Five Weeks by Shruti Omar (any book recommendations .txt) 📕

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“I have asked you something, Anahita. ANSWER ME!” Mr. Maurya roared, making her flinch and all the courage seeped out of her. She jumped back in terror, trembling like autumn leaf and casted her eyes low. Her lips wobbled and tears surfaced in her eyes, “Dad, I'm… I am so sorry.” She gulped and looked up, daring. “I was…was stupid to not listen to you. I am really sorry, dad.” She didn’t want to cry but finding disappointment in his eyes, she burst into tears. Startling herself, she experienced more pain than she expected and she ran to her father. She hugged him tightly, chipping apologies. “I am so sorry, dad. I am really sorry, dad. Please, forgive me!”

Her father was rigid. He didn’t respond to her hug, neither did he distance her away. “Anahita…” She clenched her eyes close, sensing the underlying vulnerability in his voice and pulled back to see him. Her heart squeezed in pain to see her father’s blank eyes. “Were you running away?”

Yes! It was a simple, one worded answer but she couldn’t say it when tears layered in her father’s eyes. Something in her abused her, for being in deep shit and she didn’t match his gaze. She lowered her head, answering him with her silence and stared at his feet. Mortified, she nodded timidly. Pin drop silence haunted everyone standing there, none spoke a word; not even gasps sounded in the air.

“What did you say?” Mrs. Maurya whispered, aghast and rushed to Anahita. She roughly grabbed her arm, turning her around and demanded, “What did you just say, Anahita?” Anahita blinked in horror. Her lips trembled and before she could defend herself, Mrs. Maurya slapped her so hard that she fell on the ground with the impact. She quickly palmed her face; her cheek hurt like bee’s stung.

“Why didn’t you die the day I gave you birth?” Anahita coiled back as her mother proceeded to slap her again but was held back by her aunt. “Vehini, what are you doing? She is a grown up.”

“Then what should I do, Ruma?” Her mother cried, hugging her aunt and knelt on the ground. “I gave her everything and what she gives us in return? Shame and disappointment!” Anahita sobbed in hurt. She rubbed her cheek, shifting her gaze to her father who was staring at her with inexplicable gaze. She couldn’t hold his eyes and looked down. She had expected all the drama but she didn’t know why it hurt so much. She didn’t want her mother to cry oceans and her father to become deadpanned.

“Alka!” Her father’s sister butted in, twisting her lips. “You should call off the wedding. Who knows what she has done with that guy who she wanted to run away with?”

Anahita narrowed her eyes at her and scrunched up her face in disgust. She opened her mouth but Ruma defended her, passing a condescending look to her husband’s sister. “Misti! Don’t utter anything. Please think carefully who you are talking about. She is your niece.”

“But, where am I wrong, Ruma?” Misti gasped, dramatically and pointed at Anahita. “Vehini, if she can run away with her lover, it is not difficult for him to sleep with him, now is it?” She didn’t stay behind to disrobe Anahita before her parents shamelessly and anger flashed inside her to see that her parents didn’t once object. If Ruma kaki can stand up for me then why can’t you, mom? Anahita thought, wretchedly and wiped at her tears. She didn’t bother to correct their opinions and stayed rooted to the ground. What else can I expect from them? They have always preferred others over me. This is no different. No matter what I say they won’t believe me, why should I waste my words then? They don’t need an explanation. They don’t deserve any.

If choosing her own happiness over others, if having a boyfriend meant she was characterless, then her family was plainly crazy; nothing more, nothing less. They were clear idiot, shackled in their outdated values and conservative thinking.

“She never cared about our family and our respect, dada. Late night parties, friendship with boys…” Misti now began to influence her father and Anahita curled her palms into fists. She just needed one more second for her aunt to continue questioning her lifestyle and she would happily break her nose. She looked at her parents again; their faces were blanched. Their heads were low and their eyes downcast.

“Yuvraaj is way too good for her, dada. He doesn’t deserve a wife like…”

“Enough!” Anahita thundered, glaring at her aunt. She stood up and threw a disapproving look at her parents. “You still won’t stand for me, will you? If this woman here continues to strip me with her words, you won’t utter a word as if I am not your daughter and you don’t fucking know me.”

“Anahita….”

“Stop it, mom!” she held her palm up and snapped at Misti. “How dare you stigmatize my character because I have a boyfriend? Is it a crime? How can you say shit about my character and that too before my parents?” she took a threatening step towards her aunt. “How do you know that I slept with me? Does this conclusion come from a personal experience?” she cupped her cheek, faking a gasp. “Is it like you had a boyfriend and had sex with him but didn’t…”

“Anahita, MIND YOUR TONGUE!” Her father bawled, raising his hand in the air and Anahita sobbed out at her father’s gruffness, feeling a knife twisted in her guts. “You believe her, dad, right? You choose her over me this time. Do you think I would this? Hadn’t I already told you about him? Didn’t I ask you to meet him? Was I going behind your back, dad? How can you stay silent when…?”

“I don’t want to hear a word from you.” he warned her with a lethal calmness, making her shudder. He was not valuing her still; he was still not caring why she did what she did and that made Mukund right in her eyes.

“Dheeraj, come along. We have to solve this issue with Chaitanya.” He ordered his younger brother and left the house. Numb, she watched them going but as her aunt uttered, ‘good for a girl like her’ made her so charged up that she stomped to the centre table, picked up the water jug and emptied it whole on Misti’s head. Misti’s surprised screech fed her inner beast and she smirked, keeping the jug aside. “You have so much fire in you, fui. I hope this little water will blow it out.” She clenched her jaw and glared at her, murderously. “This is still my home and I won’t let you demean me. I will kill you.”