Injury

I was working yesterday per usual in my home office. My house help Usha had been dusting the home. While she was dusting next to me I noticed a bandage on her hands. Her hand looked swollen. Also from her slow and careful movements I could understand that the injury must have been painful.

I asked her, " what happened Usha? How did you get injured?"

Usha looked at me with surprise. Then she looked at her hand. She tried to hide her injury but it was no use. I had already seen her injury hence there was no use of trying to hide it. Hesitant but she replied, "I fell down while cleaning the bathroom".

I knew she was not telling me the truth. The injury was on her arms which could not have taken place by falling down. To me it looked like her hand was forcefully grabbed and pulled. Having worked in the hospitals I understand the nature of injuries by looking at them. I suspected something else. I decided to keep probing, "when you fell down in the bathroom did you hit your elbow or upper arm?"

Usha look scared and confused, "when I fell down I must have hit the buckets near me. I do not remember what caused this injury. When I fell down I passed out. When I woke up I was in the hospital. I saw this bandage on my hand. I do not remember anything".

I was carefully noticed Usha's behaviour. Otherwise confident woman was stuttering today. The one who always made an eye contact decided that my home's floor was more interesting than looking at me. All these signs had been telling me that she had been lying.

"Did you fell down at your home or someone else home? Who took you to the hospital?" I continued with my questions.

Usha was standing right in front of me fidgeting with her saree. She looked visibly scared. My questions had caught her completely off guard. She did not know how to answer this questions. She looked up and started crying, "please do not ask me these questions didi. I need to take care of my family".

I always knew something was wrong. My suspicion was probably correct. I was thinking that her husband had hit her and that was how she got injured. I continued to ask her, "tell me truthfully. Did he hit you?"

Usha continued to cry. She was unable to speak. But her silence was louder than her words.

I asked her to sit and gave a glass of water. I tried to console her, " Usha you are an earning woman. You do not have to put up with this horrible behaviour. Just because he is the father of your children that does not give him the right to raise a hand at you. You need to make this stop".

Usha continued to cry. She told me that she felt helpless. She was doing everything for her family. She requested me not to take this matter ahead because she loved her husband regardlessly.

She left my home and made me feel helpless as well. I felt that my connections and work was useless if I was not able to help women like Usha. A simple bandage made me feel worthless.