Mummy sighed. She opened her mouth, then clammed up. On her face, writ large was resignation. Defeat. A pause, pregnant with regret. She turned away from me, perhaps to hide her tears.

I often wondered how she could be so happy, living her life all alone, but slowly her positivity and vibrance rubbed off on me too.

In a town where young women get married off easily, I fought for a chance- a chance to an education, a chance to rise above my circumstances, a chance to fly.

Her protests went unheard, like a child’s demands for candy. Her mother’s melodrama, her father’s pleas, and relatives’ constant interference won, and Sayoni found herself walking down a new path, albeit a bit reluctantly.

“We sleep in each other’s arms every night and spend quality time during the weekends. Why is it necessary for me to be free and with you, every time that you are?”