Rakshita

I fumbled with the dishes as I finished making snacks for my brother before leaving for work.

"Didi!!" I heard my twelve-year-old brother shout from the other end of the room.
Putting down the plate I turned back to see my brother running from a cockroach. I could see the whole room from the corner I stood, it was a small shabby place with our little possessions neatly piled at the sides. One end of the room had a single bed for both of us and the other end where I stood had to become the kitchen because it was only one room in which we had to fit everything.

"Didi!!" I heard my brother shout again but this time he sounded excited. I came out of my thoughts and focused my attention back on my brother but this time, I saw him holding a cockroach with its wings.

"Akarsh! What are you doing? Put it down." My eyes went wide, I hated cockroaches with every cell of my body especially when those despicable creatures could fly.

Akarsh grinned "Admit it di, you are scared."

"Akarsh, it's dirty, throw it out!" I said. He pouted at me and made his best puppy eyes.

"You know you are really bad at looking cute." It was a lie, he was the cutest boy I had ever seen in my twenty years of life.

"I hate you" he threw the cockroach out of the window.

"Wash your hands now." I went back to making snacks when I heard a knock on the door.

"Akarsh, open the door, it must be Sanjana and Anjali."

"Okay!" He was back to being chirpy within seconds.

"Yes di, they are here."

I washed my hands and picked up a towel while going towards the door and just outside stood Sanjana my friend from my evening business with her little sister Anaya hiding behind her legs.

I greeted Sanjana and smiled at Anaya who shyly smiled back.

"We should head out or we will be late." Sanjana said when I asked her to come in.

" Just give me a minute."

I went to change my clothes to something more appealing, on returning I saw Sanjana ordering the kids to finish their homework by the time we would be back.

Sanjana's sister and Akarsha were both in 6th standard so they used to study together while we would be out trying to make money.

"Cut them a little slack Sanjana, they have a lot to study in future, let them take it easy for now," I said grabbing my bag.

"Rakshita, it would make them lazy so no going easy." She said sternly looking at the two giggling kids.

I sighed "Okay, let's go or we will be late."

"Anaya and Akarsh, remember I will check your work when we come back, so don't start playing instead of working." She almost sounded like my mother, who used to make me study the same way. Thinking this I felt moisture in my eyes which I quickly wiped away before any one of them could see.

"Okay teacher." Both replied and started giggling again.

We left the giggling pair and locked the house from outside for safety measures.

We walked silently as our most dreaded part of the day was here. Being a prostitute is not a hobby, it's a means by which poor and orphans like us enter a dangerous world, a world of drugs, mafia and more. It never ends with just a night of selling ourselves, it would include forceful intake of liquor, being on the whim and wishes of our clients. If you don't have a strong will to survive, you will get lost in this world.

After ten minutes we reached a narrow Gali, four women of all ages were already standing there trying to catch the attention of the men passing by looking at them with lustful eyes.

"You have regular clients today?" Sanjana asked me

" Yeah have to wait for the loyal customers. I pulled out my phone and put on my earphones.

"I need to get to work then, finding clients for today. Let's meet after we are done." She waved as she moved towards the other women.

"Yeah bye," I said looking down at my phone trying to choose a nice song to play while I wait for Mr Saxena, he was a rich man and tipped well so didn't mind waiting for him.

I look up and looked around when my eyes meet the familiar pair of dark eyes.  A sudden feeling of happiness rushed over me at the thought of seeing him after so long which was soon taken over by a sense of panic.

He can't see me at a place like this, he can't know, what is he even doing here?

I try turning away my face but it was too late as he started walking towards me, his eyes focused on my face.

"Rakshita?" He called me with a confused tone as if contemplating whether I am the one he knows.

The name surprised me, no one here knows my name and I can not let them know it either.

"Who? My name is Trisha." I replied gulping down my nervousness.

"Oh no, maybe I have the wrong person sorry." He gave me a last glance before walking away and enter a nearby sweet shop.

I had a great urge to go up to him and tell him that I was the Rakshita he was looking for and that is what I did. Stuffing the earphones in my pocket not caring about them getting tangled, I ran to the sweet shop.

"Charan bhaiya" He turned towards me and a bright smiled came on his face.
Before I could say something he pulled me into a bear hug.

"Were you joking with me just now? You have grown so big, little girl." He said in a playful tone.

I blushed slightly and punched his arms "I heard you were in Australia, when did you return?"

"I just came back yesterday." he said guiding me to an empty table in the crowded sweet shop.

"Oh" There was an unspoken question that I knew was on his mind.

"Rakshita? Do you want to tell me something? What are you doing in a place like this?" His voice was laced with care and concern.

"Bhaiya, my parents...." I could not get myself to tell him what had brought me to this dark place.

"It's okay, don't be scared" He held my hand.

"My parents passed away around four years ago."

"I'm so sorry, how did it happen?" He sounded sad, sad for me, for my grief.

I gulped and tried controlling the tears threatening to roll down. "A train accident, my brother and I were the only were to survive."

"You have a brother?" He sounded shocked

"Yeah, he is twelve now. " I smiled at the mention of my brother.

"I will like to meet him." Charan bhaiya said

"After my parents died, there was little money left as most of it had been used as the last time effort to save my parents but it went in vain and the doctor's could not save them and I left orphaned along with my brother whose responsibility rested on my shoulders. "

" For the first few years, I tried making a living with the little jobs I could get, working at some house for a few hundred notes, the competition in the maid business was tight and no one wanted an inexperienced maid. After failing to be able to become a maid I started working in shops but the money given there was never enough to pay my brother's school fees which were increasing with every passing year."

I wiped the tear which inevitably escaped my eye on remembering those hard times.

Charan bhaiya nodded his head encouraging me to continue.

"I had to drop college to take care of my brother and earn money to fill his fees. I wanted my brother to get the best education I could provide, he was talented when it came to studies and I could never let his dedication towards study go to waste.

When I could not find any other promising job I came across the forbidden job of being a prostitute. When the thought of being a prostitute had first come into my mind I had felt disgusted even to think about it. But as the rate of food items kept increasing there came a day when my brother had to sleep with an empty stomach. The very next day I made up my mind and joined my new job. I work at a local grocery shop in the morning shift and then by the sunset I would be what my parents would have never wanted me to be, someone who sold herself to feed herself and her brother."

I wiped my face with a napkin and mustered a smile and said "I understand if you hate me for what I do but that was the only option I was left with at that time."

"I don't hate you." I heard him say.
"What?!" I never expected someone to say that after knowing what I do.

"I don't hate you, I said, I admire you for fighting through this, for being this strong and making a living for the sake of your brother's education. You are a person who would always find a solution to your problems, I hope your brother cherishes you for everything you do for him."

I just couldn't control the tears anymore as they started flowing down my cheeks. For years, I had been alone and these words sounded alien to me.

He patted my back as I put my head on the table and cried my eyes out for the next five minutes.

After I regained my composure we chatted for a while about he spent his time in Australia. In the middle of a conversation, he suddenly sat up straight, as if an idea had struck his mind.

"Rakshita" He called me.
"Yes?" I replied.

" Remember how we used to solve cases in our childhood while playing detective. " He said fondly

I smiled at the memory " Of course I do."

"Will you do that again?" His eyes held hope but I looked at him with a confused expression.

"Child trafficking, the gang is operating for somewhere here and I came here for that case and luckily met you. You must have connections because of your profession. Maybe you could-" I cut him off

"Bhaiya, I can't help you. I want to live a normal life with my brother and can not afford to get involved in gang and trafficking cases. It was all in childhood, they were games, I have to make a living now and you know that." I said with a determined tone.

"Please Rakshita, consider it once." He pleaded

" I'm sorry, but I can not and I need to go my client must be here." I got up

"Wait" he took a napkin from the table then with a pen wrote something on it and handed it to me."It has my number, call me if you change your mind."

I nodded and walked back tucking the card in my bag.

I don't think I will be using  it any time soon.

I spotted Mr Saxena and scurried towards him as he looked furious for making him wait.

A Chapter by MeemansaUpadhyay

Updates on Sunday 12 PM IST