Voiced Whispers Part 4

"You have the money? Drunken a.s.ses like you show up at our doors all the time. You never have the money. Get the h.e.l.l out of here."

I took a hundred rupee note out and held it out to him. "Is this good enough for you?"

He took the money, and then ushered me in.

The man inside was the same as before. "Is this one good enough for you?" He asked, pointing you a youngish girl, who gave a weird expression and winked at me. She was scantily and provocatively dressed, with her hair flowing down her shoulders. Despite all this, there was a disgust that she had towards this job, and it was evident from her face. She didn't want to be there, and probably would have left at the first chance she got, but I guess she didn't get any chance at all.

"Yes, she's good enough." I returned that weird smile of hers, and she led me into a room and closed the door. It was time for me to take my chance now. This was the only way I could get something done. I had to do something quickly, to ensure that what I needed to do was done smoothly.

She started to undress, but just as she did, I asked her to stop. She gave me a weird expression. I handed her a hundred rupee note, and said, "We need to talk."

She gave me a puzzled expression as I motioned her to sit down, and then sat down beside me on the bed. "Are you actually interested in doing this?"

"I'm not here for interviews. f.u.c.k me if you want to, or pay me and get out of here."

"Calm down. I'm not here for an interview. I'm here for something much better. Answer my question. Do you like it here? Will you leave if given an opportunity?"

"Of course I would. This whole place disgusts me. I want to get out of here as soon as possible. I was sold to these people by that jerk of a brother that I had, and have had to stay here since then. They keep me fed and pretty, and that is it. I don't have a life beyond this wh.o.r.e house."

"Good. Let's talk work then. There is a girl I need to help escape from here. I don't know her name, but I know her face. She came in here very recently I think, and she goes back to her home once a year for a few days. Do you have any idea of who she may be?"

"There are a couple of new girls here, but only one of them is allowed to go back home. Meira is her name here, and I don't know her real name. I talk to her from time to time. What exactly do you want me to do?"

"I want you to help me get Meira out. First, you're gonna have to get me to meet her once. I'll come again tomorrow morning. Try convincing the guy to let me go with Meira. Then, we'll decide on a time and day to escape, and get out of here. We'll have to leave at a time when the activity is low, and then get out of here as fast as we can."

"Easier said than done. The henchmen will start looking for us soon after we escape, and we'll be caught in no time."

"Not necessarily. If we get out of here soon enough, and leave the city, there is a good chance that we may not get caught. Gujjar, the owner of the entire business, operates princ.i.p.ally in Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand. If you can get out of this area, you will be safe. Just maintain a low profile."'

"You are right. The idea seems good. Come in tomorrow at noon, and you'll get to spend the time you want to with her. Talk things out, and you'll be good to go. What is your name, by the way?"

"My name doesn't matter. Just refer to me as the bearded drunk who came in the previous night."

"Alright. I hope you know what you are doing. Please get us out of here as soon as possible. Good luck." She gave me a quick hug, and messed her look up a bit, so that it didn't look suspicious."

In that brothel, among the sighs and moans coming from the other rooms, I had finally hatched my plan. Meira, or whatever her real name was, would be free soon, and my job would be done. I would finally be free from the guilt of not acting several years ago, and the bad dreams would stop coming. Redemption from my sins was difficult, but it would be achieved soon. I was finally happy.

I walked back to the road, and took a cab to a lodge nearby, to spend the night there.

CHAPTER 12.

The amount of stress laid on to the appearance of a person becomes evident when one is on the receiving end of the ugly looks. I got refused by cab drivers three times just, getting dirty looks from each of them. My rather ugly appearance seemed to have had a rather strong effect on the people around me.

Once I was on the road, though, n.o.body seemed to care much about me, despite me having a bottle of whisky in my hand. I walked past a cop pretty calmly, and he didn't even budge. I had thought drinking in broad daylight in such public places was a crime. It turns out that nothing really is a crime, because the people responsible for enforcing the law don't really care about the law.

I reached the brothel around noon, and walked straight inside. The guard there didn't really do anything, since he recognized me from the previous night. I was greeted by the same guy, this time with a grin. They treated the returning customers better than the new ones. He smiled at me and said, "The girl you were with last night told me that you were too much for her. You seem to be quite a man."

I grinned back at him.

"We have just the right girl for you then." He said, pointing to a rather athletic looking girl.

I looked around for the girl I had spoken to last night. She was nowhere to be seen. Did she fool me? Was I stupid enough to trust a stranger and put Meira's life in danger? Of course I was! How could I put Meira in danger because of my own stupidities? I should have known better than that. Now she had no escape, and would probably be caught and killed.

The man looked at my blank expression, and a.s.sumed that I was not interested in that girl. "I think I should listen to that girl now. She told me you needed something purer, but I didn't listen to her. Don't worry, our latest is free right now, but we'll charge extra for her."

"That's okay. Bring her to me."

"She'll be here in a minute." He held out his hand, and I gave him double the money that I had given him the previous night. He put the money in his pocket, and signalled to a man standing at the door.

After what seemed like an eternity, I finally heard footsteps coming from behind me. She walked towards me, her head fixed on the floor.

"Take good care of this man Meira, he's paying quite a bit for you. If we hear any complaint from him, you will be taken care of pretty well." He grinned at her as he said that to her, and she looked at him with fear.

She took my hand and walked me into a room nearby, shutting the door behind her. She bolted the door, and walked slowly towards me, faking a smile and completely at it. Her discomfort was evident from my face.

"You didn't recognize me too, Meira. It's me, the guy you met in the train."

She had a shocked and disgusted look on her face. She certainly didn't expect me to see me in a brothel like this for the second time, and this entire thing came as a huge shock to her. "What do you want me to do with you?" she asked me, the disgust evident in her tone.

"I'm not here for what you think I am. I am here to get you out of this mess. It's time you leave this place. I've spoken to another girl, and she has agreed to help. We must get out of here."

"What? Are you serious? There is no way I can escape this place. They keep a constant watch on me, because they know I can escape at any point of time. This place is guarded very well, and escape from here is practically impossible."

"There has to be some way to get out of here. Plus, we have another person helping us now, so that should make things easier. We should be able to get out of here."

"There is a door on the back side of the building which leads to a walled backyard, but the wall is eight feet high, and jumping it will gather attention from the people on the front gate, and we'll get caught easily."

"Why can't I just pay your debt off and free you from here?"

"That is because they don't want me to leave this place now. Some other people had tried to buy me from these people too, but they turned out every offer made. Apparently, I am too valuable to them to part with."

"I see. Our best option then is to ensure that the jump is as soft as possible. Where is this door, and when can we do this?"

"The wall is the one you see after you go to the next building. It leads to a small lane, which is connected to the main road. It is basically behind the building, so that makes it easier to get out. I think a time of around 3 a.m. should be fine, because the people coming reduce then. I will fake an illness that night, so that they don't force me to work. Who is the other girl?"

"I don't know her name, but she will contact you soon. I need a date too."

"How about we do this tomorrow?"

"No. my work ends day after. Can we do this two days later?"

"Okay. Make sure you're not seen by the people around. Everyone is afraid of these goons, and they'll do anything to get in their favour. So you will have to be very careful around them. Just make sure you get here on time. I will be ready."

"Okay. I'll make the other arrangements. The other girl knows you, so she will contact you. Inform her about the date, so that both of you can escape together. We have to be very careful about this. One small mistake can put both of you in serious danger."

"I know that very well. I hope we get this done well enough. I really want to get out of here into a safer place. This is not what I was born for."

"I know. Don't worry; I'll get you out of here safely. You don't need to worry about that."

We followed the same drill. She gave me a quick hug, and then messed her look up a bit, so that the people outside didn't get suspicious. "I hope you had a good time this time," the man outside said, grinning at me. I grinned back at him, not wanting to say another word.

Another cab ride took me back to the lodge, where I dumped the beard and lost the ragged clothes. I changed back into my former look, picked up my stuff, and took a cab back to Santragachi railway station. I took my phone out and called my dad. "The train was early dad. I'm back in Kolkata."

The car came an hour later, and I went back home for the two days, knowing very well that I wasn't going to see my parents for quite a while after that. It was time to act soon. Everything was in place now, and all I needed to do was ensure that the plan was executed smoothly. In two days, Meira would be free, and she would be able to start a new, independent life for herself.

Life is one h.e.l.l of a roller coaster ride. Just about a month back, I was an ordinary student looking for a decent score in my exams. I had no clue that this could have happened to me. In two days, I would be rescuing two girls from a brothel, with my parents having no clue of my whereabouts. I had finally grown up to do something that I should have done a long time back- fight for what is right.

CHAPTER 13.

"Are you sure you'll need only this bit of luggage?"

"Yes mom. I don't want to slow stuff down. We'll mostly be travelling, so too much of luggage will be a problem."

"Who are you going with again?"

"I'm going with Ayu and Niki, my friends from college."

"How did their parents allow them to go?"

"It was quite a struggle, but the genius that your son is, he managed to convince their parents to let them go," I joked.

"You being a genius? Ha-ha. You're the stupidest member of our family Ansh. You can't survive a day without our care!"

"Stop it mom! I'm not a kid anymore."

"Alright, whatever makes you happy. Where will you be meeting them?"

"The train goes via Kharagpur. They'll be boarding it from there."

"Okay. We'll leave at 10p.m. from here. That should get us there on time."

"You're not going with me to the station mom. It's pointless. Dad isn't home anyway, and calling the driver for this is too much. I'll take a cab."

"No you won't. As it is you're going away on this stupid trip. I don't even get to see you nowadays. I am coming with you."

"Mom, you're not coming with me, and that is final. I can manage myself. You stay at home, and stop this emotional blackmail. I'll be back soon enough. Take care of the house till then, and don't get too angry."

"Fine then, do whatever you want to. You're a grown up now, who doesn't need to listen to his parents anymore."

"Don't be like that mom! Let me go alone this one time! You will be coming to the station to drop me back to Kharagpur anyway!"

"Okay. You can go alone. Give me a call when you reach the station, when you board the train, and when your friends board the train, okay?"

"Should I also call you when I eat, drink, wake up, go to sleep, or say any word?"

"Shut up. You will make those calls, or you won't be allowed out on a trip again."

"Alright, I'll call you all of those times."

"And take care of yourself. Don't talk to any stranger, don't eat any unpacked food on the train, or take any kind of food someone you don't know offers you. I hope you understand my concerns for you."

"Yes mom, I do. I will take care of myself."

"That's like a good boy. You're my little baby, how can I let anything happen to you!"

"Mom! I'm a grown up now, and I can take care of myself. Now can you please get me my chocolate chip cookie?"

"Of course you can, my little grown up!"

"I'm nearly six feet tall, and can pretty much pick you up easily. I'm not little anymore."

"You'll always be little for me."

How I wished I could tell my mom that her 'little' son was about to rescue two girls from a prost.i.tution centre in a while, and then take them away from there to a place far away from the city. She would probably get a heart attack right there! This was not the right time to tell anyone. Also, mom would probably just freak out about it, and not let me pursue this further. I had to keep it to myself for now. Mom could find out once it was done.

"Fine, whatever makes you happy. I'll go recheck the stuff you've packed for me."

I went back into my room to check whether I had taken everything, or rather, whether mom had kept everything for me. Mom always packed my bags for trips. I was this spoilt, pampered kid who did nothing on his own.

There was a small bag with all the things I needed, and my laptop bag with just my tablet and some food. I had made sure I didn't keep too much stuff with me, because it was extremely important for me to travel light.

"Everything is fine. I'll leave in a while."

I left at 9:45p.m., with mom insisting that she drop me to the cab. I couldn't refuse again, so I went ahead with it and let her do so.

"Make sure you keep calling, and don't forget to have your medicines."

"Yes mom."

"Also, keep eating well. I've packed some food for you in the bag."

"So that's why the bag is so heavy! Okay, I'll eat it."