MANAN FF: THE PROMISE

Chapter Nine

"How dare  you slap my son?" The lady yelled at Nandini which brought a confusion to Manik. He left her for sometime and she slapped someone. Manik offered a helping hand to Nandini  but she refused and got up by herself. "Do you know what your son did?" Nandini asked the lady while brushing off dirt from her clothes. The lady said nothing but she was still huffing.

"I even punched this man." Nandini said and pointed  towards a man who had a swollen face. Manik's eyes widened in shock but he was amused to see her fierce nature. "Who do you think you are. I never slapped my son so who gave you the right to slap him huh?" The lady roared. Manik's blood started boiling on seeing the behavior of that lady. "That's why...if  you would have slapped him, he  would not misbehave with girls." Nandini said  and Manik urged to strangle the two men. He had concluded that they might have misbehaved with Nandini. "You're a lady and you are beating a man?  You should act like a lady." The lady said. " Okay then tell your son to behave like a man." Nandini retorted immediately.

"What did those two do to you Nandini?" Manik asked while eyeing the two men with a murderous look. "Ask them to tell everyone about their deed." Nandini said. "We did nothing." One of the man replied. "So she hit you for no reason huh? " Manik taunted.  " we were just teasing  her for staying with a man for all these days." The man said. With that people started blaming her and calling her characterless.  Manik could not believe the cheap perception  of his own people, he kept looking at them. How could they tarnish a girl's reputation like that? He glanced at Nandini and saw her look at them with a blank expression on her face. All of a sudden, he wanted to chop those people head off.

"This is what children who don't  have parents behave, they have no one to care for them and to discipline them. NO one teaches them what is right and what is unacceptable. " A lady uttered bitterly. Manik scoffed not believing that a woman was degrading another woman. "Excuse me but according to you what is not acceptable?" Manik asked the crowd. "Whatever she has been doing with you behind the closed doors and that too being unmarried." The lady said and made a disgusted face. "What do we do behind the closed doors?" Manik asked the lady.  "How would we know...aren't you ashamed to ask all these from us? " Another lady said. "This is just what I want to point out. You are not aware of what we really do behind the closed doors so you should not be judging us and you should not poke your nose in our matter. Just because we stay together in the same house  does not mean we are crossing our limits and it is not your place  to decide who is wrong and who is right." Manik roared and the crowd got startled.  They always used to taunt Nandini blaming her for being orphans and she never used to answer  them. Today also they had expected her to keep mum but, there was someone to speak on her behalf.

"You said that she is an orphan and there is no one to guide her...trust me whatever she does is far from what you all can do. She looks after the children whose parents are dead or abandoned them. She gives them shelter, feeds her like a mother,supports them like a sister and protects her like a father. While you are pointing fingers at her cursing her, she is being a family to those orphans. She is no less than a goddess and you are tagging her as a characterless woman. How can a woman disrespect another woman...you all should be ashamed of yourselves.  If I see any finger pointed at her or anyone cause any trouble to her,he/she will face serious consequences." With the power and authority Manik  was threatening the people, Nandini got shocked.  He was ordering them as if he was their prince who could slaughter them right then and there. However, Nandini felt warmth and pleasure reaching her heart. She never had anyone defending her but when she saw how Manik was protecting her...her heart skipped a beat and a smile got plastered on her face.

After warning  the crowd Manik looked at Nandini and found her grinning like a fool. He shook his head and looked for hia guards who were disguised as common men. Manik silently ordered them to capture those two men who teased Nandini. Soon, the crowd got dispersed and Manan went home. Manik  found  a change in Nandini's behaviour, she would look at him every now and then. Whenever Manik's gaze caught hers, she would look down shyly. Her face had turned into a pink shade which enticed Manik.

"What's wrong Nandini? Why is your face pink? " Manik teased  her. The pink shade now turned to red which brought a smile on Manik's face. "Nothing..." Nandini replied looking in another direction. "You are looking at me but when I catch you...you look away." Manik said. "No you must be mistaken." Nandini shrugged her shoulders making him laugh. "Oh really is that so?" Manik asked. "I will go and look for the children." Nandini ran away from there.

Manik started pondering about the incidents that took place in the market that morning. How could they mistreat Nandini like that?  No one ever dared to come to him and call him by vile names then why Nandini? They approach women instead  of men because they find it easier to humiliate them. They could have blamed me for staying with an unmarried girl knowing that I was the one who recently  came here but NO, they blamed Nandini.  His palms turned into fists and he had decided to shut their mouth.

He got up and went outside to look for Nandini. His anger immediately melted down on seeing his lady love dancing in the rain with the children without worrying about the mud, getting drenched or her getting ill. She was just a carefree soul enjoying her life with people who value her. He got out of his daze on hearing Aadrika's stern voice. The latter scolded  the children and Nandini and ordered them to get inside. Nandini lowered the eyes feeling embarrassed on the fact that she was scolded by Aadrika in front of Vibhu(Manik)....the man who has been messing with her heart and mind. The man whom she started liking. She rushed inside but to her dismay, Manik followed her. "Nandini." He called her making her stop but she she did not turn. "I need to talk to you." He continued. "Wait for me...I will just go and change." Nandini answered and moved towards her room. "What's really wrong with her? " Manik murmured looking at her retreating figure.