Assasia Short Stories

Ansuya walked briskly, head down, following the cracks in the pavement closely with her feet. Her dark brown hair fell in soft waves over her shoulders and obscured her face slightly. She was too distracted by her concentration to brush it away from her tired brown eyes. The rubber souls of her sandals had to fall just so, parallel to each new crease in the ground. This was often a difficult task, as the brick streets of Mumbai’s suburbs were full of cracks and damage caused by the decades of abuse from bustling crowds and neglect from the government. Often going completely out of her way to achieve a perfect alignment. A life living on the crowded streets of India had allowed her to negotiate the hordes of commuters without ever so much as looking up. …show more content…
Ansuya’s mother always told her she didn't know where her height came from, or her ambition, or even her curiosity. She would joke that it certainly didn’t come from her father. Her six other siblings were not quite like Ansuya. Being the middle child meant having to constantly fight her way to be heard in the family. And being a girl did not help, women are mostly expected to take care of their family quietly without question. Lately her two older brothers had been absent, finding work and exciting opportunities farther and farther away from home. Ansuya, was now left to care for her younger siblings, and her mother, who could no longer work. She marched on through the streets, although she was not late for work, she still walked as if she were each