They (my husband and father-in-law) left, and I got immersed in my work. Time passed, and then I started getting calls from home (mother's) telling me, “Take your daughter back. You’re just working carefreely.” At that time, my younger sister wasn’t married yet, and she kept pressuring me about it sometimes. Occasionally, it made me want to cry, thinking I was stuck in a horrible situation—if I worked, there were problems; if I didn’t, there were more problems. How was I supposed to handle it all?
Finally, I brought both of my kids to Haryana. Once here, the first thing I taught them was how to lock and unlock the door, because they were both still so young. After that, I enrolled them in school, which was a good one nearby. They started attending school at 7:30, while my company shift was from 6 to 6. So I would get up at 4 in the morning, finish all the housework, get the kids ready—both of them in their uniforms—and head out. I’d tell them, “Check the time somehow and head out on your own. Stay in the room for at least an hour and don’t go outside.” My kids never went out, no matter what— they would stay indoors. Then, following the time, they’d leave for school themselves. That’s how each day went by.
Later, my daughter stopped going to school. I would get them dressed and leave, but both kids would just stay at home playing, and I had no idea. Then one day I got a call from the school: “Ma’am, where are your children? Where are you? The kids haven’t been coming to school.” I said, “No, I dress them every day. How could this be?” Obviously, the kids weren’t going to say anything. So I asked the teacher, “Ma’am, what if I drop them off at your place after I get them ready? Because once I leave, there’s nobody to watch them.” She agreed—her house was nearby. After that, I’d drop them off there each morning.
Life continued in this pattern, but my kids struggled. Sometimes they’d lose the house key, and they’d spend the entire day waiting around in their uniforms for me to come back. When I got home, I had my own copy of the key, so we’d go in then. If they accidentally spilled their food, they’d be hungry all day—yet they never complained, never said, “I’m hungry.” I’d ask, “Couldn’t you get something from the shop?” They’d say, “No, we’ll only eat when you come.” Even if I left them money, they wouldn’t spend it; they only ate what I brought. To this day, they’re the same, never insisting on anything unless I bring it.
Time went on like this, and my daughter reached 2nd or 3rd grade. Then I ran into some problem and returned to my family home—my maternal place. I stayed there for a year. After that, I moved into my sister’s house. My time at my sister’s place was very tough. While living there, I had to bear all the grocery and household costs because my sister lived alone, and there were three of us staying there now, so I had to pay for everything. I didn’t have a job then, so I used up all the savings I had. Eventually, I left my sister’s house and went back to the village.
Once in the village, I taught my kids how to commute alone—how to travel from the village to the city. For about four months, I sent them to their city school from the village, and they gradually figured it out, learning how to come and go on their own. I’d give them money in exact amounts so they could handle the travel. They would leave the house about two hours early to reach school on time, because if they were late, the school gates would close and they’d miss the entire day. At that point, they were only in 5th and 4th grade. I would pack two tiffins for them, because they came home late—if they were on time, they’d arrive by five in the evening. Classes ended at 2:30, and it took over two hours to get back to the village. That’s how tough it was day after day—on one hand, managing the kids, on the other, trying to ensure their education.
I made sure to teach my kids how to manage on their own from a young age, so that once they grew up, they’d have fewer difficulties with anything. Since I was basically a single mom taking care of them, I still needed to work. If I went out to my job, my kids had to know how to get to and from school safely.
A few months later, I rented a room—just a single room—for 2,000 rupees. When I left home, everyone said, “Go, but you won’t get a single penny from here, do whatever you want.” I replied, “Either pay for my kids’ education or give me my share.” That caused a big conflict, and talk even reached the courts.
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