Nitya

The familiar scent of simmering vegetables and fresh herbs hit me as I step inside the kitchen.

Shrutiji pauses from chopping the vegetables and smiles at me when she sees me entering the kitchen. "How was your class today?" She asks, her voice warm and welcoming.

I smile back at her. "It was good. Exhausting, but good."

Walking over to the counter beside her, I also grab a knife and start slicing through tomatoes.

For a while, we work in silence, the only sounds being the gentle clicks of pots and knives on the cutting board.

I try my best to be in the present, but time and again, I find myself getting pulled to that dark time in my life. That disgusting man, who has been frequently in my mind recently, making me anxious, wondering if it is some kind of foreshadowing. If something very bad is about to happen.

"What happened, Nitya?" Shrutiji suddenly asks, and I jump, startled into the present.

"It's nothing," I reply, my voice low.

I know she knows what Uday did with me. After all, everyone in the family knows. But I haven't talk much about it with any of them,

"You can tell me if you want," she says, her voice gentle and encouraging.

"I try to push it away, you know." I take a deep breath, blinking back my tears. "But it's always there, at the back of my mind, never fully forgotten. And then, it suddenly creeps up on me, like it did today, making me feel trapped in that moment when it plays in a loop in my mind. I feel powerless when that happens."

Shrutiji sets down her knife and turns to face me fully. "Nitya," she says softly. "What happened to you was terrible. That vile man did something that you were unable to fight against at that moment. But you are not powerless anymore. You are taking control. You are learning to fight back."

I swallow hard, quickly wiping the tears that escape my eyes. "There are times when I wonder what if I can never escape it. What if that memory always kept haunting me?"

Shrutiji steps closer and wraps an arm around my shoulders. "Judging by how strong you are, I'm sure you'll be able to escape it, Nitya. Just give it some time. Okay?"

I nod, finding comfort in her presence and words. "It's not only about escaping it. It's also about punishing him. He is still out there. Perhaps bidding his time to get to me or trying to make another girl his victim. He needs to be stopped, Shrutiji."

"We'll make sure to stop him," she says, her voice firm now. "He will pay for all his crimes and he will also regret ever hurting you."

I nod again, giving her a watery smile as I feel a flicker of hope light within me which chases the darkness and the powerless feeling it had brought along.

I am about to thank Shrutiji for her reassurance, but before I can say anything, Namanji enters the kitchen.

He glances at me and smiles at me before turning his attention to Shrutiji. "Why aren't you letting Maa and Chachi get a maid?" He asks her.

Shrutiji shrugs and returns to chopping vegetables. "They were fine without a maid when Nitya was in the house with them," she says, not bothering to look at Namanji. "But now, suddenly, they need one?"

Namanji sighs. "I know they have been wrong in many instances. But Chachaji called and-"

"I don't care, Naman," Shrutiji interrupts him. "I don't care who called you or said what to you. You know how I feel about your mother and aunt. It's only because of you that I....," she pauses, briefly looks at me, and shakes her head. "Anyway, they can try and do the house works without a maid. Only then, they'll know how unfairly they treated Nitya."

I'm touched by her attempt of taking a firm stance for me, but Namanji looks unsure.

"Is this really necessary, Shruti?" He asks.

Shrutiji's gaze drops to the knife in her hand, and I watch as she runs her finger slowly along the sharp edge, her gesture deliberate, almost casual. "Do you want to deal with them on my own way then?" She asks, her voice such that it sends a chill through me.

Namanji's gaze flickers to the knife before darting back to Shrutiji's face. "Anything but that, Shruti. I thought I was clear to you."

Shrutiji sighs. "If only it weren't for the deal you made with me." She takes a deep breath and looks at me for a moment before turning to Namanji. "Nitya was in the village for about two months. So, Maaji and Chachiji will have to survive without maid for at least two months. After that, I'll not stop anyone else from working there."

"Okay. I'll allow it because I know you are not wrong," Namanji relents, rubbing his hands over his face. "I'll talk with Chachaji about it."

"Did you also talk with him about the other thing? He knows he made a mistake, doesn't he?"

"He does. He has also said it won't happen again."

"And what about Daksh? You know what he is up to, don't you?" Shrutiji asks, and I have absolutely no idea what they are talking about.

Namanji's face tightens in the few moments of silence that stretches following her question. "I know all about it, Shruti. Don't worry much. Okay?"

Shrutiji nods at him and he steps out of the kitchen.

After he leaves, Shrutiji resumes chopping the vegetables. And for the first time, I notice just how refined her knife skills are. Each slice is precise, smooth, and controlled.

"What was that all about?" I ask her, unable to keep my curiosity at bay.

"Don't worry about it, Nitya," she tells me. "Some things are better left unsaid."

*****

After lunch, we settle into the living room-me, Yash bhaiyya, and Dhritiji.

"Are you okay?" I ask Dhritiji, shifting in my seat to face her. "You have been a bit quiet since that day at the picnic."

"I'm fine, Bhabhi," she tells me, her voice soft. "I really don't want to talk about it anymore. Just want to forget."

I nod immediately. "Okay, if you say so. But you can always come and talk with me if you want."

"Thank you, Bhabhi," she says, smiling at me.

Yash bhaiyya, who is sitting across from Dhritiji, gives her a look but doesn't say anything. The glance from him wasn't something I could fully understand, but it lingers between them for a second longer before they avert their gazes.

I frown, a little confused by their unspoken exchange. But before I can ask them about it, something else catches my attention.

"Bhaiyya!" I gasp, reaching for his hand. Deep nail marks ran across the back of his hand, red and angry, as if something sharp had clawed at him. "What happened? How did you get hurt?"

He shrugs it off casually. "Oh, nothing. Just a wild cat attack."

Beside me, I hear Dhritiji suck in a breath, and I fully understand her reaction. She must also be worried as I am. After all, who would not be concerned about a wild animal attack.

"Those nail marks look more like they came from a tigress than a wild cat," Dhritiji chimes, her voice having an undercurrent of something I cannot quite place.

Yash bhaiyya smirks, gazing at her. "It was just a wild cat, Dhriti. And I have tamed her now."

Dhritiji raises an eyebrow, her lips twitching. "Tamed her, huh? Or maybe, the tigress only took a few steps back to attack more vigorously?"

Yash bhaiyya chuckles. "Well, I'm ready for her then. I now know how to handle her. In fact, I think I might even enjoy the vigorous attack."

I look between the two of them, thoroughly confused by their back and forth. The way they have been speaking made no sense to me.

Also, why would Yash bhaiyya want to fight a wild animal?

"Bhaiyya, please don't go looking for a trouble. I don't know if it was a wild cat or a tigress, but both sound dangerous to me," I tell him, my brow furrowing as I wonder why would he enjoy an attack from those animals. "Be careful. Otherwise, you might get yourself seriously injured."

Dhritiji chuckles softly, looking at Bhaiyya with an amused glint in her eyes. "You should listen to my Bhabhi," she says with a smirk. "She is indeed right. If you are not careful, you might really get seriously injured."