1. Her Life

A beautiful girl in her mid-20s was playing with the kids outside a badi. All the kids were enjoying her company. She had a charm that attracted everyone towards her. She was a real beauty, with fair and

flawless skin. Her most beautiful feature was her eyes which could make anyone fall for her. Her

eyes sparkled. Her smile had the ability to bring the world to a standstill and was enough to

lighten up the whole city of Kolkata. She was gorgeous, so much that no one could ever get tired of looking at her.

She was a feminist who believed that all men and women are equal. Yet, she always prefered to stay inside the house for reasons best known to her. Her father and her sister were her strength. Even though her stepmother always taunted her, she respected her a lot. She was a

girl building a firm foundation of life with the bricks that were thrown at her. Dreams meant the

world to her.

"Swara Didi, Maa is calling you-" Ragini's sentence remained incomplete as she paused to

breathe.

"Shit! Mar gayi!" Swara facepalmed herself.

They both ran inside their house.

"Jii Maa, aap bula rahe the mujhe?" Swara asked.

"Where were you? Who will wash the dishes and chop the vegetables?" asked Sharmistha angrily.

"I will do it," Swara said in a low voice.

"After doing that, sweep the house," her mother instructed.

"Maa, I will sweep the house. How will Didi do so much work?" Ragini asked.

"Shut up! You go and study. Let her do her work. She is an orphan, not you," Sharmistha said irately.

"Maa, Baba is her real father. She is not an orphan," Ragini said sternly.

As Ragini would again say something, Swara held her hand and gestured to her not to say anything anymore.

Though Swara and Ragini were stepsisters, they shared a bond as if they were siblings.

Swara silently did all the work that her mother had ordered her to.

After dinner, she picked up everyone's plates and placed them inside the sink to wash them.

"Didi, why do you always work so much?" Ragini asked, sitting on the slab near the sink.

"Ragu, this is my house too. I don't need any reason to work in my own house," Swara said happily.

"You are great, Didi. I will work as well. Tell me, how can I help you?" Ragini said, tucking her hair behind her ears.

"No need. You go and sleep," Swara replied.

"Don't make me feel like I am adopted. I am also the daughter of this house, just like you," Ragini said sadly.

"Ragini, what are you doing here?" her mother asked.

"Maa, I was just helping Didi," Ragini replied.

"How many times do I need to tell you that you should not work? Swara is there to do so, "Sharmistha said.

"Maa, why do you always treat Di like a mere servant? Wo bhi iss ghar ki beti hai, just like me. Why don't you love her?" Ragini asked.

"She is not my daughter. She is not your real sister. She is just a burden on us. May God removes this burden soon," Sharmistha said and went away.

Tears rolled down Swara's eyes. She completed her work while shedding silent tears. Shekhar, who watched all of this while standing near the door, felt very bad for her daughter. He felt

helpless.

"Kya ban gayi hai meri beti. That girl who used to be very strong is so weak now. Why God? That incident has affected her so much. I hope to see my old Swara back," Shekhar prayed to

God.

"Ragini, can you please give me your laptop?" Swara asked.

"Haan Didi, take it. It's yours too. You don't need my permission," Ragini said.

"Thank you," Swara said, passing a smile.

"Wese, what are you doing?" Ragini asked.

"I am searching for a job," Swara replied slowly.

"Job? But you don't like to go out, nah?" Ragini asked.

"I have to. I don't want to be a burden on anyone," Swara replied sadly.

"Didi, you are not a burden on us," Ragini said, consoling her.

"But for Maa, I am a burden. I want to help her," Swara said.

"Maa is so unlucky to ignore a daughter like you," Ragini said, hugging Swara.

"Bass ho gaya.. Ragu! Help me, nah," Swara said.

"Say," Ragini spoke.

"There are two companies which match my criteria. Which one should I opt for? Maheswari and Sons or SMT InfoTech?” Swara asked.

"Ummmm... go for Maheswari and Sons. I have heard that their boss is very hot," Ragini teased Swara.

"Shut up! Shameless! Then I will definitely apply for SMT," Swara said embarrassedly.

"No Didi, suno, jokes apart, go for Maheswari and Sons. They have better scope and facilities than SMT," Ragini said wisely.

"Are you sure?" Swara asked to confirm.

"Yes," Ragini nodded her head.

"Applied. I wish to get a confirmation call soon," Swara prayed.

"Don't worry. You will get it. After all, you are a gold medalist in M.Com from your university,"

Ragini hugged Swara.

"Okay, now sleep. It's very late. Good night," Swara said.

♡♡♡

"Ragini, are you sure I will get the call?" Swara asked.

"Yes, Didi", Ragini replied.

"But I am feeling very strange", Swara said.

"Chill, Di", Ragini assured her.

Swara smiled, and almost instantly, her phone rang.

“...”

"Yes! I am Swara Gadodia."

“...”

"Han."

“...”

"Seriously? I made it?"

“...”

"Thanks! I will be on time." Swara put her phone down and looked at Ragini, who hugged her and congratulated her.

"When is your interview?” Ragini asked.

"They have sent an email regarding all the information," Swara said.

"Let's go and check," Ragini said, rushing for the laptop.

"Di, the interview is at 4 pm", Ragini said.

"Okay, let me cook lunch before that," Swara said.

"Didi, you prepare for your interview. I will cook lunch," Ragini said.

"Nahi! If maa comes to know, then she'll scold me," Swara said.

"Di, chill yaar! Kuch nahi hoga. Your Ragu will manage everything," Ragini said, assuring her.

♡♡♡

"Di, get ready. It's already 2:30 pm," Ragini said, dragging Swara to their room.

"What's the hurry?" asked Swara.

"Shh! Let me select a dress for you," Ragini said. "Ummm... Han, take this pink kurti and these black jeans", Ragini added.

Swara went to the bathroom to change her dress and came out wearing it.

"Are you sure I should wear this?" she asked.

Ragini nodded her head. Swara combed her hair and tied them into a ponytail. She put on minimal makeup and wore the earrings which Ragini had selected for her.

"Wow, Di! You are looking beautiful," Ragini exclaimed.

"I guess I am going for an interview. Ladka dekhne nahi," Swara said while smacking Ragini's forehead.

"Uff, Didi. You can never change. You will always be dumb," Ragini shook her head. Swara touched Shekhar's feet to get his blessings.

"I just hope this job brings back some happiness to your life," Shekhar said gently.

Swara smiled and took her files, and went out. She sat in the auto and bid goodbye to Ragini and her father.

♡♡♡

The auto stopped in front of the building of Maheswari and sons. She stepped out of the auto and looked at the building with dreams in her eyes.