Sitara Khanna, a twenty eight year old librarian, is an acid attack survivor. With a half burnt face but a heart full of determination and calibers to survive in the world, she missed a certain element in her life. Love.
Yash Chaudhary, a twenty ni...
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It was a fine Tuesday morning when I was busy stacking up the books. The dinner on Saturday concluded on a happy note where John informed me how we could catch up on a movie date ince he is back from his work trip for he had a flight to catch the next day. I agreed nonetheless for Rosaline kept on glaring at me.
Therefore, I had a date planned on the upcoming Sunday!
I was humming a tune when I turned around to see my boss with his lip in a thin grim line. Followed by a smug Urmila.
"Can I have a word with you, Sitara?" Kunal, my boss, asked me. Kunal was a jolly man in his early fifties who had been a father figure to me ever since I started working here seven years back.
"Sure, boss." I gave him a nervous smile. He guided me to his office on the ground floor.
"Do you remember you had a new child last Saturday who rather behaved a little insensitivily towards you?" Kunal sir asked me. I nodded my head. He kept on calling me monster and his mother stood their in an awkward position with a hint of disgust in her eyes. Nothing out of normal.
"She filed a complaint against you. She says her child has been having nightmares ever since he had been to the library." Manju Sharma, the co-owner of the library said.
"It would not have had caused a trouble if she was not associated with the MLA of the area. They are creating a pressure about dismissing you from the library." Manju informed me with a sorry expression.
I was numb.
After my matriculation exams, I was running around to fill the forms for colleges. One unfortunate day, as I stood at the bus stop beside a woman twice my age, two men on bike rode infront of us. The woman beside me saw the acid attack coming and ducked down, having no idea about how I stood directly behind her. The acid flew into my face burning the right side of my face, completely.
It burnt. I writhed in pain as the attackers fled away. The public were aware enough to put water on my face until they got me to the hospital. My parents were called. Surgeries were done. Complaints were filed. But my physical features only detroited.
Now, I had my left side of the face intact while I was missing an ear on my right side and completely disfigured skin, too. I could not stay out in the sun for long, or I'll burn. I can't touch the cosmetic products or I'll loose my synthetic skin. I can't go on dates for men think I am ugly. I can't walk freely in public without being stared at.
And now, I couldn't even work in the library. Even though I had a professional Bachelor's degree in Library management and science. Not even Kunal was qualified enough to work in the library, more than me.
"Don't worry. I negotiated with the authorities and we have slight changes in the plan. You'll still be working here. But at a different floor." Kunal Sir pacified me.
"Yup. You can work in the adults section and continue your story telling classes on Saturdays and Wednesday. I'll send Rubina, the current librarian at the ground floor to help Urmila. You can govern the ground floor." Manju ma'am smiled at me.
