From Cauvery to Ganga

Chapter 18: The Day That Almost Ended

Sunita woke up before the alarm of the small plastic clock could ring. It was 4:40 AM. The same hard floor, the same thin mat, the same faint smell of kerosene and yesterday’s food hanging in the humid air. Pihu was curled up against her chest, one small hand clutching the edge of her nightie right above her heavy breasts.

For a moment, everything felt normal. Terribly, painfully normal.

She gently moved Pihu aside and sat up. Her body ached in all the familiar places, lower back from constant bending, shoulders from the weight of the breasts, feet still sore from the old chappals. The faded nightie clung to her sweaty skin. She looked down at herself, the mangalsutra, the glass bangles still on her wrists even while sleeping, and let out a long, tired breath.

Today is the last day.

She followed the same routine she had grown terrifyingly used to.

Communal bath with Pihu. Cold water. Slippery floor. Struggling to wash the child while managing her own heavy, swaying breasts and the realistic vagina that still felt foreign every single time water touched it. Then came the dressing, an old maroon saree with a green border, tight blouse that dug deep into her flesh, petticoat string cutting into her softer waist. Thick sindoor, bindi, nose ring, toe rings, and the ever-present glass bangles.

She got Pihu ready for school again, combing her hair, packing a small tiffin of rice and dal.

The walk to school felt heavier than usual. Pihu held her hand tightly, chattering in broken sentences. Sunita felt an unexpected tightness in her throat. When they reached the gate, Pihu hugged her legs tightly.

“Mummy aayegi na shaam ko?”

Sunita smiled softly and nodded, kissing the child’s forehead. “Haan beta… aayegi.”

She watched Pihu run inside before turning away, pallu covering her face to hide the strange mix of emotions.

Back at the house, Ramesh was sitting quietly on the creaky chair. He looked sad but resigned. He knew today was the day “Sunita” would leave.

“Sunita… main samajh gaya hoon,” he said in his broken Tamil. “Tu asli Sunita nahi hai. Phir bhi… bahut bahut shukriya. Pihu ke liye, mere liye… sab kuch ke liye.”

Sunita stood there in her saree, feeling a strange lump in her throat. She could only nod silently.

She was relieved. Deeply, overwhelmingly relieved.

Finally. It’s over. I can go back to being Satyaraj. AC room, soft bed, my car, my life…

Around 11 AM, Nithya’s car finally appeared outside the colony.

The moment Sunita saw her, she felt a rush of emotions. Nithya stepped out, smiling brightly.

“Arre waah… Sunita Madam! Kitni sundar lag rahi ho aaj bhi!” she teased loudly, but her eyes showed genuine relief.

They got into the car. As soon as the doors closed and the AC started cooling her sweaty body, Sunita let out a long, shaky breath.

The drive back felt surreal.

She told Nithya everything ,the humiliating communal baths, the tight blouses that left marks on her skin, the factory supervisors shouting at her, the blisters on her feet, sleeping on the hard floor, carrying Pihu for hours, the constant smell of sweat and kerosene, the way Ramesh had started treating her like a real wife. Every humiliation, every ache, every tear she had hidden.

“I can’t wait to be Satyaraj again,” she said, voice cracking. “I want to burn these clothes. I want to remove all of this.”

Nithya listened quietly, occasionally glancing at her with a soft, almost guilty smile.

They reached Nithya’s house.

The moment they stepped inside, Sunita felt like she could breathe again. She immediately started removing the accessories, first the mangalsutra, which she threw onto the table with disgust. Then the glass bangles, the nose ring, the toe rings. She changed out of the old, sweat-soaked saree into one of Nithya’s modern outfits, a comfortable black leggings and a loose oversized t-shirt.

The feeling was liberating.

No tight blouse digging into her skin. No pallu to constantly adjust. No heavy breasts pulling on her chest (though the prosthetics were still attached). No bangles clinking with every movement. She stood in front of the mirror, running her hands through her long hair, feeling almost like herself again.

“Robby will come tomorrow morning,” Nithya said gently. “We’ll remove everything. You’ll be back to normal by afternoon.”

Sunita smiled tiredly. “Thank you. I… I don’t want to think about the last few weeks ever again.”

She ate proper food, took a long, hot shower in Nithya’s luxurious bathroom, and finally lay down on the soft, air-conditioned bed. The mattress felt like heaven after weeks on the hard floor. The cool AC breeze kissed her skin.

For the first time in many days, she fell asleep with a genuine smile.

It’s finally over.

Midnight.

Sunita’s phone the cheap feature phone that belonged to “Sunita”, started ringing loudly on the bedside table.

She woke up groggily, heart already pounding. The caller ID showed “Ramesh.”

She hesitated for a long moment before picking up.

On the other end, Ramesh’s voice was broken, panicked, and filled with tears.

“Sunita… Pihu… bahut zyada bukhaar hai… school se wapas aate hi gir gayi… hospital le jaana pad raha hai… please… aa jao… woh sirf tumhe pukarti hai… Mummy… Mummy bol rahi hai…”

The line went silent for a second except for Pihu’s weak crying in the background.

Sunita sat up in bed, the soft mattress suddenly feeling too comfortable. The modern clothes felt strange on her body now.

Her hand tightened around the phone.

The nightmare she thought had ended… was calling her back.