The sullen sky was still drizzling. Dark winds danced from one tree to another, one branch to another. It was a cold night. Genelia was reading the same line, a hundred times now. She was reading her chemistry book. The chapter was solid state. But her gaseous mind was strolling out into the liquid air. Possibly searching for an excuse. An excuse for not studying. An excuse for going and sitting awhile in her portico which overlooked a narrow lane. But, her strict mom will never allow this. She was supposed to study now. It was merely 8 by the wall clock.
Genelia was in her 11th standard. Grown up teenager. But she hated something. Something as in being matured. Being grown up. But she knew, she has to face this. She has to understand her responsibilities. She has to stand with her mother.
It has been almost a decade, her father had left them and had chosen a different life.
A different life. Yes...the one where Genelia and her mom was not fitting anymore. Mr D'costa, the manager of the Axis Bank had a literate surroundings and even more literate secretary, Miss Rehana.
Well, she was too young to know all these back then. But with flying time, she had to face the reality, know the unpleasant truth which happened years back.
Since then, a simple house maker, Mrs D' costa had to take up the responsibilities of her growing daughter and herself. It was her little family. Her arduous hands had worked day and night, stitching clothes, making crafts to sell in a shop nearby and many other such diddy jobs to earn her living and feed her little child.
A tough life for a woman who was in her late twenties back then. Lusty eyes gazed at her body as if she was a prey to suffice their hunger. Hunger for lust. Hunger for filth. Yet, she never paid much heed to these. She knew, she was amidst a battleground, and here the only thing she learned was, either do or die. She cannot back out. She was an orphan. No parents to support her. She was married off by her maternal parents. But they too were ignorant of her plight.
Years passed and Genelia grew up. She too had dreams. She too wanted to be a government officer. But she was scared of the world. Scared of the reality. Scared to step out alone. She was too dependent on the woman who never allowed even air to tickle her beloved daughter. She was her life.
But who has seen the future? We don't even know what awaits the very next moment. Genelia never wanted love. She was scared of guys. She had a fear locked up in the deepest cavern of her heart. It was a fear of betrayal. A fear of broken trust. She had seen her mother weep in the silence of the nights. She never wanted this. But she too fell prey to love.
One evening, she was walking back home from her Physics classes. Suddenly, she kicked a stone and was about to fall down on her face. But right at that very moment, a hand came and held her firmly. She felt as if she was floating in mid air. She looked up after a while to see, a pair of keen eyes was gazing at her. Those two eyes were magic. They were hypnotic. The seventeen year old girl was no more in herself. She was flowing with the brook. The brook of love. Yes, she fell in love with the guy who held her firmly. She wanted to hold his hands. She wanted to kiss him.
Hello madam, are you ok? A strong masculine voice brought her back from her fancy wonderland. Yes!! I am ok. Thanks a lot. Somewhere deep within she was willing to ask his name. Ask his WhatsApp number and many more stuffs. But she somehow managed not to. And to her surprise, he himself revealed many things. Hi, this is Kunal. I have recently shifted to this locality. Do you also stay here?
His words and his voice were so enchanting that she again lost herself in some distant dreamland. Hello!!! You alright? Asked Kunal. Yaa yaa...I am sorry. Yes I do stay here. Where are you staying? She asked. I live in that yellow house. Mr Chaudhary is my landowner, said Kunal. Aaah!! I know him quite well. He is my neighbour. Replied Genelia.
Well, that's cool. Come, walk with me till you reach your place.
Conversions began. Friendship brought new colours to those conversations. Kunal was an engineering student and he was in his 1st year.
In a couple of weeks, the colour changed again. And now it was red. Yes, Kunal brought a red rose for Genelia, one evening. Genelia, despite of her promises, went ahead to hold his hands. Her old promises which she made for her mother were replaced by new promises which were made for Kunal. Yes, she became selfish. Her choices and priorities changed. She never wanted to sleep with her mom anymore. All of a sudden, she needed privacy. She behaved like a stranger in no time.
Mrs D'costa, understood that her daughter had deviated from her track.
One night, after dinner, she asked Genelia to wait for her in the living room. She had something important for her.
She frowned because she desperately wanted to go and talk to Kunal over phone.
After a couple of minutes, Mrs D'costa came to her. She began, Look Genie, I know you are hiding something from me. I have faced a life you would never want for yourself. I wanted you to focus only on your studies till you achieve the final goal. Next year, you have your boards. She was interrupted by her obedient daughter. Oh Mom!!! I am a grown up girl now. I very well know my work. Please don't bother me over this. You are fiddling with my privacy. Give me some space for myself.
She buzzed off in a blink to shut her door.
Mrs D'costa felt numb. Her world was about to shatter once again. But she muttered to herself, Oh Lord, help her out. She has lost her track.
In another couple of months, Genelia changed more. Her attitude spoke a lot about the happenings in her life.
One day, Kunal wanted to plan a warm date for Genelia. He took her out at 6 in the evening. First they went to a restaurant to have some food. Then Kunal asked Genelia to spend some time with him in a closed motel room. They can have the utmost privacy and zero disturbances. Genelia wanted to smell all the frangrances of life. She drank alcohol with Kunal and then they went into a motel.
Four hours later, they came out. It was sharp midnight. She looked exhausted. She had lost her childhood to Kunal.
She was happy to experience her adulthood. The rosy essence of teenage lingered through her blood stream.
Mrs D'costa called her for more than a hundred times. She didn't receive. Actually she was busy flying in the world of pleasure and thrill. She was busy kissing her adulthood.
The sound of the gates opening made Mrs D'costa aware of her daughter's home coming. Her light nap disappeared and she stood at the door. Where were you? She enquired. Please mom, dont spoil my mood. Don't worry. I am fine. Saying these lines, Genelia went to her room and closed the door.
Few more months brushed through. One day, while in school, Genelia felt waves of vomiting calls from within. She puked a couple of times. She even missed her menses. Now she was worried. That evening after school, she dialed Kunal's number. Hello, spoke Kunal. Hey, baby I need to tell you something. I puked a couple of times today and though my periods should have arrived by now, I missed them. Kunal paused for a while. Then he spoke. Listen baby, I got to go now. Have some work. I will call you back at night. The call got disconnected.
She came back home but didn't utter a word about all these to her mom. She kept waiting for her cell phone to vibrate with Kunal's name on the screen. But he didn't call anymore.
The next day, she puked again. She told this to her friend Garima. Garima suggested her to buy a pregnancy test kit to get a confirmation. She did accordingly. She went to a pharmacy and got a kit for herself. She hid it inside her school bag and straight away went inside the bathroom as soon as she went home.
She read the instructions and acted accordingly. She was shocked to discover that she was positive. She rushed to her room immediately to call Kunal. But Kunal's number was not reachable anymore. She kept trying. For an hour. But all in vain. She was feeling cheated. She felt as if her world has been shattered. At the same time, she felt guilty. Guilty for misbehaving with her mother. That too for a guy who kicked her out when she needed him the most.
Finally, she decided to confess to her mom. She went up to her mom and poured her heart out to her. She weeped like anything. Mrs D'costa was speechless. Immediately she got her admitted in a nearby hospital to get the baby aborted.
But she didn't scold her at all but told her just one thing, Dear, I am glad you learned facing things. This will help you throughout your life. You lost a year. Now study well for your boards. Mumma is with you. Don't worry. Everything will be fine.
That day Genelia understood, no one in this entire world can replace a mom. She hugged her and cried her heart out. She promised never to deviate her focus again.
Years later, Genelia D'costa is posted as the District Magistrate of her city. She decided not to marry anyone. She has adopted a baby girl and is living her respectful life as a single mother happily.