NEVER IN A FOREVER (Manan)

71

Nandini

“What the hell are you speaking Manik?” Dhruv roared. I flinched. This was the first time I saw him angry. After mom slapped me.

“Isn’t it true Dhruv? Only if I lifted her call that day, only if we knew she escaped, only if we took better care of her, she wouldn’t have ever fallen in love with him or she wouldn’t have been assaulted” Manik said, his voice so distant and cold.

“You were busy, no one expected her to actually escape from house for a party that was not even held up in a pub but a damn cheap apartment that was decorated like a pub, a fucking warehouse” Abhimanyu immediately said.

“Stop” I mumbled, knowing Manik is blaming himself, no one could convince him for not saving his sister that he couldn’t lift the call. He didn’t lift but that was not the thing that he’d blame himself.

Everyone snapped their heads at me.

I stood up, freeing myself from Manik’s hold and looked at everyone who were looking at her now.

“Why are you blaming yourself?” I asked him.

“I didn’t lift her call, only if I did,” Manik said, clenching his hands.

“And you?” I asked Mukti.

“I shouldn’t have tagged you along, that worsened your case” She said, her eyes filled with regret.

“And you?” I asked Abhi.

“I couldn’t protect you, not from our parents, not from those assholes,” Abhi said, his eyes slightly teary.

“You guys need to understand that everything won’t be in our control, you can't protect us all the time, things will happen. I might got ra*ed too and Abhi wouldn’t know till morning if Mukti was harmed, so be happy that I’m safe” I said to Abhi.

Him and Manik clenched their jaws at the thought. I shivered at that thought. I was so close to it, but no one needed to know that, they should come out of their guilt.

“And you, you were just a teenager Mukti, you were excited to meet your boyfriend and you wanted me to accompany because my parents weren’t there and Abhi was busy, your thoughts were good, but imagine if we didn’t went there, you wouldn’t know the truth and you couldn’t save Soha without knowing what was happening there” I pointed at Mukti.

“And you Manik Malhotra, no one is stopping you from taking the guilt, but you weren’t at fault. You didn’t answer the call because you thought she was in the house and it might be a mistake or if she wanted a small thing” I glared at him.

He nodded his head, like it was his intention. I took a deep breath.

“That night, none of you had an idea that Me, Mukti and Soha were sneaking out, none of you. If you had any idea and didn’t save us, then it will be your mistake. But none of you thought we would do that, it was a mistake on our parts” I said, everyone was looking at me keenly.

“Manik, No one shall blame themselves or even us trust me, just because we wanted fun and wanted to go out and have the excitement of sneaking out is not our mistake either. She didn’t got raped because you didn’t lifted her call or because we sneaked out” I said, my voice shaking at the end slightly.

Everyone flinched at my harsh words, but they needed to get this into their heads. The faster the better.

“She got assaulted because the men assaulted her, if they didn’t have wrong thoughts and forced her, she wouldn’t have got forced or would have got hurt. They were the ones who did it Manik, it was their mistake, it was their mistake that they thought they could rob a girl’s soul and break her” I said as tears streamed down, but I didn’t stop.

“Soha is hurt, she is hurting there, so are you guys that you can’t save her, but she is alive, we will heal her, we will make sure she is fine, and the guys who did that, they might do it again, I’m sure they did it by now, another few women would be assaulted by now, many families and women are broken because of them, if you want justice for Soha and want to get rid of it, get them justice, make sure they are dead, they have to think hundred times before they could think of doing something like that” Everyone were crying at this point.

“Soha needs love and affection, not rehabilitation, she isn’t a drug addict to go there, she was hurt, she is seeking for help and for love, that’s what she needs to stand on her feet, not hiding and sitting in between mad people, locked away from the world” I wiped my tears roughly, my voice filled with rage for the guys who thinks it is okay to hurt women by assaulting them, just for some damn adrenaline.

“I want Soha on my reception maa, your two daughters are going to celebrate, she will be there at her elder brother’s reception” I said in a no nonsense tone.

“The guys will get punished, women will heal and get saved, no one should point a finger at the women or her family because she got assaulted, it’s the sin of the guy who did it, no one, I repeat no one should blame themselves for what happened because if me and Mukti didn’t went out there, Soha would have been killed by them, she is alive, there is still hope for her life” I said clearly, hoping they will understand.

“Women and Men, none of them are weak, the one who attacked the other one first was the one who wanted to show they weren’t weak, and no one should blame themselves for the victim but the one who attacked. Do you guys understand?” I asked, looking around.

Everyone nodded their heads. Manik was the first one to get up and walked to our room without a word, his hands fisted on his sides. He is going to break things or hurt himself, but he needs it at that moment.

“I’m so proud of you baby doll. I love you. You are strong” Abhimanyu said, hugging me tightly.

“I love you too bhaiyu” I whispered, hugging him back. Mukti joined the hug a few seconds later.

“Go sleep in guest rooms” I muttered, breaking the hug.

“Okay momma,” Mukti teased as they left.

Dhruv hugged me.

“Thank you Bhabhi, I’m confident that Manik will move on now, he definitely will if you are by his side, I love you” that guy cried. I patted him, trying to comfort him. I’m sure even he suffered from it.

He left after a few minutes. Maa was crying while papa was having the look of realisation on his face.

“Both of you, I know she is your daughter and you blame yourselves, but I want you to know she is a warrior, she is fighting there in the cell, trying to escape because it is filled with her screams and tears where no one could help her, we are going to bring the old Soha back, the one that didn’t met Harshad at all” I said, kneeling in front of them.

Maa kissed my forehead, followed by papa.

“Your parents are idiots and I pity them, they can’t experience your love or see how strong you are, we are so proud of you Nandini, you did it so well, you are our little warrior too” papa said and maa agreed.

“Now, we are going to go meet Soha tomorrow, not for invitations okay?” I asked them and they nodded their heads.

“Now kids, off to bed” I said playfully, getting up. They laughed before they left for their room. Locking the main door, I walked to our room, dreading to see what is going on inside.

I got freshen up in the guest room before going inside.