Princess

“Where are they? Had they taken a day off?”

The iron grills feel cold against my warm hand. I tried to move my head out through the grills.

Finally, I see them. Their body wrapped in a colorful floral saree. A handbag hangs on their left shoulder. They walk on the streets giggling and smiling.

“Laila, where are you?” my mother voice echo.

“Coming,” I say.

“What were you doing?” My mother asks as I sat on the floor beside her.

“I will arrive late at night today. I had clients to take,” my mother says taking the last bite of the meal.

It is always late. I wonder why she repeats the same thing every day. She never tells me about the clients. Where did she go? Does she walk around freely like those women? Does she also have a handbag? I had never seen a one though.

“Finish it fast, I don’t have the whole night for you.”

We walk back to the room. The click of the lock was a familiar and comforting sound. I switch on the tube light there was no light. She has turned it off. I checked myself in the mirror under the moonlight. My breast is swelling up as the month is passing. My height has not increased that much though.

************

The door storm opens revealing an upside down Mukesh. I sit straight on the bed as he hands the tea. He flashes his yellow stain crooked teeth.

"What?" I ask sipping the tea.

"You are looking beautiful, Laila," he says sitting down on the floor. He rests his head on the bed looking up at me.

"Don't you have a different catch-up line," I say.

"Your beauty makes me speechless. I forget all my lines," he says.

"Don't you have work in the stall?" my mother says barging in the room.

Mukesh stands up collecting the cup from my hand. He ran down the lane as if there is a dog behind him.

"How many times I told you? You should not talk with him. He is a tea seller," my mother says.

"He is the only human I talk with besides you," I say.

"You are a princess and princess don't talk so closely with the servants."

"I am bored with your princess story. If a princess lives alone in the room then I don't want to be a princess," I say.

"You are a precious thing. People hid precious things close to them. And I promise soon you will be out," she says reapplying the third layer of red lipstick.

It was around noon, I walk toward the window. They must be here anytime.

"What do you see out through the window? Is it a boy?" my mother says.

There they were, their hairs plaited with a red ribbon. All wearing the same clothes with a bag around their back. What did they do so many hours in the school? I had heard there were different periods. A teacher teaching the children. Sports, drama, morning prayers, how exciting? 

A sharp pain passes through my stomach. It feels like an invisible hand is punching my stomach. "Ahhh..." I hiss as my knees grow weak.

"Laila, Laila what happen?" my mother rush toward me.

I feel a liquid between my legs. My mother checks my skirt there were red patches on it. "Am I okay, mother? Is it blood? Did I cut myself? Will I be okay?" I ask.

"You are fine my love. You are completely now a princess," she says tearing a cloth.

****************

"Look at me," my mother says as if unsure about the lipstick. She applies the fourth layer on my lips.

Mother was right, I indeed become a princess. I wore a bright yellow top and skirts with red bangles. I will be going out today.

“Don’t you misbehave? Do not leave the hand?” My mother reminds me.

“Yes, mother I heard everything,” I say.

A knock on the door makes my lookup. A man in his early thirties was leaning on the door. His cloth was of the finest quality. 

“Is she ready?” His deep voice echo in the small room.

“There you go. And Laila don’t forget about what I told you?” My mother says.

His big hand holds the small petite palm of me. I am walking through the same road where the girls and women walk. Today I am out. Tomorrow I can walk alone or with my friends. Well, I am a princess now.

We walk through the narrow lanes. He puts his hand around my shoulder. I look up. He gives me an assuring smile. Is he my prince? Isn't he old to be my prince? I had seen men and women walking around holding the hand.

“Good morning, sir,” he greets a man.

“Good morning Bhai, what brings you here?” The man says chewing the tobacco.

“I want a photo of her,” he says.

“There you go...3...2...1 and smile,” a flash occurs making me shut my eyes. As if the thunder appears in front of my eyes. 

“Now one more time. Tilt a little bit to the left....3.....2.....1,” the shutter clicks, my eyes now get familiar with the flash.

******************

“Ah....ah....,” I scream in pain. A hand caressed my forehead. It eases the pain a little bit.

“Are you okay, Laila?” it is Mukesh's voice.

I shake my head. My mother sits with a white cloth at my feet.

“Move,” she says to him. The warmness of his hand was gone.

“Ah...., slowly,” I cry. She throws the soaked red cloth on the floor.

A week pass by I hadn’t seen the girls and women. “Laila, get ready, you are going out today,” my mother says throwing the red skirt in the bed.

“I don’t want to go out. I don’t feel good,” I say moving my hand through the bite marks on my neck.

“It will get better,” she says.

It is a lie. A total lie. It hurts every time. As if they are slicing me into two halves. Every night there is someone new. The faces I hadn’t seen before. I hadn't even see Mukesh. His crooked smile.

“I don’t have time Laila. They will be here anytime,” she says.

“Why? Why we are doing it? I didn’t like it when they touch me. I just want to be here locked up in the room,” I say as the past memory floods in front of my eyes.

“It is our job. It is what we do, to make a living. We are a prostitute. Thank god, you only get upper-class customer,” she says.

“You don’t even get those wild beast like other girls. You are a princess,” she says pushing back my hair.

**************

I check myself in the mirror. My breast now fully grown. My voluptuous figure was not able to fit in the mirror. Mother says I had fat in all the right places. Men prefer meat, not those skinny bones.

I placed the mirror back. I open up the small tin can carefully. I put the neatly rolled notes in it. It was filled. Is it enough? I didn’t even count all of it. Is it tough outside as my mother says? Is there the same monster I met every night? The women and children didn't seem harmful though. Will they include me in their world?

I can’t take it anymore. Soon, I will be free. Far away from this place. Why did my mother never elope from here? Is she a coward? Maybe her mother had told her lies, just like she tells me? It will be my last night here.

Mukesh enters with his same teacups. He hands the tea, his skin had burnt by the sun.

Should I tell him about my elope plans? Can I trust him? Will he help me?

“Laila sir is waiting for you,” Manjari says. I put the cup on the table. I adjust my clothes before running down.

************

I peek out my head through the door. No one was out. I tiptoe carefully not to make any sound. The road was ghost silence with the beggars sleeping on the footpath.

There was no sign of auto. I had to walk toward the station.

“Shut up,” a voice cracked through the deserted lane.

Just run Laila. You have to get out of here. A voice cries through the same lane. What if someone needs help? I walk toward the voice.

An old man was lying on top of the girl. I push him onto the ground.

“You stupid bitch. Who do you think you are?” He says while struggling to stand up.

“I had pay for her,” he roars. I push the girl behind me.

“Give her back,” he says.

“No, I won’t,” I say removing the pocket knife which Mukesh had given me.

“Don’t you dare to touch her.  If you move forward I will cut your thing,” I say moving back from there.

“Run, quickly,” I say clutching her hand.

The old man couldn’t catch up. We were alone on the main road in the middle of the night.

“Where is your mother?” I ask the girl.

“I don’t know,” she says rubbing her eyes.

“Do you know where you stay?” I again ask her.

“I don’t want to go back there,” she says. “I don’t like it there. They make me do bad things.”

************

“Two tickets to Udaipur Express,” I say to the counter.

We manage to sit inside the train. Nobody has done anything bad till now. My mother was wrong. 

“Where are we going?” the girl asks.

“Far from here. In a new city.” I say.

“What we will do there?” she asks.

“We will find some work there and live happily,” I say. “Now enough of your questions. You should rest now.” I say making her sleep.