Mannat

[1]

~MANNAT~

I am ready to start my day with a cup of black coffee and some cookies. Life has been very slow lately, I am barely finishing any projects in time. This made me question, if I'm burning out already.

"No! Mannat! You don't have the option to burn out" I said to myself.

Today is the third day of my college applications for master's programs abroad. I've already applied to many fashion schools in the US and Europe, pinning my hopes on securing prestigious scholarships and bursaries. If I don't get into any of these schools, my back-up plan is to search for options in India.

Honestly, I hate the idea of living in India. I want to put as much distance as possible between myself and my stepfather. He has been nothing but nuisance in my life ever since Papa passed away. I can never have the heart to accept him as my father after what he has done to me. I rummaged through my backpack to find a hair tie, tied my hair into a messy bun and headed towards my study table to practice a few more designs.

As I worked on my projects in my room, the peaceful atmosphere was suddenly interrupted by the sound of my mother barging in. She held out my cheque book and demanded, "Sign a cheque of ten thousand."

Her command caught me off guard. My mother and stepfather constantly asked me for money. Mr. Jindal, my stepfather, had taken a loan of 85 lakh rupees from a company, and now they keep sending people to collect money every few days. Despite his monthly earnings of merely 20 thousand rupees, he still insisted I pay for his sons' expenses.

Though I despised the idea of supporting him, I had taken on the responsibility of my stepbrothers' education because they were nothing like their father and deserved a quality education.

My mother continued to nag me, knowing that I would do anything for my brothers. She disguised her demands as investments for their future, saying, "This will be for your brother's tuition fees only, beta," as she faked a smile and pretended to be nice.

"I've told you before, I can't keep giving money to Mr. Jindal. I have my own expenses to worry about." I said, holding my ground strong.

"You're being selfish! You keep saying it's your money! We literally let you live in this house, provided you with education and now you can't even sign a cheque?" Mother said, with a pretentious stare.

I saw through her facade. I knew it was Mr. Jindal who had sent her to coax me into giving him money to pay off his debt.

"Oh let's not talk about what you have done for me" I snapped back at her. She looked at me furiously as if she will start hitting me any moment. But I have had enough now.

"You sent me to a random local school for three years until I started earning for my fees and transferred to a better government school. I fought for scholarships throughout my college life ... I can barely even count on my fingers of what you have done for me" I said, finally letting out all my pent up frustration.

As the argument between mother and me grew more intense, her voice rose to a shrill scream. She accused me of being selfish and warned me that if I ever got married, my husband would torment me, and I would suffer for life. My mother hurled curses at me, her anger boiling over.

"Keep cursing me! But I am not giving a penny to him." I said.

In a moment of rage, my mother raised her hand to slap me, but before she could strike, my brothers entered the room. Despite being only 17 years old, they showed remarkable maturity. Yagya and Aagney are twin brothers who Mr. Jindal had with his first wife.