Destiny's Play!!

Chapter - 23

Manya had had it with the group around her. What the hell was their problem? It didn't seem they were too drunk. But their idea of having fun on the dance floor was different from hers. They had formed a circle around her and a few friends she had met here and had been passing rude comments, jostling and bumping into them deliberately. Even when they had asked them to behave they hadn't listened. It was as if they couldn't comprehend the language the girls had been using. Finally Manya and the others had stopped and the argument between the two groups turned into a mudslinging battle. When one of the boys had said something nasty Manya's temper had flared and she had slapped him. She was outraged at the words used and the implication. The music had stopped and everyone suddenly fell silent. The guy was still wondering what had happened when Manya saw Avni standing right at the edge with a horrified look on her face and hands clapped over her mouth. A few security guys walked in. Tall, broad, muscular and intimidating.

"What is the problem here?" one of them asked.

"They are misbehaving," Manya said as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"She is lying," one of the boys said who seemed to have suddenly found his voice, "we were just dancing and she and her friends kept bumping into us," he lied.

"Oh yeah," Manya jeered, "then why didn't you complain that we were harassing you," she said.

"Don't try and act smart okay," another one said, "you have no idea who we are?" he said proudly.

"Do you?" Manya countered.

"Hey..." another one started when Manya's friend stopped him in between.

"Don't lie," she said angrily, "God knows what era you belong to. You leave this club this second or I will have every single one of you arrested because unfortunately for you, you have no idea who my dad is," she said and smiled coldly.

The bouncers quickly held a few of them and started taking them away.

"This is not the end of this," one of them shouted, "we will teach you a few lessons in manners before we leave," he shouted even as the bouncers practically carried them out.

The music started again and everything went back to normal within seconds as if nothing had happened. And Avni was amazed at how cool Manya still was. Frankly she wouldn't have known what to do in a situation like this. She watched as Manya came to stand before her and smile then took her to the lounge area, which was much quieter than where the disco was. As they sat on the plush sofa and ordered a mocktail and cold coffee.

"Sorry," Manya said meaningfully, "I hope this won't stop you from going out with me again," she said.

"No," Avni replied reassuring the other girl, "but you shouldn't have slapped him. You know men usually take these things very seriously. Their egos cannot handle it and they tend to get vengeful," she said.

"Avni what world do you live in," Manya asked then raised a hand to shut her up as she went ahead, "I do not expect you to answer that. Look, had I misbehaved I would have got slapped too so if that jerk did the same, it was only right to give him what was coming. When we talk of equality it should be in everything. They could have said sorry when the argument started and moved away instead they insulted us, used derogatory words and the insinuation was such it would have driven any girl to slap them. In an effort to prove their pseudo macho image they crossed the line I just showed them I know how to make them toe the line, simple," she said, "besides Rewa's father is the DIG here," she said as if that was enough to solve all problems, "I don't believe in keeping silent just because I am a girl. Why should I suffer abuse because I am considered a weaker sex? Why should any other girl for that matter? You know I have been raised to fight for what I believe is right and it doesn't matter what I have to undertake to do it and I can't shy away from who I am Avni. Both my brothers, my parents have taught me this and they will always be there to support me so why should I be scared of a bunch of no goods," she said and shrugged.

This wasn't the first time Avni had heard such a speech. But she knew Manya didn't just say it for the heck of it she believed in it too and with her family's support she had come out to be a strong girl for which Avni admired her. Her zest for life, her gumption, her beliefs were commendable. Avni sighed wondering how she would have turned out had her family been this supportive or with such an outlook. She had always been taught to stay in the limits dictated by society. That girls should behave in a certain way, talk a certain way and if necessary don't talk at all. She had never been taught to love herself, to stand up for her self-respect and so she never had. Come to think of it most of the girls who had been her friends came from similar thinking families. Respect of the family was with respect of the daughters of the family so they weren't supposed to engage in anything that would bring disgrace to them and in turn to the family name. No matter how big the city of Ludhiana had grown. No matter how many had gone to foreign lands and got education. No matter how many modern comforts and luxuries were readily available when it came to old conservative values the society was still pretty much the same. Redundant. Why was she thinking like this? Why was she all of a sudden after so many years of doing what she was supposed to do suddenly questioning the norms? Was it because she was able to see the difference between pretentious modernism and real modernism after coming here? Or was it the Dogras? Yes, they were disciplined in the ways of their living and yet they were broadminded. They believed in giving complete freedom to their children boys and girls both. And trusted them to make the right choices. But she knew even if they did make wrong choices they would be there to guide their children through it. They had made them strong and independent. If that was the case where did Karan stand in all of this? Why was his choice of a career not acceptable? He was successful at it wasn't he? Then...Avni didn't know what to think anymore. She had wanted to avoid complex issues, stay away from the realities that surrounded her. But it was an inescapable route and she will just have to find answers all by herself. She sighed as she picked her glass of cold coffee and sipped. What they said was true. You had to distance yourself from your surroundings to view them in correct light.

"Relax," Manya said as she heard Avni sigh, "nothing is going to happen. These things take place all the while and who the hell has the time to plot revenges," she said and gave Avni a broad smile.

Avni smiled in return. Manya was right. People had better things to do. This was not some daily soap where everyone keeps plotting revenge all the time with nothing else to do. So she relaxed but she couldn't shake off the uneasy feeling at the back of her mind. Maybe when they reached home safely she would feel more at ease.

What they didn't know was that though daily soaps did exaggerate the plot to a certain extent they did draw some things from real people. There were people who really had nothing to do than show their superiority to others and no matter what Manya said they were soon to face one such experience.

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