Lies Deep Within

On a starry beautiful night of a village, situated in the interiors of MP state, a mother with her 6-year-old daughter, lay down on the mat at the terrace; trying to count each brightening star. Suddenly the daughter asked, “Mom, why does papa love my brother more than me? I am the first baby, why is he so rude to me? Mother sighed. She was thinking of ways to answer her question. After a thoughtful while, she replied, “He doesn’t ignore you dear, he is just a bit busy. He also gets tired after working. And you always talk to him at that time only.” “But He-“Enough Amaira.” Replied the mother as she wanted to cut the topic off as fast as possible. “Yes mom,” Amaira said disappointedly. “Let’s not complain about him, hm? He loves you a lot baby.” Said her mother but it was all a lie. A pretty satisfying lie. The truth is – he never loved her. And the reason isn’t a big one. It was mainly because – she is a GIRL. A girl which was unwanted by her family except for her mother. The gender revealed when Amaira was still in the womb, her mother became the happiest person on earth while her father and her paternal family were disgusted by the thought. Her mother had no one but her father and his family. She was quite dependent on them for monetary purposes which made her feel weaker and not fit for being a mother. This became her biggest insecurity which she still hasn’t overcome yet. She doesn’t want Amaira to know this.

                                 Years and years went by and Amaira has grown up to be a 20-year- old woman. But the transition is huge. So, let’s rewind back a bit.

                                              Amaira is 14-years-old now. Amazingly, she loves to read. Her mother bought books and newspapers from a second-hand book store; hidden inside a cupboard at home which is far away from the sight of Amaira’s father. The risk was high but had to be taken. But this wasn’t the whole thing. Due to the circumstances, their family had to live at her father’s brother’s place. They had a son named Nishant who was 16 by then. In relation, he was Amaira’s cousin. But who knows what goes on in a devil’s mind? One night, Nishant came back home drunk. Amaira was sitting in her living room reading her book when Nishant came to her and snatched it. She was shocked to see him like this so she decided to call the elders but by the time she did so, he grabbed her hand and took her somewhere. The next thing, she was sexually harassed by her own cousin. She told her mom about this but her mom didn’t have the courage to speak up for her. This went on for years even though she went back to her home. Finally, Amaira became 20. By now she had studied and had cracked the exam required to come in the police. As the head of the department in her area, she finally had all the rights to get her cousin behind the bars. And with that, a 6-year-old kid fighting for her father’s love, a 14-year-old suffering from harassment, and a 20-year-old head of the department has taken all the decisions and made all the difference in her life.