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Chapter 26

“Be strong even when your bones feel like they cannot carry the weight of your soul.” [Jacqueline]

….

[Jacqueline’s Pov]

After Rohan’s weird words, Mrs. Reina found me and she took me to the principal’s office, requesting a half-day for me given my knee as well as elbow wounds. And for that I was thankful. She even helped me to hail an auto-rickshaw for home. She was too kind.

The moment I returned, I found my parents fighting. Again. I looked through the window as daddy slapped her twice resulting in her falling on the cemented floor. Her clothes were disheveled while her eyes filled with tears.

Without my permission, my feet took me over to them and I found myself standing in front of my father. I looked up to his 5’7 form.

“Please Stop Daddy. Don’t hit her.” The moment my words ended, one slap landed on my jaw and I staggered back.

Another slap landed on mom’s face but I replaced her just in time as it landed on my back.

“Jacqueline Go away. She is not having her medicines and she has irritated me beyond the limit today. Today I will make sure to relieve all ghostly souls from her. That is If she ever had one.”

Tears fell from my eyes, but I managed to glare at him. As I yelled.

“Stop hitting her.”

He slapped me again, his black eyes flooding with fury.

“Who do you think you are to scream at my face?”

“I am not paying for your school if you learn to scream in front of your parents there.”

Another harsh slap landed on my backbone and I landed on the bed.

“b****.” Another slap landed on my face as I tried to cover myself from his harsh beatings by my hands. Sometimes I couldn’t understand the concept of respect in elders.

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‘Are we supposed to respect someone who physically abuses us? Just because he is paying for our bills? Can money make people so powerful? Can age make people respect them? Whatever it was! I couldn’t possibly hit my father back. Since he had done so many things for me.’

“Get up.” He yelled through gritted teeth and my body immediately followed his command as if to protect itself.

He glared at me.

I glared back at him.

He sighed,

“Jacqueline Make sure she has her medicines. I am a**igning you this duty to get her to have her medicines. And if you fail, you and she both will see hell.”

My body shuddered at his threat. But I still maintained my gaze with him. Sweating started. Daddy hated people who were not courageous. So I faked, squaring my shoulders I uttered one word.

“Okay.”

He left the room creating the noise of banging of the door. While I helped mommy up.

“Are you okay?” I asked hesitantly.

“No. Everyone wants to kill me. You are one of them too. Huh? Aren’t you?”

“You neighbor I am your you neighbor, we ate biryani for a few days together. Did you forget?”

Slowly her eyes moved on my body and recognition flooded her eyes.

“Oh. Leila. He wants to kill me.” She placed her hand on my lap while I ma**aged her scalp.

“He cannot hit you, now I am here.”

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In response, she only cried harder, clutching my hand in a death grip.

2 hours later, she had finally stopped crying.

“I am hungry.”

“I will bring the food for you. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“But first you have to eat these medicines.”

“No God has ordered me that as his messenger I can not eat medicines.”

The aching in my forehead increased and I nodded at her with a smile.

‘Guess I will just have to add the medicines in the food.’

…..

2 hours later…

The polluted cold smell of fresh air of Delhi fills my system and I look around. It’s 5 pm, and the orange sun is enveloping me in its color. I kept my eyes on the street, watching as a few cars pa**ed by creating white noise. I cough hard as the dust settles inside my nostrils. Besides a few cars, that pa**ed through the road, there seemed only police personnel, returning from their training. Their marched steps together fell in my ears as I tried to avoid them. ‘Police always gave me creeps. And I didn’t know why?’

‘I guess it must have been related to their uniform and the kind of power, it provides them.

The street corridor was enveloped by some higher rank official’s home as well as some shops. Particularly traditional. Then again it must have to be because they were government quarters. As I walked forward, a large banner, printed in blue “Shree women’s Gym” caught my attention and I smiled.

Finally, I found it. I have been pleading with Nikki, since last month that to enroll in the gym. But she a confident girl always neglected it. Saying,

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“We are beautiful we don’t need to go there.”

However, today I kind of preserved my courage to go to one and inquire about fees and everything.

The entrance didn’t seem to be particularly eye-catching. Just a small metal door, that I opened from outside. Which leads to a small walk-in area surrounded by a beautiful green garden. It was beautiful. Whoever she was she organized it quite amazing.

Then came three brown gates in my view. And deciding on one, I pressed the doorbell. A young boy who appeared just a year or two younger than I appeared as he led me inside.”

And the next second a chubby yet slender woman in her late 30s arrived.

As she led me to her office, through the area of the gym. There was nothing extraordinary. Two electronic treadmills, a cycle, a criss-cross trainer, a tummy twister, few dumbells.

Smiling she jotted down my body’s measurement.

“What’s your age dear?”

“17 aunties.”

“Oh. I am sorry, then you should come next year. We don’t allow people less than 18 years here.”

My hands clenched tightly in disappointment but I still managed to smile at her.

“How about fees?”

“You will know next year, dear.”

“Oh. Okay.”

I returned home as the sunsets another light rises. The moon.