UN-RAVEL : The inner strength.....

UN-RAVEL 31.... PERIOD....

UN-RAVEL 31...



PERIOD....



As she laid on bed crouched clutching her stomach tightly with her arms wrapped around it she cursed the entire world under her breath. Heavy weights, too many squads and running had just made the pain worse. Her back was already killing and the moment she tried lying down on her back it made her stomach contract. Cuddling two huge pillows one in her arm and another between her legs she kept pressing the cushion to her stomach for some momentary relief. As if it wasn't already too hard to be a girl the monthly menstrual cycles just made it even worse. The stomach pain, thigh cramps and back ache was literally killing Zamira internally especially as she had her first cycle after missing it for 2 months continuously.

She wished to go back to practicing her workout regime and combat but the pain just made it worse for her to even get up. She had spent long hours from the last night practicing and had abruptly stopped when she realized her monthly cycle were back. She was pretty happy they were gone for a while but even disturbed too. You know that's the thing about these cycles you might hate them but if they aren't on time you are way too worried. Now lying on her bed with her eyes forcefully shut and teeth screeching and a mink blanket over her Zamira had no idea why these cycles were causing her so much pain. The idea of racing her mind through internet would have been tempting if she wasna't way out of her strength.

After not finding Zamira in the arena practicing and waiting for a while Manik hoped into her room quite worried and confused about her absence. Seeing her sleeping made him frown but soon it was washed away as he saw her turning sides and screeching her teeth. She opened her eyes to see him but her face reflected that she was in pain which was alarming for Manik.

"Hye.... are you okay." Manik asks sitting on the bed.

Zamira pulls herself up and supports her back with the bed rest, "I am not feeling fine today. I won't be able to practice."

"What? What's wrong?" Manik touches her forehead worriedly, "You don't seem to have fever. Tell me what happened baccha."

"Um....." Zamira looks at him with her confused eyes, she can't tell him the truth but he might not be convinced without it too.

'I can't tell him. I can't. Obviously this is girls thing. Mumma told me that boys don't know about such stuff. I can't share with him. No.... No.... I can't tell him.' Were the only thoughts running through Zamira's mind when Manik snapped her out of her train of thoughts.

"Zamira, answer me what's wrong."

"Um.... My stomach is paining and back too." She said biting her lips.

"God. You scared me girl. That might be just due to training. Cramps and all. Come on let's go. No big deal."

Zamira looked at him with wide eyes here she was literally dying with pain and her excessive blood flow and all he said was it's no big deal. It is a big deal. A huge deal. For a moment she wanted to shout at him with the true reason but on another thought she didn't.

"It's not a big deal." She yelled shocking Manik, "I am dying of pain here and you are saying it's no big deal. Go away. Don't talk to me. Leave me alone I will deal with it on my own." She shouted as her mood swings came into play.

Manik was dazed by her words and tried to calm her down, "Okay.... okay.... I am sorry. I didn't know it was hurting so bad. I will get some medicine for you."

"No. No need." She shouted dramatically. "No need at all. No medicine will help me."

Manik blinked his eyes at her, as she literally behaved like a nut case at the moment, "Do you want to go to a doctor." He asked calmly.

"Hahaha..... funny. I don't need a doctor. I.... I.... I need a choco eclair doughnut. Um.... A choco lava cake. I need garlic mushroom, I need an extensive platter, spicy maggi and blue whale mojito. No... no.... cancel mojito. I can't drink anything cold get me a hot hazelnut coffee. Please......." She said and then turned to look at Manik who was completely dazed.

After a minute or so Manik sighed and bended on the bed with his one hand right besides Zamira as he looked at her seriously with a poker look, "Are you trying to prank me because this isn't seriously going to work. You aren't getting away with you practice so don't try this." He said in a serious voice which was just enough to piss Zamira off. She picked up a pillow and hit him with it.

"It's not me but you who is trying to mess with me. I am saying na I am not feeling fine but instead of being kind to me you are being mean and rude. You are so bad." She kept hitting him with the pillow till he backed off and then she threw it towards him.

"Who eats stuff like that when they are having stomach pain at least say stuff that makes sense." Manik speaks in his defense.

"This is my kind of stomach ache and I will eat stuff like this only if you can get it. Fine. If you can't. Leave me alone." Rolling his eyes and nodding his head in disbelief Manik leaves the room as he leaves Zamira cribs even more, "How can he just leave?" She asks herself. "Just because I said he left. I say so many things then he doesn't listens to me. Why did he leave now? At least get me a chocolate....." She shouted but he was gone by then.

●●●●●

"Uffff......" Manik sighs as he reaches the kitchen. He drinks two glasses of water trying to take in his daughter's attitude which was certainly off beat today though, she is way too cute but behaves kinda retarted at times.

"Are you alright Manik?" Tejaswani asks seeing him totally hyped up.

"Oh.... I wish your granddaughter let's me be alright but on second thoughts she is kinda not going to let that happen." He says in a single breath as he continues to drink his third glass of water.

Tejaswani chuckles, "What did she do?"

Manik looks at her like an innocent kid and explains her doings making Tejaswani laugh her heart out. "Awww...... she's so cute."

Manik chuckles, "And a tantrum queen."

Tejaswani nods her head in disbelief, "Just like you." She says ruffling his hair. "I will go and see her." Manik nods and sits at the dining table waiting for Tejaswani to return.

●●●●●

"Zamira....." Zamira peeks from under the blanket on hearing her name with her hair disheveled and face pale. With her glossy eyes she looks at her grandma who extends her arms and she quickly rushes into them.

"Kya hua beta?" (What happened dear?) Tejaswani asks lovingly.

"Periods." Zamira says in meek tone which is bearly audible.

"Oh.... that's why your dad is going all around the house announcing that you have gone nuts." Zamira chuckles and nods.

"I can't go and practice right now. Trust me it's not an excuse."

"I know that Zamira. It's okay beta you don't have to go." She says patting Zamira's back lovingly.

"Since when did your cycles start."

"8 months back. But I wasn't having them since 2 months and now the pain is too much to take dadi ma."

"I understand." Saying that Tejaswani makes Zamira sit properly, "Tell me where it is paining and how bad it is."

"Stomach, back and thighs. The pain is too bad. I am not even feeling like getting up. Above that it's too cold." Tejaswani smiles and nods.

"How's the flow?"

"It's too much. I mean it wasn't that much before. I don't know why my cycles stopped and then began again. Mumma told me because of stress maybe."

"Your mumma is right beta. Because of all the pressure and injury you skipped your cycles. Anxiety and panic attacks might too be the reason but it's good that you are back on your cycles and they will get normal with time. There will be some irregularities first but then slowly they will get back to normal."

"Okay. Can I work out or not."

"Good question beta. You can but not very heavy just have a normal work out regime and since you aren't feeling that well you must skip it for a day. Take full rest today, eat healthy no platters or maggi." Both chuckle. "You try to get some rest but before that I will bring something for you to eat and some medicines they will help you relax. Okay." Zamira nods.

"Thank you. I was killing my mind over all this."

"It's okay you can always ask me anything. It's so important for us girls to maintain our hygiene and health for ourselves. I will be right back and don't hesitate to ask anything. I am not that old fashioned dadi, I am like your friend. Okay."

Zamira nods frantically with a smile, "Okay. Wait...."

Tejaswani nods at her to continue.

"What will you tell papa?" She asks a bit nervous.

"Don't worry about him, I will handle him. Anything else."

Zamira nods and laying down on her lap says, "Please stay here for a while. I am kinda scared."

Tapping her head rhythmically Tejaswani looks at her affectionately, "Scared? Why?"

"I don't know. I just don't feel right." She closes her eyes cuddling on her grandma's lap.

"Beta it's okay. You don't have to be scared or worried. You are completely fine. It's just your monthly cycle don't worry."

Zamira says nothing so Tejaswani kisses her cheeks in assurance, "I am right here. Kuch bhi ho mujhe bata dena bas jaise mumma sabhi problems ko solve kar dete hain waise mai bhi kar dungi. Afterall apke mumma papa ki bhi mumma hun mai. Thik hai."

Zamira nods and smile.

"Chalo..... I will get something for you to eat now." Saying that Tejaswani gets up.

"Please don't leave." Zamira cribs holding her hand with a pout.

"Ary don't worry mai abhi papa ko bhejti hun. Aur mai bhi yahin aati hun. Okay. Just two minutes please." She says creasing her face and then Zamira nods and hides back under her blanket.

●●●●●

Manik was sitting on the kitchen island eating an apple when Tejaswani arrived.

"What happened to my drama queen?" Manik asks.

Tejaswani smacks him on his head, "Shut up. She isn't feeling well."

"Right." Manik smirks, "Stomach ache and she wants to eat doughnuts." He chuckles throwing the seed part of apple in the bin and taking water from refrigerator.

"She's having her monthly cycle." Manik spits the water out of his mouth coughing frantically.

"What?" He almost yells the word out.

"Menstrual cycle. Manik. I hope you know what it is." This time Tejaswani passes him a smirk.

"Maa....." He emphasizes.

"What Maa...." Tejaswani mimics him and turns to look at him. "Manik, that's Zamira your daughter she is growing up. You need to understand that right now here there is no one she believes and trusts more then you or maybe in the entire world (Manik gulps). Maybe like every other girl she too didn't tell you because we girls are always told that moreover she didn't have you in her life. This time, right now is too stressing for her psychological, biologically and even emotionally. There are things she can't understand about her own self which might be boring holes in her head but she can't ask anyone because girls are told not to. She needs support not only physically but even mentally. You can make her strong physically by all combats and boxing but mentally you will only be able to make her strong if you go ahead and accept her scars the way they are, accept her problems and help her understand them, help her understand herself and all the stuff that happens around the world. You have to let her fall and see her struggle too but she must know that if at any point in her life she wants you to be there you will be. She should connect to you. You will have to talk to her. Enlighten her and sometimes talk about the most awkward things. I understand it's not easy for you but it's harder for her. As a mother all I can tell you is that taking about menstrual cycle, menstrual hygiene, sex, sexual life and sexual diseases is too important. There was stuff my family never talked to me about and when I got to know about that I felt like I was left at place where I will hate myself. It made feel insecure, scared and alone. Trust me no girls deserves to feel that way just because her parents couldn't muster up enough courage to talk to her about things that did matter." She pats Maniks arm who nods understandingly.

"You are right maa. I need to understand her. But what if.... what if I couldn't." Manik says a bit scared of the consequences.

"Talk to her she will understand. Look Manik you two really don't have that normal a relationship. You took a decision to not let her be weak this is another step towards it and honestly no one knows the right way to do this because not a lot of people did it before. So no bars that you have to meet up to." Manik nods.

"Now take this hot bottle and go." Tejaswani pushes him lightly out of the kitchen.

Manik turns back to his mother fiddling with the rubber bottle, "She has grown up maa."

Tejaswani nods smiling, "Yes she has."

"She was so small and now she is grown up. Facing all of this. I am..... I am so proud of her. She makes me feel like I don't know..... I just don't know. I must have done something great in my life to have her as my daughter. She is.... she is just so..... I don't know what to say as if anything i will say will fall less. She is just perfect. Perfect." Manik says dreamily undoubtedly his daughter is the best thing ever happened to him.

●●●●

This time when Manik enters Zamira's room he could feel something else stir in himself as if he had grown today. Grown as a man, grown as a father and grown as a human. He knew that embarking on this journey wouldn't be easy. It wasn't easy for Zamira but she took the leap of faith for him and now he is going to do the same for her. Just like she has the ability to heal him he too has to heal her and for that he needs to be there as a mentor, as a friend and most importantly as her father.

He slips into the blanket besides Zamira and she turns a bit startled, "Hi...." he says while she makes a grumpy face and he chuckles in return she glares him making him stop.

"Maa has sent this for you." He says showing her the hot water bottle and then placing it on her stomach and she hugs it closer to her stomach.

Manik slips his hand beneath her head and takes her in his embrace and kisses her forehead. "Sorry. Maa told me why are you behaving so cranky."

Zamira looks at him with wide shocked eyes, "You aren't supposed to know."

Manik smiles at her, "Yes I am supposed to know. I am your dad and anything related to you is a part of my concern." He says sternly meaning every single word he said.

"Oh.... okay. I didn't know or I would have told you." She replies pretty confused.

"That's okay. You know it now so you can tell me anything, anytime. Alright." Zamira nods in agreement.

"My stomach, back and thighs are paining alot and I am not even able to sleep." She says with glossy eyes.

"Hye don't cry." He wipes few drops of tears even before they reached her cheek. "I am right here okay. Don't worry." He kisses her forehead lightly. 

She hugs him hiding her face in his chest while with his one hand he holds her close to himself and with other he lightly starts massaging her back. Soon she eases up as her back relaxes losing it's tension and she feels more comfortable. Ten minutes later when a house helper brings food Manik feeds Zamira and then makes her sleep. This time she falls asleep without any trouble. While all the while she slept Manik stayed by her side searching through Google about everything and anything he could find about menstrual cycles.

●●●●●

To be continued....


Hi..... peeps..... I know this is kinda different and maybe the least expected topic you guys would have expected me to talk about but honestly as a girl we all would have felt some kind of way as our mood swings would surface frequently and during our monthly cycles. Some where or other I hope this part got you thinking about a lot of things especially your own self. Feel free to put forward your views guys.

Menstrual hygiene is really important for all the girls please make sure that you all have good knowledge about it and do follow it religiously. Do spread the word about hygiene and do talk to someone about your problems keeping them to yourself won't  help. Take care girls.

Even through all the thick and thin every girls deserves to cherish being a girl or woman. Love yourself for what you are and be proud of yourself for going through and still being able to stand up strong. All positive vibes to you girls out there. Let's root for ourselves and each other.


Keep smiling
Stay blessed
&
For now signing off
SHIVIKA.....