As the train reached Malur station, I got up and went to brush my teeth. Maria was still asleep when I came back. I wasn’t sure if I should wake her up or not, but I desperately wanted a cup of coffee and I had not a single paise with me.

I watched the lady in the next berth waking her husband and son and telling them
“veedethi”(reached home). I looked outside, the train was just pulling in to K R Puram station.
“Which station?” Her husband was trying to read the sign board.
“Krishnaraja Puram” She replied
She was already taking her bags from under the seat. I watched her helping her son to get down from the middle berth.
“Chaya, Chaya chaya” tea seller with a huge Aluminium dispenser entered the train. I looked at Maria. She was still asleep.
“One tea” Called the man, who was still sitting down on the top berth. I watched the tea seller pouring a hot cup of tea in a white plastic cup and giving it to the man. I looked at his wife. She didn’t order any tea. May be she too like me has no money.
“Amma I am cold” her son replied
“Here , use my shawl” She handed her brown shawl to her son. She used the end of her saree and wrapped herself to protect her from the morning chill.
“Here, throw the cup” her husband leaned down from the top of his berth and gave the empty cup to his wife.
She crushed the cup with her hands and threw it out through the window.
When the train reached Cantonment station, Mother and the son worked together and pulled and pushed all the bags and carried it to the platform and only then did her husband got down from his berth. Why does a woman continue to live with a moron? I had no idea
“Maria, wake up” I shook her.
“Where are we now?” She asked
“We just passed Cantonment station.”
“Oh ok”
My sister looked really happy. She quickly went to brush her teeth, she changed her clothes and was wearing make up. I looked outside. Bangalore city was just waking up. Streets were getting filled with buses and cars. There was a funny ache in my heart. As the train went over the overhead bridges(a sure sign that you reached the urban areas), I started to feel more scared. I knew we are just about to reach Bangalore station and that I was so close to achieving my dreams, but I didn’t feel the excitement, instead I was more scared than before.

“Maria, can you help me to carry the bags?” I was planning to get all the bags near the the compartment door, so it is easy to get out of the train.
“Nah, leave it. We will get a porter”
“Oh ok”
When the train reached the Bangalore station, I looked outside, hoping to call a porter and I realized I have willingly and voluntarily entered the lion’s den. There in the platform amidst all the security stood my uncle. He was grinning. A grin that said’ you stupid fool, you thought you are smart!’
As soon as the train stopped, I watched Maria getting down and running to him and hugging him.
“Ma’am all these are your bags?” One security guy from his entourage asked me pointing to the bags
I nodded my head. I tried to think. The next train back to Kerala is in the night. If I could jump out from the other side of the train and hide the next 15 hours, I can catch the train and go back to Kottayam. I still had my gold chain. I could sell that and buy the ticket.
But what was I going to tell Appa? I couldn’t tell my father anything about ‘him’. I knew Appa would kill Amma, if he knew.
There was nothing I could do. I slowly got down from the train. He was staring at me and I stared at him. Maria and he, started to walk outside and I followed them like a lamb, who knew it was about to be slaughtered. I desperately tried to think of any possible escape. I had no one to run to. I had no family to run to. All I had was a sister in Bangalore and she was holding the knife for the slaughterer.
We got inside his official car. He sat in the front seat, Maria and I sat at the back.
“See Acha, what I got for you?” I watched Maria giving the Waterman pen to him. The pen that should have been mine. I no longer understood how God worked. Here I am, travelling with a man, who hurt me, and I have never hurt anyone, yet, he gets the waterman pen that my father got for me. If there is something called thaleyvara,mine must be written with a broken pen.

Maria and he were talking and I didn’t bother to listen. All I thought was how to escape from this trap. Somehow I knew, this is not going to be easy.

When we entered the medical college, there were lots of cars outside. I watched the police officers getting down from the lead car and immediately everyone around us stopped in their tracks and were staring at us. Someone opened my car door and I got down. Maria and him were already walking to the office and I followed quietly. I watched an elderly dignified man coming out from the main office and shaking ‘his’ hands. That must be the principal.
Maria and ‘he’ sat down in the 2 seats in front of the principal’s desk. Someone got a chair for me and I sat down. I was sure this is a bad dream. I, Nina Thomas, couldn’t have made such a huge mistake.
Someone brought coffee for us. I didn’t realize how thirsty I was till then. I looked at the peon who served the coffee, hoping he would ask me, if I need another cup of coffee. He didn’t understand or probably refused to understand.
Maria was busy signing all the documents.
” These are the hostel forms” Principal handed over a bundle of forms to Maria.
“We will need a letter from the guardian, if the student leaves the college hostel even for a day and we verify the signature of the guardian. So who is going to be the local guardian?” Principal asked
“Both of us” Maria pointed to ‘him’ and her.
I have a father and a mother. Here I am, allowing a man I hate the most to be my official guardian for the next 5 years. I knew I am never going to get out of this jail.
I don’t know how long we sat in that office. I watched Maria and ‘him’ getting up, ‘he’ shook hands with the principal again and I walked behind them quietly. We got inside the car and I wasn’t even sure where we were going. Soon the car stopped infront of another building. Plenty of girls were waiting outside to see the new students. Some had the white coat on their shoulders. They were commenting and laughing at each new student. This must be the ladies hostel, I thought.
Maria got down from the car and said hello to all the girls. They looked stunned, when they saw my uncle coming out of the car. All of a sudden there was absolute silence. Some of the girls folded their hand and greeted my uncle. I wanted to scream and tell them to stop. They have no idea, they are respecting a man who destroyed me. Someone went to get the hostel warden and I was shown to my room. There were three cots, three tables and three chairs in the room. Maria got one of the police officers to carry all the bags inside, while he sat on the chair meant for me. He was staring at me. I ignored him.
When Maria went out to get the mattress from the car, he came close to me and stood behind me. I could feel his breath on the back of my neck
“You thought you were smart eh?”
I didn’t respond
“I will be back and guess what, next time, you can’t run far!” He spoke again and I knew he meant it. I quickly walked out of my room.
Maria came back with my mattress, she placed it on my cot. She surveyed the room once again to see that everything is in the right place
“You can unpack your bag yourselt Nina” She turned and looked at Acha
“Shall we?” I looked at her stunned. What does she mean by shall we?
“Be good” She came close to me and kissed me on my forhead.
“You are leaving?” I asked her
“Ofcourse”
“But you promised Appa, you will stay with me for a week”
She just shrugged her shoulder and started to walk outside.
“Maria, I have no money” I ran after her
“You don’t need any money. I have already paid all your fees”
I watched my sister, who should have stood by me and helped me going out with the man I hate the most, leaving me all alone in a medical college hostel.
I went back to my room. From my window I could see more and more cars arriving at the ladies hostel. I watched mothers and fathers beaming with pride, dropping their daughters to the medical college ladies hostel. Some of them even came with their grand parents. While I, Nina Thomas, grand daughter of Methran Thambi was all alone.