Tara and Jamuna continued serving for Mr. Ramsingh, the hotel owner. He was cruel; He used to treat Tara and Jamuna like trash and if a single mistake wouldn't be tolerated. He used to scare the wits out of the young girls or even use physical violence. Moreover, Ramsingh used to feed the girls half of the leftovers of the customers and didn't give a damn about them. Tara and Jamuna felt tortured and traumatized from living their life this way. But what could they even do? They were just a pair of underage, helpless young girls.
After more than three years working for Mr. Ramsingh, Tara overheard him taking to two strange people in black suits, "I'm so tired of employing these useless orphans. I would rather hire someone more sensible than these two girls now. You are free to do whatever you want with them, just make sure the price is satisfactory for me."
Tara was shocked and scared after she heard them. No, she could not live like this anymore. She was an underage but still a sensible 15 year old young girl now. She would not let these people manipulate her again; she wasn't as naïve as she looked anymore. Tara knew for sure her master wouldn't just let her quit, so she planned to run away. At first she herself thought that she was crazy, but was there any other choice? It was worth a shot.
The next day she met Jamuna in secret and told her about the plan. Jamuna was 17 now, and she didn't see any point in trying to run away, "It's pointless Tara. We were just destined to be here. And what would we even do if we run away, beg in the streets?" Jamuna said, a little annoyed. Tara knew the real reason she didn't want to accompany her was because she was scared, scared about taking the risk. Jamuna saw the look on Tara's face and stoked her cheek. "Tara, you are my only friend here. You're like my own sister; I don't want to lose you. I would say to drop the insane plan but if that's what you want to do... go for it sister. You have my blessings. Lead a better life than me."
Tara was stunned to hear that from Jamuna but before she could reply, she heard a loud crash from the hotel owner's room and could only hug Jamuna before making a run for it. Jamuna's eyes were brimming with tears; threatning to spill any second. She held them back, for her Tara.
Tara ran way from there as fast as she could. She couldn't bear to live there anymore. She thought about Jamuna, and vowed to make something out of herself. She took a long look at the city, and started to brainstorm a idea.
She was about to deem herself crazy and back off when she thought of something—her mother had taught her all about cooking and experimenting with the various ingredients because mostly they had no food and had to make do with what they had. Tara started wandering along the streets of Kathmandu and found an old lady in a cafe and started working for her. She begun earning her livelihood that way and lived comfortably for a while.
---10 YEARS LATER---
Tara came back home from the meeting and picked up her phone, "Hello? Again?! I just signed the contract!... Okay, fine I'll do it tomorrow... Thank You!" Tara was a lot busier these days. She was the CEO of a huge company and a part-time writer. She was respected as an Empowered and a Brilliant woman in the society, but she was still the same old modest Tara we knew. She still really missed her old friend Jamuna.
After having a cup of coffee, Tara realized she had gotten a letter... from Jamuna! She hadn't heard from her in ages. She set the cup on the table and unfolded the letter quickly. It read--
Dear Tara,
I've heard a lot about you lately. I am so happy and proud of you! I always knew you had it in you to do this stuff. Well, me? After you ran way, I felt a little guilty about letting you leave on your own but seems like you made it big. Our master kept mistreating us and was obviously a little pissed off about you leaving but still wanted to sell me off. The night before he was about to sell me, I thought about you and ran away. After I turned 18, I began taking jobs and right now, I am the owner of a daycare named Tara, the stars. I really miss you and would love to meet you in person. My best wishes to you, sister!
Love,
Jamuna.
Tara teared up a little after she read the letter. She rescheduled her whole day to meet Jamuna. The women instantly jumped at seeing each other and caught up with all the years they missed.
--continue??--
YOU ARE READING
Empowered
General FictionTara has gone through a lot as a kid. Her parents are dead and she was abducted by some strange people to work for a hotel owner. But will she find the courage to escape the miserable life and lead her own?
