Rinsing her mouth roughly with water she split them out wiping her mouth. Again rubbing her lips with water and then again rinsing her mouth, splitting it out she continued the cycle. This time she put her fingers in her mouth deep down to her throat and tried to vomit anything possible that could remove the feeling of dirty nauseousness.
The only that came out of her throat was water and after vomiting out the water three times she rinsed her mouth thoroughly. Satisfied to some extent she dried her mouth and stepped out of the bedroom.
Straight to her to the opposite side, the mirror reflected her image as her eyes fell on her mouth which was red all over the surrounding of her lips. Her fingers gently caressed the red part and felt a little painful. She touched her lips and her lips texture became a little rough and paddy due to continuous rinsing with water. The scenario again occurred in her mind as she rubbed her lips roughly with the back of her hand and again tears began to run down from her eyes.
Unable to see herself in the mirror she turned away and sat on the bed sobbing silently. Pain and anger reflected on her as she closed her eyes tightly cursing herself though there is no mistake from her side.
She resisted him but he took away the kiss from her. She never kissed anyone till now except for babies and her mother. And he fell from nowhere and claimed her first kiss. She slapped herself as her body jerked with sobs. Though she knows she had done nothing wrong there is this feeling in her that the undeserving guilty feeling would leave her if she punished herself.
She felt disgusted and felt her mouth dirty. A doubt ran across her mind thinking how she could even drink water imagining that incident. She felt as if the water could carry the dirt into her stomach. Anger flared in her as she padded her way to the kitchen and took out the chili powder and without thinking for next she threw a spoon of it in her mouth. And as soon as the chilli powder collided with her tongue and mouth her insides flared in fire as her eyes turned wide with the burning spicy. She fanned her mouth and coughed it out though the chili powder dissolved in her tongue. The cough turned into choking as tears steamed out and her whole face turned red. The surrounding of her lips burned more due to the previous rough rinsing with the after-effect of the chili powder. It became unbearable as she ran to the fridge and took out the curd and spooned it into her mouth.
She closed her eyes in contentment feeling the relief in her tongue but still the flaming hot spicy is present in her mouth. Knowing a spoon of curd couldn't lessen the spicy she had a few more spoons of curd until she completed the whole of it but still, there is some hint of spicy on the walls of her mouth. But the burning got down in her mouth.
Opening the deep fridge she took out an ice and put it in her mouth and walked back to her room unaware of the fact that she was being watched. He was looking at her from the top floor while she did all the commotion to herself. The empty ceiling in the middle of the second hall gave him access to see what happened And it did lit in him about why she did that. It felt amusing to him how she harmed herself just because he kissed her. He wondered what more she can do to herself if he goes to a further extent. There is more to come for her. Not just her, all of them.
*****
The room was small and congested. Yamini sat on the bed while Meera leaned back to the wall examining the dusty room while Samira was dusting the things in the room t Ok make a space for themselves. It was a second store room with fewer things like furniture. There was a double cottage bedroom with a torn side which looked as if it was bitten by mice. Yamini glanced at it and wondered why didn't throw it away yet for she remembers she doesn't like to keep worn-out things.
Frustrated she shook her head and got back to her thinking. It was a lot happening today and the fact that they couldn't even perform her son's first death anniversary left a bitter remark in her. Arnav had completely denied to perform his death anniversary.
"How did this all happen"?
Yamini asked herself as she put her brain to function rewinding her past to see if she did any blunder mistake. He not only occupied their house but their whole property. And her mind is internally exploding thinking about how it all happened.
Hissing she bought her hand to her forehead massaging the side of it. Looking at her Meera spoke.
"Now what is the use of thinking anymore. It's over. We are on roads and he showed the proof on the papers".
Yamini's eyes snapped close listening to her as anger bubbled in her.
"And what is your use of reminding it again and again. Can you think of anything else".
"I did already. Now we were penniless there is no option about thinking about how and what happened in the past. Instead we should focus on the future".
"I thought you have something better to say rather than preaching". Yamini gave her an attitude eye roll while Meera returned the same.
" I do have something to say. What I am saying is now that we can't go back and stop that particular person from signing papers why don't we steal those papers and tear them away? Or forge his signature on the papers which say that now his property will be all ours".
Hearing that Yamini went into deep thoughts. No wonder the plan was so nice but both the possibilities of stealing the papers or forging his sign are hard. She immediately wheeled her brain and started thinking about how to implement it when Samira excitedly agreed with Meera.
But their little happy bubble was not long as Yamini reminded them of their condition and how much work was left to do.
"Why now ask Aasha Babhi (sister-in-law) to clean our room".
"Yeah. Call her to clean the room. Until then we will stay in her room".
Yamini ordered her daughter as not long Samira went to her room and said to clean their room while they would stay in her room. She obliged and stepped into their room to clean it up. That was when she got to know that they were all given only one room but it was a little bit too bigger than hers that all three can fit in. But one has to sleep down on the mattress where one can take the bed and the other takes the couch.
Not long she cleaned the room and mobbed it and went back to her room only to find them inspecting her things and clothes which made her gulp in tension. Though she have nothing much special she hid her two precious things in her room. She owns nothing except for kohl (eyeliner) and sambrani (benzoin resin) with a doop box and if there is anything that she cherished it is her customized red dress for dance and ghunghroo (dancing anklets). Her remaining clothes were all lighter shades or white which they don't prefer as they only wear those royal clothes of brighter or more attractive colours.
Not long they left her room while glaring at her.
The day was spent by nothing and the next day in the room of three members all of them have scowls on their faces. They were dresses in those poor material clothes and the disdain and dissatisfaction sat on their face.
"Mom. This dress is hell loose for me".
With irrigation across her face, Yamini turned around to her daughter and turned away after glancing at her.
"You aren't going anywhere with this dress. So be it".
"But this isn't looking presentable at least".
" Girl. You think your mom and are looking fine with this fabric. Just by looking at this cloth it's itching my body. I want my clothes back".
" They are burnt ". Reminded Samira and Meera just shook her head at the loss of her clothes.
" We have no choice. Just adjust with what we have until we get our property back. Till then I hope you people will behave like some real adult".
She gritted her teeth directing to Samira and she murmured her face.
It's been a week since the work had run in the full flow as the interior designers have made many changes that became almost unrecognizable. Working here and there sometimes in the kitchen, sometimes in the laundry Aasha kept on noticing the changes. For a week he is almost not there in the house. She barely saw him.....heard his footsteps. She didn't dare to come in front of him.
Every evening surrendered to her ethics, manners, and her soft heart she started to make tea for all the workers and used to serve them. There was a lady maid or maybe a worker among them who used to help her from the second day in serving tea. In return, they looked at her with affection and gratitude. The workers were pretty large in number.
Since most of the hall and rooms in the upper stairs are under renovation Aasha used to serve food to their inlaws in their room itself. For a week she was on full run with the tantrums of their inlaws unable to adjust in a room and busy because of the work and disturbance as renovation was done in the kitchen as well. Within a week the house was fully ready and the glorious, theme of the house had changed. Many rooms were renovated and new furniture arrived and the luxury items are such glorious that they hurt her eyes.
It is after a week she was making tea and was ready to serve to her in-laws in the room when suddenly she heard footsteps....
... Manly footsteps.
And the only man staying in the house is him.
Who killed her husband and took her first kiss.
Blinking away she stood where she was in the kitchen behind the stand trying to be invisible hoping he wouldn't see her. She doesn't have the heart to see his face again after what he did.
The footsteps grew louder as he passed through the kitchen and she sighed after seeing him out of sight.
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