Chapter 7 // Foot lag

Inayat's pov

"Can I have one?" I asked timidly to Ghuni, my new friend here. I didn't know what this was but still I want to taste it.

"No!" She said immediately.

I frown and sat there silently.

"Because all of them are for you, not one." She chuckled and gave me bowl of red delicious fruit called watermelon.

I moaned at its sweetness. It was cold and sweet. Ghuni chuckled at my reaction and I put one piece in her mouth.

She lightly slapped my shoulder.

I have been here for hours now. Its evening now. The staff of Workers in kitchen is of 5, all women. They usually cook and make things from scratch rather than store bought.

Though non of them were friendly with me like Ghuni as they maintained distance and feared because of their Bade Maalik.

Ghuni is 19 year old, one year younger than me. I was happy to be with her. We can related with so many things and can feel about each other thoughts.

"Now I can have my admission in college." Ghuni said as she packed her bag to leave for her house.

"College? What's that?" I asked her while feeding her next bite.

"That's like a school of adults." She explained.

"Can I get admission too?" I asked

"Ofcourse you can! Ask Bade Maalik and he will got you admit in the most prestigious college of city." She said so excitedly.

"Then we will study together?" Placing the empty bowl away I held her hand.

"No. I have barely collected money for a low financed college. I can't meet your status donkey." She said lovingly slapping my head.

"Then I will ask HIM to let you join me!" I said but she hastily shook her head in fear.

I swear she thinks of him as the most brutal man ever.

But my Vikrant ji is a cutie pie. He feeds me, care about me, eases my pain and pleasure my body.

I ignored her and grab another bowl of spiced sweet potatoes to eat. I had lost the amount of food ate by now.

"Why everyone calls him Agni?" I asked recalling he told me to call him Vikrant.

"Few years back, he beated up a man, thrashed me badly and threw me in fire of Holi ka Dehen placed in middle of village. The man burned alive and screamed for mercy but goons of him surrounded the fire with guns in their hands to kill anyone who dared to save him."

Ghuni explained hauntedly and I choked on sweet potatoes I was eating.

Hearing my loud choked cough Workers got around me to calm me down.

It was not that bad but everyone looked horrified.

"Ghuni take care of Badi Maalkin nicely. Do you want to turn us into ashes!!? Bade Maalik will kill us." One of elder lady scolded Ghuni.

I waved them off with promise to protect them from big bad man.

Soon Ghuni took off her leave and I was all alone now.

I spent my time by exploring the big haveli and video called my mother too which was taught by Vikrant ji.

She was happy and she took promise from me to not lose my dignity before marriage as it will bring bad name to our family. But there was no family.

It was just I and my mother.

"Join us for pooja?" I got startled with sudden voice.

Neema didi said and smiled sheepishly.

I nodded and joined them in mandir room. I sang bhajan and four of us women offered our evening prayers.

Aunty ji gave us Prasad to have. We have it.

"Tumhara naam kya tha ladki? Ab ladki kahe ke toh bula nahi sakte tumhe." Aunty ji asked as I folded the prayer mat.

"Ji... Inayat." I smiled and replied politely.

But there was nothing polite in her response.

Her eyes turned angry into seconds and she grasped my arm to dragged me out of the mandir. She pushed on right side of angan.

My foot got tangled in dress flare and I fell face first on floor. My hands supported my upper body from fall.

My leg sprained and clutched it with my right arm. It ached sob adly.

"Ek muslim ho kar mandir mei kaise aai tum humare!" She lunged to beat me but stopped mid way by Neema didi.

"Maa ji nahi. Jethji ko pata chala toh." She fell silent in words.

I cried. All I could feel was pain in my leg.

"I don't pratice islam. My mother and I..we are hindu by heart and soul just because I carried a muslim name you can't question my religion. Every one have their own choice, own will, own heart to follow anything they want." I replied through my tears.

I didn't know how I got courage to reply but I couldn't let down my Vikrant ji's name.

same lady who got me that dress said angrily.

"Maximum of 3 days at its best. Jab tumhare jism ki bhook jethji ke dimag se hategi tab tum sadak par milogi. Ya kya pata vaisya(prostitute) hi bana de woh tumhe." She chuckled and threw her words at me.

It hurted. Her words hurted me.They made me realise that I was no one in front of these powerful people.

Neema didi moved to help but stopped by her mother in law.

"Jaake apni pati ke liye daal bana.Jaa yahan se Neema." She pinched her arm making her hiss.

She gave me a Sorry look. I smiled as much I could not wanting to make her feel bad. She was trying at least.

I somehow got up but couldn't move from my place. The evil duo walked away. I saw Workers of kitchen looking at me from window.

As soon as our eyes met they came rushing to me and helped to sit in nearby dining chair.

It was pretty bad and hurted too.They bandaged it with the things.

Placing my head down on table, I sighed deeply. Hoping today to end soon.

Soon sleep engulfed me.

"Bahar aao haramzaado. "

"Ek ek ki khaal utaar dunga aaj."

"Toh kya tum sab ka baap margaya tha. kyu nahi aaye."

"Neeche utaaro"

"Ghar se nahi 70 gaon se bahar ho jayo aur jangal mei raho jaake."

"Tu jaake ladkiya chod chutiya mujhe matt sikha."

My eyelids were forced open irritated by voices.

Angry screams, pleas, women voices, man voices, silent cries so many things at once fell upon my poor ears.

I moved my head and felt soft pillow under my head and open dark star sky, in front of my eyes.

Is this heaven or something?

"Ahhh.." a painful moan left as soon as I moved my leg, Oh I hurted it.

"Baby doll !" A manly figure rushed to me.

Vikrant ji! He is back. He is back to me.

He felt like home.

He hugged my laid body. I hugged his torso immediately, burying my face in his neck smelling his earthy sweet scent.

"Theek hai mera bacha?" He asked wiping a tear off my eyes, I didn't realise I was crying.

I shook my head like a baby complaining about her day.

"Mai sab theek kar dunga."

He chuckled with his tender eyes on me. Kissing my forehead, he whispered,

"Meri Rani ko koi pareshan nahi karenga"

I nodded my head.

His eyes turned dark and angry. The vein on his forehead was throbbing meant he was angry.

I held his arm as he got up from folding bed (khaat) layered with soft mattress of bed.

"Bacha...I have to talk to them. Okay? I am not going anywhere." He said sweetly to me so I let him be.

I was so drowned in his grey eyes that I didn't noticed the every living person of haveli being there. Even Ghuni was there.

Oh no! What he did !!?

"Hume maaf kardi beta. Humse galti ho gayi." Aunty ji came near me and fell near feet. She was crying very badly.

"Its okay.." I said

"No its not!!" His hard voice boomed.

"She will massage your feet till you get better. And then left this haveli forever." He completed.

As soon as she heard she pleaded more and more.

I felt bad for her. She had her own mind set and it was accident too.

With a slight hook of my neck I called the angry man towards me. He came rushing.

"yes Jaan ?" He whispered

I held his palm amd said to him,

"Please...inhe ghar se mat nikaliye.Please ji? Humare liye?"

He shook his head and watched the old lady at my feet angrily.

Gazing at workers it was clear they got some punishment too as they were crying.

To make Vikrant ji calm and composed I decided to do it.

He moved his head from front to his left and soon I attached my lips on his.

Warm and soft.

He was.

I detached my lips from him. He blinked. One -two- three.

His gaze switching between eyes and lips. I giggled at his reaction.

Soon he catched my giggles in his mouth.

He hovered over me as my body got laid on mattress. Pinching my waist, he dived his tongue inside me.

The sloppy smooching sound was heard for few minutes.

I punched his chest for some air, he kissed my jaw and travelled to my neck.

He eyed me. Our eyes collided.

No more vein throbbing.

"Jaao re saare..jee lo apni zindagi." He said very clearly to let everyone hear.

Soon many footsteps were heard. They all got saved finally.

My lip work paid off.

"Yeh talab tumne lagai hai...ab tumhi nasha kara - ogi." He said lust clouding him.

Pecking his lips I finally said his name to him.

"Ji. Vikrant ji."

Soon our clothes were out of our body and we laid in aangan without clothes.

He had Wrapped a blanket on us.

We had dinner in between our session.

Now he was sucking the milk off,one got empty other one have it. He was on mission to drink the other till last.

I sighed in pleasure and bliss.

His head was under blanket and he was half asleep.

I thanked God looking skywards.

But soon my peace got erupted by venomous eyes.

On our right, Palak didi was glaring with so much hatred and jealously which left me shuddered. She looked like seconds away to murder me.

Then she just smirked and walked away with a promise of destruction which her eyes communicated to me.