You are a brave girl!

Mrs. Khanna came to visit Mrs. Gupta today afternoon and over a hot cup of tea she poured her heart out on the topic boiling inside her since morning. Mrs. Khanna asked Mrs. Gupta, “Do you know about Dr. Desai’s daughter, Anita?” “What happened to her?” “She got divorced. During our morning walk today, Mrs. Desai told me that Anita has left her husband for good and has come back home”. “Oh, so sad. But why did she leave her husband?” To that Mrs. Khanna meticulously replied, “No, no, you didn’t understand. Why would she leave her husband and come home?  You know how these working women of today. Who knows, she might have been involved in some extra-marital affairs. He might have divorced her for that.” Mrs. Gupta’s eyes twinkled on that enlightening.

Dr. Desai had passed away three years ago. He was a reputed doctor of that area. Mrs. Desai acted as an iron lady whenever it had come to managing the house without her husband and marrying off her youngest daughter Meera last year. All her three daughters were married and had a good life. All of them were educated and were earning handsomely too. But when her eldest daughter Anita knocked at her door three days ago and told her that she has left Navit for good, Mrs. Desai got worried. The protective mother inside her was not letting her sleep. She keeps thinking who would look after Anita after her.

Dr. Raghav Desai’s elder sister, Durga, who used to stay nearby knocked at the door. Seema, the maid, opened the door. As soon as Durga marched in, she shouted, “Manorama, where are you?” Mrs. Desai comes out to the living room and touches Durga’s feet. “What am I hearing, Manorama? Anita got divorced and left her home. Is that right?” Mrs. Desai softly answered, “No Didi, Anita and Navit have decided to get separated and divorce procedure is going on”. Durga asked, “Where is she now? Did she discuss with you before taking this decision?” Mrs. Desai replied that Anita hadn’t spoken to her before deciding. “What has happened to this generation? Have they forgotten to respect their elders? Where is she by the way?” Before Mrs. Desai could answer, Anita walks into the room. Anita asks while touching Durga’s feet, “Are you looking for me, Buwa?” Durga heaves a sigh and asks Anita, “Why did you leave your husband? And before taking this step, why didn’t you discuss with us? You had married for love, now what happened suddenly?” Anita tells her aunt that she thinks she has taken the right step. At that, Durga turns to Mrs. Desai, “See Manorama, I had told you more education would spoil your daughters. But you never listened. Now look after your daughter throughout your life”.  “But Didi”. Durga doesn’t allow Mrs. Desai to speak, “Enough Manorama, I am leaving” and leaves.

Mrs. Desai could feel tears rolling out of her cheeks. It was out of frustration for not being able to stand for her own daughter. Anita hugs her mother and Mrs. Desai starts weeping. “Why are you crying, Ma?” Mrs. Desai replies, “Who will look after you when I am gone?” Anita asks, “Where are you going?” Mrs. Desai scolds her daughter, “Don’t you dare joke about it” and smiles through her tears.

Anita comes back to her room. She looks around her, there were picture frames all around her in this room. There were pictures of her with her siblings, her holidays, her first birthday, her graduation and post-graduation days and a big framed picture of her with her dad. Anita was always her father’s favorite, eldest of the three daughters. She could remember her dad calling her, “You are my brave girl”.

When she had fallen from her bicycle and had a fractured wrist, her father had told her while plastering her limb that she was a brave girl who would be able to handle the pain with ease.  When she had gone to school wearing her braces for the first time and was teased by her school mates, she had come home crying and her mother had told her, “You need not worry about what others think about you. Be a brave girl and nobody would be able to tease you”.  When she could not secure a good grade in her second semester at college and was scared about her future, her father had reminded her how brave she was that she would do better next time. When she could not get a job after her college and was uncertain about her career, her father had again told her, “Be brave my girl. This is not the end of the world”.  During her post-graduation, when other relatives, family friends and neighbors were against her higher education, her parents and siblings had stood by her and always reminded her that she was brave enough to overlook all these hindrances. Her parents were criticized for sending their daughter for higher education rather than marrying her off as she was the eldest of three daughters.

Anita had met Navit in an overseas trip from office.  Their intellect and creative souls befriended each other and they fell in love. In spite of their different socio-economic and cultural backgrounds they fought all odds to get hitched. It was a marriage made in heavens. Her friends had always teased her that she had a fairy tale ending. Navit used to take care of her in every sense and had become her sole universe now. She could not even think of a life without Navit. When her father passed away three years ago, she would not have gone through it without Navit.  She had lost her father, her best friend. Everyone told her to be brave and it was Navit who gave her the strength to bear the loss, the pain.

                They had a good marriage.  They were married for seven years now. Four years ago, they had a son, Sashank. Sashank is going to start his school next month. Everything seemed so good but Anita only knows what pain she was going through. Anita doesn’t know how to tell this to her mother that Navit beats her. He becomes a different persona altogether when he is in rage. He throws things, kicks her, slaps her and last time he even lifted a chair to beat her. She doesn’t understand what happens to that loving and caring husband and her whole world turns upside down. She is unable to discuss about this with her friends and sisters. She can never tell her mother.

                She thinks she has taken a brave decision to put an end to all this. It becomes painfully intolerable to bear such humiliation, disgrace, dishonor and degradation and it punctures her self-esteem and pride every time. So she has taken the step to move ahead. She believes she is strong enough to fight all odds in the society. She can make a life for herself.

                Then she remembers what her father used to tell her.  She was a brave girl who can handle pain with ease. She has loved Navit with all her heart and she knows that he also loves her. They had built a beautiful life together. A faint voice jolts her from inside that she is brave enough to bear that pain for love. Whatever life throws at her, she is strong enough to embrace that. She should be brave enough to embrace that life with the person she loves. The woman inside her urges her not to go weak. But it is not the weakness with which she had loved Navit, it was her bravery which made her love Navit. She cannot let that bravery go from her. With that insight, she doesn’t waste any time, she picks up her phone and dials her husband’s number.