She was a middle aged lady who was the cynosure of all eyes in our old society. In the 80s, She was considered too advanced for that decade. She was always dressed in dazzling sarees and sleeveless blouses, hair cut short in auburn brown colours. Red lipstick oozing out from the lips and a lily fragrance left by her in the air wherever she passed by. We were kids and overheard our peers calling her 'sexy'. We never knew the meaning of the word. She spoke fluent accented English and walked tall with her high heeled shoes. The shabbily dressed ladies of our society secretly admired her but used to scorn her. She was the embodiement of their unfulfilled middle class dreams.She was a bold lady,They naturally used to avoid her.
Her husband was an alcoholic whose sole purpose in life was to fight with her day in, night out.He worked at some place for a pittance which hardly used to fuel his liquor budget, leave aside food and clothing. They had 2 dysfunctional kids who were in a runny nosed,perpetually dishevelled state.Their maternal uncle, settled abroad was the only saviour for the family. He used to look after the family.
Every evening was a fashion parade for the lady when she used to go out. Where she went was a matter of intense speculation and a hot topic of discussion amongst the members of the society. They doubted her character and labelled her as a 'loose lady'. Tongues wagged freely in that era.People used to bother about others,a wee bit more than themselves.But, no one had any evidence to back their accusations.
We never bothered them and got accustomed to their daily brawls.The kids grew up to be real pests who had no social norms and cuss words flowed from their mouths like water from a sea. They hardly attended school and were frequently seen loitering in the streets. The seeds of void in their lives were carefully sown by their good for nothing parents.They were the victims of a disturbed family. I pitied their docile decent neighbours who bore the maximum brunt and spent sleepless nights.
A decade passed and a few things changed. The lady aged and lost her marbles.She too became an alcoholic and sank into depression. The kids grew physically but with shrunken brains. The brawls were more vociferous as the kids too joined in. Fist fights and a free for all ensued in this mayhem. The deprived kids vented their fury on the hapless couple. Their father would disappear for days together. The lady had grown frail and virtually stopped eating. She would sit at the window sill and abuse for hours together. They had become an unbearable nuisance for the society.
One day after the yelling and yelping got out of hand, I along with my friends pushed open their door to see a ghastly sight. My blood curdled and hair stood out of every pore of the body. The lady was sprawling on the floor and the kids were jumping on her abdomen repeatedly from a substantial height of a stool. Why this satanic depravity? was the question lingering on my mind. We berated the kids and took them to the police.They shrugged their shoulders and pleaded helplessness. After a stern warning, they were let off.
One quiet afternoon, we were playing cricket in our compound. Yet, more was in store for us,We were flabbergasted to see the lady descend the stairs wearing nothing at all. We were scared to see her in such a plightful state. We did react by swinging our bats at her to push her back into her first floor house. The situation had gone out of control now.We were deeply affected by this episode.
Some newly formed social group got a call from our committee and promptly put her in a nearby mental hospital. The kids were taken over by child welfare foundation. Their father was nowhere to be seen.
PRESENT-
The kids are all grown up now. They eke out their living doing okay jobs. They have lost their parents. They look decent and behave in a well mannered way. They have attempted to catch up with their lives.
They do not recollect any memory of their parents.
They have buried their past.
Tears stream down their cheeks as they gaze at their photographs on the wall.
One question is uppermost in their mind,
God! Can you give us back our lost childhood?
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