Our Mindset Episode 37
For an hour, people stood outside discussing the incident.
“How did he get inside?”
“Where was she at the time?”
“Why did he do it?”
“Did someone send him?”
“What was his real intention?”
“How did he even dare?”
Phone calls spread the news. Some informed his family. The entire village, from the fields to the houses, was buzzing with gossip. People also laughed as they described how my husband had cried. No one tells the exact story; they always exaggerate. Hearing all this, I was furious with my husband.
After everyone left, I asked him, “Why were you crying?”
He replied, “I thought it was Pradeep. He shouldn’t have done this, and I didn’t know what to say to him, so I just started crying.”
My husband was more concerned about his brother-in-law’s reputation than his own wife’s dignity. Pradeep must have known he wouldn’t say anything, which is why he dared to take advantage of me.
Mangu and my aunt arrived, and soon, more people from the fields gathered to discuss the incident again. Before we knew it, the evening had passed. They took the milk and left, but I had no desire to speak to anyone. The shock of that man’s actions and my husband’s reaction still gripped me. How could someone strip naked and sleep inside someone’s house in broad daylight?
Balu came back from the market. Since my husband was home, there was no singing on the road. Balu and I ended up discussing the same topic. He said, “That man is from our own farmland, but his family is extremely poor. He never even speaks up in front of anyone. So how did he dare to do this?”
I couldn’t eat dinner or sleep that night. My mind was restless, filled with endless questions. In the morning, I wanted to visit my sister-in-law. But when I reached her, I heard something unexpected.
She said, “Patil was standing in front of Balu’s house, calmly talking to that man, who was showing the bruises he got from the beating. Something doesn’t add up. Why would Patil speak so quietly with someone who caused you so much trouble? But don’t tell Balu I told you this. First, listen to what he has to say.”
Balu came home for lunch and spoke to me gently.
“Everyone, both inside and outside the house, is making life difficult for you. You’re not safe there. You have two small children. Leave Mangu’s job and move with your husband to work at Patil’s farm. You’ll be safer there.”
It was clear—since I wasn’t agreeing, they wanted to scare me into it. But I knew my husband would never agree. So I told Balu, “The decision isn’t in my hands. It’s up to my husband.”
After he left, my sister-in-law said, “Patil probably orchestrated all this because of the Pradeep incident—to test your husband’s reaction. Your husband didn’t say a word to Pradeep, and yesterday, he just cried. Now, Patil will take full advantage of that. This is bad. What will you do?”
I told her, “I’m scared now. I don’t want to stay here anymore.”
She sighed. “What’s the use of feeling this way now? Your husband should have made a decision last night. He left his government job—how can he just walk away from this too?”