A Tearful Wait of a Single Mom

When I got married to Hari, all I had with me was the hope of a bright future; a happy family life. Tears of leaving my birth home were shadowed by my happiness and excitement to begin a new life with my love. Our poor living did not sadden me. Instead, I was happy that I could
help Hari with his dreams to pursue. Yes! I was not expecting more than being a good wife, a wife holding a husband’s hand every up and down.
I stepped into his house and my mother-in-law shifted all her responsibility to me, as I was the first daughter-in-law of that house. I was doing all chores and taking care of my in-laws. There was material scarcity among us, but all was not above the love and bond
we share. Though Hari was only a single earning person of our family, I saved pennies for household maintenances, our parents’ medicines. My husband and I were expecting a baby too. So I was putting some pennies aside for the newcomer too.

Everything was going well. But one day, my happiness of red color got washed away with my husband’s death in a traffic accident. I don’t know whose fault caused the accident, but that became a turning point in my life.

The smiles of my family got ruined. I was cursed for killing a young
and one and only earning person of the family and to the extreme, my unborn child lost a father’s protection before the birth. Despite all these, I stayed with my in-laws and managed everything independently, working as a bricklayer.

The work was worship for me, but I was also disrespected and treated as an object only because of being a single woman.

Ignoring all the obstacles encircling me, I tried to keep myself up. I gave birth to a baby girl, just for whom I was living without my husband. All my challenges and tears got overshadowed by the innocent smile of my girl. I was happy to see her growing in front of my eyes. I got satisfied by seeing a reflection of my husband on her activities.

This happiness did not last long when my mother-in-law asked me to go for foreign employment, leaving my life, heart, and the princess here in Nepal with her. I was forced to accept their decision to go on for foreign employment and forcefully left Nepal through the Indian route, leaving my baby with my in-laws. I was completely unaware that I should not have made my movement through India and without any document.

I was also known to the country’s laws, practices, and culture where I was moving to. My innocence made me pay a considerable payback. I was declared an illegal migrant and was forced to work without any benefits by the employer.

However, I contacted the agent who assisted me with the labor migration but did not get any hope of support from him. I worked without food and water for more than 20 hours a day for my family. I was expecting that they would pay some money of which I will save some and some will spend on my food. They did not pay me a single penny for three months.

I decided to escape from that house at night. I succeeded in escaping from that house and was standing on a roadside. An Asian driver came nearby me and pulled me inside his cab. I explained all my details to him and then he promised me to help by finding the next house to work.

He parked his cab nearby a big home surrounded by a wall. We both moved inside the house. The driver talked with the owner, and the owner seeing my condition, agreed to hire me to take care of her children. She explained to me that I would be paid half only as I am of illegal status.

I gently smiled and agreed to work. I started looking after children, feeding them and cleaning. While doing all these, I missed my baby but I was doing all those just for her. I sometimes talked to my employer about my little girl and she completely ignored my words.

The cab driver had told me that the employer is kind-hearted and will for sure help me in any way. But she neither allowed me to go outside, initiate to register me as a legal worker, nor provided opportunity to talk with my family.

I was very disappointed with her behavior. After working for
almost a year, I pleaded with the lady to release me from the job. She refused to let me go and said that she had contracted me for two years and if I wanted to go, I had to pay her back a hefty amount. I did not have a choice but to keep working with that heartless woman.

I missed my child every day but consoled myself that I was doing all these for her.

Working in the house for two and a half years, I never called my family and saw the outside world. One day my mistress surprised me. She called me and took me to a beautiful house. I heard someone speaking my language.

“This is Nepal Embassy. I have talked about you with the officer here. They will help be prepare the document for which I have already made the payment. I have also enveloped your salary and some additional amount for your baby” my mistress, to my surprise, said to me.

I cried and tears of happiness rolled down. The lady paid for my return ticket to Nepal. I returned to my motherland. Soon after reaching home, I opened the envelope handed by my employer. The amount I found in it surprised me because that was more than the amount expected. She had also packed some dresses for my baby.

Time never waits for any. It happened to me. I was expecting a happy married life, but I had to live away from my husband initially and lost him so soon later. I had to leave my baby under pressure exerted by the family.

Not only I tirelessly waited for good things to happen but my innocent child tirelessly waited for her mother’s love, care and affection.

Krishna Shova Suwal

Krishna Shova Suwal, currently working as a Section Officer of at Foreign Employment Tribunal, Government of Nepal, has completed her LLM on criminal law justice.