After that intense scene, everyone returned home. They all insisted Shashi should rest.
It was still a while before dinner. Aakash gently applied ointment to her bruised palms and told her to lie down. She rested on the bed while he settled on the couch nearby.
Suddenly, there was a knock. Shashi's eyes fluttered open, but Aakash gestured for her to stay put. He went to the door and opened it—standing there were Sarthak, Abril, Aparna, and Dadi Saa. One by one, they entered the room.
Dadi Saa sat beside Shashi on the bed, her stern eyes softening just slightly.
“Apna sir mere godh mein rakh de, beta.”
["Put your head in my lap, dear."]
Shashi obeyed without a word.
“Tere dimaag mein jo kuch bhi kachra bhara pada hai, ise nikaal de, beta.”
["Clear all the junk clouding your mind, my child."]
Dadi Saa said, caressing her hair gently.
“Kaise nikaal doon, Dadi Saa? Those horrible memories still haunt me.”
["How do I get rid of it, Dadi Saa? Those horrible memories still haunt me."]
Shashi’s voice trembled.
“Please beta, andar apni takleefon ko chhupane se hum mazboot nahi, kamzor bante hain.”
["Hiding our pain doesn’t make us stronger, it only makes us weaker, dear."]
Dadi Saa said, trying to comfort her.
“Main aisi nahi thi, Dadi Saa. Bahut shaant si ladki thi main. Bahut hi introverted.”
["I wasn’t always like this, Dadi Saa. I used to be a quiet girl. Extremely introverted."]
“Kisi se zyada baat nahi karti thi. Mujhe shaant rehna bahut pasand tha.”
["I rarely spoke to anyone. I loved staying in peace."]
She began speaking, and the room went silent. Everyone listened intently.
“I was around 8 years old, aur Didu shayad 10 saal ki thi. Us din Mumma mujhe hospital le gayi thi, isiliye maine school se chhutti le li thi. Par Didu school gayi thi, unka ek important program tha.”
["I was around 8 years old, and Didu must have been 10. That day, Mumma took me to the hospital so I took leave from school. But Didu had to go because she had an important program."]
“Us din main ghar par thi, aur dopahar ke time Mumma ne mujhe dawai dekar sula diya. Par mujhe neend nahi aayi... Kash us din maine woh sab kuch nahi suna hota.”
["I was at home, and in the afternoon, Mumma gave me medicine to make me sleep. But I couldn’t sleep... I wish I hadn’t heard what I did."]
“Didu ki chhutti ho gayi thi, par woh ghar nahi aayi. Papa job par the, aur Mumma school chali gayi. Main ghar par akeli thi.”
["Didu’s school ended, but she didn’t return. Papa was at work, and Mumma had gone back to school. I was alone at home."]
“Bohot samay beet gaya, par koi ghar nahi aaya. Mujhe Didu ki rone ki awaaz aayi, aur main andar se bahar aayi.”
["A lot of time passed, but no one returned. I heard Didu crying outside, and I came out from inside."]
“Wahan Didu bahut ro rahi thi, par Mumma ghar nahi aayi thi. Didu ko chhodke Pune Uncle ne drop kiya tha.”
["There, Didu was crying a lot, but Mumma still hadn’t come home. Pune Uncle had dropped her off."]
“Kuch ghanto baad Mumma ghar aayi... Hum dono ko shaant karne ki koshish ki. Didu ko rote dekh main bhi ro padhi.”
["Mumma came hours later... She tried to calm us both. Seeing Didu cry, I too broke down."]
Tears streamed down Shashi’s face, unnoticed even by her.
“Main tab chhoti thi. Samajh nahi aata tha ki sab kyun jhagda karte hain... aur woh jhagde kabhi ruke hi nahi, Dadi Saa.”
["I was too little. I didn’t understand why everyone fought... and those fights never stopped, Dadi Saa."]
“Mujhe maar-peet zarra bhi pasand nahi thi... bohot gussa aata tha sab par.”
["I hated the violence... I was so angry at everyone."]
“Jab maine Didu ko bataya ki maine kya suna, tab unhe samajh aaya. Par hum dono kuch nahi kar sakte the...”
["When I told Didu what I had overheard, she understood. But neither of us could do anything..."]
“Jab bade hue, tab bhi kuch nahi kar paaye. Sirf sab kuch apni aankhon se dekha... aur chup rahe.”
["Even when we grew older, we still couldn’t do anything. We just kept witnessing it... silently."]
“Raat ko hum dono maar-peet ki awaaz se uth jaate the. Dar lagta tha...”
["We’d wake up in the middle of the night to sounds of violence. We were scared..."]
“Ek raat jab sab hadd paar ho gaya, maine police ko phone kiya. Mr. Oberoi ke khilaaf complaint ki...”
["One night when things went out of control, I called the police. I filed a complaint against Mr. Oberoi..."]
“Woh phone ki ringtone sun kar aaj bhi dil ki dhadkane tez ho jaati hain.”
["Even today, hearing that ringtone makes my heart race."]
She sobbed. Aakash silently handed her a glass of water.
“Jab Papa ne phone cheena, pucha kisne call kiya tha, maine kaha—‘Maine.’”
["When Papa snatched the phone and asked who called, I said—‘I did.’"]
“Unhone kaha ghar se nikal jao... aur main nikal gayi. Bhag gayi. Uss raat koi mujhe wapas lene nahi aaya.”
["He told me to leave the house... and I did. I ran away. No one came to take me back that night."]
“Roz jhagde dekh kar, ek dost mujhe apne ghar le gaya. Wahan meri Daadi ne zabardasti meri aankhon mein dekha. Unki nafrat saaf dikh rahi thi. Par mujhe maafi mangni padi.”
["After seeing those daily fights, one friend took me in. His grandmother looked straight into my eyes—there was hatred, but I still had to apologize."]
“Us din Mr. Oberoi ko samajh aa gaya ki main unse kitni nafrat karti hoon. And that’s how I became the hated child of the family.”
“Jab main teenager bani, yeh sab aur bhi zyada pareshan karne laga. The most horrible part—Mr. Oberoi ne khud ko bohot badal liya.”
["As I became a teenager, all of it started troubling me more. The worst part—Mr. Oberoi changed completely."]
“Unka ego... bas unhe sab par haavi hona tha. Didu chup chaap sab seh leti thi. Unki health bigadne lagi... par unhone kabhi kisi ko bataya nahi.”
["His ego... he just wanted to dominate everyone. Didu used to quietly endure it. Her health declined... but she told no one."]
“Jab maine bolna shuru kiya... main villain ban gayi.”
["When I started speaking up... I became the villain."]
“Unhe sirf ek kutta chahiye tha jo har baat pe poonch hilaaye.”
["They just wanted a dog who’d wag its tail at their every word."]
She gritted her teeth. Her hands balled into fists.
“Main NEET ke pehle attempt mein safal nahi ho payi... aur un sabko aur mauka mil gaya mujhe neecha dikhane ka.”
["I couldn’t crack NEET on my first attempt... and that gave them more chances to belittle me."]
“Didu ne mujhe Delhi bhej diya. Main poori padhai wahin ki. Mujhe bhi laga ki apne aap ko door le jana hi sahi rahega.”
["Didu sent me to Delhi. I completed all my studies there. I also thought distancing myself would be best."]
“Par main bhi chahti thi... ki apni maa ki godh mein sir rakhkar sab shikayatein karu.”
["But even I longed to rest my head in my mother’s lap and pour my heart out."]
“College life aasan nahi hoti. Judgements ke chakkar mein insaan barbaad ho jata hai.”
["College life isn’t easy. Judgments can ruin a person."]
“Mere dost kabhi ache bane nahi. Ek dost tha... accha tha. Par ab toh main sirf keh sakti hoon ki tha.”
["I never really made good friends. There was one... he was nice. But now, I can only say he was."]
“Tab se akele rehne ki aadat pad gayi hai. Baat karne bhi thi... toh sunne wala koi nahi tha, Dadi Saa.”
["Since then, I’ve gotten used to being alone. Even when I wanted to talk... there was no one to listen, Dadi Saa."]
Tears poured down her cheeks like a waterfall.
“Kya main itni buri hoon, Dadi Saa... ki sab mujhse door jana chahte hain?”
["Am I really that bad, Dadi Saa... that everyone wants to leave me?"]
She asked, her voice cracked.
“Nahi bera... tu in sab cheezon ke liye khud ko dosh mat de. Tu apne Mahadev par bharosa rakhi hoyi na? Woh tujhe hamesha khush rakhenge, beta.”
["No, child... don’t blame yourself for all this. You trust your Mahadev, right? He will always keep you happy."]
Dadi Saa said softly.
She nodded like an innocent child.
“Chal, ab rona band kar. Itna sundar chehra kharab kar diya hai tune!”
["Come on, stop crying now. You’ve ruined such a beautiful face!"]
She wiped her tears.
Just then, her phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen and her eyes widened.
“Who is it?” Aakash asked.
“Hitler.”
She replied.
She answered the call, “Hello?”
“Shashi, phone TV se connect kar!”
["Shashi, connect the phone to the TV!"]
Laksha instructed, and Shashi did as told.
Laksha appeared on screen, sitting on a couch in her gym clothes—clearly just back from a workout.
“Shashi, tune kya kiya hai?”
["Shashi, what have you done?"]
Laksha asked sternly.
“Kya kiya hai?”
["What have I done?"]
Shashi replied.
“Beta, marna hi tha toh jaan se maar deti na!”
["If you wanted to beat , you could’ve just killed him!"]
Everyone’s eyes widened in shock.
“yahi kaam karne hote toh aapki company join kar leti na! Main doctor banke logon ki jaan bacha rahi hoon.”
["If I had to do something new, I would’ve joined your company instead! I became a doctor to save lives."]
Shashi replied sharply.
“Waise, teri aankhein laal hain... tu royi kya?”
["By the way, your eyes are red... were you crying?"]
Laksha asked.
“Haan, bohot royi. Mere dost ki vidaayi thi.”
["Yes, cried a lot. My friend left."]
Shashi replied.
“Vahi main soch rahi thi... ab tak aisa jawab kyun nahi diya. Shukar hai kanha ji ne tujhe waisa hi rakha hai.”
["That’s what I was thinking... why didn’t you say something like this earlier. Thank God Rana ji kept you this way."]
“Suno Didu, mujhe nayi car de dena. Woh maine pehli wali phod di.”
["Listen Didu, please get me a new car. I smashed the last one."]
“ yeh kaunsi nayi baat hai beta...”
["Well, what’s new in that, dear..."]
They both chuckled.
“And yeah, please make sure the people in the hospital behave as if nothing happened.”
“#Sabka brainwash kar du kya?”
["Should I brainwash everyone?"]
Laksha asked with a smirk.
“Nahi... bas main nahi mil paungi un logon se jinhone woh sab dekha.”
["No... it’s just that I won’t be able to face those who saw all that."]
“Accha accha thik hai, main zyada kuch nahi karungi. Khana khaya aapne?”
["Okay okay, fine, I won’t do much. Did you eat?"]
Laksha asked.
“Bas abhi kha hi lungi. Tune khaya?”
["I’ll eat now. Did you?"]
Shashi asked.
“Same here. Abhi mera bohot accha therapy session hua hai.”
["Same here. I just had a great therapy session."]
“Kaunsi therapy?”
["What therapy?"]
Shashi asked.
“Therapy toh nahi pata, par therapist acchi hai.”
["Not sure about the therapy, but the therapist is amazing."]
“Kaun hai beta?”
["Who is it, dear?"]
Shashi asked.
“Meri Dadi Saa.”
["My Dadi Saa."]
“Mujhe bhi milna hai.”
["I want to meet her too."]
Laksha replied.
Shashi hugged Dadi Saa tightly and said,
“Didu, unhe bolo khama ghani.”
["Didu, tell her khama ghani (a respectful greeting in Rajasthani)."]
“Khama ghani!” Laksha said with a smile.
“Khama ghani.” Dadi Saa responded warmly.
“Chala ata, bye. Mala bhook lagli ahe, mi khup radli, ata fakta jevan karun zopaych aahe. Bye Hitler.”
["Alright now, bye. I’m very hungry, I cried a lot, now I just want to eat and sleep. Bye, Hitler."]
Shashi said before cutting the call.
Everyone in the room looked confused.
“Usne kaha hai ki usse bhook lagi hai, vo bohot ro chuki hai, ab bas khana khakar sona chahti hai.”
["She said she’s hungry, she cried a lot, now she just wants to eat and sleep."]
Dadi Saa translated.
“Aapko Marathi aati hai, Dadi Saa?”
["You know Marathi, Dadi Saa?"]
Shashi asked.
“Yes, beta.”
“Great.”
___________________________________
Hey lovelies
Hope you'all liked the chapter
This was her past which still haunts her
If all think it's nothing special everyone goes through this once in their lifetime
But for some children its really difficult to face these kinds of situations
Where you are neglected, called a loser and much more things ..........
🤍🩶🖤
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