11 The Queen of the Hearth Part 11

Jassi walked all the way to Gurudwara Majnu ka Tila. She had never wanted money or facilities. But ever since she was taken in as a slave by Rajeshwar, she had learned not to take anything for granted. Not even the clothes on her body.

Though Jassi was never into sports, she found that she could walk or trek easily now. She had run for over 24 hours before she stopped at Guru-Ka-Taal when she escaped from the hell. She would walk wherever she could to save money.

At the Gurudwara, she washed her face, hands, and feet and prayed to the Wahe Guru to show her the way. She closed her eyes, bowed her head with reverence, and listened to the Guru Baani until it was time for the free Langar. At the Gurudwaras, the free meals of the Langar are distributed as 'prasad' (offerings to God) to anyone who wants to partake in.

She offered to clean the premises in the evening as 'sewa' (service) and was allowed to do so. The calm and peace at the holy place helped her in achieving the peaceful state of meditation which seemed to always slip by her earlier.

The silent determination took on a glow on her face. Jassi was, of course, deep in meditation and didn't know anything about it.

An elderly Sikh gentleman came to her and asked, "Betaji (Dear daughter), is everything alright? Do you need any help?"

He looked so much like Maa and had such a kind smile on his face that he instinctively won Jassi's trust.

As Jassi opened her eyes silently, she saw that he had the same halo around his face as Maa had. The remembrance gave her peace and pierced her heart at the same time.

"Uncle ji, I am an orphan. My uncle raised me. Two years ago, I was kidnapped by someone. One day, my kidnapper told me that my uncle had got me kidnapped. I managed to escape after that but I don't know whether I should go back to him or not. I have no one else in the world."

For years, Jassi wondered whether it was a sensible move to tell your story to a total stranger at the first meeting. She was not the one to do things without thinking them through. Perhaps, it was the divine grace that made her do it.

Even then, Jassi had avoided telling the kind stranger several major portions of her story. She didn't want to scare him away by outpouring it all at once.

"Betaji, do you want me to call your uncle?"

Jassi thought about it. Maa had already given a clue to his uncle that she was alive and perhaps in danger – and right after that, she disappeared. She could not place this man in such a danger.

"No, I am not sure whether I should go back to him or not. I want to watch him and try to find him whether he really played a role in what happened to me or not. I tried to get a maid's job in his society but since I have no papers or ID with me, I cannot even enter the society. Can you help me get a job inside the Professor 's Society at Preet Vihar?"

"What is your uncle's name?"

Jassi's heart did a backflip as she shared this information with the old man.

"Mr Kamal Sharan"

His eyes lit up, "One who is a Professor at Delhi University. I know him. His son is my son's classmate. I can recommend you to him. I can also help you get your ID back. You see I have recently retired from UIDAI and I can help you get your Aadhaar card back. With it in hand, you can avail a lot of opportunities elsewhere too. Where are you planning to sleep today?"

"I think I will seek shelter in a Gurudwara for tonight."

"You can come with me. I have a spare room with an attached bathroom which I rent out. The old tenant has left and the new one has still not arrived. You can stay there for three days for free if you like."

Jassi was grateful for the offer.

"Thank you, Sir, you are very kind. But I would prefer to stay at Gurudwara – near Wahe Guru. It is so peaceful here," Jassi politely refused it. She did not want to take unnecessary risks and staying at a public place seemed safer to her than staying in an empty room at a stranger's house."

"As you wish. Here take my card. Come to me tomorrow at 10 am. First, we will get your Aadhaar card and then, we will see how to get you a job in Kamal Sharan's society.