Damayanthi's Dilemma - Part 2

Please read Part 1



Damayanthi left Shishir's office and went home. She felt dirty and used. The smell of Shishir was on her and disgusted her. She had to wash it off before it seeped into her skin. The bastard had just left her after he was done with her. All the scrubbing and washing did not seem to help. She still felt dirty

All night she tossed and turned thinking of what she had done. What if her father found out? Even the bath did not clean the guilt out of her system. The scar was permanent it seemed

Seeing Damaya so quiet her mother asked her

'Damaya. Is there anything wrong ?'

'Nothing. I am just tired thats all', Damayanthi replied a little too hastily and stood up to leave the room

'Girls cannot be tired. You better not get sick again. We cannot afford it. Here have some sweet'

The next day Damayanthi went to Shishir for the money.

'Damayanthi you have to wait a few days. Or maybe you can come to my room again this evening and I will try to get it ready by tomorrow', Shishir said suggestively

Damayanthi looked at him in absolute disgust. She was furious

How dare he try to cheat her?

'I will teach him a lesson', she swore.

That evening Shishir's door bell rang. Shishir went to open the door

It was Damayanthi.

'What are you doing here?', he whispered looking behind to see if his wife, Shanthi, was listening

'I want my money now'

'Who is it Shishir?', Shanthi called out from inside the house

'Here', he said anxiously, pulling out a 100 rupee note from a roll in his pocket, ' take this and never come back here !'

''150 or I am coming in', Damayanthi said calmly. She was surprised at the calm in her voice

'You bitch ! You dare blackmail me?'

Damayanthi grabbed the roll of money from his hand, took out 200 rupees and threw the roll back at him and walked away

Shishir simply stood and watched as Damayanthi walked away into the distance

'Who is it, Shishir?', Shanthi had come near the door to see what was holding Shishir, sensing that something was wrong

'Nothing. No one. You go and do your work. Just the milkman', Shishir said absent mindedly. He still could not believe what had just happened


Damayanthi reached home feeling a power she had never felt before. Suddenly she knew what she had to do and how to do it

The next day after breakfast she packed her bag and announced

'I am leaving for the town. I have to write a medical entrance examination'

Gita had noticed the sudden change in her daughter since the day before and simply looked at Balram to see his reaction

'What?', Balram was dismissive,' We dont have the money'

' I dont need any of your money. They will take care of all my expenses'

'They ?', Balram asked stupidly

'The exam organiser people. They said I will have no expenses. They will arrange for ‘to and fro’ trip and accommodation also'

Balram and Gita stared at each other in disbelief

'I dont want you going alone', Balram said finally

'Why? Shankar goes everywhere alone and he is younger than me'

'He is a boy! You are a girl'

' They will send someone to escort me'

'Where will you stay?'

'They have made all arrangements'

Suddenly Damayanthi seemed to have a strange kind of strength that they could no longer argue with.

Both Balram and Gita had the same feeling. Damayanthi was not asking permission but simply informing them

Damayanthi also felt that strength. From now on she would make it on her own. She did not need her parents anymore

She hugged both of them cursorily and left the house







Damayanthi was always enamoured with the big towns. The huge vehicles, the crowd, the noise, the chaos...
Cars jostled for right of way while a cyclist sailed blissfully through

She walked all the way to the lodge, where she was to stay, from the bus stop. She suddenly felt energized after having decided to make it on her own

Damayanthi stopped at a tea stall and asked for a tea. When they shop owner looked at her quizzically she pulled out a rupee and handed it over to him. 'Idiot ! He thinks I don’t have money'

As she drank the tea she stared at a handsome man passing by. He noticed her staring and looked back at her almost tripping on a loose stone. Damayanthi smiled to herself thinking 'Men are such children. So easy to handle'

She could handle these childish men now

Damayanthi wrote the entrance exam. It was tough but she was smarter than most village girls.

She got the acceptance letter under 'scheduled caste' quota, a few months later.

Damayanthi felt a surge of excitement. She was now on her way. She was going to become a Doctor !

Shishir had avoided her after the 'incident'.

Damayanthi had changed. She had a strange look in her eyes that scared him somehow

When Balram lamented to the others at the arrack shop about how his daughter went to the town to write ‘some’ exam, Shishir stayed quiet

‘How will I ever get her married?’, Balram pleaded to anyone who would listen. However in his heart he knew that she was lost to him forever

A week before the college was to open Damayanthi left for the town. She refused Balram's command that she allow Shankar to take her to the town.

She checked into the college hostel. It was a decrepit old building but much better than she was used to.

She lay in her bed and feeling proud of the fact that she had refused Balram's offer to giver her 20 rupees for her expenses. She still had money left from the 200 that Shishir had 'given' her

As she settled into her room at the hostel there was a knock on the door.

She opened the door to see Shishir standing there

What the hell did he want?

To be continued
Please read Part 3

Dear Santosh,

A woman of Steel .The part where she takes themoney from Shishir is damn good, the change in her.Looking to part 3.Great one as usual.Regards.kamal

Kamalji

The circumstances and her ambition made her aggressive. That was the first sign of that

Santosh

Originally Posted by Kamalji

Dear Santosh,

A woman of Steel .The part where she takes themoney from Shishir is damn good, the change in her.Looking to part 3.Great one as usual.Regards.kamal