It was the last day of her deadline. Gauri was extremely worried and on tenterhooks thinking about whether her mother would be able to send the money that day. 4 days had gone by in a jiffy. Kanika had maintained a stony silence all throughout these days. She was smug in the knowledge that Gauri’s noose was tightening around her neck by the hour! One of her ‘boy-friends’ had offered her Rs.25,000/- for the beautiful and smart Gauri. He was part of a prostitution racket which was flourishing in the name of an ‘Escort Service.’
They were always on the look-out for vulnerable, beautiful and needy girls. They had no qualms in exploiting them. None of the girls had ever dared to expose their racket or inform the police. After all it was their reputation that was at stake too! And 90% of these girls came from highly respectable and affluent families. Video films of these hapless girls in compromising positions were recorded on handy-cams and they were blackmailed endlessly into giving in every time that they demurred or rebelled!
At 4 p.m. she got a phone call from her Mom’s cell-phone saying that she was half-way on her way to Pune in an Asiad bus. Gauri was highly relieved. She would be freed from that vicious Kanika’s clutches at last! She prayed fervently to God for her safety. She’d never again indulge in mindless splurging on shopping sprees.
At 5 p.m. she got another call from her Mom saying that the bus had suffered a breakdown and they were waiting for another bus to come by.
At 7 p.m. Kanika broke her silence to tell her that that day was the last day of her ‘virgin’ life. The next day, at 8 a.m. sharp, Ranjit would come and pick Gauri up for their rendezvous. Gauri broke down as she realized that she would be trapped in life-long misery and exploitation. After all the dreams that her parents had for her bright future, she would make them ashamed of her, for life. She would become the black sheep of her family! She decided that she’d consume poison and never wake up on that shameful day at all. Only death could redeem her from her dilemma!
“Oh why is Mom taking so long in reaching here? Why’s she coming here instead of sending the money? Had she guessed that something was wrong? Was she bringing the money or coming empty-handed with some excuse?” Gauri’s nerves stretched to breaking point with all the tension which was threatening to wreak her very existence.
At 9.30 p.m. her Mom reached her hostel, exhausted and worried. Gauri was alone in her room, with a book half-open in front of her and a bottle of some capsules too! She walked into the room and saw Gauri staring into space, her beautiful eyes brimming with tears, which silently rolled down her cheeks.
To be continued...
This story was published in Woman's Era magazine in its second issue of August 2012.
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