Legs wide apart, make up smeared, Kajal, which was brought from the departmental store after enough haggle to annoy all the elite consumers of the store, was drooling from the left corner of her right eye to meet the emerging depth of her spread nose. Stool on which she was resting her bottom had gone black of the dust. Her eyes were questioning, one could easily decipher the coded remorse gathering through and between years. Her careless bun was the indicator of her repugnance.
Naina lived in a small pitiable cottage situated in illegitimately constructed colony on the bank of the city sewer behind the pungent smelling meat market of Lahore. Though she was all glamoured-up the night before but today she was, infact, looking down on herself with non- remedial regrets. Recalling all the sleepless nights she had spend fondling the morals of the society, just to make her ends meet. It’s been so long in business that she had even lost the count.
Naina hailed from a small village situated a forty kilometers from Faisalabad. She was born to a clergy, one odd sheep of his herd of seven. Her mother had died of tuberculosis when she was barely twelve, since the day her elder sister had taken over the household. Out of all six of her siblings, her elder sister, Sakina, was her only shelter after her mother. Soon when Sakina got married there was no way for Naina to take refuge from the brutal wraths of her father. She was hardly fifteen when she fled from Shahkot with a friend to Lahore and took refuge here at Neeli’s residence and became her daughter. Neeli was managing her five disciples, including Naina. All six would sleep late till afternoon, beg in the evening and become prostitutes by night.
Naina never wanted to sell herself just for the sake of few rupees but it was to ensure her meals and bare necessities. All this humiliation, this degradation and insult, she never wished for it. Just last night when police raided the party, she had to spend most of her time behind bars along all. Stars, curses and physical abuse, oh God, she had to go through all that. She was disgusted.
“Naini Baji! Your phone’s been ringing, for God sake pick it up and let us sleep” shouted Maxi from inside.
” O’ sir! You? What was left to say last night that you had to call in the morning for” Naina sobbed.
“My love, you know what that was for? Now let that go and let the door be open I am coming and will slip in for five minutes” area police superintendent replied in a horny tone and hung up.
Naina just sat there, defeated. Took out tea in the cup and started sipping. Gazing at the open door, waiting…..
