A Sew Through Time [Banbudh And Budbak]

4: The lake must be calling

Loud chattering from downstairs interrupted Khushi's nap. She scurried downstairs and stealthily peeped into the little bar. Her stepmother was drinking and talking to random men. The stench of alcohol hung in the air.

"Woke up early?" Aditi noticed her wiping her eyes. The barking of dogs grew louder nearby.

"You're louder than those dogs!" she sneered and she studied the men. They were bachelors in formal attires, drinking and cracking jokes.

"Go work" Aditi instructed.

Khushi felt that it would be the best to do, to divert her mind by work. She walked into the kitchen sill and began scrubing the dirty plates and empty beer mugs in the sink. One of the mugs reflected her sleepy face, scattered into multiple squares.

For a moment she felt she had been adopted solely for chores.

The drunk woman entered inside the kitchen. The door of the fridge flung open as she searched for a can. One stood in the door shelf. She opened it and chugged it down like some prophylactic medicine, slowly mumbling,

"The night air's bad for me"

Khushi heard the fridge close and left. She could interpret these signs. Back in her bedroom, she pulled out her school bag under the desk and packed it for next day. She pushed the water bottle into the net; her lunchbox consisted od Maggi which she had prepared in the afternoon, with packaged sauces gathered from the bar.

The big science book sat on her desk. It made her bag much heavier after she put it inside. Taking out all the books except for maths, she put them back in and weighed it on her shoulders. It was bearable.

When she went downstairs again, she noticed stepmother drowsing in the kitchen. Her head rested near the drawer.

"Woman?" She nudged her.

She continued snoring.

Filling up a cup of water, she sprinkled drops of it on her face, making her groan,

"Can you stand up?"

She grabbed the kitchen sill and balanced herself up, moving out of the kitchen with the can in her hand,

"Later beta"

Half an hour later she saw her standing near her door. She lit a cigarette and strode towards the veranda in her room, later returning and sitting on her bed,

"Studying?"

Khushi flipped a page.

"Where are your real parents?"

"I don't know" she lied, drawing eyes and swirls in her Hindi notebook.

"Hmmmmm. Where did you live in the first place?" She inquired, feeling the alcohol push up from her stomach.

"I said na don't know!" she repeated, trying not to sound harsh. Though she avoided her, she had some sympathy for her after she had shared about the incident.

Aditi folded her legs up on the bed which creaked.

"I'll go sleep now" Khushi closed her book.

"It's only nine pm"

"I'm tired"

Aditi sighed. Standing up, she almost tripped near the door still mumbling,

"I know you hate me..."

Khushi didn't reply to her blabbering. The woman was not the likeable type, selfish enough to make a ten year old scrub plates and mugs, dust the ceiling fans and wipe the floors clean. Her room was too small to make herself of it, she wore the clothes of her dead daughter. It was ethical to be grateful for such basic needs, but she had expected better.