Veena slipped into the small flat she shared with her parents and her two brothers. She knew her elder brother, Vishal, would not be at home because he always came back late.
“No one says anything to him,” she thought resentfully. “How unfair!”
She moved silently behind her parents who were watching television and slipped into the bedroom. Her younger brother, Siddharth, was there. “Where were you?” he asked. “Ma was angry that I didn’t know where you were; like I’m responsible for you!”
New area, new rules
Veena sighed. Ever since they shifted to this neighbourhood a few months ago, her mother had created all kinds of rules for her: Get back home before dark, no talking and laughing loudly, no rough games with your brothers and their friends...
“Make the same rules for all three of us!” Veena argued. “Why should I have all the new rules?”
“All the girls here are back early,” said her mother sternly. “I don’t see them walking along the street alone after dark.”
“But we have things to do after school and sometimes it gets late.”
“I’ll tell your teacher at the next PTM that we have shifted and you can’t stay late.”
“No!” cried Veena. “Don’t say anything!”
She shuddered. What would she do if the teacher told her mother that nobody stayed late?”
“Maybe you should shift to the school nearby next year,” said Ma. “It’s just a 15-minute walk away and, even if you stayed late, you could get back home well before dark. I would feel so much better.”
“You would feel better!” gasped Veena. “What about me? How would I feel in a new school?”
Papa came in just then. She turned to him for support. He had always encouraged her to be independent but, now, suddenly, he was on Ma’s side. “These neighbours are different, Veena,” he said. “They have not known you since you were a baby. They have their own ideas about things and we don’t want them speaking ill of you.”
“Then why don’t you find a place where the neighbours have something better to do than check what time girls come home?” snapped Veena and ran out of the room.
Escape idea
But she didn’t have any place to go where she would be alone. Their building had three floors and the entrance to each of the flats was from a door on a long, open veranda. Most people sat on the verandah and thus they were able to see who came and went into each flat.
Suddenly, Veena remembered that there was a fire escape at the rear of the building. If she used that as an alternate entry point when she was late, no one would see her. All she had to do was swing from the metal stairs onto the kitchen balcony and enter the kitchen. Ma only locked the kitchen door at night, before going to sleep. “It’s a wonderful solution!” she thought.
For the next few weeks, no one knew when Veena returned home. Suddenly, she was there: helping herself to a snack in the kitchen or taking her lunch box out of her bag or just moving around in the dark.
The secret is out
Then the exams came – and the results. That’s when everything blew up in Veena’s face. She was sitting near the window when she heard a commotion outside. Then she heard her name being called. She ran onto the long front veranda and saw a familiar group marching up to her building. “Vee-na, Vee-na!” they chanted.
Veena charged down. Thankfully, it was early evening and most people in the flats were still indoors. “Go back!” she said to the group. ‘These people don’t know anything about you or me!’
Her friends Sheetal and Ruby, who were with the group, laughed. Sheetal indicated the buildings around them. “I think these people know something now…”
Veena looked around and her blood ran cold. The noise had drawn everyone out and the verandas were crowded. Oh no! Even Ma was outside. Now Veena would be taken out of her old school; she would be banned from ever going anywhere on her own…
Many of the neighbours were mingling with the group, asking questions and looking at Veena. In despair, Veena sat on the steps and put her head into her hands and waited for the commotion to die down.
Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up. It was Papa and Ma and Siddharth. All of them looked serious. “Oh no! Here it comes!” Veena thought. “A lifetime ban on leaving the house!”
“Now we know what you’ve been up to,” said Papa.
“You found a way to get home without the neighbours seeing you,” said Ma. “I knew I couldn’t keep missing you at the front door…”
“I knew there was no way you’d be obedient!” piped up Sid.
Papa sat down and watched the group, still holding the placard with Veena’s name. “Helping the children of construction workers near your school to do their homework and prepare for tests; that’s good work!”
“We’re proud of you,” added Ma.
“And I think the neighbours are, too,” added Siddharth. ‘”lus, now they know you, so problem solved!”
