Across Boundaries - 1

“Don’t go out after 7pm, its unsafe for girls. And always be aware of the roads and cab drivers. And don’t talk to strangers please, and please don’t eat from sub standard shops....”, Rahul ordered me, holding my face in his hands. We were sitting in his car, and this concern was due to my trip to Nepal. I was supposed to leave the next day, and return after 5 days.

While he continued barging his “requests”, my mind was on something else. I had not realised that my relationship with Rahul had changed so drastically in the past two years. Though we had initially started out on a casual note, as seasons passed, our relationship also changed. We felt attached to each other in a way which I have never felt; something which I can’t explain. It felt as if we were born to be together. As if all my life, though just 17 short years, I had been waiting for him all along.

And it was the faith in our love that kept us going. That kept us forgiving and forgetting each other’s mistakes.

“Are you even listening to what am saying?”, Rahul asked looking amused.

“Yes, I am. It’s just 5 days. I’ll be back even before you’ll realise”, I replied cheerfully.

“It’s not just five days. It’s about you not being there, waking me up in the morning with your mushy smses, no reminders for medicines, no I love yous, no sweet songs, nothing. You are my life Priya, and i can’t live without you”, he said looking into my eyes.

“Awww.....you have made me all mushy now. I love you too...and I’ll miss you  more..and..”, before I could complete my sentence his lips were on mine, and whatever I was about to say got lost in that goodbye kiss.

On the first day of reaching Nepal, I and my cousins decided to go to the local market. It was 6pm, and though I knew I wasn’t supposed to go out after 7, I still went on with them.

 2 hours, and loads of shopping found us struggling for a taxi. There were three of us, all girls and the moment we found a taxi, we got into it, sighing relief.

“Do you have a problem with the AC?”, the cab driver asked us.

“No”, Aanchal said, fanning herself because of the heat.

“Thankgod for the AC, there’s so much humidity”, I said.

After a couple of minutes, I started noticing that we were not on the right way back. And the driver was furtively glancing at our direction every few seconds. It was then that I registered something funny smelling in the car. And before I could say anything, do anything, I saw the cab driver spinning the AC shaft to full. And then the numbness surrounded me and everything went black.

Cab driver: Somewhere around Priya: 9PM the same day.

The three girls were carried from his taxi and transferred to the warehouse floor. There were four other men, besides him, eyeing what they call the “day’s catch”. The master would be here in a few minutes, and then he would be paid for his services. He analysed the three Indian girls. One of them looked around 14 years of age, another was a bit healthier, and only the third one was good enough. He immediately thought about his daughter when he looked at the third girl.

Before he could dwell on their fate, he heard a loud noise as the master, with his men entered the room. He greeted the other men, including the cab driver and walked over where the girls were lying.

After looking at the three, he looked up at the cab driver and in that instant he knew that his daughter would never be with him now.

“Is this how much you love your daughter?”, the master jeered at him.

He remained silent.

“The Arabs wouldn’t pay a dime for the two girls. Only one is good enough. But not for you. Rihad brought in two white girls yesterday. You come after 3 weeks, only with this....”, he spat at the floor.

He was now walking around and around, getting angrier at the moment.

“But master, I tried my best!”, he said hoping to get a fair deal. “I’ve already brought you 7 girls, and that’s the best I can do”.

“But it’s not the best for your daughter. You have to cover the charges. And you will have to pay for the charges for bringing her back. Dubai is far away from here”, he sneered.

“Take the two back to his car and prepare the third one. We’ll leave in two days”, the master ordered his boys.

“And do not touch the girl. I want a good price this time”, he added as an afterthought.
“But master please..”..he begged.
“Try to bring some white girls, and I’ll think about it”, the master said and went back.

He felt blind rage for the master. His eyes searched around for some object that he could use to kill the man, but the face of his innocent daughter flashed before his eyes, and all he could do was sit and cry, remembering the terrible day his daughter was kidnapped by the master.

It was a common practice followed in the valley. Kidnap a cab driver’s daughter and as a ransom ask the cab driver to bring in more girls. This way the master need not pay the drivers, as the poor drivers would do anything to bring back their daughters.

But he had realised that he would never see his daughter again, never see her smile, never feel the happiness he felt when she hugged him.

He felt excruciating pain to leave the girl behind. He cursed the lord, putting him in this situation. He was a father, and he could understand the pain a father would go through. He felt disappointed by his faith in life, the use he was put to. Bringing innocent girls in the trade. He knew god would never ever forgive his sins...but he wished for repentance, for forgiveness, and prayed for his daughter and the girl he had left there, praying for courage and hope for her.

Deep down he knew that thousand miles away, a father would never forgive him....

 

Note: Honestly, I got bored from Wordpress, where I earlier had my blog. So, I changed addresses, and because of lack of any good things coming to my mind these days, I have no other option but to post them back. Don't make a face. So what? This blog is new! And besides, blogger has better themes:P:P