chapter 2

Outside Men Not Allowed!Ravi stood outside the gate of a very shabby and dingy building in a cheap suburb. He was sure he was in the wrong place because only lower-middle-class or students lived around here. A celebrity like Ishana couldn’t. He was about to leave when the door opened, and he was beckoned inside by a heavily-armed guard.Nervously he stepped in and saw Ishana beaming at him.“Follow me,” she chimed.“You live here?” Ravi questioned confusedly.“I have my reasons,” and she gave him her mysterious smile which said you would know about it soon. “And sorry, my apartment is on the third floor and no elevator.”“Wow,” he whispered to himself and started climbing up the stairs behind her. But only to stop dead on the first step.“What?” she asked, seeing him stop abruptly. He pointed at a big board that hung right in front of him. It read, ‘OUTSIDE MEN NOT ALLOWED.’“Yeah, we take this quite literally. But given you are my guest, you are allowed.” And she gestured him to follow her.They climbed together, and she stopped on the first floor. There were only two apartments on each floor, one on each side. She knocked on the one that read ‘A1’. “If you have any hidden cameras or recorders, then I would request you shut them,” she spoke in a firm dominant tone. Ravi quickly raised his hands indicating he was clean. “Hey, how are we doing today?” she asked as the door opened. A well-kept girl in her thirties stood there. “Hi, Ishana. All good and normal today.” The girl stepped aside, letting them both in. She hesitated to see Ravi, but relaxed when Ishana introduced him as her friend. As Ravi stepped inside, his jaw dropped. This apartment was in the wrong place. It was beautiful, elegant, and had the perfect interior. It could easily compete and win against any five-star suite. Another girl in her twenties served them water. Ravi gulped down his glass immediately. Ishana asked him to wait and went inside for some work. Ravi, being so restless and shocked, couldn’t sit idle and looked around. The walls were artistically painted, and the most beautiful paintings adorned them. Several flower vase and other decorative items were placed strategically to enhance the beauty of the apartment. The sofa was a seven-seater, and it was extremely comfortable. A stone-top stunning white dining table was placed on one side. Next to it was the kitchen. Ravi peeked inside and saw it was a perfect modular kitchen with no amenity missing. The second girl followed him closely. The woodwork in the entire house was of top quality, and Ravi assumed that the owner must have spent around fifty-sixty lakhs to make this place as it was today. He walked along the wall and saw that from the inside, both the apartments on the floor were linked. “How many people live here?” he asked the girl.“At present, there are six girls on the floor,” she answered. Six girls and yet there was not a sound. The eerie silence bothered Ravi. “Where are these girls?” The girl raised her eyebrows at his question. “I mean, it is way too quiet at this hour,” he added, realizing that the girl misunderstood him. The girl just shrugged and asked him to sit on the sofa. Ishana reappeared after fifteen minutes, and they left.Ishana stopped on the second floor too. And Ravi was mesmerized to see that this floor was remodeled just like the first one. Here Ishana spent only five minutes. Ishana then knocked on a door on the third floor. “Is this your apartment?” Ravi asked curiously.“No, mine is the other one,” Ishana pointed at the door labeled ‘C2’.“So, they are not linked on this floor?” Ravi’s inquisitive side was taking over.“No, only on this floor they are separate, even the top floor is linked,” she spoke, pointing upwards.“Why not on this floor?” Ravi asked but was interrupted as the door opened, and a woman in mid-forties smiled at Ishana. She pulled out a folder. Ishana opened it, and Ravi saw that they were bills. “Thanks,” Ishana spoke and turned towards her apartment. However, Ravi stood rooted. The woman in C1 had a big scar on her face which ran from her eye to her lip. She was not as gracefully dressed as the girls on the floors below, and she had an air of weird attitude. “You want anything?” the woman barked. Her words made Ishana turn. “Oh sorry, Sarla. This is my friend. Ravi, let’s go,” Ishana apologized, and Ravi turned hastily and followed.“What is this place?” Ravi wondered as Ishana unlocked the door to her apartment.“This, my friend, is one of the safe-houses of Prathana. The girls we save from the world, they come and live here.”Ravi’s jaw dropped yet again as he saw Ishana’s apartment. It was shabby and kind of dingy. Something that maybe suited a bachelor but definitely not a supermodel. The furniture was old. The paint was peeling, and the smell of damp walls lingered in the air. No doubt the apartment was clean, but it was way too clean. Nobody could say that someone actually lived here.“Welcome to my humble abode,” she smiled, looking around her own house. She was staring at the walls as if it was a mansion. “I am going to freshen up, why don’t you make yourself comfortable?” she pointed at a small sofa. This was nothing in comparison to the lavish sofas downstairs. It was an old wooden sofa with thin seats and ragged cover. “Umm…” she paused before moving, “mind handing me over your phone and bag?”Ravi stared at her with baffled expressions.“One cannot be too cautious now, can they?” she smiled and extended her hand. He was a bit skeptical, but he was far more desperate. If this was the cost of knowing her, so be it! He handed over his things to her, and she disappeared in one of the two rooms. Feeling nervous, Ravi, as usual, looked around. The kitchen was almost bare. It had water-purifier and all the things required to make tea, but practically nothing else. The refrigerator was relatively empty too. There was an open room, and it housed only a few items. A carom-board, two battered chairs, and one shelf. The shelf was old, but it contained an assortment of alcohol. Ravi stared for a moment at the door in which Ishana had disappeared and then moved to the second room’s door. Slowly he twisted its handle, but it was locked.“Ahem-hm.” Ravi jumped at the sudden sound. He turned and saw Ishana standing there. She looked fresh, and droplets of water were still entangled in her beautiful hair. “Looking for the bathroom?” she asked sarcastically. “Yes, sorry,” Ravi babbled. Ishana opened the door to the common bathroom, and he disappeared in it. Ravi came out after a few minutes and saw Ishana sitting on the sofa, cross-legged. He joined her on a chair opposite to her.“I am sorry for intruding,” he apologized.“Curiosity is a good thing, Ravi. But after a limit, it only lands one in trouble,” she remarked, and he hung his head.“I see you have many questions. Why don’t we start with the basics?” She offered, and he sat alert. “This is one of the safe-houses. I own this whole building. I have renovated the floors so that girls who come and live here feel safe and comfortable. Each level has a caretaker and a cook. You met them on each floor. Our newest arrivals live on the first floor. Some move-out, some don’t. Those who don’t move out are transferred to the second floor. The third floor’s apartment has four occupants. They are our oldest and finest. They work for me and take care of things. You met Sarla, she is an excellent accountant. The scar, at which you were so ruthlessly staring, was a prize for her standing against her in-laws. They wanted a dowry, she denied. And they tried to kill her. I rescued her and brought her here a few years ago. She is with me ever since.” Ravi was speechless, as usual. He just couldn’t fathom the depths Ishana had. She must have spent a fortune just to make these girls feel welcomed and comfortable. Can this woman really be a murderer?“So, all the girls in Prathana are victims?” he inquired.“Of something, yes. But not all are raped or molested or knifed. You met Rumi today; she was a victim of harassment in a male-dominant society. Girls who work or live here are those who have no other place to go. This is a house for those angelic girls who were harassed, attacked, and shunned by the monstrous world outside.”‘Like a girl like you,’ Ravi thought but didn’t say out loud. “You said one of the safe houses,” Ravi pointed.“Yes, we have a couple more. One of them is dedicated to boys who have been sexually abused. It doesn’t see many occupants as men don’t reveal such things that easily. We have two safe houses in very secure locations to hide girls who are being targeted. They safe-keep sensitive cases.” “And you have an orphanage,” he added.“Yes. We have an orphanage. Like said, very recent.” “The work you are doing here is commendable. There are so many fake NGOs out there. The genuine one like yours should be awarded and broadcasted at a national level.”Ishana smiled at his sentiment. “And that’s why my friend, you will write about it.”“I promise. I will write the best article and ensure that Prathana becomes an answer to everybody’s prayers.”“Amen to that,” Ishana bowed humbly.“I am sure Prathana is not on your list of priorities, is it?” Ishana asked, relaxing in her seat.“How do you mean?” Ravi gave her a perplexed look.“I mean, you are not here to learn about my NGO,” Ishana was smiling. She didn’t know why, but in his company, she found a unique comfort. It wasn’t sexual. Instead, it was something she was neither able to comprehend, nor define.“No-no, I did want to know about your NGO. Honestly, I thought it was a bit hyped. But now I see that it doesn’t get the light it truly deserves,” Ishana beamed at Ravi’s assessment. “But it is also true that it is not the first topic on my agenda,” he added nervously.“Of course,” she whispered and moved to the open room, which housed a shelf of assorted drinks. “Our tea must be ready, we should wait for it. It would be rude otherwise.” She sighed, eying her collection of drinks. “So, what happened next in school?” Ravi asked casually as the girl from the first floor arrived with their tea.“Dev and Kunal were enough for me. So, nothing else happened during school. People knew I was Kunal’s ‘girlfriend’, so I got a lot of sympathies because of his sudden ‘departure’. But apart from that, it was normal. I spent the rest of eleventh and twelfth in peace.” “You are still having difficulties in accepting Kunal’s fate?” she inquired at his expressions. He gave her a shaky nod. “Hmm… not sure if you are ready for what is to come next. Because believe me, what I am today is not because of what happened all those years ago. Many other things shaped my present.” The hair rose on Ravi’s body. He was not sure what to do. On the one hand, he wanted to know her reality desperately, but on the other hand, he was dead scared. He gulped, “I would not lie by saying that I am able to accept everything, but I can assure you that I really want to know.”“Why? What is it to you?” she demanded. “I promise to tell you on a condition – if you tell me everything,” he offered.“I promise!” she spoke immediately. She anyway was planning to, he felt like a ‘free psychiatrist’ who was listening to her whining without any charge. “Now tell me why.”“Sorry, ladies first. You have to finish your story.”“You remember my words, right. I would murder you most brutally if you misused my words. I practically have nothing to lose,” she warned with screwed eyes. “I remember it loud and clear. Your warning still haunts me at night.” His words made her laugh out loud. And he jumped at her reaction. “Sorry,” she was still chortling. “I didn’t mean to alarm you, then or now. I am merely stating the fact as to what will happen –”“I know… I know…” he interrupted her. “Man, you really don’t feel guilt or remorse, do you?”“If not feeling remorse for people who wronged me makes me a sociopath, then hell yes, I am!” she repeated her words from the bar, and this time he kept quiet.Â