“Hey! Get up, lazy girl! The whole household is already awake and busy, and you’re still lying in bed? You think your dead mother is going to come and do the housework for you?” shouted Saroj angrily.
Sita, who was suffering from a fever, got up slowly and said, “Aunt, I’ll do the work. I had a fever, that’s why I woke up late.”
Saroj retorted, “All this is just your drama to avoid work. Do you think I don’t know your tricks?”
With teary eyes, Sita softly replied, “No, aunt, I’ve never pretended to escape work,” and quietly walked toward the kitchen.
Saroj then went to her daughter Priya’s room and said, “My sweet Priya, wake up dear, it’s already daylight.”
Priya grumbled, “Go away, mom! Let me sleep a little more. After half an hour, tell that maid to bring me coffee.”
Saroj nodded, “Alright dear, I’ll tell her,” and walked out.
Outside, she called, “Sita! Where are you? Come here!”
Sita came running and stood in front of her.
Saroj said, “My daughter wants coffee in half an hour. Make sure she gets it.”
Sita replied, “Okay, aunt. I’ll do it,” and went into the kitchen.
She prepared the coffee and took it to Priya.
“Here’s your coffee,” she said softly.
Priya snapped, “Don’t show me your face! Just hold the mirror!”
Sita held the mirror as Priya closed her eyes, sat up, and looked at herself. Admiring her own beauty, she said,
“How beautiful I am!” and then turned to Sita and said, “Now give me the coffee.”
After Priya drank the coffee and handed the cup back, Sita returned to the kitchen, washed the cup, and started preparing breakfast.
At that time, Damodar came and sat on the sofa.
“Saroj! Get me coffee,” he called out, but Saroj didn’t hear him.
Sita overheard and thought, “Oh no! Aunt isn’t around and dad is asking for coffee. What should I do?”
As Damodar grew impatient and said, “Bring it fast! I’m having a headache!”
Sita, worried and trembling, made the coffee and went to him, carefully offering the cup.
Without looking up, Damodar took the cup and drank.
As he was about to return the cup, he looked up and saw Sita.
His eyes turned red with rage.
“Why did you bring it?! Did I tell you to?” he shouted.
Sita stammered, “Aunt wasn’t around, so…”
“How many times do I have to tell you not to come in front of me, you inauspicious girl?” he yelled.
Sita stood silently, tears rolling down her cheeks.
Hearing the shouting, Saroj came with a smug expression, happy to see Sita being scolded.
“How many times do I have to tell you to keep that cursed girl away from me?” Damodar said angrily to Saroj.
Then, turning to Saroj, he asked, “Where were you? I called you for coffee.”
Saroj lied, “I was washing clothes.”
Pointing at Sita, Damodar said, “Why do you have to do everything? Isn’t she here?”
Saroj, pretending to be innocent, said, “What can I do? If I ask her, she either refuses or answers back rudely.”
Damodar replied, “If she answers back, slap her and make her work! No one here gets food without working. Only those who work will eat!”
Saying that, he stormed off to his room.
Sita, hearing her own father’s cruel words, felt a deep ache in her heart.
She thought, “Why am I even alive?”
This wasn’t just today’s story. For the last twenty years, all Sita had received was rejection.
Not a single day had passed where she had felt her father’s love.
Her mother had died just two days after Sita was born. Since then, Damodar had considered her inauspicious.
Not once had he called her by name.
Until the age of four, Sita was taken care of by Damodar’s mother, Shantamma.
But due to illness, she passed away when Sita was four.
That day, the only person who had shown her love also left her.
Even Shantamma’s death was blamed on Sita.
When Damodar married Saroj, Sita was five years old.
From then on, her life became a living hell.
If being ignored by her father wasn’t enough, Saroj treated her like a maid—beating her and scolding her constantly.
That house had become a prison for her.
Sita had never seen a happy day. Her life was filled with only pain and sorrow.
Let’s see… will good days ever come for our Sita?
To be continued…
This is my first attempt, so your support and feedback are very important. Please share your thoughts.
