Aditya was devastated, his conscious was not able to absorb the words.
Revana – The girl he was talking since a year, even has a video chat before two days was dead; bot today but more than a year before. Hard to digest right. If he would only hear her voice or chatted over message it would not been heard, he could console his heart saying someone was faking herself as Revana. But they have talked so many times, for nights. She had waked her legs while taking, showed him how to put on makeup, changed dress after shower. No, no one can go to that extent to just have fun with someone.
‘All these a prank, Revana planned to shock him’ he uttered himself with wet eyes.
Suddenly getting up from the bench he shouted, ‘Hey, I lose. Now come out. No need to hide. I lose….’ His voice was breaking. The girl standing near him was looking him with pity, she was not able to understand why he was behaving like that. Initially he thought him as just any fake guy just trying to woo Revana randomly but Aditya; his emotions were real, the red tearful eyes were telling all stories.
Putting on Aditya’s shoulder she said, ‘Don’t cry, she is not going to come. We all cried long ago for her but she is gone. Revana has left us long back’.
Aditya turned his head, he could see the truth in her eyes but still his heart was not ready for that.
She continued, ‘Let’s go to the café, we can talk there’ and they walked out of the waiting room.
‘Here your water, take as sip’ offered him a glass with a smile.
Gulfing in a single breath Aditya took a deep sigh. ‘Sorry I didn’t introduce myself, I’m Aditya’
‘I’m Bhuvi’, she forwarded her hand.
Aditya looked into her eyes and with a smile shook her hand.
‘How do you know Revana, if you are comfortable to say’?
Silence spread for a moment!
‘It’s a long story, Same day a year before everything started – Aditya started narrating.
Finishing he pour water from the jug and took a little sip.
Bhuvi was speechless, everything Aditya told about Revana was true. Starting from her birth mark to her parent issue. Not a single sentence was made up – how much she knew about Revana.
Eyes wide open she kept staring at Aditya, ‘How’? a word came out of her lips ‘I was the one present when doctor declared her dead, when her parent fought over her dead body alleging each other for the reason of her death’. A drop of tear rollout, a started sobbing.
Bhuvi continued, ‘She was my best friend, a girl with a heart of an angel. Beauty not a single word of the dictionary can explain. That day still fresh in my memory, it was 2012 when I entered my hostel room for the first time, ROOM No 243. With the door opening Revana jumped from her bed and hug me hard, I was little uncomfortable at the moment but within next one hour she won my heart. That smiling face, who knew layer over so much pain. She never deserves all that.’ And broke to tears.
Aditya was listing every single word, he wanted to know Revana, more. Everything about her, not a single bit he can leave.
After comforting Bhumi began, ‘For the first semester I didn’t knew much about her past, all the trouble she was going through. I thought she was a cute innocent girl of a rich parent, who always make a way to bring cheer in others life. She helped everyone without even thing, she was just available for anyone needy. But no one stood for her ever, just took as much they can but that not stopped her from helping others.
It was the time when we have finished our and getting ready to go back to home for the vacation, but Revana had not packed anything. Not finding her in the room with her stuffs scattered around the room like any other day I started searching her, and saw her talking with the warden from the balcony.
‘Revana, what are you doing! Come pack your bags. Aren’t you going home?’ I asked.
Revana ran towards our room, rubbing her hand over her eyes. Coming closer I could see her tears. That was the first time I had seen her crying. Following her, ‘Hey what happened, did anyone told you anything thing’. She was not answering, burring her face between her keens she was crying, the sob was heart melting. Siting near her I tried to make her feel better rubbed, kept asking the reason. Half an hour passed and finally heard a word from her mouth “Worden didn’t allowed me to stay in hostel’ I didn’t understood! Why should she be staying in hostel in vacation? I asked, ‘Aren’t you going home’?
‘No’ Revana replied.
‘Why’? her answer shocked me.
And the answer she was going to give I had never thought of.
Revana, ‘Sorry darlo, I kept a lot of things hidden from you. I thought if I will tell my past than no one will talk to me, they will treat me like happen in my old collage, an outcast.’
‘Hey, what all you are saying. What ever happened with you, you will always be my best friend.’
Revana, ‘I am the elder daughter of my parents, just for the society. My mother married my step father when I was 3 years old. I knew my father was dead but I was happy when my mother told about my step-father and we were to be moved to his house. I had dream of getting fathers love again but little did I knew soon the mother who was the only love I had was going to abandon me.
The first day in my step-fathers house, I was feeling fear of staying in my room and kept crying to sleep with my mother. For the first time in my life I got a slap for asking for something! A tight slap from my step father threw me few step away, I was hurt, tear was flooding from my eyes but my mom didn’t even look at me. Leaving me behind she walked inside with his new husband. The sound of door shut shook my heart, kept staring at the door thing mom will run through the door hug her angel but that never happened and with the wet eyes I fall asleep on the ground.
Night was in its pike, the cold marvel floor had started if troll on my body, I was severing, not knowing what was happening, fear of the slap stopped me from calling mom. Folding my legs and hands I was trying to keep myself warm, a natural instinct that kept me alive that day or Bulby’s heavy fur. Next morning when I woke up I was hugging Bulby the Dog my step father ex-wife brought when she came to that house. Not so old but not young as well for a dogs age, from that day we made a quick bond for next few years till her last breath.
Years passed but the abuse never stopped, every time there was a fight between my step father and mother I was the one who got beaten. They call me the reason for all their trouble, a bad luck omen in their life. I got a step brother but never allowed to play with him, they didn’t want my site around him. Slowly things got routine for me, I stayed inside my room studying, playing with Bulby, he was getting older but still got some energy to play with me, cheer me up. I kept scoring top in all exams, all the completions, how much trophy I brought to the house they were never happy, they never cared. Just paying my fees and giving me a living to show the society that I’m not in bad condition. And inside the wall we are a happy family like they pretend outside.
It was a family function in our house, many of my step father’s relatives came that day. I was wearing a white pink kurta with golden embroidery. Playing with kids, I was happy that day because I knew no one will stop me before so many people from enjoying but my future in next few hours was going to change.
A guy be in 15 or 16 came before me. Forwarded his hand and I shook casually but the way he kept holding my hands made me feel awkward. Didn’t knew how to react and I left. But he kept staring at me at a strange way for the rest of the party. After everyone left few stayed for the day and he was there with his mother. He was my steps father’s nephew, son of her sister.
Near mid night when the house became silent I heard someone open my rooms door. In a scary voice I asked who was there and in reply a voice came, ‘Shhhh’. In the dark I could saw a figure walking towards my bed, the face was not visible and my heart started beating faster. In a while he scrolled over my bed, I was about to scream but his hand was holding my mouth tightly. At that time, I didn’t know what he was about to do, one hand over my mouth he forced his other hand inside my night pant and started rubbing. I was helpless, the strong figure had overpowered me. I was moving my body like a fish without water. My eyes were open, tear was falling-out when he unzipped his pant, for the first time I had saw a male penis, what he was about to do was the worst memory of my life, till date it haunts me down. He started his penis between my leg over my pant. I was feeling something was wrong happening with me and with all my strength pulled off hid and bite it hard and screamed out loudly. Even before anyone could come in Bulby ran into my room and seeing him over me jumped and pierced his sharp teeth on his leg.
My parents and their relative rushed into my room to see what happened. Till that moment he had already zipped in his pan and fallen on the ground holding his leg.
‘What happened’ my father asked.
Before I could speak anything my aunt spoke up, ‘Don’t you see, your ex-wife’s dog bite my son. Oh how much he is bleeding. Someone please call the doctor’ and hugged his son.
‘He just claimed over me and put his hand inside my pant and shut my moth tightly and rubbed his penis over me, here and showed them my legs’ everyone was shocked. My parents got frozen, my aunt face in a dilemma.
‘What rubbish she is talking; my son can’t do such thing. She is lying’ she shouted. Looking at his son she asked, ‘Son, tell me what happened’?
‘Mom, I was searching for water and when I came here the dog bite me’, He pretended with an innocent look.
‘No he is lying’ I tried to fought for my words. But all was vain. No one believed me. They accused Bulby for aggressive behaviour.
Aunty kept shouting, ‘The dog harmed my son, through her out of the house, kill her. I will never put foot in this house until she stays here.
And she won, no one listened to me, even my mother. Didn’t they have the least of brain that they thought a 7-year girl was lying of molested by someone. Didn’t they know Bulby never attacks anyone. I kept telling them Bolby is innocent but I was locked inside my room and next morning a man came and put an injection on Bulby making her sleep for ever. My Aunty was happy that day, my parents were also laughing with them. But no one cared, no one tried to know what really happened. I was molested in the night, but blamed as a liar, my oldest friend my Bulby was killed but no one thought why she took such extreme step to bite someone.
That day, I knew with my father’s death I lost my mother too. No whom I call mother is just my step fathers wife. Few days later they sent me to a boarding school, not knew how many time my relatives took advantage my innocence, the stamp my parents put on me as a liar. The same guy who tried to rape me again, somehow I got out of his hand but didn’t had the gut to tell others. Don’t know how many time I was molested; how many times I was touched in different parts of my body.’ And Revana cried out.
I was shocked, ‘She never told all that, kept everything hidden behind her smile for all these years.
Revana continued, ‘After my 14th birthday I stopped going home during vacation, stayed alone for years. Made my friends as family. Kept smiling to forget those painful moments. My parent never asked once why I didn’t want to come home. Kept sending my pocket money and fee in time. Never attained any PT meeting. I was the only kid sat alone during any function, no one in the crowd cheered for me whom I call as family.
Am ‘I so bad, am ‘I a bad omen. Why no one loves me. Why god only put torture in my fate. Why he kept me crying, force me to shed tear.’ Wiping her tear, ‘No I will not cry, I will show got that I can also smile, I don’t need him to put happiness in my lips’.
Revana – my respect for her increased hundred fold. Holding her face, I said, ‘Don’t worry, now you have a sister and no one is going to hurt you.’ And she smiled.
‘Now let me pack your belongings, you are coming with me to home, mom will be so happy to see you’. and in next hour we left for my house.
Bhuvi completed her story, her eyes were moist. And tears were filled on Aditya eyes.
To be continued…..
