FIRST BORN
A bit of fact, a bit of fiction and brutally honest!
Brilliantly sketched characters who disturb you and provoke you to think and re-examine your perception of the world. The plots are fast-paced, and the twists make the stories even more intriguing. A fascinating collection of stories of women who come alive and stay with you long after you have put the book down.
Paulomi stepped carefully on the highly polished airport floor. She had a history of being clumsy and was nicknamed ‘falling beauty’ by Pawan her then-boyfriend and now the father to be of her first unborn child.
The second year of marriage and on turning thirty it seemed like a birthday gift from Pawan to her. A long overflowing kurta hid her eight-month pregnancy just like the forged papers by her doctor stating five months. She was reluctantly on her way to Patna. The Pandey’s were not happy with the dusky Bengali ‘bahu (daughter-in-law) but Paulomi felt she had made some space in their heart by constantly showering them with expensive gifts as she held a senior manager position in the human resources department in an MNC. Surely, with the arrival of the bundle of joy they would finally accept her as their own she felt. The guy sitting next to her seemed visibly uncomfortable and even more so when he realised she was traveling alone. It was a short flight he said, but he would never risk sending his wife. Tears stung her eyes and she was glad for the sunglasses that hid them. Her gynaecologist too had advised her against it, however, Pawan’s absence as he spent evenings writing scripts at the studio with his friends for the popular weekly television series left him unavailable at night and sleeping through the day. Paulomi had taken a sabbatical as it was a difficult pregnancy so all the financial stress was on Pawan and he never let her forget that by citing how women with big tummies traveled in packed local trains even in their third trimester. She was lucky she was going to get the comforts of his home he said… she felt only grateful towards her in-laws inviting her to deliver in Patna.
An orphan at age ten she somehow never understood the complexities of relations and expectations. Least of all a different culture and its unspoken demands.
As she stepped down from the plane and moved to the arrival lounge, along with her worried co-passenger who made it his duty to ensure her safety and comfort albeit avoiding any eye contact or getting personal. She sensed he knew more than he needed to despite all the unspoken words. Paulomi could not help but feel a strange sensation which she later realised was envy at his non-existent wife. He was a bachelor. There was mostly silence in the plush car as her in-laws drove her home from the airport. Broken by small talk mostly by Paulomi. All her symptoms of pregnancy somehow meant a girl-child was on the way said her experienced mom-in-law not hiding her disappointment. The two storey bungalow was silent and air of unspoken heavy words hung in the air. They had dinner in solemn silence too and the meal too lacked its usual lustre as Paulomi remembered the last Holi dinner they had all spent together with the entire family. Pawan’s cousin and his elder sister, her husband, and two children and neighbour’s Gupta’s and Shukla’s with their ‘bahu’s and children. It was a merry affair accompanied by the smell of constantly ‘fried Puri’s ‘and other delicacies favoured by North Indians on Holi’ the festival of color. All white kurtas and dupatta’s drenched with ‘red gulal’ seemed to be the norm. The wall clock ticked loudly in the room upstairs as she looked at it with a sense of sadness creeping in her heart. She tried to brush it aside reminding herself of the hormonal changes happening within her body. She did not want to face the reality she was in. The prospect of a dusky girl-child was disappointing to the family! She looked down at her belly and felt the baby kick. She smiled and spoke softly, I will always love you she said”.
She thought she would be in the room downstairs next to her in-laws, as climbing upstairs was a bit strenuous and unexpected as her condition was obvious. “Pawan’s sister was expected to visit over the weekend with her young kids and she preferred that room,” said her mom- in law in a matter of fact way. Paulomi read her prayer for the night and tucked into her bed hoping the next day would find all in a better mood. After all, they had agreed to their son insisting that they let Paulomi deliver in Patna and he would come in the final week before the due date.
She woke up with a start and realised she was sweating from head to toe, this August heat was unfamiliar to Paulomi as she had spent all her growing years in humid Mumbai. She felt a strange sensation of a wet bed only to realise it was the water which had broken. Paulomi had taken two prenatal classes much to Pawan’s annoyance as he felt it was a waste of money and “childbirth was a natural process”. Her last pay-check took care of the prenatal classes and the sonography she took every month only to get a glimpse of the baby’s beating heart.
As she recalled all the instructions from the classes she realised she had to go to the hospital. She pulled herself out of the bed with mixed feelings of fear and anxiety. Her doctor’s word echoed in her ears. “This was a difficult pregnancy and she had a weak uterus…the pressure during the flight might onset an early delivery.” Was the risk worth taking? Why did Pawan still insist that she travel in her eighth month? As all thoughts jumbled up in her mind she tried calling Pawan on his cell…only to receive “this call is unreachable” tone recorded in a female voice. Paulomi was sweating and crying at the same time as she opened the door and looked at the empty hall below. The wall clock had its hand pointed at four. She called out “Mummy”! a couple of times. Only to be met by pin-drop silence. The gaudy flower vase on the corner of the staircase was her last resort. The loud noise of the vase hitting the table below woke up her in-laws who scrambled out of their rooms to see Paulomi at the top of the stairs in a red-stained gown.
At that moment as Paulomi’s eyes locked on to theirs she felt a chill go down her spine. Her father-in-law went back into the room as her Mom-in-law climbed up the stairs slowly. “Go back to sleep”, she said, “the driver will be here at seven in the morning he will drive us to the clinic. Papa needs his sleep after all he has high BP”. A shocked Paulomi looked at her mom-in-law in disbelief and then down at her bulging stomach. She could not see the bloodstain they were below her navel. But as the trickling wetness slid from between her legs to the floor she watched in horror a pool of red liquid engulfing her.
“Mummy” she cried out, “what is happening to my baby…take me to the doctor now”, she half screamed and half pleaded. Go back to sleep” said the cold voice, “you are not the first woman to get pregnant!” Said her mom-in-law with a sneer. Paulomi could not believe her ears. She held on to the staircase and took a step down cautiously. Mummy had reached the top now, she quickly reached behind Paulomi. As Paulomi turned her head and looked into her eyes hoping to see some flicker of concern. She felt the strong hands of a woman who had raised two sons and two male grandkids push her down with an unfathomable vengeance. Her body was flung down the staircase landing on her stomach, she skidded down the last steps groping to a halt. She was only half-conscious as she felt the baby’s head peek out. She lay sprawled at the bottom of the staircase and heard her own sounds like that of an animal in pain escaping her mouth while her mom-in-law at the top of the stairs watched motionlessly and her father in law peered from a small opening through the bedroom door.
Finally, a Light at a distance engulfed her as the scene faded from her eyes.
Her firstborn boy was cremated along with her unceremoniously on a warm August afternoon in Patna. ‘Falling Beauty,’ Pawan muttered under his breath as the small gathering on the twelfth day in Pandey’s residence surrounded by Gupta’s and Shukla’s families were engulfed by the smell of ‘fried Puri’s’. The Light from the lamp kept near her flower-adorned picture frame burnt out letting a dark puff of smoke vanishing into ethers.
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There is a surprising amount of material to unpack in this compact ebook. In just six short stories, using mundane events as a backdrop, you lightly skip through multiple heavy themes — child abuse, feminism, sexuality, and patriarchy — thus demonstrating their intersectionality, the breadth of their impact, and the terrible consequences of the denial of basic rights to women in India.
ebook LIGHT — A bit of fact, a bit of fiction by Vikky Abraham is about brown women from India. A series of short stories woven from the fabric of Indian society. Some dark, some intriguing, and some heart-wrenching.
As a creative individual Vikky Abraham has spent many years in Advertising, Publishing and Media.’ Light’ — is her first book, written during the lockdown, where facts of the Indian patriarchal society provoked her to think and re-examine her perception of reality.This eBook will surprise readers with the depth of truth packed in it. In just six short stories, using mundane events as a backdrop, she lightly skips through multiple heavy themes — child abuse, feminism, sexuality, social constructs and patriarchy — thus demonstrating their intersectionality, the breadth of their impact, and the terrible consequences of the denial of basic rights to women in India.https://www.linkedin.com/in/vikkyabraham2020/
https://www.vikkyabraham2020.com
