Maai: Ferocious as much as loving

This is a special Mother’s Day piece

Cathrynne, Pixabay

Doors cranking, the voices shrill, Rajeshwari in her soaked blood petticoat, and blouse white as pale moon looked as if it was dipped in the red solution, swap the solution with blood. The ferrous blood situation was getting to her nose. The smell of the blood was too much to tackle. It felt like everything was splashed with sacrifices, consecutively, one after another. The Aryans were known to offer their horses to the abode God, the Cow being the sacrificial animal for them. Rajeshwari was a Dravidian/Ancient Hunter Gatherer/Austro-Asiatic lady, dark but pretty. Her body was all vile and smelled like phosphorous, her stance almost twirling and tragical. She was slanting like a snake, her contortionist posture peaked her chest at a height. Her cleavage was beautiful and pretty as well as, her breasts atop, firm and soft splashed with blood. In the pool of blood and body matter, muscles, ligaments, and organs she limps, looking ferocious, as if her gaze can burn anyone at sight. She moves ahead towards the bathroom.

Rajeshwari crippling in sleep psychosis, Her husband Rajendra, gasps and jolts her as fast as he can, Rajeshwari opened her eyes, let me take my bath. Arre Munnu, we are in bed, what happened to you? Rajeshwari, took a gentle gaze at her husband, her breath almost stuck in her throat, her heart pounding at many levels, she gently touched her chest. While her husband started touching her as well trying to unbutton her blouse, with a smirk on his face. Rajeshwari was feeling uncomfortable. It was the second time he forced himself on her. It’s not that she dreads sleeping with him, but he was violent with her and persistingly selfish. She misplaced his hand, He forcefully grabbed her hands as she was trying to get off of his hardly tight hands locking her body on the bed. She used force and tossed him. Her husband had a double arc on his persona. That double arc activates when he gets mad. He snapped at her and gave her continuous slaps after choking her, He goes to the extremes of her face and asks, Will you give it to me or not? She was crying and imagining all sorts of things, with eyes closed and tears oozing out of her eyes like petal dew, it fell on the flower embroidered on the bedsheet. She made that bedsheet for herself, for Rajendra, and it seems like it was a bad call. It was the third time she was whipped by this monster.

It was morning the next day, at 6, people started walking on the street. She felt like taking a stroll, her body was painful, she thought why not try to unlock all the blood-collected muscular layers that were appearing in her body as sprain laden from top to bottom? She was taking a walk and stopped at a lake nearby, it was common for her to stop at the exact spot while taking a stroll. She gazed at the panorama, two women giggled a lot. There was this ensuring confidence that she was gazing. Can women laugh at such an open space from the heart? I thought we were frowned upon. She knew her husband will exterminate her if she does that. One of the women saw Rajeshwari peeking, She talked with the other lady and both of them moved towards her. Hye! says one lady. One of her was too tall, Rajeshwari imagined, she thought she could play Basketball. Rajeshwari smiled as they came, one of the women says “Hye!” She peeks at Rajeshwari and her bruises. “I am Ruchi and this is Rosie.” Rajeshwari was hesitant to reply as their stare got intense. To really cut the tension of the moment Ruchi said, “Hey!” “Look at my friend isn’t she too tall.” Rajeshwari says,” “Yes she is actually pretty tall”, she feebled and made a nervous smile. Ruchi came in and picked her hand up, “We are your friends. You do not have to tell me your name.” Rajeshwari slantingly rubbed her face against Ruchi’s hands. As tears came floating from her eye ducts.

She rubbed her eyes, Rosie’s motherhood strikes again while Ruchi being calm, looks at Rosie and then rubs her back. Rosie also cleans her eyes. Rajeshwari says, “Where are you guys from? I mean your accent clearly is not Indian.” We are Indians from abroad, I am from the US, Rosie too. We are partners. Ruchi gazed at Rosie and kissed her. Rajeshwari was frightened if someone saw them that can be a problem for them if her neighbors or any local person saw them. Fortunately, there was no one. They both traveled by road. Ruchi asks, “Tell me about you”, asks Rajeshwari. Oh, my name is Rajeshwari!

“Do you Work?”, asks Ruchi

Rajeshwari replies, “No I am a stay-at-home mom. I worked at a software company here in Bangalore, but then I have a kid, a girl child of 7 years old, my husband and I mutually agreed its best to take a break and he was not good at taking care of our child.

Ruchi stops and asks, “Why do you have to sacrifice, while he gets to progress in his career?”.

Rajeshwari was awestruck by the way in which Ruchi spoke with so much authority and command, She replies, “I mean it's okay he earns more than me, so it's okay for him to continue.”

To which Ruchi tells Rajeshwari, “Well money does matter but in this case, if you revert to work tomorrow, Won’t your career take a backseat after this gap? Haven’t you not gone to work for 8 years?”

Rosie as usual, filled with tears. Ruchi gently rubs her back, as if she is caressing Rosie. Rajeshwari says, “ Yes, Do you want to come to my home? I haven’t gotten close to anyone in this neighborhood.”

Ruchi says, “It's okay, we will come with you.”

Ruchi and Rosie always walked with holding hands they also looked at Rajeshwari and lends their hands to her. Rajeshwari without hesitation accepts her hand and all the ladies move to Ruchi’s home.

Upon entering Rajeshwari's daughter hugs her, Rajeshwari gently brushes her hair and pulls her chin upwards. She says, “Aastha meet these aunts,” Aastha was in 5th standard, fluent in English, and part of a local convent school, one of the best in Bangalore.

Aastha smiled and went back to her room to study, she had to go to a group study with her friends. Ruchi and Rosie touched the walls of the house and looked at Rajeshwari. Is there an outlet to escape here? Rajeshwari in a bewildering tone asks, “What?” “I just wanted to know more about this as per the stylized Bangalorean architecture,” says Ruchi.

Credits: Raushenberger, Pixabay

Rajendra wakes up while the girls are talking, “Munnu, Munnu, Munnu! Here is my beautiful wife. Can you get me some tea? I would be leaving early for work today. Ruchi and Rosie are seeing a slight tension on Rajeshwari's forehead, the glistening shine of her sweat emanating out of her pores. Her gulp was intense as her neck when moving sparkled the sweat, explaining her drenched body. There were wet spots everywhere. She goes and tries to pick up utensils, but drops a few. Ruchi and Rosie sits with Aastha in the adjacent room while Rajeshwari was in the kitchen.

The kitchen was slightly on the left of the living room which was the first room when you enter the premises. Ruchi and Rosie were sitting and talking, in the other room, Rajendra was getting ready. He wore his shoes and polished them. He came and pulled Rajeshwari from the back. And was touching Rajeshwari all over. Ruchi hears some sounds from the living room. She gently places her steps and in the door opening stands and sees that Rajendra was lifting the bottom section of a saree.

Ruchi’s eyes had become bloodshot red and made a strong sound. It reached Rajendra’s ear. He turned, “What was that? Did you make any sound?” Rosie kicks him on his crotch, and Rajendra falls to his knees. Ruchi kicks him left right and center, while Rosie chokes him. He was about to die, it was almost Rajeshwari was happy seeing this happen. Then something snapped inside her, “Leave him, he is my husband, as she saw her daughter.”

Aastha comes and hugs her dad, Rajendra catching his breath, crying in pain. Munnu please help me, I can’t stand on my feet. And give me my phone let me call the police. I have to complain to the authorities about these lady intruders. Nothing deterred Ruchi and Rosie, they were standing and waiting till someone gave them the call to finish him.

Aastha was taken up by her mother and Rajeshwari gazing at the floor tells Rajendra, “They are my friends.” Rajendra says, “What?” Ruchi about to go for a punch stops in mid, and says to Rajeshwari, “Rajeshwari this is your husband we thought some random hobo was trying to molest you we could see and feel you did not like his touch.” Rajendra stares angrily at Rajeshwari. Rosie holds Ruchi’s hands as she wanted to punch him once again.

Rajendra changed his gaze and told Rajeshwari, “Munnu we have guests at our home and make something special today. He turns to Rosie and says, “I would request you to please have lunch at our place before going out of the premises. Rajendra limps holding the walls of their house and rushes to their bedroom. He turns back and says, “I have urgent work today Munnu, can you please make my breakfast I have to go somehow?” Both Ruchi and Rosie were sitting on the sofa and chatting.

Ruchi sends someone a word in their text, “Target found.”

Rosie had to flex her legs so she spread herself on the sofa settings. Ruchi gently caresses her leg with hers. And closing in on her, Ruchi kisses Rosie, and said, “Is that bubblegum?”. Rosie replies yes, “Cola flavor”. You know I love it. Rajendra sees this and he automatically scooches himself to a corner, in minutes wanted to pull his pants, but could not. Rajeshwari sees him and dropped her gaze as if she was disgusted. She says, “Food is ready, you can have it.”

After Rajendra left, the trio talked for hours and then Ruchi said, “Won’t you offer us something to eat or drink Rajeshwari.” “Yeah of course, what would you like?” Rajeshwari curiously asks. Ruchi tells her looking at Rosie, “Chocolate milk.” Rajeshwari laughs, oh my, You guys still drink chocolate milk. Ruchi just enjoys Rosie and her convo. Rosie replies, “Why not have it with lots of milk and sugar.” It will taste exquisitely divine. Rajeshwari laughs and says, “Okay let us have chocolate milk then. I do need to however check whether I have enough stock or not”.

After having Chocolate milk and a well-endowed sandwich, Ruchi and Rosie wanted to leave. “Rajeshwari loved the chocolate milk and the sandwich acted like an icing in the cake. I loved the food, both Rosie and Ruchi touched her grappling her hand and brushing with their fingers.

You have our number, call in case you need help. Rajeshwari says, hesitating to avoid but still acting as if that statement was uncalled, “Why would I need your assistance.” In case you need it, replies Ruchi. Rajeshwari said, “Okay, and Thanks!” Aastha comes into the guest room and lays out the chess board and all the pieces are perfectly staged and Rajeshwari plays with her.

Credits: Ratke, Pixabay

It was time to take Aastha to her group study. Playing Chess really did a number on Rajeshwari, as she forgot to make Indian food for her husband. She called their family driver to pick Aastha up and drop her at her friends' home and wait there until she comes out. Meanwhile, Rajendra calls and yells, “Munnu what kind of dumb lady are you? Did you call my driver? I needed to go somewhere to have a meeting with a client. Call the driver back. Now Rajeshwari never stands up for herself against Rajendra, but when her daughter came into that complex equation she does not want to take chances. She said, ‘No’ you have to drop her. Rajendra remembers the whooping he got in the morning, if he acts right now maybe Rajeshwari's girlfriends would whoop him again. He said, ‘Okay’. Rajendra called every one of his friends and even asked the company he worked for to arrange one but there were certain issues with transportation. But they were angry that the work had to be completed like a month earlier, now what's the point of doing it now?

He called the driver and tells him to send Aastha via a friend who also had a child in that specific group. Mr Bajaj came in and took his child but as Rajendra was not dutiful same as Bajaj, he took another girl thinking she was Aastha, while the other girl did not say anything. It was only after reaching Rajendra’s home that the car door opened and she did not get down. Bajaj panicked and had to go back again to search for Aastha. He goes back to the study but Aastha was nowhere.

He complained to the girl who organized the study’s mother who’s name was Parul. Parul also in shock and utter fear called Rajeshwari. She was in the kitchen making a sweet for Aastha, as she liked to eat something sweet in the evening. She cried and yelled and called Rajendra 50 times but there was no reply. She met Parul lodge a complaint at Police Station and came back.

At 1 am, comes Rajendra with his collar folded tie unsettled, shirt out from the trousers, lace open. Rajeshwari was pissed, but she contained herself waiting in the Kitchen. She was boiling with anger. She called Ruchi, Ruchi picks up, and says, “Hye Rajji, how are you?” In one day they both became such good friends that they also had pet names for each other.

Rajeshwari cries and tells her the situation, Ruchi tells her, “Rajeshwari a dad that cannot even take care of his child's needs does not deserve to be one.” Rajeshwari then stared at the ice vase in her guest room. Her eyes were red and the glassed table was staring back at her. She cuts the call in mid and goes to the room, Rajendra was asleep, in deep sleep.

She returns back to the guest room but moves back and checks his phone. She couldn’t believe what she saw. He went to sleep with a prostitute with some of his friends and wasted almost 1 month of his salary on that, tipping his friends too, as all of them did the grotesque nasty together. Rajeshwari is fuming, She went to her guest room picked up the flower vase, and slammed it left, right, and center on Rajendra. Blood spilled everywhere.

Credits: Chiplanay, Pexels

But Rajendra woke up and started abusing her. He caught her and tore off her clothes. But she took a knife and stabbed him in his leg she was not able to get to his sensitive areas. She went berserk and yelled, “You deranged psychopath, you took my daughter away, I will kill you and feast on your flesh.”

As she stabbed Rajendra with a scissor while she was yelling. He ran away. He wanted to get back at her and searched for his revolver but then a fire happened and he got trapped in the blaze.

Rajeshwari opens her eyes, she was in their local hospital. Aastha hugged her. Rajeshwari holds her daughter, she sits on her bed making a slight twitch in her back she had wounds all over her. I went with your friend Aunties, says Aastha. Rajeshwari was shocked and they gave you this, They wrote, “A mother's strength only projects onto her enemies when her child is at stake. The demon is slayed.” Rajeshwariholds the letter to her heart while taking Aastha on her lap, and kissing her forehead.

Ruchi and Rosie on the same night were all enveloped together as two entwined lovers. Rosie asks, “Did you get my husband the same way.” Ruchi replies with another question, “What do you think?” They both laughed it off and Rosie’s tall stature became a sanctuary of comfort for Ruchi. While Rosie’s faint-heartedness was protected by Ruchi’s strong spirit.

Credits: Grant Whitty, Unsplash

Cosmic story elements (Just like Cosmic context in poems I have also started Cosmic story elements that will enhance the understanding of the fiction piece) — I have written a piece titled, “He consumed me and I devoured him” a few days earlier and a few of its characters especially Ruchi and Rosie who were best of friends are recurring here. This was the story: