#5

POV of Mrs. Joshi

Being a single lady, I have no family. I've tried to offer these orphan children maternal love over the years by treating them as though they were my own. We all stand as one big, happy family. Despite working here for almost 30 years, I still feel like yesterday was my first day. On that day, I escaped from my home.

I was married, at the age of 13, to a merchant, who was 25 years old, by my parents. The bridegroom's family was affluent and well-educated. My husband was loving in the early years of our marriage, which was wonderful. His family was gracious to me as well. Six years have passed since my marriage, and the time has flown by incredibly quickly. My in-laws' behavior started to change during this period, and they became considerably more hostile towards me. My husband would occasionally force himself on me at night while he was drunk, and I worked like a maid every morning.

When I confronted him about his behavior, he became enraged and slapped me, shouting, "You aren't even capable of giving me a child!" "How dare you interrogate me?" He made his way out of the room. My husband's statements had left me dumbfounded. My husband's comments had been echoing in my ears all day. His behavior was deteriorating day by day. When I told my parents about it, rather than addressing my in-laws, they took me to a black magic practitioner. The black magic practitioner prophesied that I would have difficulty having a child and urged that I try tapasya. This included a daily one-hour cold water soak and a Saturday fast.

As the black magic practitioner prophesied, I became pregnant after a few months. For my family, it was a joyful celebration. I was delighted and was unable to put the feeling into words. The tides have shifted yet again, but this time for the better. My husband had returned to his loving nature. My in-laws treated me like a princess. However, the Tapasya had weakened her physique. The doctor warned her that miscarriages were possible and advised her to take precautions.

That happiness did not last long, and my nightmare about miscarriage became a reality. My child died. I was in mourning, but they all blamed me for the miscarriage. I was heartbroken, and my parents were not present. I believed that my partner would understand my sorrow, but I was mistaken; he called me a killer.

'How can he possibly think like this? I know he too lost his child, but I was the one carrying our child and went through so much simply to have a child. Nobody consoled me, and everyone blamed me.' But, as a woman, what can I do? My own parents were on their side.

The family began to treat me inhumanely once more. It had been a ritual for me to work as a donkey for my in-laws' taunts and then get tormented by my husband. I started acting as if I was dead. After a while, I saw my in-laws secretly discussing something. I eavesdropped one day and learned that they were arranging a second marriage for my husband.

I asked my husband if he was aware of it. He kicked me in the abdomen and uttered, "A housemaid should not meddle in their masters' affairs and should stay within limits.". I was his legally married wife, but in his view, I was nothing more than a maid, perhaps even a lower-class maid.

The wedding preparations began the next week. The bride's family was on their way to help arrange the wedding. That day, I planned to flee while everyone was busy. The maids also assisted in escaping safely. I had already packed everything that was necessary, but I had left my mangal sutra, which was the biggest burden, at home.

For a week, I wandered on the streets performing menial jobs to make ends meet. The person I married or my parents never looked for me. That day, I was looking for an alternative job when I saved an elderly woman, a caretaker at an orphanage called "Eternal Sunshine." She gave me this position since her health was deteriorating and she could use some of my assistance.

I went back to visit my parents after a few years. There, I discovered that my parents and in-laws had declared me deceased. They said I couldn't handle the news of my miscarriage and committed suicide. Also, after losing his kid and wife, my husband's parents decided to remarry him in order to bring happiness back into his life.

After hearing this foolishness, I was speechless. It devastated me that my parents had consented to this stupid rumor. I departed without even seeing my parents since I was already dead for them. They also died for me that day.

The orphanage had become my family, bringing me happiness that my blood relatives could not. I realized that the strongest ties are those formed through love.

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