EPISODE 22
But I knew, maybe and just maybe, he could remember my voice. He was the one who had wished to see my face that day there was a party in my runaway husband's house. That memory alone gave me a little courage to stand there and wait for him.
He looked anxious as he walked toward me, sceptical but also bold, like someone ready to chase away trouble before it even started. His face carried that doubtful, almost angry look. From the way he stared at me, I could already tell he was trying to figure out what kind of problem had come to his office that morning.
Then he finally got to where I stood and asked,
"Hello, are you sure you are in the right place? Am I the one you are looking for?"
"Yes sir," I answered quietly.
"Do I know you from somewhere?"
"Yes sir. Are you not Mr. Bongajum?"
He paused and looked at me again, as if he was not even sure that was his own name I had just called. I could easily guess what was running through his mind. In my torn and dirty dress, there was no way he could recognise me. To him, I probably looked like one of those street people who hear a rich man's name somewhere and then come claiming they know him just to ask for help.
At that moment, shame entered my heart. Maybe I should not have come there looking that miserable.
He turned as if he was about to leave me and return to his office. He had already taken a few steps forward.
I quickly ran after him and said,
"Sir, I am the lady at the party in Mr. Tara's house… the one who wore the bandage on her face. You said you wished you could see her face."
He turned sharply and stared at me again.
"The housemaid?" he asked with surprise.
"Yes," I replied, shocking him even more. "The housemaid."
He looked confused from head to toe before asking again,
"Why do you look so unkempt like this?"
"It is a long story, sir. I'm sorry for coming into your office without any notice."
"I recognise the sound of your voice," he said slowly. "But can you explain why you look so wretched?"
So I began to recount everything to him. I told him how I ran away from the hospital because Tara's fiancée had been seriously mistreating me. I explained how she pushed me down the stairs and everyone pretended it was just an accident.
He listened very carefully without interrupting me. But even as I spoke, I kept one important truth to myself. I did not tell him that Tara was actually my runaway husband. That secret remained locked in my chest.
To my surprise, after hearing my story, he asked me to enter his car. Not the front seat, but the back seat. I understood the reason immediately. He probably did not want people around to think he was driving around with a mad woman.
I quietly entered the back seat and he drove out of the compound. All the while, I kept wondering where exactly he was taking me.
After some time, he stopped in front of a very big fashion shop. The place looked expensive and well arranged. He spoke to the lady in charge and said,
"I want you to show her where she can take a proper bath. After that, choose the best dress that will fit her and dress her up for me. I really want to see what she looks like when she is well dressed."
They asked him to sit in the waiting area where men usually stayed while the women they came with tried on clothes. Meanwhile, they took me inside.
They washed me properly, cleaned me up, and even trimmed my rough fingers and nails. For the first time in many days, I began to feel human again.
Finally, they brought out several beautiful gowns and asked me to pick one so they could check if it fitted me well.
My eyes fell on one particular gown. It was so beautiful that I could not stop staring at it. Honestly, I loved it immediately. Even when I was married to that dishonest man, he had never taken me shopping like this. Back then, I thought he was simply managing money carefully for our future, not knowing he had other selfish plans.
But my biggest worry at that moment was not the price of the gown.
My worry was simple.
Would Mr. Bongajum like the way I looked in it?
EPISODE 23
The lady at the shop approved the gown I had chosen and asked me to try it on properly. When I finished measuring it, she stepped back, looked at me carefully and smiled.
"My dear, this gown is perfect on you," she said. "It fits you like it was made specially for you."
Her words made me feel a little shy. It had been a long time since anyone said something nice about my appearance. After that, she helped arrange my hair properly and cleaned my face until I looked fresh and presentable again. She even added a little touch that made my face glow softly.
Finally, it was time to unveil my new look to Mr. Bongajum. My heart was beating fast because I truly wished he was going to like it.
He was sitting there quietly on the pew in the waiting area, expecting the dirty woman he had brought in earlier to walk out. He had no idea that the lady who stepped out of the dressing room smiling confidently was the same person.
But he seemed lost in thought.
He didn't even notice me walking out.
That thing annoyed me small. After everything they had done to clean me up, the man did not even raise his head to look. So I decided to walk calmly and sit on the seat just in front of him.
I sat there quietly, pretending not to mind him.
A few minutes later, the woman who had attended to me also came out from inside. When he saw her still, he spoke.
"What is taking her so long?" he complained. "Is she buying the whole shop? I only asked her to choose one dress!"
The woman smiled and said, "She is here, sir."
"Where?" he asked quickly.
"The young beautiful lady sitting in front of you," she said, pointing at me.
Mr. Bongajum looked up properly this time.
For a few seconds he couldn't say anything. His mouth remained slightly open as he stared at me from head to toe.
"Is… is this really you?" he finally asked.
"Yes sir," I answered gently.
He shook his head slowly in disbelief.
"I didn't even have the courage to talk to you when you first walked out," he confessed. "I thought you were another elegant lady that came to shop here. I couldn't recognize you at all. Honestly, in real life I wouldn't even have the courage to approach such beauty."
The way he spoke made me feel strangely special. After everything I had passed through, hearing those words warmed my heart a little. All the way out of the shop he kept admiring the transformation.
Then suddenly he said something that surprised me.
"Please, can you follow me to my house," he said. "I know you don't have a place to stay right now. Just stay there and work for me as my housemaid too."
I was a little confused because he quickly added,
"Don't worry, I already have servants in my house. You will only have one simple task to do, and I will pay you any amount you wish."
"Which task, sir?" I asked curiously.
He smiled slightly. "When we get home, I will let you know your task."
Soon we arrived at his house. It was a simple but well-furnished mansion. Everything there looked neat and comfortable. Just as he said, there was already a housemaid who also handled most of the cooking.
That made me wonder again what exactly he wanted me to do there.
He showed me the guest room and told me that was where I would be sleeping. The room was beautiful. The bed looked very soft and comfortable, and there was even a television inside.
I kept waiting for him to assign me the work he had mentioned, but the next morning he simply prepared himself and went to work without even disturbing me.
So while the other housemaid was busy doing the normal chores around the house, I walked to the kitchen and asked her what she was planning to cook for lunch and dinner.
She told me the kinds of meals Mr. Bongajum usually liked and some of his favourite local delicacies.
Instead of sitting idle and feeling bored, I decided to prepare something special for him myself. It also helped me forget my worries for a while. In his house, I strangely felt safe, though I still avoided going outside.
I asked the housemaid to help buy some ingredients I needed from the market.
Deep inside me, fear was still there. I kept remembering the dangerous man my runaway husband had hired to harm me. Because of that, I had to remain very careful.
Later that evening, Mr. Bongajum returned from work. The first person he asked about was me.
The housemaid came to call me, and I walked to meet him in the sitting room.
"How was your day?" he asked kindly.
"It was good, sir," I replied.
He laughed softly. "Please stop calling me sir."
Then he added warmly, "I just wanted to see your beautiful face again. Your smile alone can brighten someone's whole day."
After freshening up, he went to the dining table to eat. The moment he tasted the food, he nodded his head with surprise.
Then he asked the housemaid, "Who prepared this meal?"
"Your guest did, sir," she replied.
"Are you serious?"
"Yes sir."
He looked impressed.
"She is not only beautiful and hardworking," he said loudly. "She is also an amazing cook."
His words made me smile quietly.
But later that night, something happened that completely took me off my feet.
I wanted to post it earlier but I was very busy today
Please try to really enjoy this story the best way is to read the full story to the end.