Even though I had said that I will listen but I wasn't sure. Will I be able to be a good listener? Will she be free of her burden after telling me everything? Moreover, her past seems to be a dark place to venture... will I be able to take in this much knowledge about her? Will I be able to keep this to myself before she allows me to tell anybody else?

Then I looked in her eyes. She was waiting for me to look sure. Her happiness depended on whatever I do now.

Isn't this what I had always wanted? For her to open up? To tell me things about her life? To confide in me? Then why was I worried to share her woes with me? I looked in her eyes... they needed help... they yelled in desperation.

You can cover all your facial expressions but your eyes are treacherous. They can't hide when you are happy or sad... only if someone is attentive enough.

"I am listening, Sanyukta! I am ready for anything and everything no matter how hard it is." I said and noticed a sudden relief in her eyes. There was a ray of hope in her eyes, even though her face was stoic. Hope which I hadn't seen before in her.

"I was a kid at that time. Me, mom and dad. I had never been on good terms with dad. He wanted a son... who can go to military... carry his legacy forward. But I always wanted to please him to listen to him praising me. I always did well in my class in this desperation that he will like me. I even cut my hair short, did training with him. Everything that a child can do was done. But he never liked me. Never. For him I didn't exist. This always broke my heart. And some day along the line I stopped trying to please him." She took a deep breath.

"Then my brother was born. My father got what he wanted... his heir... his son. I was ignored more than ever but I was happy for my mom, for me and for my baby brother. Now no one will have to go through his wrath. Finally, I could live my life as I wanted... like a girl, with long hair. that is all what I wanted. Long hair. Beautiful dresses like my friends. Nothing else. And I got them. But when my brother was 2 years old, he was diagnosed of cerebral palsy. Father went crazy with anger. Everything returned to how it was. Sad. Bad. My mom crying. Me crying. My brother crying and my dad fuming on all of us. He died after sometime and I was happy in a sick way. At least he wouldn't have to bear all that was going on in the house. At least he would be happy where he was. A lot of time had passed since this and dad was somewhere out of the town. One evening I was playing with my friends... I must have been 12. Father came back without any notice and saw me giggling at something with my friends. I don't know what came over him, maybe he was drunk. He pulled me with my hair and dragged me inside the room as I kept shouting in pain. My mom came out of the kitchen and rushed to save me but dad pushed her away and picked up a pair of scissors... and just chopped my hair off. Without a word. He threw my hair and scissors on the floor and I just kept looking at it in horror. No words came out of my mouth. My mom just stood there. It was not my hair... it was my self esteem that he had chopped off." She looked as if she was on the verge of crying but she just sat there.

"That night I was on my bed still awake when I heard mom enter my room. I pretended to sleep as she cried holding my hand and kept muttering 'Sorry'. I just wanted to open my eyes and ask her why was she apologizing. It wasn't her fault. She had to bear more than me. Next day I knew the reason. She had left me. She went away without even saying a proper goodbye to me. She... just left!" A tear rolled down her cheek and the pain was evident on her face. I held her hand which she didn't notice.

"She could have done a better planning Randhir. She could have taken me along with her. After this dad couldn't bear me anymore so he sent me to my grandparents. After some time I got to know that he remarried. Well now he has a son... a perfect, normal, military man son. And mom never tried to contact me ever. Even though dadu and dadi made sure that I was happy, I couldn't shake off the feeling that it was all my fault. Had I not been born.. had I been a son my mom would never had to suffer like this. Everybody would have been happy. Dadu and dadi were there for everything, they took care of my small needs. They made me fall in love with the fact that I was a girl. It was because of them that I embraced my womanhood. But when I was 20, even they left me. Father tried to contact me but I ignored him. Now he wants me to go to a family meeting with his another wife and son... to bond with them... I can't do this Randhir. I am not ready. Maybe I will never be." She took a deep breath and I knew that she won't be speaking anymore. Now it was my turn.

"Sanyukta... I can't say I understand because I don't. I haven't experienced any of it and thus I can't imagine the great deal of pain you had to go through. But just so you know... I will be there for you. Always. Every time and every moment. I can jump over thousand balconies, get cuts like this on every inch of my body but please never ever shut me out again. These days that you didn't talk to me, I was devastated. Please."

She smiled and nodded and if this would have been a movie we would have been hugging right now. Well it wasn't so I just smiled back at her and squeezed her hand tightly to let her know that I was and I will be always there.

Now it was time to open my window again.

                       ********

              AUTHOR'S NOTE

Hey,

Hope you liked it.

Next: All 6 of them decide to go on a trip. But Sanyukta is a bit worried.

Until then,

Love Love ♥️

A.S.