“Where are you going?” I ran after Liza as she was just about to close the gate and leave.
“I am going to play with Suma.”
“No, you are not.”
“Why?” She was surprised
“Because I told you so?”
“Who are you to tell me what I should or shouldn’t do?”
“I am your sister Liza and I know what is good for you. Please don’t go to Aunty Reena’s house. I have my own reasons, but I can’t tell you that.”
“You are lying Nina, you have no reason to tell me. I am not going to stand here and listen to your silly reasons. I am going to play.”
I pulled her hand and tried to drag her inside. She was kicking and pinching me.
As soon as I dragged her inside the house, I left her on the ground and quickly closed the gate.
“As long as I am alive, you will not cross this gate”
I saw Liza picking up a rock from the ground.
“Liza, please don’t throw the rock, please.” I begged her.In an instant she flung the rock and threw it on my face. The rock hit my specks and broke the glass. I was too shocked to react. I couldn’t believe my own sister could throw a rock on my face. I wanted to go inside and check my eyes to see if the broken glass is in any way damaged my eyes. I didn’t want to leave the gate unattended. I wiped my cheecks with my hands to see if there was any blood.
‘Lord please don’t damage my eyes’. I prayed silently. I didn’t want to live the rest of my life hearing Amma wailing about the extra dowry she has to pay for me being blind.
Liza looked at me and the broken frame on my face. Without even saying a sorry she walked back to the house.
I wanted to go after her and hit her and kill her. I was trying to protect her from Aunty Reena’s husband and look at how she paid me!. How dare she throw a rock at me.
I sat down on the floor and removed the spectacle from my face. The right side glass broke completely and the frame is bent. I waited for my mother to come.
After a while I heard Amma’s footsteps.
“Why are you sitting infront of the gate Nina?”
“Amma Liza broke my specks.” I showed Amma my broken spectacles
“How did she do that?
“She threw a rock at my face.”
“How dare she. I will teach her a lesson today. She should know not to throw rocks.”
Amma walked inside and called Liza
“Liza come here this instant.”
I saw Liza walking towards us,shivering like a rat that fell in to a tub of cold water. I was happy seeing her in that state.’Serves you right Liza. You deserve it’ I told myself.
“Why did you throw the rock on Nina’s face? What if it hit her eyes and blinded her?”
“Amma, she didn’t let me go to Aunty Reena’s house to play with Suma”
Amma looked at me and asked
“Why didn’t you let her go Nina?”
“Amma, Aunty Reena’s husband is home.”
“So?”
“He is not a nice man Amma.”
“How do you know that Nina?”
“He tried to touch my breast when I went there this morning.”
I saw the smirk look on Liza’s face. I ignored it.
“Your breast? You hardly have any breast!, why would he touch that? Was he alone at home when you went?”
“No Amma, Ammachi and Aunty Reena was home.”
“Nina, you have fertile imagination. How can he touch your breast when his wife and mother is at home? Stop imagining all these. False witness is a crime in the bible and you should know that.”
“No Amma, I didn’t imagine it. It really happend.”
“It really happend..ptuiiii she spat, it happend in your dirty head. You haven’t even grown up and already think about breast and things like that. Shame on you Nina.”
I tried to explain and there was no way I could. Amma has already shut the door of reasoning.
To those who think my mother is unique: I have seen countless cases like mine when I worked as a doctor.
To those who have daughters: Believe your children, when they tell you.. It isn’t easy to speak all these as a child.
To those daughters who have gone through this: May you find peace
There are a lot of girls and boys who hold their peace for ever. One of our teachers were fired in India due to child molestation. This happened 7 years after I left school. I alwaz think of all the students who kept quiet the years before.
This piece reminds me of a similar storyline portrayed in the movie “Monsoon Wedding”.
There is not enough awareness about the problems children face within the so called “secure environment” provided by a family in India. Many a times it is the reluctance of elders to give a patient hearing to what the child has to say that leads to suffering.
This is horrible that mom could not listen to her daughter! whom else she could tell!….
So true Sarah..many parents think their children ae lying.either they are in denial or just dont want to be bothered.I have heard of this happening before.very rarely do children lie.
I told my mom several times about incidents of molesting which happened to me. Her response was always, “Its your problems, you should know how to handle it.” or “You think of yourself as so beautiful, men are lusting after you,”, “you are imagining it”, etc etc.. For goodness sake, I was only 12, how am I supposed to defend myself? Doesnt parents have some responsibility about the safety of their children?
Finally I did the only thing I could do. I made sure I was never alone with these pedophiles/criminals. I watched their every move. If I see them walking towards me, I’ll be alert to avoid any pawing. It was always a game of the cat and mouse.
The ‘Silence of the lambs’ !!!
🙁
parents spend years restricting their children from a lot of things in the name of protecting them but when something like this actually happens – they even go as far as calling the child a liar and live in denial then accept that harm had happened to their kid
i think its an asian thing and i hope the new generation learns to change – n to believe their daughters
I personally know of people who have been abused and it is really very sad that parents dont have the awareness
The newspapers are full with these stories and in fact an ad campaign had also come out to highlight chld abuse. One of the reasons cited for repeated abuse was a parents unwillingness to believe their kid.
Argghhh!!! Who else can a daughter confide in? Is a daughter willing to lie on sometihing like this?
So, I assume, after that, you were blamed for a broken specs?
Let me join you in reiterating the last few words..
..Me
What a Shame! Atleast u were brave enuff to tell ur mom abt teh same. Im sure many kids just suffer quitely w/o knowing how to bring it out. It is so terrible that ur mom refused to believe u.
Molestation and abuse is very common. Just that parents lack awareness or worst, stay in denial. The signs are surprisingly easy to identify. And Sarah, you’re right. Your mother is not unique in this, I too have seen many like her. Mothers do play the most important role in this. Another thing is that this problem isnt confined to girls only though the majority are. Boys are equally vulnerable.
I received peace and healing much later in life – through my Lord. I hope so does every child who’s been there.
what you said at the end is so true.so many parents cannot believe their children when it comes to such topics…they usually shun it.