The Trampled Rose

She was a small town girl with a big heart. Born to a very poor family who didn’t know when their next meal would arrive; she was the one shining light that helped her family forget what they were going through. Her parents called her “Sudu Duwa” (Sweet Daughter), and her little brother called her “Sudu Akka” (Sweet Sister) but for everyone else she was knows as “Kusum” (Flower).


Kusum was a very beautiful and a bright child at school. She would become first in class every year and also won several sports events where she was a champion sprinter.  She was the darling at her home where she took care of her ailing dad suffering from the parkinson’s disease; helped her mom to take the fruits they sold to earn a living to the market; and also taught her brother when ever he was facing problems with his studies.

She was also a loving girlfriend to “Sarath”, her love interest since childhood and she got his able support in everything she did to preserve the well being of her family and her life.

Life was not getting easy and Kusum knew that her family won’t be able to survive just through the earnings of her mother. She wanted to provide a better life to her family, to cure her father’s sickness, to help her brother to succeed in his studies and become successful. She made up her mind and decided to move to the city in search of a job as soon as she passed her Advanced Level exam in flying colors. Her family didn’t like it; he boyfriend rejected her request numerous times. But she was determined; and was on her way chasing her dreams.

Kusum wanted a job in engineering and she had the qualifications to get one. She went to numerous interviews; but, no one wanted to recruit her. Some companies rejected her due to her lack of knowledge in English. Some did it because she lacked experience and some simply didn’t even respond to her application.  Kusum was heart broken and dejected; she couldn’t stop the tears flowing from her eyes.

One night, as she was walking back to her hostel she saw a speeding van coming towards her. The van stopped in front her, blocking her strides. Suddenly, two men got off the van and dragged her inside. Kusum was shouting with all her might; but nobody heard her. The men sprayed some liquid to her eyes and within few minutes; Kusum lost her conscience.

When she woke up, she saw a middle aged lady staring at her with a cunning smile. Kusum wanted to run away; but she realized she cannot do that as she was all tied up. The lady looked up at her and said that she has been noticing Kusum for a while and have noticed that she was looking for a job and failed at it. She also said that she can offer Kusum a job where she can earn more than she bargained for and enable her to achieve her family’s dreams.

Kusum first asked how the lady knew about her family and then saw she has her diary with her. Then she asked what the job was. The lady smiled and said, “We Want You to Sell Your Beauty for Us.”

Kusum said she can’t do it and begged the lady to let her go back. The lady said she is free to go but reminded her how she was struggling to find a job in the city and her big dreams of supporting her family. Kusum asked for a day to think about everything and said to the lady that she will tell her decision the next morning.

That night, Kusum couldn’t sleep. Tears rolled down from her eyes as she reflected back to her life in the small town she was born. She remembered how she promised her dad that she will take him to the city and find a cure for his sickness, how she promised her mom that she will build a house for her family to live, told her brother that she will put him to a famous school in the city, the amount of money the lady offered her and the hardships she faced when finding a job. The flashback was unbearable and Kusum felt helpless. She had to make a decision. She decided to say “yes” to the lady.

From next day onwards, Kusum worked for the lady by giving away her purity for the pleasure of men who took advantage from her for large sums of money.  Kusum did earn a lot and was able to find medication to her father, build a house for her family and send her brother to a great school. But she never told them what she did; she ended the relationship with her boyfriend sighting that she had no time to be fully committed. Only she knew the reason. She smiled during the day time and cried with buckets full of tears at night. She never thought that her life would end up this way. She “got what she wanted, but not what she need. “

 ..................................................................................................................................................

The above is the reply by me for this week's  Indie Ink Writing Challenge, given to me by Random Girl and the challenge was, "You get what you want, but not what you need". I thought hard on how to approach this challenge and decided to challenge myself  with the above . Hope everyone likes it  =)  .

Also please check out the response by Emma Sheree who will put up her super reply very soon.


Cheers !! 

add to del.icio.us saved by 0 users