Chapter 6

She met Isha for the first time when she had just landed in Delhi and her uncle from the village who promised to get her a nice job and a house had duped her off her money and had left her stranded on the ISBT.
Isha was had just come back from her village Una in Himachal. She was making her way through the dense crowd and the fowl smell of piss when her eyes glanced at a girl clad in traditional Himachali dress sitting on an icky platform bench near a tea stall. Isha wasn't the type who would help anyone but somehow she felt like she had to , she saw herself in her in a way. It had been ages since she saw someone in those clothes, the last time she wore them was when her sister got married some 8 years ago.
Isha went upto her and spoke to her in Himachali accent "Kya hua tu yahan kyon baithei hai?Ghar se bhaag ayi?Ladka chod gaya na?" She looked up to her and big round tears fell from her eyes.She told Isha about her uncle who had left her here and had run away with the money.Isha felt angry at her foolishness , who in such times trusts such people. She was educated and yet she gave all her money to her uncle who by now would be sleeping with some high priced whore on GB Road and drinking English Whisky.
Isha said"tu mere saath chal , main kuch karti huun tere liye, tuje ghar bhejana hoga". She was a little apprehensive but being stranded on a platform for 24hours with no food and no water made her trust her, Isha helped her gather her stuff and grabbed her hand and took her out of ISBT and took an auto to her house in Rajouri.
Isha lived in her own house which was a small one bedroom kitchen Janta apartment which one of her ex-lovers had gifted her. Isha took her in asked her to to take a bath and change meanwhile she made Maggi the only dish she knew how to cook.She came out from the bathroom and now she looked really stunning. She had changed from her traditional outfit to a skirt and a long jersey. Isha asked her to sit down and she said "Rakhi Gulzar ab apni story sunaegi ki nahi" , she laughed and said "main itna bi nahi roti" and she told her entire story and by the end of it Isha had tears in her eyes.
Isha was an ex-drug addict who had taken up this life by running away from home altogether thought every once in a while she sneaked in to her house to meet her mother and that was actually the only connection she kept with her family.
Isha said "tuje toh paisa chaiyeh hoga, tu vapas gayi toh how will u treat your dad?".
She had no options and she didnt want to be burden on Isha so she asked her if she could get her a job. Isha said "Sweety where I work the money maybe good but person like you will never work there", she said "I...I will do anything , I need money " , Isha looked into her eyes "Honey main ek woh hu..." she said "woh what?" Isha felt a little discomfort and said "I am a prostitute..." She was shocked her eyes wer wide open and her mouth propped open as if she had seen a ghost or something.