It started well, Ramulu and Suguna were living a peaceful life. Ravi was born in a year. But it din't last long one day, Ramulu got to hear about Suguna's parents. He was told her mother was burnt to death by the villagers because of the reason that she had entered the village temple premises. That was when he got to know about the Dalit status of Suguna and it enraged him. He went home that night totally drunk. He accused her and Vishwa of lying to him. Had he known she was a Dalit woman, he wouldn't have married her. Leave alone marriage, he wouldnt have looked at her. He thrashed her with whatever he could find in the house until she was unconscious. She was pregnant with Kiran yet that did not stop him. He puller her out holding her hair and left her to die in open. Ravi was 4 years old and watched in horror what happened around him. He wept silently sitting beside his mother, not knowing what else he could do. Word got around and reached Vishwa, who came to their rescue the very next day. He took them back to their home, home where Shakuntala has turned more monsterous than ever. Suguna always called her Ammaji. They started living there and she eventually gave birth to Kiran. Shakuntala was never compassionate towards them. Suguna was a mere servant at that bunglow. She had to survive it all, for her children. Life would someday get better, she always told herself and sometimes to Ravi too. She believed in that. Seeing her son hurt physically and emotionally had been a worst nightmare, it got back all the torture and torment she had been through all these years. She woke up from her sleep in a jolt and couldn't go back to sleep. She went out and sat pondering on what had happened when "Suguna" the soft voice of 'avva' as they fondly called her, got her out of trance. She was 80 years old and yet worked at Ammaj's mansion to take care of her grand children who had been orphaned by her only son. She was the only love Suguna got in that place apart from Vishwa, who was now alsmost bed ridden. " What are you thinking so hard ?" she asked Suguna with concern. " Nothing avva." she said dismissing her worries. " I will tell you something, if you don't take it in a wrong sense" said the old lady weighing her each word." Ayyo avva! why do you say that. You can ask or tell anything. You are like my grandma" she said, holding her hand. Avva fondly tapped her shoulder" How long will you be here Suguna? What are you even getting here? Leave this place and start afresh. Give your children a better life. I have heard what happened. Do you really want Ravi and Kiran to grow up in this atmosphere?" she said. " Oh avva! where do I go? who do I have except for this house and 'nanna'(Vishwa). Atleast I am able to send Ravi to school. If I leave this place that wouldn't be possible too." Suguna replied quitely sobbing." Hmm.Don't worry. Some day your son will give you all the happiness in the world. He will take you away from this god forsaken place and then you won't look back." avva assured squeezing her hand with a toothless smile on her face. Suguna's eyes lit up at the thought of her sons. They were her life and her future. She was ready to go hell and back for them. " Do you think so avva?" she asked with hope. " Ofcourse, Ravi is so bright. I have seen so many kids in my life. I can tell by merely looking at them.Your son is going to make it big one day, really big".

*~*~

Jan 2015

The words avva said echoed in her mind while she held Ravi's hand. He was being hurriedly steered away to the hospital, in an ambulance . Tears trickled down her cheeks as she kept looking at his calm face with his eyes closed, unconscious in her lap.

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