"Happy Married Life, Shivya Pathak" I weakly smiled seeing my condition, mangalsutra dangling in my neck, vermilion in hair and both hands filled with gold bangles.
"Come out quickly or do you want me to break the gate," my husband knocked again...
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I paused when I heard someone hiccups, I turned and walked towards the sound only to find Devi curled near one of the pillars of the near the garden crying silently covering her face.
I lowered myself on the knees in front of her and put my hand on her shoulder "Devi" I called her name and she jerked my hand. I lost my balance but controlled myself from falling.
She gasped when she noticed me, her eyes were filled with tears and face was red from crying "Shawry" she hiccuped more and I cupped my hand between her hand and wiped my tears "Devi, it's okay. You don't have to cry. Calm down".
I wiped her face with the pallu of my saree "Shhhh, stop crying. Devi" I sat down on the floor pulling her in my arms. She hiccupped for a few minutes and then went silent.
My heart thumped in my chest as I thought something happened to her but she clutched my saree in her hand "What happened? Why were you crying here?" I asked.
"Shivya" I jolted up only to notice Dadi standing a few metres away from me with Ruh. "Leave her right now" she said and it took a minute to understand she's talking about Devi.
"Dadi, aaram se boliye woh waise hi dari hui hai" I said getting up as Devi held my hand tightly but she was glaring at me like I just committed some kind of crime by touching the little girl.
"Humne kaha dur hataiye aap uss bachi se" she said again. I didn't understand why she was getting angry over? Before I could say anything Gauri, Devi's mother came and practically snatched her from me.
(I said, move away from that girl.)
"Yaha kya kar rahi hai tu?" She screamed at her daughter and the little girl flinched. "She was crying sitting here alone and instead of taking care of her you are screaming at her" I asked ignoring Dadi's eyes on me .
(Yaha kya kar rahi hai tu?)
Gauri stiffened "She has a habit of crying over everything, please don't pay attention to her, Badi Bahurani ."
"Take care of her and if you need then take leave today" Dadi said and there was little softness in her eyes until her eyes shifted from Devi to me "I have some work from you come with me"
I nodded taking a last glance of the little girl's face I walked behind Dadi ignoring the sudden pain waking in my chest. I entered in her room behind her and she sat down on the chair.
"What was that?" she asked, "you were hugging that girl."
I felt the heat rise to my face, my hands twisted nervously into the pleats of my saree, "She was crying," I said. "What was wrong in comforting her?"
"Everything," she replied, "Do you even realize who her parents are? Which caste they belong to?"
The words hit me like a slap. So that's what this was about. It wasn't about a hug but about invisible line that ran between Devi and the rest of us-drawn long ago by people who had decided that worth could be measured by blood and last names.
