It was 4:30 am; Indra had woken up already and took a hot shower. As he was the gram pramukh, he had many duties. His mother, Anuja was already preparing for breakfast. Rudra was still asleep and Nalini was helping her mother.
Today, he had to go to a nearby village because of some work. He had his breakfast and informed his mother about this dispatch and left.
After a while, he reached the nearby village in the bullock cart. He walked towards a house that seemed a bit rich. He had some work with the owner of that house.
He was greeted by a young couple and an old man. He sat down in the veranda and started discussing their work.
I was engrossed in the discussion and thinking about some solutions. That's when I heard the sound of heavy anklets. I glanced towards the source of sound.
Indra's pov
There.... I saw a young woman. She was facing the other direction and chatting with the house owner's wife. She had a body of divine. I couldn't hear her properly, but... They were negotiating about something.
I really wanted to look at her face, but she wasn't turning towards me at all. Which made me a bit pissed.
"Gauri chachi, aap hume kuch samaye dijiye.... Hum aapke paise wapas deh denge."
The unknown woman said.
(Gauri aunty, please give us some time. We'll definitely pay your money back.)
"Aur kitna samaye chaiye? 3 mahine toh ruke hai. Jaa jakar aapni baap ko bula. Shaam tak aagar paise wapas nahi diya na, toh dekh lena, samjhi??" Gauri said.
(How much more time do you guys want? Are 3 months not enough? Go, go and bring your father. If you guys don't return the money by the evening, you'll face the consequences. Understood?)
"j..ji, chachi. Hum aapni baap ko bula layenge, sham tak." The unknown woman said.
I guess they lent money from this family. But why did her parents send her to talk about this? A young woman like her... Roaming amongst men.
She looked defeated. As she was about to leave, she turned her head towards me.
My eyes widened. She was so beautiful. Unlike any woman that was matched up with me. Her skin was flawless, her eyes had a stroke of kajal, and she had a simple green sadi on.
My heart was pounding all of a sudden. This has never happened to me before. She had tears in her eyes, probably because of the earlier incident.
Then she just ran out of the main door; her anklets made a lot of sound. But it was like music to my ears. She definitely imprinted herself in my heart. She'll definitely face the consequences of roaming amongst men. But the lesson will be for a lifetime.
Tulasi's pov
I walked hurriedly towards my home. My Mom will be angry if I stay outside for too long. I rushed inside my small house. it was only one room and a small varanda.
My mother, madhuri was cooking lunch. I gulped and made my way towards her.
"M..maa, hum wapas aagai. W..woh..gauri chachi ko bola tha ki aur time chiye, p..par woh sunn nahi rahi. B..boli ki shaam tak paise nahi layee t..toh.. woh chup nahi rahegi."
I said in a scared tone.
(Mom, i came back. I asked Gauri aunty to give us some time, but she wasn't listening. She said if we don't return the money by the evening, she won't be quiet.)
My mom looked at me with a glare. Which was enough to make me shake. Since my childhood, she has never liked me. She wanted a son, but got a daughter instead.
Ever since I got my senses, she never left a day to torment me.
She threw a plate at me. I used my hands as a shield and then looked at her.
"You're of no use! I don't even know why we are even feeding you and letting you stay. You can't even convince that bitch. I wish I just had killed you when you were born." She said while shouting.
I was so heartbroken by her words. But I was used to this. I wiped my tears; even though I had no fault, I still apologized to her.
"yeah. Ofcourse, you couldn't. I don't know how we are going to pay back the money. Until i figure that out, no lunch for you. You starve here, and I'm going to padma aunty's house." My mom said.
"Y..yes, mother." I said.
"If I find out that you went against my word, you'll face my wrath." My mom said with a glare, and I nodded. Then she left.
What a life..... I wish I weren't alive. What's the point? No one loves me. My brother, he never really cared about me. My father was always busy. He never hit me, because he thinks that my beauty will be useful in the long run.
They lent money from Gauri aunty's family to pay for my brother's studies. He doesn't even want to study, but his fees are still getting paid.
I was so hungry. I did so much work since the morning. I sat down in a corner and closed my eyes. Atleast sleep will be the replacement of my hunger.
Indra's pov
I was currently in my room. On the bed, facing the roof. That girl, i wasn't able to remove her from my brain. It's like she made a permanent place in my brain.
Maybe she's of age.... I can't marry an underage girl. She seemed a bit mature, and she wasn't married yet.
I'll talk to my mother about this. She's my only elder now after father's demise. She took so much care of me. I also have a sister; she's just like my mom. They're the lights of the house and my world.
Rudra is opposite of me. Sure, he had anger issues... But he knows how to handle it. I don't. He is reserved and kind. I'm proud of him. He takes care of my business as upasarpanch.
I need sleep, but that unknown girl wasn't letting me have my sleep. I'll deal with her tomorrow itself.
~Time skip~
As usual, i woke up really early and did my business. I was currently having my breakfast. I decided to talk to my mother about this.
"Mother, I need to talk to you about something." I said.
"Yes, my dear? Is something troubling you?" She said.
"how do you know, mom?" I said
"yesterday, when you returned home, you seemed different. Even during the dinner time, you seemed to be thinking about something."
She said.
I smiled; my mother really knows me well. Every mother is very special to their kids.
"ji, mujhe ek ladki pasand aayi hai" i said.
(Mom, I like someone.)
She was shocked; she knows very well that i never talk about relationships or marriage.
"sachi?? Kon hai woh ladki? Kaise dikhti hai? Kya naam hai? Konsi khandan see hai?" She asked a million questions, but I had answers to none.
(Really? Who's she? How does she look? What's her name? What's her family background?)
"mom, i don't know anything about her. When I saw her, i got so attracted towards her." I said.
"but my son, how can we proceed without any information? Marriage is not a joke. You're the gram pramukh; the upcoming wife should be matching your standards." She said, trying to explain.
"mom, i do not care about her background. I want her. She looks like a gem; you'll be pleased." I said.
"ofcourse. She has to be beautiful. Her skin must be fair, and she should have long hair. She should also know how to keep the house steady." My mother said. Adding her list of requirements.
Although the unknown girl matches some of them, i don't know about others.
All I know is that she must be mine as soon as possible. Before another man gets her.
Author pov
The next day, rudra and anuja made their way towards the unknown girl's house after getting the address from gauri.
Anuja seemed disappointed that the house looked small. That means the girl was poor, she thought. Rudra wasn't fazed by this and escorted his mother inside.
Madhuri was cooking, and tulasi was sweeping the house. Then, Anand looked at them, confused.
"Hello? Who are you...? If I may ask?" Anand said.
"I'm Anuja Deshpande; this is my second son, rudra Deshpande. We're here to ask for your daughter's hand for my first son, Indra Deshpande." Anuja said with a big smile, but a forced one.
Madhuri stopped her work and walked towards them. When she noticed their clothes and jewelry, she could tell that they were rich.
"Come in, come in... Please make yourself comfortable." She said with a grin.
Tulasi was shocked; she didn't want this to happen at all. Marriage is so scary. She has seen many married couples fighting everyday. But she just stood in a corner after covering her head with a dupatta.
Tulasi walked towards her father and tried to make him reject them. Rudra was quick to notice this. He came here prepared; he wasn't going to let his brother's wish go unfulfilled.
"We heard that you owe money to gauri chachi. If you accept this marriage offer, then we'll pay off that debt" rudra said.
"we're glad that you people reached out to us. It's our honor. I heard a lot about indra. We're more than happy to accept this offer." Anand said with a big smile that his daughter was finally of some use.
Tulasi was shattered. They were literally selling her off for money. Tears welled up in her eyes as she watched them fixing the marriage date and everything. They came here prepared.
Tulasi ran towards the back of the house and cried for a while. She had no control over her life.
After sometime, Madhuri walked towards her with the biggest smile.
"Areey, areey.. my baby. Don't cry; you're so lucky to get married into a big house. Your father was right all along. Your beauty came into clutch." Madhuri said.
"P.. please, I don't want to get married. Don't do this to me. I'll do everything that you want, but not this, mom." Tulasi said while sobbing.
"What a pity, my love. You finally came into use. How can I miss the opportunity? They gave us so many gifts on top of the debt payment. Atleast i didn't have to pay for your dowry. Matter of fact, i would've made you marry some old man but pay a dowry for you."
Madhuri said with a cunning smirk.
Tulasi looked at her in disbelief. How can her own mother be so heartless and cruel? Society and the environment change the person to this extent?
Madhuri grabbed her cheeks and said.
"Be prepared, we fixed a marriage date, that is, after 2 days. Then you'll finally be gone from this house. Good news to us. Bad luck will be forever gone." Madhuri said.
Tulasi had no choice but to comply. She did want to run away, but she knows about the cruel world. If she ever comes back again, her mother will get her married to an old
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