Read Online Your Dreams Are Mine Now by Ravinder Singh - Free Book Online
Authors: Ravinder Singh
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tobacco made Raheema’s husband bed-ridden and finally took his life, he used to work as a gardener in the same college. Someone in her community had asked Raheema to see if she could get some work in the college as a replacement for her husband. That’s when she had arrived on this campus looking for work.
But getting work, even as a replacement for her husband, wasn’t easy. Someone else had filled the vacancy that her husband’s absence had created. For days, Raheema moved from one facility office to another, from one security guard to another. At the end of two weeks of useless running and pleading in front of every person, including students, faculty members, the administrative staff and even the security guards, she met Prof. Mahajan.
He had noticed her, probably for the third time, outside the administrative block. Raheema had been standing there for the whole day in anticipation of meeting the facilities manager, who unfortunately, was not even present in his office that day.
Late in the afternoon, Mahajan had stopped by and asked Raheema why she had been standing outside that block for the whole day. She felt obliged that someone of his stature had stopped to listen to her. Raheema told him her story.
Mahajan was a man of great influence. So to get Raheema a peon’s job on campus was only the matter of one phone call for him. When Mahajan had told Raheema that she could come to work from the very next day, she could not believe what she had heard. And when it was clear to her, she thanked him scores of times. Back then there were tears of happiness in her eyes.
He was her angel and she would remember him in her prayers—she had said while leaving that day.
Unfortunately, it only took two more weeks for Raheema’s angel to transform into a devil. The unexpected had unfolded when Mahajan had specifically asked Raheema to clean his cabin on a holiday, when there was no other faculty member or student in the college block.
Betrayal hurts the most when it comes from the one who you always remembered in your prayers.
It wasn’t just Mahajan’s hands that clung to her bare waist, but the breaking of her faith in the man whom she treated as her messiah. That night Raheema could not sleep.
In the coming days, Mahajan became bolder. When Raheema stopped at one moment and could not say anything further, Rupali held her hands between her palms.
‘Why haven’t you reported him to the higher authorities?’ she asked her.
In response, Raheema clarified that Mahajan was too big a man for her to take on. He had too much of influence and he was used to getting his way. Nothing was going to happen to him but for sure she would lose her job.
It was extremely distressing for Rupali to know that in order to get a better life for her daughter, Raheema had to sacrifice her life, her modesty.
‘But this has to end!’ Rupali said firmly.
It was easier said than done. Rupali kept thinking about how she could stop all this and expose the ill deeds of Prof. Mahajan. She was aware that she couldn’t live in Rome and fight with the Pope. But then because of the kind of person she was, she couldn’t have turned a blind eye to what was happening on campus either. After all, she too had to face Prof. Mahajan. How would she continue to be in his class, in his proximity, when she knew him to be the beast that he was? Moreover, Raheema may not be the only victim, she thought.
She knew that Raheema wouldn’t agree to expose Mahajan. She already looked too scared to even take his name in front of her. So how should she go about this, then? All such thoughts occupied her mind when, suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
Raheema immediately got up from her chair. Quickly, she wiped her eyes and tucked a few loose strands of her hair behind her ear. She adjusted her sari and was about to leave when Rupali said, ‘Relax! Let me check, you don’t worry,’ and went ahead to open the door.
It was Saloni, in her sweaty
But getting work, even as a replacement for her husband, wasn’t easy. Someone else had filled the vacancy that her husband’s absence had created. For days, Raheema moved from one facility office to another, from one security guard to another. At the end of two weeks of useless running and pleading in front of every person, including students, faculty members, the administrative staff and even the security guards, she met Prof. Mahajan.
He had noticed her, probably for the third time, outside the administrative block. Raheema had been standing there for the whole day in anticipation of meeting the facilities manager, who unfortunately, was not even present in his office that day.
Late in the afternoon, Mahajan had stopped by and asked Raheema why she had been standing outside that block for the whole day. She felt obliged that someone of his stature had stopped to listen to her. Raheema told him her story.
Mahajan was a man of great influence. So to get Raheema a peon’s job on campus was only the matter of one phone call for him. When Mahajan had told Raheema that she could come to work from the very next day, she could not believe what she had heard. And when it was clear to her, she thanked him scores of times. Back then there were tears of happiness in her eyes.
He was her angel and she would remember him in her prayers—she had said while leaving that day.
Unfortunately, it only took two more weeks for Raheema’s angel to transform into a devil. The unexpected had unfolded when Mahajan had specifically asked Raheema to clean his cabin on a holiday, when there was no other faculty member or student in the college block.
Betrayal hurts the most when it comes from the one who you always remembered in your prayers.
It wasn’t just Mahajan’s hands that clung to her bare waist, but the breaking of her faith in the man whom she treated as her messiah. That night Raheema could not sleep.
In the coming days, Mahajan became bolder. When Raheema stopped at one moment and could not say anything further, Rupali held her hands between her palms.
‘Why haven’t you reported him to the higher authorities?’ she asked her.
In response, Raheema clarified that Mahajan was too big a man for her to take on. He had too much of influence and he was used to getting his way. Nothing was going to happen to him but for sure she would lose her job.
It was extremely distressing for Rupali to know that in order to get a better life for her daughter, Raheema had to sacrifice her life, her modesty.
‘But this has to end!’ Rupali said firmly.
It was easier said than done. Rupali kept thinking about how she could stop all this and expose the ill deeds of Prof. Mahajan. She was aware that she couldn’t live in Rome and fight with the Pope. But then because of the kind of person she was, she couldn’t have turned a blind eye to what was happening on campus either. After all, she too had to face Prof. Mahajan. How would she continue to be in his class, in his proximity, when she knew him to be the beast that he was? Moreover, Raheema may not be the only victim, she thought.
She knew that Raheema wouldn’t agree to expose Mahajan. She already looked too scared to even take his name in front of her. So how should she go about this, then? All such thoughts occupied her mind when, suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
Raheema immediately got up from her chair. Quickly, she wiped her eyes and tucked a few loose strands of her hair behind her ear. She adjusted her sari and was about to leave when Rupali said, ‘Relax! Let me check, you don’t worry,’ and went ahead to open the door.
It was Saloni, in her sweaty
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