“We have been relieved from a lot of burden because of that incident, are not we? My marriage has been performed with a suitable guy for which we need not expend any money at all. We need not bother about your and our brother’s education as those people have given lot of money also to us. Otherwise we used to feel worry very much how to fulfil these obligations as our dad’s salary is quite low, is it is not?”
“Of course, that much is true.” Sailaja said. “Just because of that whatever happened on you is a right thing! Those bastards must have been jailed or hanged for what they did. We were compromised and did not let it happen, that was indeed a mistake on our part.”
“Sexual urge at that age is very much in boys and when they found me in such a vulnerable condition, they just could not control themselves.” Charita said “Even after getting benefit by their gang-rape, why should we feel angry like that on them?”
“Can you, can you really take it like that sister? I am still feeling too much of angry on them.” With gathered frowns Sailaja said.
“Difficult, very much difficult to feel like that but I am trying.” Charita said. “It is very much difficult to have a positive feeling while remembering, how they raped me one after one after pinned me to the bed so. But I am trying to do so remembering those psychiatrist’s words.”
“Bloody hell with that psychiatrist. You don’t force yourself to do anything that you don’t want.” Sailaja once again became angry.
“I have to do that not for that psychiatrist’s sake but for our sake.” Charita smiled a little. “Sooner or later I have to go and live with that rogue. I cannot avoid doing that forever because I am his wife. If I don’t do that, he may file a petition for divorce.”
“He never can do that if he remembers what he did to you with the other two guys. There is always a chance to you to go to the police station and give complaint against them. Then those three will be either hanged or imprisoned for lifetime.”
“Rape or gang rape cannot be proved after long time.” Charita laughed. “Even now also it is a difficult thing to us to prove that rape and book a case against them.”
“There are witnesses who saw what they did to you and they always come and give evidence against those.”
“They may change. Anyhow a question does arise why did not I give a police complaint immediately? If I want to give a complaint against that gang-rape, a doctor has to examine me and certify that there is it. Why did not I do it immediately?”
“Sister what you are trying to say ultimately? I just don’t know what to suggest to you.” Once again there was confusion and distress in the face of Sailaja.
“I want to force myself to think in the way that psychiatrist said.” Leaning back in the sofa Charita said. “To solve all the problems, that is the only way.”
“My god! I just don’t know......” Sailaja was about to say something but then their brother Chandan came there. “What brother? What happened? You are appearing haggard!” looking into his face Sailaja said. Charita also opened her eyes and looked at him.
“Why the bloody hell you went to that place on that day? Why did you give such a chance to those rogues to do that ghastly thing on you?” looking angrily into the face of Charita he yelled.
“I think you are talking with perfect sense. Did sister know that those guys do like that to her there? How you can talk like that even after knowing about everything?” Vinathy also became angry.
“Why did not you fight enough? How could you let them do it to you so?” as if he did not hear what Sailaja said, Chandan once again yelled.
“You scoundrel! How disgustingly you are talking!” Sailaja got off from the sofa, went near to him and slapped him with her right hand on his right cheek with all her might. “She let them do it so to her? Bastard, how can you say like that? She is all alone and quite less in strength than even one of them. They were three, each of them quite stronger to her. What she could do when they overpowered her and committed that atrocity? To be frank, I am feeling more disgust on you than those three guys also.” Sailaja never has become that much angry.
“Its alright, Sailaja. Someone would have said something derogatorily to him and he got angry.” Charita sighed heavily. “I can understand a brother’s situation and it is just out of frustration. I know how much love and affection he has on me.”
“You are absolutely right sister!” Chandan cupped his face in his both palms and broke out. “They said you knew that they would come there and only to get something like that to happen on you remained all alone in that place. If you want you would have escaped from them but to get all these benefits you let them do that to you. The retaliation on your part was just nominal and you just did not mean to fight against them for preventing it.”
“Scoundrels! Who are those? Tell me first.” Sailaja still was very much angry.
“Don’t ask about their details dear” Charita said, came near to Chandan and put her right hand around his shoulders. “Don’t worry yourself with what they said. The present option that we have is; we have to make terms with the past and go ahead in our lives.”
“Sorry, sister. I am very much sorry. I just could not control myself and said that like that to you.” Looking into her face, Chandan said. “I really like you a lot and you too know about it.”
“You need not tell me about it as I myself know it very well.” She put her right hand fingers in his hair and ruffled it. “Just feel happy that our problem solved. Now both you and Sailaja can do whatever you want. In one way what those people said also is true. We have benefited by my gang-rape.”
“No, sister. Please don’t talk like that.” Putting his right hand across her mouth Chandan said.
“Its alright.” She removed her hand from his shoulders and looked into the face of Sailaja. “Now I want to go to my friend Malathi’s home.”
“Did I hear it right! You want to go to that Malathi’s home?” Sailaja’s face was filled with shock and Chandan also was just in such condition. “Her brother Neelan is one among those three rascals!”
“How does that affect my friendship with Malathi? You know very well for how long we both have been good friends. I just want to go and talk with her.” There was a fixed expression in the face of Charita.
“But she did not come to our home even for once after that incident.” Sailaja said again.
“She just could not. She has been feeling very much guilt as her brother is one of the gang-rapists against me so she cannot dare to face me. So I myself have to go and talk with her.” Charita determinedly said.
“I just don’t know what type of remarks you have to face if you go like that to his very home.” Chandan said reluctantly.
“I don’t want to bother with the remarks made by the people who have no work but to make unnecessary remarks. I want to go to my friend’s home, I shall go.”
“May I also come with you?” Sailaja asked her.
“You need not. There is lot of work to do in the house, please attend to it.” Moving away from there, Charita said. But before she crossed the threshold Babitha entered into the house and Charita stopped.
“Sister wants to go to her friend Malathi’s house.” Sailaja said.
Babitha looked into the face of Charitha with a shocking and surprising expression and Charita nodded her head. “Yes, mom. I want to go and talk with my friend. I want to get a change in me as that psychiatrist suggested.”
“Its alright dear. But please don’t be too late to come to home.” Babitha suggested to her.
“I shall be in the home before dad comes. You don’t worry.” After saying so Charita crossed the threshold and moved away from that place.
***
“Don’t you want your close friend to come to your home? What is the problem?” looking into the shocking expression of Malathi, Charita asked her with a smile on her lips.
“I just.....” Malathi did not know what to say “.........first please come inside.” She gave her the way to come into her home as she did not know what to talk with her.
“Who it is Mala? One of your friends?” Malathi’s mother Annapurna came there and her face also was filled with shock as soon as she saw Charita.
“I just cannot understand why you both are feeling shock like this! Is it is the first time I came to your home like this?” Charita asked looking into the face of Annapurna while continuing the same smile on her lips.
“It is not at all so dear.” Annapurna came near to Charita and hugged her. “I never have thought that you can pardon and come to our house again.”
“What you both did to me that I have to pardon you?” mocking a surprising expression on her face Charita said.
“Its alright, mommy. We both go into my room and talk there. You take coffee and snacks for us both.” Malathi took Charita’s right hand into her right hand and led her from there into the room nearby.
“Where is Neelan? Is he is outside?” once settled on the edge of the bed in the room, Charita asked Malathi.
“Don’t ask about that rogue. I stopped thinking about him.” Malathi said angrily. “After his doing such a thing on you, my real feeling is just to kill him and I am feeling very much guilty as I cannot do that.”
“He is not the only guy who did that so to me and one of those three is my husband now.” Charita smiled. She was feeling surprise as she was not feeling rancour on those three guys as she used to “I am myself trying to forget that episode and excuse those three guys and my coming like this to your home is just a first step in that. I can understand how much you do like me but your feeling angry like this on him does not help the situation.”
“It is just your greatness you can think like that Charita.” Malathi paused for a second before saying again. “But you just don’t know from how much of a big problem you saved us! If you have given a complaint against my brother, those people just have broken the engagement and I don’t know whether any other family comes forward to make me their daughter in law knowing what my brother did.”
(……….to be continued)
(I hope you enjoyed it so far. Please don’t forget to rate and review it. I update the next chapter as early as possible.)
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