And, She Has Saved - V

The festival of Deepawali is very near. People got engaged in its preparation. The market has been stuffed with a range of sweets, lights and firecrackers. But the home of Rukmani is mournful. Since the last ten days, she could not go to work because of Typhoid.

Though her husband earns by pulling rickshaw but the expenses of four children, the old mother and house rent can not be fulfilled by his solo income. Thus Rukmani manages the household while cooking food at Neha Madam’s home in her nearby colony. Due to her sudden sickness, the subsistence of her home has been endangered.

Actually, throughout the year, her whole family intensely waits for sweats,meals,cash tip and new clothes gifted by Neha Madam on Deepawali. Thinking of all these misfortunes and suppressing a mother’s feelings, Rukmani got compelled under family pressure to send her sixteen-year-old elder daughter Rajjo to her workplace to fulfil her duties in her place. So that no cut in her monthly salary and yearly bonus would occur. Rajjo a High-school student also began to go on work with full involvement being a strong support of her mother.

On the eve of Deepawali, Neha’s husband’s younger brother along with his two friends have arrived to stay. The entire day all three friends make fun themselves by drinking and gambling in their corner room. After noticing a young girl as a maid this trio calls Rajjo frequently to their room in the name of tea-coffee and snacks. When she reaches to them, they constantly stares at her body lustfully and begins sensuous talk and laughs shamelessly. Rajjo gets nervous by their open humiliation but keeps her mouth shut recalling her family’s needs. She feels forced to swallow all the insult without uttering a single word.

One day prior to Deepawali, Rajjo got late to return home on account of heavy workload. As soon as she approached the main gate, she happened to see that trio men in drunk mode coming from outside. Watching them she took long steps hurriedly ignoring them.

Suddenly one of them caught her hand and said, “Will you not make us drink your handmade tea today? We are now obsessed with the taste of your sweet hands. ” Rajjo said releasing her hands, “ Babuji my work has finished. I am getting late. Kindly let me go. ” Then, listening to the footsteps of coming guard near them, that trio said leaving her way, “Tomorrow evening,come surely,we will offer you a special Deepawali gift. ” Saying this all of them let out a loud guffaw.

Rajjo perspired profusely and almost rushed home. She wept on bitterly sitting in the backyard of her home. She was not in condition to share her agony with anyone as her family has been looking forward desperately towards the expected Deepawali-gifts. When she was wiping off her tears, her grandmother arrived and saw her tears. On her asking, Rajjo could not stop herself and narrated the whole story. Her grandmother said, “ if you don’t turn up there tomorrow, a stamp

of shirker will be put on us. We are not dishonest. Tomorrow you will go on work but with me. ”

Getting encouraged by her grandmother Rajjo moved to Neha Madam’s home on Deepawali. Like daily routine, those three friends called her asking for tea. Rajjo informed Neha Madam and

then reached to their room carrying tea-tray. As she knocked the door, that trio pulled her into the room and closed the door. They immediately turned up the volume of Television. As it was about to be sunset, worrying for Rajjo her grandmother went to Neha Madam and requested her to allow Rajjo to go home back as soon as possible. “ Yes! Yes! You can take her from here now. Her work is done. Let me call her”, Neha Madam assured.

When Rajju did not reply back even after shouting her name many times, she immediately approached to that trio’s room and knocked the door. The door knocking has startled all three males and then they pushed Rajjo back to the door-side. Neha Madam amply perceived the

situation by observing the scared face of Rajjo and drunk and lecherous body language of the trio.

In this way, Rajjo has been saved due to insight and courage of her grand mother. After knowing this, Rukmani was filled with remorse for what she had done. she decided that we parents should never send our children especially daughters to our workplace for the sake of damn money.