don't let me down . . . anuseena post-marriage

the other sister

Anushka entered the empty house with a long sigh. Her parents had gone to meet Nandita and she alone. Running a hand through her hair, she walked to the kitchen looking around to cook something even though Haseena and Anubhav had told her to order something to eat. Checking the cupboards for any packets of maggi, she gave up and opened her phone to order something. Just then her phone rang, it Karishma calling, probably just to check in.

"Hello bua." she said picking up the phone with a tired look.

"Hello beta, tu ghar agayi na?" Karishma asked from the other side of the phone.

"Hanji bua, bas khaana manga rhi thi phir padhne baithungi." Anushka said while Karishma tutted from the other side of the phone.

"Dekh vaise toh bhabhi bhaiya hame kehke gaye hai ki shaam ko ajaye tere paas taaki raat ko akeli na ho tu, lekin aisa kar pure din bhi akeli baithke kya karegi...mein driver bhijwati hun tu ghar chali jaa, vahan pe ruk ja Pushpa Ji aur Arjun ke saath. Pushpa Ji ne rajma chawal bhi banaye hai aaj toh" Karishma said referring to her son while Anushka smiled slightly.

"Chalo thik hai phir, mein ek raat ke kapde pack kar leti hun" Anushka said, getting up.

"Haan karle, mein 10 minute mein bhijwa rhi driver." Karishma said and disconnected the call.

Anushka jogged upstairs to her room with a wistful smile as she walked through the silent hallways of her house. She passed Nandita's room and peeked inside. Looking around the empty room she felt a wave of nostalgia wash over from when her and Nandita used to share the same room because of how close they were. Until one day eventually Nandita decided that she didn't anymore and threw her out of the room as soon as she started 10th grade. She walked inside, the floorboard creaking underneath her school shoes. 

She saw some of her old novels she had left behind. Nandita used to love to read so much, but then she stopped reading after Anubhav and Haseena refused to buy her more books because apparently they were distracting for her studies. Nandita had gotten into a big argument with their parents that day but the girl hadn't even touched one of her old novels ever since. She looked at Nandita's old badminton racquet, her fairly old guitar her old art pieces she drew as an immature 9th grader. Everything she stopped doing, because their parents claimed that all of these were distractions from her studies and she should stop. 

Anushka felt her heart ache for her sister. She could always understand where Nandita was coming from. Every new little thing Nandita tried was always met with rejection from Anubhav and Haseena because they were distractions. But Anushka understood how everybody needed these little positive distractions to keep themselves away from the negative ones.

Her eyes went to the discarded cigarette butts lying in the dustbin along with a broken syringe. Tears welled up in her eyes at that. Anubhav and Haseena refused to clear out the bin, thinking that it would be a disrespect to Nandita. Anushka sniffled but shook her head, wiping her tears as she walked out of the room, closing the door softly behind her.

She walked to her room and opened her cupboard throwing in a few clothes inside her duffel bag. She quickly changed her uniform and walked back downstairs, waiting for the driver to arrive. In the meanwhile, she grabbed herself a packet of chips from the kitchen since she was hungry after the tiring day at school.

She opened her phone and scoffed at how neither Anubhav nor Haseena had even bothered to drop her a text message. It was a weekday, and Nandita wouldn't miss her classes for the world so surely they were free right now and the least they could do was drop her a message. Anushka loved her parents and her sister, she really did but she always felt overlooked with Nandita. She knew how even Nandita was overlooked when she was also the good obedient kid. The only time Nandita got attention from Anubhav and Haseena, it was unwanted one. Because she was being a rebel.