<<Scene- Living room of an upscale Mumbai complex>>
(Sunanda is sitting with her knitting needles, a half woven baby sweater in her hands, and a soft mumbling of a lullaby on her lips. Intermittently she moves her hands over her tummy.)
<<Sound of the door bell>>
(The buzz of the door bell brings her back to the present. Keeping aside her needles she opens the door and stares blankly at the stranger who is standing there. It is her husband Girish but for Sunanda the word ‘husband’ holds no meaning after what she has endured the previous week. Girish stands there with bouquet of roses and carnations in his hands.)
Girish – Suni, how are you feeling today? I got you flowers, your favorite ones.
Sunanda (with a blank stare and coldness in her voice) - You have already taken my favorite one away from me.
Girish- Please don’t say that darling, you know how much I care for you. We are still young and healthy, we can……..
(He is left hanging midsentence as Sunanda stares at him with an anger unmatched to what he has ever seen. He tries to hug her by drawing her close.)
Sunanda (in a loud shrill) - You have lost that right forever.
(She goes back to the couch and continues to knit whilst singing the lullaby)
Girish- You take rest dear, you just need to cool down. I will go freshen up.
(After Girish freshens up, Sunanda serves him a plate of hot poha)
Sunanda- You must be hungry, I made your favorite dish.
Girish- Thank you darling. You know, it has affected me as much as you.
Sunanda- (in a cold empty voice) No it hasn’t but it will soon.
(Girish after looking quizzically at Sunanda, starts eating but when he is almost about to finish his plate he suddenly starts frothing at his mouth and blood oozes out in a steady stream from the corner of his open mouth.)
Girish- Suni…Help!
(As he falls off his chair, Sunanda continues to sing and knit with her blank stare intact)
<< FLASHBACK>>
Sunanda- Giri darling guess what we would soon be having a new guest!!
Girish- Oh no, is your annoying sister coming here?
Sunanda- Don’t you say that about my sister, but I am so happy today I don’t wanna fight with you. We are going to be parents Giri, I am pregnant!
Girish (lifting her up) - That’s the best news ever Suni, I love you so much. I will play with our son all the time; we will make him a cricketer.
Sunanda- We don’t know if it would be a son Giri, and I really want a lil princess.
Girish (in an authoritative voice) - Don’t even think about it, our first born can’t be a girl. We need someone to carry forward the family name. You have to give birth to a healthy boy.
<< Present scene again, with Sunanda thinking to herself as Girish counts his last breaths>>
Sunanda (Like a film reel the last few weeks of her life go past her eyes.)
(Sunanda’s thoughts echoing in her cold blank voice as she sits there humming the lullaby)-
I should have escaped then and there; I should have known what would happen next. I should have fought the forced sonography and illegal sex determination. I should never have trusted that scumbag when he said it is just a routine check-up. I can never forget his mirthful stare which cut to my very bones, when the doctor announced it was a girl. ‘Was’ I have to think of her as ‘was’, because the monster killed her before she could even look at me, before she could know how much I loved her. That bastard so easily pronounced the death sentence for my unborn princess. I cried for his help then just like he is crying for help now. The cries of my unborn princess still echo in my ears, how could I ignore her cries?!? I had to bring justice to her. I did what I had to do; the poison was what he deserved.
Rest my sweet lil princess, mommy has done away with your murderer, sleep in peace now.
(As the thoughts continue to zoom past her mind she continues to knit with the lullaby on her lips.)
