Lost sisters

Meena and Neena were two sisters who lived in that small hut with their mother. Their mother, Leela was a poor lady who worked as a maid at Sharmila’s house. Leela used to go by 8:00 in the morning to Sharmila’s house and didn’t return back until 6:00 in the evening. In the meantime Meena and Neena both used to go to the school and return back. After returning from school Meena daily washed her own and sister’s school dress and kneaded flour for making chapattis. Meena was nine years old while Neena was six.

One day when Leela came back after her day’s work, she couldn’t find Meena and Neena in the hut. She went asking about her daughters in the neighbourhood but nobody knew anything about the two girls.

Leela was crying badly to find her daughters being lost. Leela’s brother, who was her only relative live, had also come to help his sister. His name was Mahesh and he worked as a labourer in the cement factory.

Mahesh took Leela to the police station and lodged a complaint about the missing daughters there.

Three days had passed but there was no clue about Meena and Neena with Leela or police.

Leela had spent whatever money she had in these three days but all went in vain. Sharmila gave her an advance of two thousand rupees and leave for fifteen days so that she could do something to find her daughters.

Ten days had passed and Mahesh had to return back to his duty too as he also had a family of four members to rear. With wet eyes Leela, said good bye to her brother. Both of them were very sad but they didn’t have any other option than to return to their jobs.

Frustrated with no development, Leela also returned back to Sharmila’s house for her job by the fifteenth day. Now Leela had lost all her enthusiasm to work and often cried in tears. Sharmila understood her sorrows but couldn’t do anything for her.

For Leela, her whole world was lost and now there was nothing left. Sharmila tried to cheer her up many a times but Leela had become like a body with lost soul.

Six months passed like this with no news about Meena and Neena. Leela was loosing her appetite and weight both and was having cough too. Sharmila took her to the government hospital for health check up. There she was declared to be suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis.

A heap of medicines was in front of Leela but she didn’t want to live now. Now she was advised to stay at her home till she goes disease free. Sharmila had promised to bear her expenses till her recovery.

Since Leela was alone, Mahesh came and took her along to his house. For some days everything went alright but soon, Mahesh’s wife Tambli got irritated with her disease and was not ready to keep her in her house. Tambli often said that this fellow is going to infect her family too. She didn’t allow her children to talk or sit with Leela.

Looking at the continuous quarrels going on in her brother’s family because of her, one day she silently moved out and never came back.

Like Meena and Neena, their mother Leela was lost somewhere now.

Mahesh was worried for his sister like Leela used to be for her daughters.