Chapter-3 Life Turns In Twist And Turns.

Coming back as I said, skeeter always wanted to do her higher studies. Every day after her little half-sister comes from school, skeeter would drop her little sister at the tuition centre. The lady one day approached skeeter and asked her where was she studying and skeeter told her everything, how she had left school and now she's at her mother's place and she does not know what's next.

A very kind lady the teacher immediately told skeeter to talk to her mother and step-father and tell them. She was going to talk to the principal of her school to get her into schooling again if skeeter was interested. Yes, indeed was the answer from skeeter for once in her life. She felt so lucky and excited. She went back home to give her mother [jane.] The good news she really felt like a teenager.

Skeeter was fourteen by then on hearing what skeeter had told her mother. They were furious they didn't like the idea. [God knows the reason.] But skeeter never gave up, every day she would beg her mother to put her into school. She was lucky she had a mentor to pay her school fee's, books, uniform. Nothing did the parents had to pay for thanks to her little half sister's teacher. Finally, the day was granted and skeeter was allowed to go back to school but without them.

So she took the opportunity, dressed and reached the school. it was an all-girls school [forth catholic.] A Christian catholic convent. So she was called into the office. There were two nuns sister Presila [ name changed.] A sister lia. They greeted her in and a couple of questions were asked. One sister was an Italian, she liked skeeter and immediately admission was given to her in grade 9th. Wow a dream come true, she went back thanking the tuition teacher for all her help.

She went back home preparing for new changes for the next day. But the parents were not at all happy for her, they dint expect her to get through but skeeter was determined and she slept early that night. She woke up very early, got dressed and left to school with her little half-sister [mia.] [name changed.] Skeeter felt a little uneasy. New girls, new school, new class it took some time for her to get adjusted with the other girls in school. She was the odd one, there was one thing that skeeter could not cope up with was, the two-second languages Hindi and Telugu.

Back home where she lived with her grandma. It was a different state, Tamil Nadu she hardly scored good marks, in Tamil her marks was 40 now how the heck was she gonna score in Telugu and Hindi. No, no way, it was her decision but it dint bother her much as long as she was getting herself educated. It was Sunday afternoon, a holiday she woke up and as usual held in the household work filling water from the well.

She had to carry big pots on her hips to the first floor. There were no lifts, she had to carry it up by one until the drums were filled in her house. She did not complain to her mother, as her mother used to tell her it was a good exercise for a girl to carry pots on their hips. So they get a good figure, that was a sporting exercise. Later that day her baby half brother [cole.] [name changed.] Took very ill and they wanted to get some medication from a pharmacy. so jane called skeeter gave her the money and the medicine name.

The pharmacy was on another side of the road. Skeeter had to cross the highway, go around the park and get to the other side. She went the right way, on her way back. Now I forgot to mention earlier that skeeter was a tomboy. She would play cricket, climb hills, ride a bicycle. back home with her cousin's, she was never afraid of anything, she loved adventures and animals. Now to that advantage, she was also brave so she had an idea why do I have to go around the park so she crossed the park but forgive me the gates of the park were locked so, so she took the shortcut and jumped the iron bar fences to get across.

Happily, she jumped the first right side of the park went through it and climbed the second side to jump. She made it across but it did happen that her neighbour saw blood on her hands. That's when she realised that while jumping over the iron rod had pierced fully in from her right forearm, elbow. A big piece of massive skin had fallen, veins, elbow bone was sticking out of its flesh.

As soon as she saw it, she collapsed on the road. The next thing she knew was her mother, step-father all the neighbours were around her gazing and screaming. They tied a wet handkerchief around her hand and took her to the nearest hospital. God gave her the strength to go through that. The doctor was not available, it was getting late. She was in pain, in trauma nobody by her side, her mother was crying outside her two maternal uncles was along with her.

They kept calling the doctor finally he arrived and straight into the operation theatre. It took 45 minutes to draft a layer of skin from skeeter's breast to attach it to the affected injured hand. It had 29 stitches on the forearm and 10 stitches on her breast. Finally, she regained her conscious and came out. She was taken home that night, for about 40 every alternate day she had to visit the doctor for her antibiotic injections. After 40 days she was able to go back to school.

She somehow passed and was in her 10th grade. It was more difficult for her to cope up. She could not manage housework, keep up awake from evening to take care of her siblings. Her mother and step-father were still working night shifts. She could not manage to complete her homework. She had little time to go and play with her friends. there was her best friend Sophie, she had a big brother.

The kids called him Kalu because he was dark, the other girls of skeeter friends used to worry skeeter of Kalu. She was shy and never spoke to him but as you know at this age thoughts minds of young girls change. Kalu used to go to skeeter's school with excuses to pick up his sister but he would wait for skeeter to come out and talk to her slowly. They grew fond of each other but that was only puppy love. Kalu would write letters and pass it on to one of skeeter's friends. they would pass it on. Skeeter was not allowed to go out of her house as the gates would be locked with a lock. One day's skeeter's friend with jealousy took the advantage to get skeeter exposed to her mother. She handed over the letter's of Kalu to her, there was nothing bad written.

It only said, "Hello, how are you, do you like me". That was it, that night her it brought skeeter's mother a lot of anger she was furious with skeeter. She waited for the next day in the morning when skeeter got ready for school her bag was taken away and for the first time her step-father[joe] had given a tight slap on skeeter's face and was locked in her room for five days. She was not allowed to go back to school.

They immediately bought skeeter's ticket back to Chennai and sent her home back alone it was a long journey. It took 15 hours journey one night she travelled alone, next day she managed to catch a cycle rickshaw to go back home on the way the rickshaw capsized and she almost fell over from a bridge but managed to hold on to passers who passed by came to help and helped her on the bridge. She was bruised and bleeding, lucky her house was nearby she managed to walk home from there.

Skeeter's grandma and father Leonard were angry with Jane for not informing them and they led skeeter into so many risks. Back to pavilion no school, she lost her friends back in Vizag. There was no contact and she had never seen her mother and her half-siblings again. It was now her grandma to do something about her life. Days became months had gone skeeter was ideal sitting at home back to poverty and starvation with old grandma and sick father Leonard.. ____________________________________________________ TO BE CONTINUED WITH 4TH CHAPTER..... The Invisible Stepping Stones...

Please Read This Whole Chapter To Understand And Support me Cause This Is A True Story Of Someone Who Is Dear To Me...