
my bau, running his fingers on sauni’s neck and when I asked him what
is he doing he said, she got allergy so he is just comforting her. He never did
that when I had the allergies. I guess it’s different with grown ups.
I was 7 years old, and we all three used to live in
one kotha. Our world was within those
four walls. Aama said she doesn’t want
another child because she said she loves me too much. Fufu, next door once told me
that we are so poor that, Aama can’t
feed another mouth (Fufu is an old
woman who lives around and also works with Aama
in the garment factory. We respect her a lot because she helped Aama getting that job and she took care
of me when and where necessary). It was really cold that night. Aama and I were inside out blanket which
smells pungent, it is never been washed. Our 2 candles were burning right next
to my bookshelf. I like to call it a bookshelf even if it’s two shelves out of
three is filled with our clothes and trash.
There is nothing much
for us to do during loadsheddings. So, like always we were trying to sleep. My
eyes were getting heavy when I heard a big “THUNG” on the door. Bau, was barely in a condition to walk,
gets into the room. I thought to myself, Aama
is getting beaten again tonight? Where will I run? Where will I hide? Am I
going to retaliate? Is he going to hurt me as well??
All these questions
flashed in my mind. And before I thought of anything, he pounced at me, he
sworn on me right and left. He said things I don’t even understand the meaning
of but I know those are bad words. He called Aama a whore and said I am not his son, and he is raising someone
else’s paap in his house. Aama was struggling to pull him away from me. I was petrified and
was in the corner of the bookshelf.
Do I run outside? What
will happen to Aama? Is he going to kill both of us? And then the candles
were pushed off the table and it was only some dark lights coming from the
small window of our kotha. I heard a
big sound and splash!! something came on my face and there was silence. An
utter silence. I didn’t move for almost a minute and the first world came out
of my mouth was “Aama?”.
No reply. Then some
movement in the room, there was a screech sound of the matchsticks. In that
little light, I could see Aama but I don’t see Bau. Aama
had something on her face too. By that time, there were people gathered
outside our kotha from other rooms and the tole as well. My Bau was unconsciously
lying on the floor, in a pool of blood. Is
he dead? Did Aama kill him?
I don’t know what happened that night but I was sent to a
prison shelter home the next day. They gave me 3 good meal every day. I get to
eat egg often. They even give cupcakes. I love cupcakes. I can even go to
school. I live with other kids from similar circumstances.Honestly life is not
that bad. Infact I like it, but I miss Aama.
I cried for 3 whole days when I didn’t get to see Aama the first week. I can’t sleep without her.
Now it is been 6 months 12 days I have been living here. I
am 8 years old now. I get to see Aama
every now and then. Sometimes I get to spend the whole day with her and
sometimes only couple of minutes. It all depends on the jailer aunty, she is
nice. She has a son of my age so I get to wear decent clothes that he doesn’t want
anymore. She is fond of me.
Right now my eyes are fixed on the gate. She will come out
anytime. Is she going to wear the same
clothes? Will she get to comb her hair today? Will I get to hug her? Last
time policeni didi didn’t even let me go
near her.Can I get to show her the new science
copy I got from a visitor at the child home? When is she going to come out so
that I can hold her and sleep? When??…I
don’t know when …….
Last edited: 07-Apr-14 10:17 AM
Last edited: 07-Apr-14 09:29 PM
.png)
