Read Part II here: https://www.pagalguy.com/discussions/an-anecdote-from-my-life-16898153/17844313
Are inter-regional marriages such a hard thing to digest for our developing population that they deserved to be shunned so cruelly?
Every time she was demoralized, she built up a stronger self-defense, a refuge from the ruthless world. And every time, the ruthless world came up with more efficiently ruthless ways of strangling her self-dignity. Of crushing her will-power, overthrowing her meekest of hopes.
She had hung up till now, for all her self-worth, for the sake of her loving husband, her family. But could she hang, for life?
Her thoughts abruptly hit shore as her eyes hit the wall beyond. A faint light flickered on as she flung around. She backed away, dragging the girl, as she took in the situation.
Suddenly, unexpectedly, a voice rang out, crystal clear.
“Itni raat ko yahaan par rukna theek nahi. Kidhar jaana hai madam?”
She smiled, reluctantly. Queer ironies fate has in store. Her mind reeled. Drastically different implications through the same sentence by two different persons.
“10, Station Road. Aap chalenge?”
“Kyon nahi chalenge? Sona rakhaa hai yahaan?!”
“Kitna lenge?”
“Meter jitna dikhaata hai usse ek paisa na jyaada, lekin ek bhi na kam!”
“Half-return nahi?”
“Kanoon ke mutaabik, apun log half-return 12 bajne ke baad lete hain. Abhi paanch minat bache hain. Vaise aapko dena hai madam, to apne ko koi problem nahi hai!” ?
Feeling suspicious, she climbed in. Off vroomed the cabbie, into the pressing dark. The woman, by now, was so painfully alert that every thud she heard felt over a hundred times magnified, and every bump made her look out for a purposely muffled sound underneath it. The cabbie was at his jolliest best, blabbing away to glory.
You couldn’t get a more enthusiastic guide to town, she couldn’t help smiling to herself.
His innocent aura emanated exuberance and the tension in the air dissipated away.
“Madam, lambaa rasthaa naapna padegaa. Bole toh aajkal highway 12 baje bandh ho jaata hai.”
“Chaliye.”
She settled in as the driver pulled through the lazy outskirts of the city.
The gentle breeze almost lulled her into a blissful state of semi-consciousness, till….the cabbie, suddenly, ominously, stopped his A.I.R. of blabbing. Her feeling of foreboding bounced back, greater than ever. She looked him all over keenly, but the man seemed oblivious of everything but his driving.
Crazy, eerie thoughts pooled into her mind, of what the man was capable of doing to them. She tried to push the bad thoughts away, but try as she might, they bored deeper and more gorily into her imagination…
Without warning, the vehicle screeched to a halt. The child let out a wail as she was shaken out of her reverie. Fear, cold and piercing, engulfed her veins as she braced herself for any coming onslaught…
To be continued…