21 The Queen of the Hearth Part 21

As soon as Mr Jaiswal and the constable left the room, Sukkhi turned to Kamal, "Now, explain." She was still not looking at Jassi but she was obviously calmer.

Kamal's mind was whirring.

"You told me that you heard Rani singing an English song in perfect accent and to ask for her papers. When you went to the morning walk today, I did just that. I already intended to though I knew she was Balvinder's cousin. I had seen her earlier but I couldn't remember where I had seen her until today. She was a student at one of the DU colleges I went for invigilation. She was not in my subject but I had seen her in a canteen. Today, when I asked her how come she is working as a maid now and why she is not ready to show her papers, she told me her story. Rani, you continue."

Kamal pleaded Jassi to continue with his eyes. Telling lies and then, some more lies to Sukkhi was hurting his conscience.

Sukkhi looked to Jassi for more information.

"Aunty, I am an English Literature graduate. My parents were coming to attend my graduation ceremony when they met with a car accident and died. I was so much in shock that I let my uncle take all the decisions for me. He managed all my property in such a manner that ultimately, he pocketed every last dime that should have been mine after my parents.

He fixed my marriage with an intelligent, handsome man. We talked a few times and I was happy to be his bride. Then, my uncle planned a destination wedding for us. It all seemed like a dream. I was happy to have my angelic uncle looking after my affairs.

But my dream soon turned into a nightmare. The destination was in the middle of a jungle and the man I was marrying was a middle-aged drunkard. I tried to escape from there but I was made to marry him on the gunpoint."

Jassi stopped for a breath. She needed time to think. She was weaving her experiences into her story. She wanted it to be convincing. She wanted Sukkhi on her side. Plus, her marriage had turned into a nightmare when Renny was replaced by Rajeshwar. She had enough real-life experiences to tell a convincing story.

"My life changed after that. I lived the life of a sex slave there. I was chained near the hearth at night. I stayed with my husband, his younger brother, and his mother. I cooked and clean and washed utensils for them. I had no way to contact anyone. There was only one mobile phone in my house and my husband used to carry it. I was called only when I was needed for something – be it work or sex. No one cared if I was sick or hungry or cold. If I ever asked them for anything, I was beaten or burnt by the sticks.

I had never cooked on a hearth or took care of household chores. So, they constantly found reasons to insult me. I soon learned that the only way to survive the place was to keep quiet and do their bidding."

Since this was true, the memories brought tears to Jassi's eyes. Her voice was shaking, her hands were shaking too.

Sukkhi could see that this girl was really terrified. She could not stop herself from hugging her and patting her head. After all, she was a mother of a daughter. How could she listen to such a thing without getting affected by it?

"After two years of torture, I found an opportunity to run away. I had no papers, no clothes, no baggage with me – not even a water bottle. I ran and ran for miles and somehow, reached Delhi on foot. Here, I contacted Balvinder uncle who contacted Kamal uncle to get me a job. Aunty, please do not throw me out of the house. Do not insist on getting me verified. I don't know if I am out of danger yet or not. I do not want anyone else to know my real identity. Please."

Jassi bent down to touch Sukkhi's feet.

Sukkhi seemed to be in a dilemma.

"What's your real name?"

Kamal was afraid. He had not talked about Jassi in front of Sukkhi ever since she had put her foot down to send the girl away.

Jassi wanted to be as true as possible though.

"Jasvinder."

Thankfully, Sukkhi could not relate her to the little girl she had seen years ago. She had always heard of her as Jassi and never by her full name of Jasvinder Kaur.

"OK, Jasvinder. I heard your story. You have been through a very bad phase. But if you were my daughter, I would still have told you to not let that incident ruin the rest of your life. You are a capable girl. You can do a good job and get your life back on track. Perhaps, you may leave India altogether and do a job in any foreign country of your choice where you can lead a safe life, a better life. Think about it. You can stay here till then. Apply for the jobs and when you find, we will buy you your ticket."

Sukkhi patted Jassi's hands and walked away.