“Run away with the children,” my mother-in-law told me, “Your husband might sell your daughter for liquor some day soon.”
29 years ago, I was sitting on the floor of our small hut; crying and consoling my daughter of 4 and my son of 6 months. My husband was beating me up and uttering the choicest foul words because he wanted money from me for liquor. That night, my mother-in-law told me to run away. I was both shocked and appalled at this statement of hers. Run away from the house of my husband – wasn’t this my children’s home too? Wasn’t I told by my mother that I and my husband will be together for our lives and support each other in all difficult times? But I realized the harsh truth then – I had no support of my husband. I also knew that in his greed of money, he could really harm me and my children. I would have to leave like my mother-in-law advised. But where would I go? How would I survive? How would I raise my children – all these questions kept me up that entire night
But the next day, when my husband threw away my son’s milk in the trash and hit my innocent daughter demanding money again, I decided to leave as soon as possible for the security of my children. That night, I packed few of my leftover belongings and children’s clothes and moved out after taking blessings of my mother-in-law.
I travelled to a nearby city to begin a new life. To ensure my children’s survival, I began doing all kinds of odd jobs – in houses, in weddings, at construction sites, in godowns. I worked for 18 hours a day – with my young children in tow because I had nowhere to leave them. Slowly, I earned and saved up enough to get us a small room.
Years passed by and I kept working and saving money. I also sent my children to government schools for education.There were some good times and bad times. When my children grew up, I married them off. My daughter now lives in Gujarat with her family. I live with my son, daughter-in-law and grandchild in our own small house of two rooms on the city outskirts. I and my son have furnished it with basic amenities and are now saving up for our grandchild’s better education.
Being a single mother and the only breadwinner for a long time has been tough; but by God’s grace, things have fallen in place. I still remember the harsh days we have faced, especially in times of the rainy season when rain used to fill up our house and wash away our belongings. We have come a long way from that time.
I believe courage is one’s only friend when everything else in life fails.
“Himmat rakho. Dheere dheere sab sahin ho hi jaata hai.”
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