The Surprise for her loved ones

The Surprise for her loved ones

Sucheta was getting ready. It’s not that she did not like dressing up, but, she was so tied up in life that she barely got time to dress up. Today, she had to do this. It has been ages. Humming a song, she draped a pretty saree. She then went to the dressing table and picked up the only lipstick she had. ‘Damn’, she said. ‘This is not fair. I am going to buy lipsticks and nail colour tomorrow. Am I so tied up that I don’t get a chance to buy lipstick? Silly me. Not again.’ She then applied the beautiful pink lipstick. Just a tiny bit of lipstick was there. ‘Nevermind’, she said. ‘I am going on a shopping spree tomorrow’, she smiled to herself. Ruhi looked at Sucheta while Sucheta applied kohl. Ruhi said, ‘You look so pretty.’ Sucheta gave Ruhi a broad smile and said, ‘Thanks sweety. This saree is so cool na?’ Ruhi smiled, got up from her curled up position on the bed and sat with a pillow on her lap and said, ‘ I never saw you dressed up this beautifully. What’s the matter?’ Sucheta came near Ruhi, hugged her tight and said, ‘Surprise, surprise and suprise Ruhi.’ Ruhi could not make a head or tail of what was going on. She curled up on the bed and got back to her regular work and started scribbling something.

Sucheta went to the other room humming a song. She then looked around for something. ‘Where could the key be?’, she thought. ‘Hmm, must be in the drawer near the bed’, she thought. She was right. The key was there. Sucheta took the key, opened the almirah in the room, took out the pretty gold necklace, matching gold earrings, the thick bangles, the pretty rings and wore all of them. She looked at herself in the mirror. She let her jet black silky hair down. All these days, she had always tied her hair in a bun because that was convenient. She then took out those stilettos which she had kept away long time ago. She never got a chance to wear them. Ruhi came near Sucheta and said, ‘ Wow, I can’t take my eyes off you.’ Sucheta smiled and said, ‘ He he. Thank you.’ Ruhi then said, ‘Now come on tell me, what’s going on.’ Sucheta smiled and said, ‘Patience! you will know.’ Sucheta then went to the living room, pulled a stool right near the door of the living room. She took off her stilettos, got up on the stool, fixed the decor on top of the wall. She then got down and wore her stilettos. She took her phone, called up someone and said, ‘ Hey, listen, come soon, okay? Can’t spoil this surprise.’ At the other end someone laughed and said, ‘Can I ever let you spoil this surprise? We are there.’ ‘Cool. They will be here any moment now. The moment they come, be ready. okay? Yayyy I am so excited’, saying that Sucheta giggled and hung up. Ruhi came to the living room. She looked at Sucheta confused and said, ‘Now, who all have you invited? Tell me please.’ Sucheta said, ‘Ufff, do you have to know everything now. Just wait and watch. Hee hee hee’. Ruhi did not know how to react. She never saw Sucheta so excited, thrilled and happy. She went back to her room and got back to her work.

Just then the doorbell rang. Ruhi came out to the living room. Sucheta pulled the end of her saree, fixed it and walked towards the door. The stilettos made a tick tock sound as she walked. She opened the door. There stood Ronit, Sumitra and Sukumar. Ronit gazed at Sucheta. He could not take his eyes off her. Sumitra too stared at her. Sucheta smiled and stepped aside. Ronit, Sumitra and Sukumar stood at the door way, still amazed. Ronit looked at Sucheta and said, ‘What is this?’ Sucheta asked softly, ‘ What?’. Ronit replied, ‘ All decked up. Where are you going?’ Sumitra came and touched Sucheta’s gold necklace and said, ‘ How did you get this?’. Sucheta smiled and said, ‘ From the Almirah’, Sucheta replied. Ronit came, slapped Sucheta and said, ‘ Oh really? You thought you are the most beautiful woman under the sun and I will go ga ga over you.’ Sumitra then came, pulled Sucheta’s long hair and said, ‘How dare you go to my room and touch my things. Take off these gold jewelleries right now.’ Sucheta cried and said, ‘These are my jewellery.’ Sukumar pushed Sucheta and said, ‘Yours? Your dad had promised a house and a car. Till now there is nothing. Take these jewelleries off, go to your dad tomorrow and bring the leftover stuff he had promised.’ Ruhi stood there at the hall way shivering. Ronit dragged Sucheta from the living room to the bedroom when somebody came and pulled Ronit’s hair, punched him on his face and said, ‘You are under arrest.’ Ronit, Sumitra and Sukumar turned around and saw a lady in police uniform. She was Sapna Sharma. The IPS officer who was Sucheta’s childhood buddy. Sucheta was a victim of Dowry abuse. She was beaten and tortured by her husband Ronit, mother in law Sumitra and father in law Sukumar. Sucheta’s 12 year old daughter Ruhi had become a victim of depression seeing her mother getting tortured. Sucheta mustered up courage for her daughter, contacted Sapna and told her all about what she has suffered all these years. Sapna needed evidence to prove everything in court. Hence she had told Sucheta to fix webcams on the walls and if possible stage something like this episode today, so that the criminals can be caught red handed. Sapna and her team arrested Ronit, Sumitra and Sukumar and took them to Jail. Sucheta went to Ruhi, hugged her tight and said, ‘ It’s over dear. No more suffering. You and I will live happily in this beautiful world. Did you love the surprise?’ Ruhi cried and said, ‘Yes mom, this was the best surprise you have ever gifted to me. Also, you don’t have to tie your hair into a bun anymore.Nobody will pull your hair and hurt you mom.’