Beyond The Golden Skies

♛ 22: Rumination •

Sakshi didn't realise the passage of fifteen days since the assault. She rearranged all the furniture in her room- pushing the bed to the other end, shuffling her books and revamping her wardrobe. She discarded the previous bed linen and curtains that reminded her of the traumatic evening. Her energy plummeted, her breaths getting heavier every passing minute.

Lajo offered company and comfort when nightmares jolted her. Though the external marks healed, the emotional scars stung her like a swarm of black bees. Her tendons and ligaments ached profusely.

Udayveer laughed it off, glorifying Hemant as a one-woman man. He asked her to toughen up and not breathe about it outside. What hurt the most was that Ayush didn't answer her calls. In his eyes, she was a disloyal traitor who broke his trust. Or that's what she assumed. She thought of asking Darshak, or Gaurav or Vinnati to talk to him, but brushed the thought. It would be a waste of time, for he already chose not to believe her. She felt horrible about hurting him but was disappointed that he didn't give her a chance to explain.

The morning sun barely touched her sore eyes. From behind the iron bars of her window, she stared at a pair eagles soaring high beyond the golden skies.

"Beti?" Lajo's voice startled her. She entered the room, holding a bowl. "Get up for a moment."

Lajo spread a dark blue bedsheet and gestured at her to lie down. "I've prepared a special oil for you. It will make the pain vanish."

Sakshi breathed in the pungent smell of mustard oil with crushed garlic cloves. Stretching her legs, she rolled her head back and sighed.

"You don't have to do this, Aunty," she said with a tinge of guilt.

"I want to," Lajo said, pushing Sakshi's skirt above her knees.

She dipped her wrinkled fingers into the bowl and slathered warm oil over her calf muscles, ankles and feet. Her fingers worked wonders, pressing and massaging her painful legs. A wave of relaxation rushed through Sakshi. She closed her eyes and rested on the pillow.

"By the time I finish this message, you'll feel better in no time."

"Thank you so much, Aunty. Did Barfoo drink his milk?"

Lajo nodded, her eyes glinting with a blend of care and rage. "Did Kumar Sahab confront that Hem-"

"Babaji didn't ask him a word."

"He must tell him something. If he doesn't, Hemant will continue this behaviour even after the marriage."

"After seeing what he did, you still want me to marry him?"

"What he did is wrong, but he will change after the wedding."

Sakshi held her hand and moved it away. "You suffered from an abusive husband. How can you be okay with this?"

"Honestly, Hemant is a hundred times better than my husband. He is obsessed with you. That obsession will slowly change into deep love."

She bit her lower lip with a distressed glance. "He doesn't care about my feelings. He only wants to control me. That is not love!"

Lajo remained still for a moment, then spoke in a monotone voice. "Do you even know what is love?"

"Love is what Ayush and I have, I mean, had."

"You're still in touch with that boy?"

"Not after the so-called engagement."

"I'm relieved to hear that. Men like him want to lust after a girl, get her pregnant, and cheat her."

Sakshi clenched the bedsheets, her veins popping out of her neck.

"How ironic it is! A gentleman like Ayush is labelled a cheat, whereas the monstrous Hemant is a good guy."