3 The Queen of the Hearth Part 3

Every morning, at 3 am, she would get up to milk the cows, do sweeping, take bath, make tea for everyone, make dung cakes, wash clothes and utensils, cook for everyone, and run every errand she was asked to. She endured the cruelty with a stoic attitude.

In the beginning, no one talked to her. Everyone bossed her around but they were afraid that she may lash out one day. Her beauty and her education intimidated the barely-literate family and they used to find ways to insult her by asking her to do things she had never done. They used to find faults with everything she did and slap her, kick her in the stomach, or even beat her with a stick but she never cried again.

Slowly, they understood that she was sufficiently broken and people relaxed.

The mother-in-law even used to let her eat scraps of the delicacies once the entire family had eaten. She used to smile to show her gratefulness and eat quietly. She never made demands. She never complained – not even when she was locked naked inside the windowless room.

No one knew what she did in the room locked alone for 3 to 7 days and no one cared! There was tap inside the room and a hole on one side of the room that served as her bathroom too. Nothing else. Not even a bedding. She had the same status in the house as the guard dog or the buffalo or cows they had. She just didn't have a collar on the neck – and that was only because she looked after the household chores.

Then one day, Renny came to meet Rajeshwar.

"I want another one for my younger brother", Rajeshwar said. "Just like her", pointing to Jassi, "She is good." Renny looked at him. Jassi wanted to run to him. She wanted to hug him and slap him. Love, hate, anger, disgust were just some of the conflicted emotions that put her mind in a whirl. But Renny looked at him as if she was a 'thing', not a living person.

"Look, Mr Rajeshwar. It's difficult to find another one like her. Her parents were already dead and her uncle was happy to have her off his hands. She is beautiful and educated and was easy to tame. Today's girls are not like that."

Last of Renny's words faded.

'Her uncle was happy to get rid of her. Was he in on the plan too?', Jassi's last ray of hope died.

Somewhere, she had hoped that one day, her uncle might turn up here. That when he came to visit her on his customary yearly trip and did not find her at the PG she was living in, he might lodge a missing report in the police and somehow manage to find her.

But perhaps, it was a delusion too. Was her life an elaborate dream? Is she hallucinating about everything happening to her? Jassi could not fathom that her uncle could do this to get rid of her. Couldn't he ask her to earn for herself? Couldn't he just say that he could not support her anymore?

"Did my uncle ask you to sell me here?", Jassi looked straight into the eyes of Renny.

Everyone's mouth fell open. She still spoke so fearlessly. At least, she was quiet and not shouting. They let it pass.

"Are you HIS man?", Jassi asked again.

"I am anyone's man who pays. Now, you can go. I am here to discuss business with Mr Rajeshwar", Renny waved his hand dismissing her.

Jassi walked back to her hearth. She was asked to make pooris for the guest. As she rolled the little balls of dough, her eyes started watering up. She now knew Renny's business. He will seduce another girl and sell her – just as he did with Jassi.

Perhaps, he had already seduced one – ready to be sold to Kameshwar – the 48-year old man and the younger brother of Rajeshwar. He was one of the men who helped Rajeshwar change her status of being a 'good girl' on the bus that night. Now, he would often grope Jassi whenever he got a chance but he never pulled her inside the room for she was his 'Bhabhi' (brother's wife) now.

Renny broke her trust. Her uncle chose this way to get rid of her. Another girl will soon be brought in to this land of monsters. Jassi's eyes grew hot and red with angry tears. She sat facing the hearth to hide her face from everyone. The guard dog of the family, Shera, her only sympathetic friend here came and licked her face but the mother-in-law came with a stick to drive him away.

"Ram, Ram (Dear God)! Who let Shera loose? He is walking into the kitchen. Jassi, go. Wash your hands and face first."

Jassi got up dutifully. Scrubbed her hands and face with the soap and water and went back to the hearth. The oil in the deep frying pan was boiling hot now. No one was paying attention to her. The old woman was dragging Shera out the door. Suddenly, Jassi used the cloth to pick up the deep frying pan and threw it on the face of Renny and Rajeshwar.

Kameshwar and other people were not at home. The old woman was stunned.

Jassi picked up the biggest knife she had and ran to her. She recoiled terrified of Jassi. Jassi ran straight out of the gate and shouted, "Come on Shera! Run. Run."

Somehow, Shera understood what Jassi wanted and followed her at full speed.