Sheena did not have the courage to ask. Words rose to her lips and died there...…she feared that even a question might reopen wounds that were still bleeding inside Meera. So they sat together in silence, tea growing cold between their hands, while an unfamiliar stillness settled over the house like a held breath.
Meera rose quietly and went to get ready. As she reached the door, Sheena's voice broke the silence, fragile with worry.
"Where are you going?"
Sheena was uneducated...the modern world remained largely foreign to her. The distance between her and Meera was widened further by a generation gap that left many things unsaid. They did not talk much…..but Sheena knew this much….in Meera's condition, stepping out alone was not right. Almost requesting, she said,
"Wait… I'll come with you."
"Don't worry, Maa, "Meera replied gently. "I'll be back soon."
But Sheena's heart refused to be soothed. Fear gnawed at her…..fear that Meera might take a wrong step, one from which there would be no return. She cleared her throat, her voice trembling into a plea.
"I won't say anything. I won't ask anything. When you're ready to talk, you can tell me yourself. I promise I'll stay calm....just let me come with you."
Meera turned back, her eyes steady.
"Maa, I'm your daughter. I won't harm myself. I'll go....and I'll come back."
Though her heart remained unconvinced, Sheena nodded slowly.
"Alright. But remember...…..if anything happens to you, Rick and I won't survive either."
"I'll go and be right back," Meera repeated.
"Okay," Sheena replied after a pause. "Keep your phone with you. No matter what, you must answer my call."
Meera nodded in agreement.
She went straight to Tony's house. The door was locked. She asked around....no one knew where he was.
She tried calling him again.
The phone was switched off.
Drenched in sweat, breath ragged, her body trembling despite the heat, Meera stood outside the Velvet Bar. With reluctant, unsteady steps, she tried to go inside...…but the guard at the door blocked her way.
"William," she pleaded, "please tell me...…..where is Tony? Is he okay? Please."
"I don't know anything," William said coldly. "Leave this place. Don't create unnecessary drama."
Meera's voice shook with anger and despair.
"Does my life look like drama to you? Does Tony's life look like drama?"
Without answering, William held her back with one hand and barked into his walkie-talkie with the other,
"Send a guard here. Now."
Moments later, a man arrived. William handed him a stamp and keys. Meera was grabbed and dragged away, pulled into a dark, narrow alley beside the bar.
She was slammed against the wall. A rough palm crushed her mouth shut. Lips brushed her ear as a voice hissed, thick with humiliation and threat.
"Shut the f**k up, you bitch. You have no right to talk about Tony. Because of you, he got shot. Now listen carefully...…orders have come from above. You are not to be seen anywhere near this place. So leave. Or are you still thirsty for that night?"
Tears gathered in Meera's eyes, fear and helpless disbelief trembling across her face as she whispered, looking at him as though she no longer recognized the man before her.
"I can't believe this is you, William."
He leaned closer, his voice was a poisonous murmur.
"Be thankful I'm only talking. If you're seen around here again, you'll have to pay the price. Whenever you feel hungry for a man… you know where to come."
He left, his words burning in her ears long after his footsteps faded.
Meera's mind raged like desert winds...….hot, relentless, echoing with hollow sounds. The life she had lived, the people she had known, all belonged to the lowest, unseen, voiceless section of society. She had witnessed life's raw ugliness from frighteningly close. Yet until now, she had seen that world from behind her mother's protective shadow. Her mother had always stood before her like a shield, allowing her to see everything, but never to feel its full cruelty.
Today, for the first time, Meera tasted life's bitterness face to face.
It shook her soul.
Darkness crept slowly across her vision. Sweat drenched her body, yet an unnatural cold seeped into her bones. Her heart seemed to forget its rhythm.....every breath turned into a struggle. When her legs finally gave way, she collapsed onto the ground.
Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes, scattering like dew.
And there, in the narrow, lightless alley, Meera writhed upon the filthy, cold street, fading breath by breath as the darkness closed in around her.
[Sheena]
It was getting dark.
Where is Meera?
Sheena had called her again and again. No answer.
Rick sat at the dining table with his homework open, but his eyes kept drifting toward his mother. She was circling the drawing room restlessly, like a bird trapped in a cage with no way out.
"Maa," he said softly, "don't worry. Mimi will come back. She must be sitting with Tony."
"You're right," Sheena murmured. "Let me call Tony."
She dialed.
His phone was switched off.
"Maa, have some water," Rick said, worry etched on his small face.
Sheena took the glass from his hands. After one sip, she forced a smile. "I'm fine. You go finish your homework."
But her heart was sinking.
I need to go and check… but where?
Her workplace? Tony's house?
Rachel.
She had helped Meera get that job.
She dialed.
"Hello?" Rachel answered.
"Richie… do you know where Meera is?" Sheena asked, trying to keep her voice steady.
"No, actually I was about to come—"
"Oh… okay. Sorry to disturb you. I need to go somewhere. I'll call you later."
Before Rachel could say anything more, Sheena ended the call.
She turned to Rick. "Listen. You sit here and complete your homework. If Mimi comes back, call me immediately. I'm going out to look for her."
Rick shook his head. "Maa, Mimi will come back. Don't go out alone in the dark. If she comes back and you're not here, what will I tell her? She'll blame me for not taking care of you."
Sheena pulled him close, her voice gentle but firm. "I'm your mother. I take care of both of you. You are not responsible for me. And I want you to stay here so that if she comes back, she won't panic seeing the house empty. You'll be here. I'll go look for her. If she comes back, call me and I'll return immediately."
She cupped his face. "You'll listen to me, won't you?"
Rick unwillingly..."Yes."
She kissed his forehead. "My lucky coin. Don't worry. I'll go just like this and come back just like this."
"Go get my purse."
She sat on the couch, her hands trembling as she tried to fasten her sandals.
Brrrrrrrrr.
The phone lying beside her vibrated.
She answered the call immediately
The color drained from her face…
as if every drop of blood had been pulled straight from her heart.