You Belong With Me

25. RADHIKA

Radhika 9 years old

Usually I used to go to sleep before papa is home but today I stayed in their room because I had to do holiday homework with mumma's help.

It was my worst decision because right now I'm sitting in bathroom hugging my knees to my chest.

The voices- no the screams that are coming from the other side of the bathroom door are so brutal that I couldn't manage to stay there so I locked myself in bathroom, here it is nothing but dark.

I'm scared, I'm full of fear. The person who should be a protective figure in a woman's life is the only one who hurts her no matter she's his wife or daughter.

I sometimes wonder if I were I boy I'd have not endured all this. I sometimes wondered that could it be possible to just leave all this and fly somewhere else with mumma so that she don't have to bear all this?

After some minutes when I thought the monster left, I quickly opened the door. I saw my mother sitting on floor in a corner. I went to her only to see her face swelled up and all the five fingers of his hand splayed on mumma's cheeks.

It's been a week, sometimes he used to beat her, sometimes he threw things on her, somedays he used to talk to none and sleep quietly.

The other day I heard dadu and chachu ask him to quit drinking but he didn't listen to them, he drinks and pours down all his anger and frustration on my mother.

It is unbearable I know but whenever I try to help my mother she stops me and says
"It's for your own safety bache. He's not leaving me what is the guarantee that he'll spare you?"

----

Today is Rahul's birthday, mumma and I along with him came here to wish Rahul and attend his birthday party.

After the celebration, all the elders sat down to chit chat and all the children were playing, I was with Rahul and suddenly Janaki didi, Rahul's adoptive cousin sister came to us and said,

"Radhika, hurry up, your parents are leaving they asked me to call you."

"Wait, they won't have dinner?" Rahul asked.

"I don't know." I told him and left.

After we reached home, papa dragged mumma into the room by grabbing her arm so tightly that I was sure I could see fingerprints next day.

He threw her on bed and said
"What do you think you were doing huh?"

"I just replied to his comment, what is your problem."

"Comment?? He was fucking flirting with you, and you...you were enjoying that huh?"

"He was not flirting, he is my brother-in-law what happened if he teased me a little bit?"

"Teased? You were liking it so much yeah?"
He asked unbuckling his belt and wrapped it around his fist.

"No no I swear to god-" mumma's voice turned into a scream when belt hit her flesh.

"This is my type of teasing, you like it, no?"

"Radhika, don't stay here, go." She told me, not caring about the fact that he was hurting her.

"No mumma, I can't leave you like that!" I yelled and put all my strength in pulling Papa's arm that was clutching the belt away and tried to free it from his grip but it was in vain as he threw me in a corner.

"Radhikaaa...are you okay bache." She traced a hand on my face where my father's ring left a scratch.

"Sanjay, I didn't even utter a single word till now but if you hurt my daughter I won't keep quiet."

"First of all she's our daughter. Second of all, What are you gonna do huh?"

"I will divorce you."

"Oh yeah, where will you go then? To the brother-in-law with whom you were acting all lovey dovey."

"I'll go anywhere but if you ever try to harm her in any way then I'll ruin you!."

"What do you mean you'll ruin me huh?"

"I know about your affair." Papa's eyes went wide after listening to this.

"Don't you dare-"

"Why should I keep quiet haa? Let people know that Sanjay Shekhawat the known businessman is nothing but a piece of shit who has extra martial affairs to satisfy himself and that he walks on the path of domestic violence whenever he is not happy with his life decisions!"

He didn't say a single word after listening to mumma and let his belt talk. It swung in the air before meeting my mother's skin again and when it landed oh her skin the tip of it touched my stomach too because I was just beside mumma.

The sharp stinging pain ran all over my body just by the touch of that leather belt and my eyes filled with tears, I wondered how mumma would have endured all this.

----

Months passed, whenever someone used to see what papa had done to mumma they advised her to divorce him, they said he's a monster, he indeed is.

Mumma on the hand denied she said it'd not be good for me to be raised by a single parent and that I deserved the love and care of both. But I wanted to tell her that there was no need of the love which I'd get after my mother is beaten up.

He was sometimes good with mumma but he was good with me whenever I was alone, all his anger and frustration were poured on my mother only. I used to be his prey only when I tried to save mumma.

It hurts like hell to see the woman who gave you birth getting beaten up, getting slapped, kicked, thrown away like she's a nothing. He made my mother feel disposable in every way possible and I would never forgive him either as my father or as a human being. I'd never be able forgive myself either, afterall it's my duty to save her, but sitting in the bathroom and crying is what I do. Sometimes I wonder whether he failed us or I failed my mother.
TO BE CONTINUED IN NEXT CHAPTER
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