They pack her off to a boarding school, an expensive place in Mussoorie, where girls from grand families have been sent to polish up themselves. She becomes moody. ‘Uncommunicative,’ says the principal to mummy and daddy in a letter. She collects money quietly, she sells her gold ring and earrings at a jeweller’s on the Mall, and she runs away from the boarding. By a bus, then a train, then a plane from Delhi, everyone stares at this fat girl with thick spectacles in a smart blue blazer travelling without any luggage. She comes back home.

It is afternoon when she arrives, the door is locked. The neighbour tells her that her mummy is in hospital, she is having another baby.

Her newest sister is brought home and when mummy feels strong enough, she takes her to a child counsellor. After days and days and days of making her answer stupid questions and giving her childish games to play, the counsellor asks her, ‘So you will feel better if your daddy tells that man that what he did to you was wrong?’

That is all it will take?

She nods.

The child counsellor tells mummy something and then mummy tells daddy. Nothing happens.

Why do they give her so much power one minute, and then persecute her the next?

Now she knows—fully and well—that it is only she who has to protect herself.

And now the school wants her to leave, she has already been given three white cards as warnings, followed by the serious three pink cards which means the school means business when it comes to recalcitrant children. Three white cards plus three pink cards means you have to leave, she is fourteen years old.

‘But where can I send her?’ asks ma in despair of the principal Sister Esperanca. ‘She is almost at the end of her schooling.’

Sister Esperanca, her face kind and concerned under her nun’s cowl, takes her hand and asks, ‘What would you like to do?’

‘Why should you care? You have been signing all those white cards and pink cards, haven’t you? So why should you care what happens to me now onwards?’

‘Shameless girl!’

Sister Esperanca gestures for ma to stay silent. ‘It is important in life to take the consequences of your actions. As your principal my job was to keep warning you as long as I could, without other students taking advantage of the school’s kindness. You refused to listen, you acted according to what you thought was right. But it was not, we kept trying to tell you that. Now you must face the results; as you sow, so shall you reap. Now I will ask you again, what do you want to do with your life?’

‘I want to work. I have to take care of myself. I do not want to study, it is a waste of time, I want to start working and earning money and collecting it to look after my sisters and to buy my own flat.’