Part 1

The Meeting

It was a regular hot summer evening in Delhi. Manvi was exhausted from her job and was now waiting for the cab to reach her apartment as soon as possible. She couldn’t wait to bury herself in the soft bed. Today, she had to deal with a very annoyed customer who did not want to be pleased with any idea that Manvi presented for his new project. She was one of the most talented graphic designers in the company and she was aware of that. But sometimes, she regretted her decision.

Her apartment was located within a 15-minute distance from her office building. Manvi shared her apartment with her best friend Ridhhi, who was the only daughter of Delhi's rich businessman. Ridhhi was on a career break for 2 years, trying to find her inner fire and pursue her dream. She had a law degree which was a total waste. According to her, it's just a boring thing she doesn't like. She had access to her father's credit card and physical money was only a call away.

Manvi was too tired because of today's events. She wanted to go home and sleep till morning to get ready for the second round of humiliation from the same client. Her apartment was located on the 4th floor and luckily, the lift was not working. Manvi grunted and mumbled something in her mouth and started to walk towards the stairs. Finally, after enough torture to her legs, she was in front of her apartment door. She unlocked the door and entered. She took a long and deep sigh. "The day is over," she thought and allowed herself to move toward the kitchen for some water.

"Hey…you came" Ridhhi came out from her room and greeted her. "Gosh, you are looking like a mess. What happened?" Ridhhi asked as she approached the kitchen and leaned over the fridge.

"That idiot. He gave me a hard time. That jerk thinks he knows everything but could not connect wi-fi to his laptop. Even a child can do that." Manvi filled Ridhhi with details while pouring water into a glass and gulped it down without any break. "What about you…where are you going huh?" Manvi looked Ridhhi up-down. She was wearing a shiny black off-shoulder dress that ended before her knees with black heels. Ridhhi was a beautiful woman. She has a beautifully sculpted face with a sharp jawline, lustrous black eyes, and black straight hairs with a small tint of brown resting on her left shoulder showing her long and perfect neck from the right side. She had a well-maintained body and she knew very well how to show off her perfect curves.

"Well…house party. And you are coming" Ridhhi pointed a finger toward Manvi. "Go. Take a quick shower and get ready. You have 30 minutes. Only." She said while reaching for the couch and settling down.

"No," Manvi said while shaking her head. "I am not going anywhere. Not a chance. You go wherever you want, have fun, and get drunk. I am just going to sit on this couch, watching some murder mystery documentary while stuffing my mouth with Chinese food.”

“Oh come on… you are such a boring person.” Ridhhi rolled her eyes and pointed a finger toward the television. “This thing will not be going to entertain you the way I can” Ridhhi stood from the couch and walked towards the Manvi who just going to slip into her room. She placed her palms on Manvi’s both cheeks “it is just a small get-together of close friends you already know. You will enjoy it. Promise. Please moomoo” she pouted with baby eyes and Manvi just rolled her eyes at her expressions. “God… I hate that name. Call me that again and you will be dead” she sighed and thought for a minute “ okay, where is the party?”

“Always works” Ridhhi grinned and put her hands on her hips before moving away from her best friend and leaning on the kitchen island. “It is not so far. He is my college friend. We did law together. After college, he moved to Bangalore, his hometown. Now he is back and wants to catch up with his old friends” Ridhhi told while pushing Manvi towards her room “Get ready… I don’t want to be late for the fun. Wear something nice ok.” “Aghh… alright. I am going to take a shower, you choose a dress for me”, said Mansi to which Riddhi replied “Sure!”



Manvi was staring at the ceiling fan from the couch while waiting for the cab. She was wearing a beautiful red dress and had to work extra on her makeup to hide tiredness from her face. “Come on. Our ride has arrived. Get up lazy head” Ridhhi said in a tone mixed with excitement and hurry. Manvi shifted from the couch very slowly. Her mood was the exact opposite of Ridhhi's. “You can sleep in the cab. It is a 30-minute ride” She offered a hand to Manvi to get up. “Yeah. That would be great.”

Manvi did not take a nap. She wanted to, but Ridhhi was not in a mood to shut up about this new man she met at Barista this afternoon. Ridhhi used to date people, like changing wallpaper on her mobile screen. New face every month. Not only men, sometimes women too. She liked to experiment with her choices about people she dated. ‘So many great bodies in the world. Why to just stuck with the gender boundary and miss them’ was her motto for dating.



Manvi knew Ridhhi from the day she moved to Delhi from Lucknow. 5 years ago. She got a degree in B. com Honors and completed a 2 years diploma course in Digital marketing and web designing. She got a good opportunity to nurture her future with a campus placement. A job in a well-reputed company based in Delhi. She was excited to share this news with her parents but when she reached home, her parent gave her a surprise. A marriage proposal. The boy they chose for her was a software engineer in a very big MNC and settled in Mumbai in his flat. A perfect son-in-law as they wanted. Manvi was not ready for that surprise and said no immediately. Her father wanted her to say yes to the boy he found for her and gave up all her dreams and ambitions as the boy wanted a home-maker not a dream chaser wife for him. They advised her to drop the idea of his new job and started to put all her concentration to learn how to be a good wife.

Manvi’s 2 years younger brother did not agree with the sudden decision of his sister’s marriage. He did not like the man his father chose for his sister and wanted to call off whatever her parents were staging against her sister’s future. Manvi shared the news of her new job in Delhi with her brother. His brother tried hard to convince their parents but nothing worked. They both were helpless in front of their father’s stubborn and arrogant behaviour.

“I am sorry Manu. I tried to convince them. They are not going to stop”

“I know Madhav. You did what you could.” They both were on the terrace at night. The sky was beautiful, half-moon was peeking from behind a small cloud. This was not a chilling night, just a perfect kind of cold. Manvi was sitting on a wooden bed placed in a corner of the terrace. Madhav was laying on the bed. His head was on Manvi’s lap. She was stroking her brother’s hair gently and carelessly while looking at the sky. Her eyes were moist, blank without any idea of her future.

“I hate them. How can they do this to you?” Madhav said. Clutching his fist near his chest, shutting his eyes closed forcefully to stop the water to come out from his eyes without his consent.

“I wish I can do something to change their mind. I don’t want this marriage. I can not do this to myself”.They both were silent for a few minutes.

“Then run,” Madhav said softly but loud enough to reach Manvi’s ears.

“What do you mean?” Manvi looked at her brother who was looking straight into her eyes. His face was expressionless. He sat down and take his sister’s hand in his hand “Leave this hell. Go to Delhi and start a new life.”

“What…? Madhu…. What” Manvi was shocked by this idea and was unable to speak.

“Listen Manu. They want you to get married and ruin your life. The man, they chose for you is an asshole. He will never care about you I am telling you. He just wants a slave for his house who can serve him without any complaint. I checked his background. Of course, our smart parents don’t think it’s necessary to know a little about the person their daughter is going to marry, right? Well for your information, this is not his first marriage. His first wife left him after a couple of months of their marriage. I don’t know the reason yet, but they did not mention any of these things. They were hiding the truth. I tried to tell dad, but he did not listen. He scolded me to go after him and his family, afraid what if they find out and break the deal.”

‘The deal’. The whole marriage deal was closed with a bid of 15 lakhs rupees. Manvi’s father agreed to the amount and said no words against it. A shock for both the siblings because they did not have the money. Manvi’s father was a clerk in the state jal board and the amount of dowry is seriously huge for him. Then why did he say yes? Did he win a lottery? Did he loot a bank and never talk about it? The only detail they knew was the groom’s side wanted the amount in cash. They had more different kinds of demands too for the preparations of the marriage, where they wanted the marriage, gifts for the groom, family members, how all the guests for their side should be treated, and their return gifts. The groom wanted the cash before one day of marriage. The full payment. Why did they say yes to all of these unjustified demands? After all the brainstorming they came to know that their father applied for a loan from a local moneylender against their house. A problem for life.

Manvi was confused, not listening to her brother. The idea of running from the home was scary and exciting and full of hopes too. “Madhu. How?”

“I know…hey don’t worry. Your brother will manage everything ok. When is your joining day?”

“First week of March”

“We have 3 weeks. Cool. And your marriage date is around the last week of March. Let me think about the plan.”

Manvi said nothing. She believed her brother more than anything. She sighed and looked at her brother and smiled. “I don’t know what I would do without you”

“You always have me, sis. No matter what.”



After one week of the terrace conversation, Madhav came to Manvi’s room. Manvi was reading a book in silence and lost in the words when Madhav entered. He was too excited and sprinted toward his sister and lifted her in a tight hug. “Madhu… stop crushing me.” Manvi pushed him away from her and took a deep breath to fill her emptied lungs again. “What’s wrong with you? It’s Sunday. What on the earth does make you come out from your bed?” “Well… a full proof plan to help you run out from this house,” Madhav said with a huge grin on his face. He was very excited about the idea of her sister running away.

Manvi on other hand was scared. He looked at excited Madhav and forgot how to react in that situation. “What plan?” she picked up the book from the floor and put it on the side table and sat on her bed. Madhav moved from his place and sat next to his sister. “You will be out of this house by Saturday. And the next Sunday, my little sister will be in Delhi.” He said too loud than necessary and gave Manvi a little Heart attack by the thought of someone could hear his brother. He covered his mouth with her hand “Stop shouting Madhu. And I am not your little sister. I am your elder sister and you are making a plan for me to run away from the house. How can you be so excited?”

Madhav rolled his eyes and smile genuinely “Oh came on Manu… why not. You are going to start a new life in a new city. Away from all of this shit.” Manvi looked at Madhav, rolled her eyes and smiled “Ok…so what is the plan? How am I going to run away from my family?”

"So the plan is..." Madhav cleared his throat "you know my friend Jayesh? The one with big hair and square glasses." "Yeah... your school friend, came to see you every Saturday night for a fake study night thing." She air quoted the study night and chuckled. "Yes… That one." He grinned. "He is in Delhi. He works as a manager in a restaurant. I don't remember the name. He is coming to his parent’s place for 3 days." He stopped "And?" Manvi asked.

"Ok... Tuesday he will come to his home and go back on Saturday morning. I will take your bags and everything to Jayash Home Friday night when I go to meet him before he leaves. Saturday Morning you will get ready for your classes and leave at your regular time and wait for me at the bus stop. From there we will go to the Railway station and wait for him in the waiting room. He will come at 9:30 and then you both will board the train at 10. You will be out from Lucknow before anyone knows. Simple.” Madhav said with a huge smile.

Manvi had many doubts about the plan. What if someone saw them? What if someone saw her with Jayash at the Railway station? What if someone who knew her travelled with them and tell her dad everything? What if Jayash said no to whatever plan they are making to help a girl run away?

“Say something,” Madhav said. His eyes were searching her face for some reaction. There was nothing. Manvi was too lost in her thoughts. The idea of running away from her own family is too scary and too risky. She could not stop thinking about the aftermath of her decision. His father’s social image was like everything to him and these things are going to jeopardize everything. She was scared. She was excited. If the plan worked, she will have everything she asked for, freedom, identity, future, dreams, and a life she wanted to live.

Manvi closed her eyes for a few seconds and took a deep breath. “Ok…Let‘s do this”



Madhav and Manvi acted normal the whole week before the night came. Friday night Manvi packed some clothes and other essential things in a bag and dropped it from the window of her room open backside of the house. Madhav was there to catch the bag and started to walk towards Jayesh’s home with that. Manvi wrote a letter to her parents to tell them the reason for her actions. She mentioned that she did everything on her own and no one knew about her plan. Well, of course, she did not want her parents to punish her brother because of her. And mentioning someone else name (especially a boy) could make things worst.

Saturday Morning was normal as always. Madhav was finishing his breakfast when Manvi came to left the house for her classes (for always). ‘No extra drama with parents’ was Madhav’s instruction for her. He did not want to raise any suspicions in her Parents’ eyes for her. Manvi reached the Bus stop and waited for her brother. Madhav reached on time and Manvi hoped on his bike. They were in the waiting room on time. Madhav gave Manvi a small white colour bag, had a saree and asked her to change her clothes with the saree and cover her face with a veil. That’s why he chose the waiting room to meet Jayesh. Jayesh arrived on time. He greeted Madhav with a tight manly hug and said hello to Manvi with a nod. “If anyone asked, she is your wife. Ok?” Madhav looked at Jayash who seemed a little annoyed. “She is my wife and if we encounter someone I know, she is a stranger travelling for the first time and I am just helping her to find her seat” “Ok…it is great. You know the plan.” “Yes… and please stop annoying me with your repeating blabbering” “man I just want no problem for her and you” “I know bro…don’t worry. I will handle ok.”

Madhav turned to her sister and gave her the tickets. ”Do not contact me. Jayesh will inform me when you reach there. He will be the mediator for all the conversations.” Manvi nodded “once you reach there. Jayesh will help you to find a place to live near your office. He will handle everything. I gave him money for all the things so no worries.” He sighed and rubbed his temple with his right palm. “I am so afraid Manvi. If I have any other option, I will never send you away from me. I wish I could do something about this.”

Manvi hugged her little brother, her eyes were moist “you did everything to make things better for me. But some things just have to happen. Like this one. I will miss you Madhu.” She embraced him once more. Madhav was holding her sister like someone wanted to snatch a precious thing from him and he could not do anything to protect it. “Goodbye, Manu. I can’t go to the platform with you. Take care of yourself.” “You too brother”

“Jayesh, please take care of her. I am believing you for my sister.” “Hey don’t worry. I will update you from time to time ok. We should go or the train will go without us”



Jayesh called Madhav when they reached Delhi’s Railway station. As they knew, the search for the girl began the time Manvi’s mother found the letter in her room. Everything was chaotic and lots of assumptions are there on the table. But, important thing first. No one in society should know about that news.

Jayesh lives alone in his apartment. Manvi stayed there for two days until they found a perfect place for Manvi. The place where she lived in the present time. Ridhhi was living in the apartment for 1 year and now wanted a partner to share her apartment. Jayesh brought a cell phone and a number for Manvi he only shared with Madhav. Madhav decided their calling time. Only Madhav will call. Every Wednesday afternoon. No matter what, Manvi will never call her.

At the house, her mother handled the situation very well. They called off the marriage for the reason that their daughter was not ready. Her father did not have to take the hefty loan from the moneylender. They said their daughter moved to her grandmother’s and going to live there for some time. No one doubted Madhav for anything. Manvi was happy and surprised too by her mother’s presence of mind. Everything was good in Delhi too. She had a place to live, a well-paid job, and a room partner who is a little annoying but very sweet too.



And now, present day. She was in a cab with Ridhhi going to a stranger’s house party. They reached the venue after 40 minutes. Ridhhi was too excited about getting drunk and met her friends after a long time. They entered the building and took the lift to the 5th floor. They reached the front door and Ridhhi checked herself before entering the house. “Ready for the party girl,” Ridhhi asked with an excited tone. “Yes… I am dying for it” Manvi rolled her eyes and gestured to open the door. Ridhhi opened the door and both entered in a full-blown music crowd.

“You said it was a small get-together?”

“It is!”

“Hey, Ridhhi… so glad to see you here” A girl greeted Ridhhi with a side hug. Ridhhi accepted the hug very casually and smiled. “Nice to see you, Mayra.” They talked for some time. Manvi was observing the view around her. The music was too loud, (only for her), everyone had something to drink or eat in their hands, they were chatting and enjoying the company of their friends. Some were busy playing games arranged to increase the fun of their drunk state. “Here hold this” Ridhhi snatched her from her thoughts and offered a beer bottle to her. Manvi accepted the bottle “Thanks. This is a nice place to live.” “He has his unique taste.” Ridhhi clinked her bottles to Manvi’s and both take a sip. “So where is your friend, the party host?” Ridhhi took a look around and found the target near the coffee table cum bar, talking to someone she did not know “There. The white shirt with a glass in hand” Manvi took another sip before looking in the direction Ridhhi pointed out. She froze, unable to even blink. She gulped the liquid down her throat difficultly.

“Holy Shit”
© savii