“You filed a complaint?”
“I tried, but they don’t let me in. They shoo me off saying I’m one of those girls who prostitutes at night and comes to extract more from ways like these, in bureau.” I say remembering what happened this morning.
“You ate?”
“No. I don’t want to.”
He tosses one crust of bread at me and sits on the rock at a distance from me. “Eat. Its not like everyday you get to have these. Some women do really sell their Everything just to get a bite of food.” I looked at the bread covered with dirt and listening to his side of the truth I disgusted myself and this bread. My stomach churned remembering last night night. The aching doesn’t stop.
“Since how long are you here?”
“from day before yesterday.”
“Since day before yesterday. Yesterday when you offered me the banana. I indeed was hungry.” I met this guy this same place same time previous day. I looked his way, unsure to tell him what happened before this, the scene and that whole incident that had left such an impression on me I am desperate to tell someone.. my end of story.. to release all that’s bottled up inside me. Only if someone just asks 'what happened? Are you okay? I will help you. I will send you to your parents.’
“How.” He asks.
“I ran from my captivator and ended up in this side of the city. Trapped. It was too dark and no aid. I couldn’t think more.”
He bobbed his head up and down as if taking in the information looking far beyond this river and into the Bay of Bengal, just like I was moments before. “Just don’t weep anymore.”
I touched my cheek and tears weren’t stopping. Knowing that my sobbing intensified.
“I’m saying that because you won’t always find clean water to drink in this dump.. junkyard locality. So just save the good in you until possible.”
I nodded vigorously, my branded clothes torn and unidentiable from dirt. I try to distract myself and asked him a different question to pause the distress the previous discussion brought to me. “So why’s your name George?”
He laughed hysteric. “Because the random guy that did my mom left a tag which had 'George' written over it. So I was named on that.” I couldn’t laugh at that, only a sympathetic smile crept on my face, he noticed that. His face fell. “You’ll find all the odds here, madam. The riches do it in luxury. We in rags. The difference is only in material.”
“I became one of those products. I don’t want to George. I don’t want this.” I broke in tears. It was a hysterical cry.” After setting his eyes on me for longer than two minutes his eyes fell on the crumbled bread crumbs on the ground near my feet.
“I will.” He released a long sigh. “I will try to help you.” My magnified eyes brimming with tears settled on him looking deep in his eyes. Deep I say if I am looking into his soul. He stammers then, “I cannot guarantee but I can try.”
I crawls to him in that bloodied dress close to falling off I held his hands shivering with gratitude and breaking in tears, he only looked shook and confused at what to react. I thank him. He gulps and nods slowly.
I still didn’t see the fire in his eyes. I went to the shore splashed water on my face until my sobbing reduced to hiccups alone, then sat one step below him, sighing.
“I.. I can’t live like this. Some stranger coming everyday taking.. violating my body everyday.. Against my will.. degrading me, destroying my self esteem, my dignity.. making me loose my self respect little by little. It’s a lot. I can’t take it. Idk if I can protect my soul from getting destroyed in this abyss. I’m too fragile for this George I can’t survive this. I’ll end my life either by jumping in this river or in the middle of one of those nights. You have got to help me.” now his blazing eyes anwering. Now I can entrust this 12-13 year old boy with my escape. He's the local, he knows his people, he can bring me change. I'll collect more people to side with me.
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