The night that was! Episode:2

Continued…

Though she was skeptical, yet there was no other option but to step inside. What Meera did not expect was to stumble upon another person waiting inside. Though come to think of it, the parked car should have been hint enough for her to think of another person’s presence there. 

There stood a woman only partially visible under the glow of that distant streetlight. Her countenance seemed defensive. She stood there, shivering with cold, or was she trembling in fear Meera couldn't be sure. Her face was sweaty with hair falling out of a loose bun framing her oval face. She seemed startled at spotting Meera there. What caught meeras attention was the deranged look in her eyes. It darted around in a frenzy, as if looking for something. 

Meera hesitated for a moment before stepping in. She stepped in with some trepidation, for something didn't feel right. Meera had no other choice though. She let go of her inhibitions and stepped in. She then gave a weak smile to the lady and went to stand in a corner. The evening was getting colder as each second passed. For want of anything better to do, she ran her eyes around the shed. It suddenly hit Meera that there was another person inside. 

Someone was curled up in a fetal position at the back of the room. How could anyone sleep through such a storm was beyond her. Then again, she could only feel jealous of people who slept with such ease unperturbed by their surroundings. Meera couldn't remember the last time she had slept so peacefully. 

Her troubles had begun the day she had agreed to marry Navneet. It was a match approved by her parents. After days and discussions and arguments her parents had fixed on the alliance without paying any heed to her pleas for a little more time before settling down. Navneet had seemed like a decent guy. There was nothing extraordinary about him, but there was also nothing untowardly about him either. Though they got engaged in haste, the wedding was postponed for another eight months. Navneet had asked for permission to meet her on weekends, so that they could get to know each other better, he claimed. Both their parents had agreed readily with the hope that it was a great start of a good relationship.

Meera had come to accept Navneet’s presence in her life, once he had put that ring on her finger. She too welcomed the opportunity to spend some time with him and know the person that he was. She had been very excited about the prospect of going out on a date with him. It was a date, wasn't it? Her first date ever. She had dressed as best as she knew how. She couldn't stop feeling a flutter somewhere in her chest when Navneet came to pick her up. He had taken her up in one glance and with a rushed Namastey to her parents, Navneet had taken her out. 

They were to go to a movie, and dinner later. What Meera had not realised was that they were to be accompanied by his friends that evening. She did not dare ask him anything, her mother had drilled it in her enough times that Navneet was to be her husband and was thus above any questions. Unjust as it seemed, she didn't want to cause any trouble, so she kept quiet.

The entire ride to the Movie theater was spent in silence. As he parked his bike in the parking lot, Navneet looked at her and spoke to her for the first time. “Meera”, He said! “all my friends are going to be here, so please dont speak much. I don't want them to judge you the wrong way”. Shocked as she was, Meera looked at her betrothed and wondered. Should she have felt elated at the care he seemed to have for her, or should she be upset at the hurt she felt at those words. Why did his concern feel more like an insult to her. 

The evening proceeded in a confused manner. Though Navneet was always by her side, he paid her no attention. She didn't seem to exist for him. Once the movie was over, the entire party decided to move to a nearby restaurant for dinner. The walk towards parking was like a glimpse to her future for Meera. Navneet walked ahead with his friends, while she trod behind them. She had stopped for a moment. She stood there without moving, just to test whether he would notice that she was no longer with them. He never did. Was this how their marriage would be too. Would it be all about him. Would meera be a mere spectator in her own life? She had wanted to break down right there, but she mustered up some good thoughts and rushed to them. 

A pattern had set for them. Most times these weekend outings were with his friends, and on the occasion that it was just the two of them, Navneet would barely talk to her. One night though, that changed drastically. He had taken her out for another dinner. He had been surprisingly attentive that day. On their way back, he said he had to make a stop at his friend’s place to collect a harddisk he had lent some while ago. As was usual for them, she was ready to wait by his motorbike, when he took  her by the wrist and tagged her along to the friend’s place. His friend had probably gone out, for there was no one but them in the room. 

What happened next didn't make sense then and doesn't make sense to her even now. Relationships were supposed to be based on mutual trust and respect. They were brought together to cherish each other, to care for each other. Why then had he outraged her modesty so. She couldn't say he had forced himself on her. He had spoken of how it was not wrong to get physically involved, for, were they not supposed to spend their entire life together. She had said no. She had not been ready for that adventure yet. But Navneet had not bothered to listen to any of her pleas. He had not even been considerate to her when it came to the actual act. 

By the time they were done, she could barely move. It was not the pleasurable or wholesome experience she had hoped to have. As she had gone to the bathroom for a shower, she happened to look in the mirror and was horrified to notice bruises on her back and chest. Meera had cried then in petrified sobs. She had tried to speak to her mother about this, but she too brushed it off by saying, men had their needs, so let it be. Her mother’s words still rang in her ears. “Hush now, don't be a baby. A woman is built to bear pain, Meera!”, she had said. The weekends had turned into more such incidents which she was supposed to hush. Sleep had become a stranger for her. Every time she closed her eyes, she would remember his unwelcome touch. She hated her helplessness more than she hated him.

A shiver ran through Meera as she came back to the present. Her mind had turned into a dark and dangerous place. Meera took a deep breath and brushed off a strand of hair off her shoulder as if in an effort to shake off these recollections she had just had. Meera walked to the nearest wall and leaned on it to rest her tired back. Sitting was impossible as the water was ankle deep now. She gazed once again at the curled up form in the corner and then moved her gaze to the women standing across the room.

.... To be continued