After listening to Panna Muliya understood that it was her win. She immediately got up, sweeped the floor, lit up the stove, and went away to draw water from well. She got what she wanted.

Generally in village there are two groups- one of daughter-in-laws(bahu) and other of mother-in-laws(saas). Bahus goes for advice and sympathy in their group, and saas goes in their’s. Both holds meetings separately. Muliya met 2-3 bahus near the well. One asked-“ Today your old lady is weeping horribly.”

Filled with victory’s proud Muliya said-” She has been mistress of the house for so long, who loves leaving such a position?? Sis, I don’t want anything bad for them; but we can’t live off  one man’ income together. These are my days of eating-drinking, dressing too. Live for them now, then give birth, and live for them then. Spend all of the life working. ”

One bahu-” These old women just want us to live all our life as slaves. Eat itsy-bitsy something and just lay there.”

Second bahu-” On whom one can die-own sons won’t ask for us then how can one depend on others? Tomorrow the will grow their own limbs, then n.o.body will ask for us. Then they will see only their own wife faces. Its better to criticise in advance, then at-least there won’t be any blot.  ”

Muliya returned with water, cooked and said to Raghu-” Go, take some bathe, rotis are ready.”

It was as if Raghu didn’t hear anything. He was just staring at the door with hands on the head.

Muliya-” are you listening, to what I am saying, rotis are ready, go bathe.”

Raghu-” I heard it, am I deaf?? If rotis are ready then go and eat them. I am not hungry.”

Muliya didn’t repeat herself again. She went and stopped the stove, kept rotis on the sieve and laid covering her face.

After some time Panna said-” Food is ready, eat it after bathing! Bahu might be hungry too.”

With a twitch Raghu said-” Kaki will you let me live in this house, or should I blacken my face and move out?? Food is just food, if I won’t eat it today, I will eat it tomorrow, but I just can’t it right now. Is Kedaar not back from madrasa?? ”

Panna-” He had not returned till now. He will be here soon anyway.”

Panna understood after making food till she feed boys and ate herself, Raghu won’t eat. Even then, she needed to fight with him, have to curse him too. She had to make him see that she herself wants to get separated otherwise he would just give away his life by dissolving in this grief. After thinking this, she lit up another stove and started making food. In this time, Kedaar and Khunnu came back from madrasa. Panna said-” Welcome back boys, eat up, rotis are ready. ”

Kedaar said-” Shouldn’t I call brother too??”

Panna-” Both of you just come and eat. Bahu made his rotis separately.”

Khunnu-” Shouldn’t I go and confirm it??”

Panna-” He will eat whenever he wants. Just come here and eat, don’t dawdle on this things?? Those who want to eat will eat, and those don’t, will not. If he and his wife are so stuck on living separately, then who cares??”

Kedaar-” Then ammaji(mom), will we live in other house??”

Panna-” If they want, live in one, if they want erect a wall in hallway.”

Khunnu went to the door and looked, in-front there was a hut made of straw, there laid on khaat Raghu was slipping coconut.

Khunnu-” Bhaiya is just siiting with coconut in one hand.”

Panna-” will eat whenever he wants.”

Kedaar-” Didn’t bhaiya scold bhabhi??”

Muliya was listening to everything from her cell. Came outside and said-“ Bhaiya didn’t scold, but you can scold all you want.”

Color flew away from Kedaar’s face. Mouth didn’t open after that. All three boys ate food and went outside. In mango grove, village’s boys and girls were choosing from mangoes fallen due to wind. Kedaar said-” Shouldn’t we choose too, today a lot of them are there.”

Khunnu-“ Dada is sitting there??”

Lakshman-” I will not go, dada will be mad.”

Kedaar-” But he got separated.”

Lakshman-“ If someone beat us even then will he not say anything??”

Kedaar-” Waah, why won’t he say anything??”

Raghu saw all three boys standing on the door, but didn’t say anything. Before if they had went outside house he used to immediately yell at them but now he was still as a statue. Boys became more confident. They advanced more steps. Even then Raghu didn’t say anything, how can he say?? He was thinking, kaki feed boys, but didn’t ask me. Did curtain fall on her eyes too; if called for boys and they didn’t come then?? I can’t punish them. If I did then every other person would start bullying them. They could get sick too. His heart fell with helplessness, but not a single word escaped his lips. Boys observed that he didn’t say anything, so they pa.s.sed ahead without fear.

Promptly Muliya came and said-” Will you get up now or not?? For those you are on hunger strike, they happily fed her boys & ate herself, is now sleeping comfortably. Even once didn’t ask you to eat.”

Raghu was suffering from a deep emotional pain. Muliya’s cruel words just added salt to his already open wounds. Seeing with sad eyes said-” Isn’t this , that you wanted. Go now celebrate.”

Muliya-” No no, she is sitting there with food on the plate.”

Raghu-” Don’t mock me. I am getting humiliated after you. If you can’t be faithful to someone, then why would they, take care of you?? Just go and ask kaki, boys have gone to choose mangoes, should I bring them back??  ”

Muliya showed her thumb and said-” Ask 100 times if you want.”

Now even Panna came outside. Raghu asked-” Boys went to grove kaki. Are you going??”

Panna-” Now who is there to ask of them?? Go to grove, climb on trees, or drown in water. I can’t do everything.”

Raghu-” Should I bring them back??”

Panna-” If you don’t want to go by yourself, then who am I to ask that of you?? If you actually wanted to stop them, then you would already have?? They pa.s.sed from in-front of you??”

Panna sentence had not finished but Raghu put coconut in the corner and moved towards the grove.

So disappointed in Panna….she will be punished!!

No, no…not like that….*evil smirk*

Regards

Hars.h.i.+t