The momentary relief after escaping from Ranjith's sexual assault did not last long for Sujitha. Her eyes eagerly searched for Aunt Prema's house immediately after the auto rickshaw took the turn from the main road and moved in a snail's pace on the bumpy road leading to Sujitha's house. She easily spotted Aunt Prema waiting for her arrival. As the auto stopped eventually, Sujitha quickly disposed the driver without even waiting to collect the change. She badly needed a bath after letting her body to be teased incredibly by a horny man's hands and mouth.
Sujitha walked past Aunt Prema quickly, not to let her see the torn clothes and the swollen face. She virtually threw her apron and her vanity bag on her bed before pulling a nice long towel and walking towards the bathroom in a hurry. Once in, it didn't take much time for her to get rid of the clothes. Ranjith had made a mess out of her blouse and bra and most of the hooks were missing. She could clearly see a few marks on her breasts and her nipples had gone sore. She shook her head as if she wanted to forget the whole episode at once simply because of overwhelming humiliation. She felt more at ease after pouring the cold water all over her body. By the time she finished bathing, the whole bathroom was filled with the fragrance of her favorite soap and her young body. As she moved inside the house, she saw Aunt Prema serving food to her children. Sujitha paused for a moment before picking up the torn blouse and ripped bra from her shoulders and throwing it inside the bucket that was kept to collect rags. She quickly moved into her room and changed into a nightie, a loose nightwear that she always preferred to wear while at home.
"Sujitha," Aunt Prema called out from the main room. "Your dinner is getting cold."
"Sorry Aunt Prema," Sujitha replied as she began walking towards the bed. "I am not feeling hungry."
Sujitha crawled onto the bed, closed her eyes and tried to sleep. The moment she closed her eyes, she started seeing images of Ranjith coming down heavily on her body. She felt as though his ugly face was lowering at her with a smirk. She could hear him laughing aloud like a demon. She struggled to brush off those haunting memories of the incident that took place in her clinic half an hour ago. She couldn't stretch on the bed anymore as she sat up and her hands involuntarily went across her chest.
"Sujitha!"
Sujitha looked up and saw Aunt Prema entering her room. She knew that her aunt would never let her sleep without taking dinner.
"Sujitha, you know I don't like this," Aunt Prema came close to her bed and spoke firmly. "You should never skip dinner."
"Oh Aunt Prema," Sujitha whimpered. "Please let me sleep; I am not feeling hungry."
Prema stood there looking closely at her niece. She started realizing that something serious might have happened. Sujitha always remained very conscious about her food habits and hence it was obvious that she was terribly upset about something.
"I will bring a glass of milk," Aunt Prema placed her right hand on her niece's head and stroked her forehead. "You can't sleep if your stomach is empty."
Sujitha didn't answer her aunt but instead nodded her head gently. Aunt Prema could be a very persistent woman if she wants to be and Sujitha didn't want that to happen today. Aunt Prema soon rushed out of the room and returned with a glass of warm milk. Sujitha opened her wallet and looked for some pills, just to make her aunt believe that she had some headache. Aunt Prema soon retreated from the room and once again Sujitha was left alone, just with the hard memories of the day's events. She kept creeping on the cot, changing positions for more than two hours before her eyes finally swirled into sleep because of fatigue.
It was around midnight that Sujitha woke up again, with another nightmare. She sat up and immediately felt a gentle perspiration on her forehead. She took long breaths to relax her body and mind. Just about when she was about to stretch again, she suddenly saw Aunt Prema sleeping on the floor, close to the bed where she was sleeping. Sujitha was surprised because she knew that Aunt Prema had always preferred to sleep alone. She was too curious to know why her aunt was in her room and wasn't willing to wait till the next day morning.
"Aunt Prema," Sujitha leaned forward and began patting on her aunt's shoulders gently. Prema was quickly awakened by her touch as she sat up with a jerk. After rubbing her eyes, Prema looked up at her niece and forced a smile on her face.
"What brings you here?" Sujitha asked with surprise.
"I thought you are not well," Prema replied and looked up at the clock. It was almost twelve.
"Why aren't you sleeping?" Prema asked with a touch of anxiety. Sujitha didn't reply.
Prema slowly got up from the floor and sat close to Sujitha. She looked into her young niece's eyes through the semi darkness in the room and gently pulled her to let her head rest on her shoulder.
"I can presume you have some problem," Prema spoke as she stroked Sujitha's cheeks with her fingers. "I don't want you to tell me anything now. But, I am saddened to see you so depressed."
Sujitha couldn't hold her emotions any longer. She hugged her aunt and began weeping profusely within seconds. Prema remained calm and patient till she saw her niece regaining composure after a few minutes of crying.
"I saw your blouse; it was torn," Prema spoke softly. "I guess you had another incident today."
"Oh Aunt Prema," Sujitha murmured in disgust. "It was even harder today."
Prema was really shocked as Sujitha began narrating the whole story that happened during the fag end of her day in the clinic. Sujitha paused every now and then to weep before continuing the story. Prema couldn't resist a deep sigh once her niece was through with her torrid tale.