365 DAYS 365 TALES

A Woman Named Titiksha

I stared at the woman before me. Though I knew her very well, the one before me looked like a stranger. Nothing like the woman she was years ago.

Anyone who had met Titiksha then, would never be able to recognise her now.

Long black hair, that were once shiny and soft lost their beauty. She loved to colour them brown and let them free, allowing them to dance with the wind, but now they were tied up in a tight plait and covered with a veil.

The colourful varieties of bindi were replaced by a round red one of a small size.

Her eyes that always twinkled with happiness now reflected nothing but void. The lively brown eyes that complimented her dyed brown hair became dull puffy ones. Dark circles were permanent residents below her eyes. They told the story of the hectic life that she was unwillingly living.

My gaze then fell upon her cheeks, the right one to be precise. There was a scar. She did a good job in hiding it with makeup, but it did not go unseen by me.

One single scar was a sign of numerous painful stories.

I immediately looked up to her eyes that welled up with unshed tears.

"Why?", I asked her with a pained expression.

A tear rolled down from her eye, followed by another. Her lips trembled as she tried to speak. I noticed that her moist pink lips had turned into dry colourless ones over the time.

"Why?", she asked the same question and sobbed closing her eyes tightly.

My heart clenched.

She was definitely not the woman I knew years ago. Definitely not the Titiksha I knew.

Titiksha was a girl whom one would describe as 'full of life', a girl who had happiness following her like a shadow. She was a combination of bold and beautiful. She had a weird habit of singing songs given any situation. 'Its a rare talent, that only special people acquire', she would proudly say.

It was obvious that her habit of singing songs would turn into her ambition of becoming a singer one day. Her parents were very supportive initially, but something triggered their minds to change the decision once the proposals started flowing. Being the eldest sibling in a family meant sacrificing their dreams for the sake of the younger sisters as per the Indian society norms. And Titiksha did just that. She sacrificed her dreams, along with her life and her voice.

"Doesn't a mother-in-law resemble a mother?", she opened her eyes to look at me, "Then why does she torcher me everyday? Why does she insult me in front of everyone? Of all the people in the world why did I get such a mother-in-law?", she asked as tears flowed down. It was a challenge to speak.

"Maybe its her way of showing love.", I said, sadness evident in my voice.

She was surprised by my answer but did not say anything about it and continued. "My husband.. my husband doesn't encourage me to work. But then.. what about my dreams?". She was constantly clenching and unclenching her fists, trying to control her outburst. Some habits don't change..

"He doesn't want to burden you more than what you are capable of handling. With all the household work, you'd get tired." I tried to reason out.

She let out a dry laugh hearing that.

"I.. I don't want to start a family right now, is it so difficult to understand that?", her sadness was gradually turning into anger. "Why have I got such a life?", she shouted pulling her veil down, and held her head in her hands.

"One day you've to start a family, then why not now? Starting a family means giving them a happiness that cannot be measured. Only you are capable of giving them such happiness. It should be considered as a privilege, why to postpone it?", I asked.

"And what about this?", she lifted her head and pointed towards her scar, tracing it with her finger, "What about this?", she slowly whispered.

"It must have been by mistake.", I mumbled looking down.

"Of course", she replied and I immediately looked at her.

I knew she was going through hell. It was like her soul was being sucked out brutally, but she has to understand the bitter truth. There was no point in fighting back. They were her family and she must accept them the way they were.

"How long should I suffer? I don't want this life. I don't want to die like this everyday. I don't want this life.", she broke down again hiding her face in her hands.

"Remember what mom said while you were leaving for your new home? 'Titiksha dear, you're not just a daughter anymore. You're a wife, a daughter-in-law and the pride of another family. There may be many hardships in a married life, it is common, but remember one thing, a woman has to adjust'. Now it is your time to adjust, Titiksha. Don't disappoint your parents. Think about them. Think about your sisters and brothers. Don't hurt them and bring disgrace to your family. You're strong. You have the patience to endure anything and everything. Just like your name suggests."

She took a deep breath and raised her head. Slowly she nodded, understanding me, but her tears didn't. She was tired of all this, I know, but she must accept it.

"Titiksha!", a elderly feminine voice startled me. She quickly wiped her tears dry and applied a little power to hide her tear-strained face. Before leaving, she glanced at me. 

"You're strong. You can do it.", I whispered to my reflection and rushed out of the room.

***

This story is from our guest author nevereternity