On the night before the fate of her baby’s birth, Imnala was preparing for a meeting with her father, who had been doubtful about the child’s father. The family was devastated, especially Imnala, who knew she was pregnant. Her suitor, a junior engineer from one of the major clans of the village, had come to woo her and was ardent in his attempts to impress her. However, things began to change when news of his involvement in the Naga underground army and his possible marriage to a woman from the female recruits of the outfit spread.
The family was devastated, especially Imnala, who knew for certain now that she was pregnant. She remembered how he had persuaded her to visit him at his parents’ house in the village and broke down her initial resistance with tender love and passionate advances. They met daily and made love in that house until Imnala expressed her fear of pregnancy. He assured her that he would marry her soon and that their first child would still be theirs.
Indulged by the man’s ardour and pledges of eternal love, Imnala became his willing lover and spent her heavenly hours with him on the pretext of going to a friend’s house. Imnala was studying in eighth class in high school in Mokokchung and was spending her winter vacation at home in the village. She was beautiful, accomplished in all the arts expected of a girl of her age, and was hard-working, a fine weaver, and a great housekeeper. This vacation changed the fortune of the entire family, as Imnala’s presence changed the fortune of the entire village.
Imnala was facing charges of breaking up a happy family due to her promiscuous behavior with her husband. Village custom allowed the aggrieved party to hurl abuses, including physical assault and fines. The fate of the unborn child would be determined on that day, depending on the admission or denial of parentage by the man involved. Imnala wondered if the child would suffer the plight of her elder sister or if he would have to live with the accursed title, ‘child of the street’. In Ao society, for a boy to be branded as such would make him a nonperson, and he would not be able to claim kinship with any clan.
In order to help Imnala, a young contractor named Repalemba, was persuaded to be his partner in road construction work. Alemba, a high school dropout, was given a substantial contract for building the road leading to the village. He had no capital investment and knew he could never raise it on his own. His uncle had disapproved of his giving up school and scoffed at his ambition of becoming a government registered contractor. When he came to the village looking for a partner, the old man hesitated about contract work and dealing with overseers.
Alemba promised to provide earnest money for the work and some working capital so that the work could start immediately. The old man spoke to his wife about the proposal, but she merely spat into the hearth where they were sitting. Alemba promised to double his investment within a year, and they could buy timber and CGI sheets for the new house.
The old man provided the required security deposit and initial working capital, and the work started immediately. Under the contractor’s supervision, work on the road progressed satisfactorily, and he was allowed to submit the first running bill. Alemba returned half of the money lent to him, and the final bill would be made after the work is complete. Old Tekatoba was impressed by the sincerity of the young contractor and agreed to accept whatever he gave him as profit. After Alemba left, the old man chuckled and eagerly anticipated seeing the old woman’s face when he brought home the timber and CGI sheets for the new house.
Alemba visited the village to inspect the work of laborers and brought presents for Tekatoba’s young daughter. He also stayed in the old woman’s house and chatted with her about the Indian army and the dangers of trusting men. Imnala was flattered by his kindness and bought presents for her. Tekatoba, knowing that he was married and had two children, thought that his kindness was purely out of natural pity for an unfortunate girl. However, as time went on, Imnala began to look forward to his visits and had to tell herself to be careful about being too friendly with him.
One day, Alemba came to Imnala’s house with a headache and slight fever, and asked her to keep an eye on her until he returned. He poured tea into a cup and carried it to her room, where he noticed that Imnala was disturbed by his presence and tried to massage her head. However, she fell back on the bed, and Alemba rushed towards her in alarm and instinctively put his hand on her body. This momentary touch ignited hidden fires in both of them, and they made love for the first time on her sick bed.
After the news of Imnala’s pregnancy became public, Alemba’s visits to the house became rare, and Imnala remained indoors most of the time. When her friends visited her, she tried to tell them that he had forced himself on her, but she herself did not believe this. Years later, she would confess that it was like a hungry person being offered a feast and that she could not resist the offering.
When Alemba returned after a long absence, the old man only enquired when the work would be finished, as though he was anxious to cut off all connection with the young man who had brought this new misery on his family. Alemba was stricken with guilt and rejection at the abrupt words, but the old man brushed him aside and said that what is done cannot be undone. He asked him not to put Imnala in the same position as when her little girl was born. The young contractor did not reply, only saying that the final bill was being prepared and he would get his share of the profit very soon.
The old man is ashamed of his family’s situation and feels that he has lost face among his clansmen and the entire village. He is also concerned about his daughter Imnala, who has been accused of being partly to blame for the situation. The old woman refuses to speak to him, and she feels that she deserves a better husband.
A few days later, the old woman learns that a meeting of the village council has been requested by the wife to address Imnala’s case. However, her husband does not respond to the news, leaving her feeling shattered. Her mother has not spoken to her since the discovery of her pregnancy, and her father rarely goes out. Her brother and sisters also do not mention Alemba’s name, making life a living hell for everyone in the family.
The next day, the maternal uncle of Alemba’s wife comes to inform the old man about the summons from the wife’s family to attend a joint meeting. The uncle tells Imnala’s father to ensure she is there with the customary escorts. The old man is taken aback by her vehemence and tries to sleep, but all sleep eludes him as he reflects on the events of the past year and half.
On that fateful day, the old woman gets up early and prepares to go out to the fields. She collects the necessary items for the day, including tobacco, rice, a small dao, and a hoe, and joins the other villagers. She is left breathless at times, and she weeps for her daughter, her husband, and herself. She even thinks that she should have persuaded her husband to accept the marriage proposal of the widower for Imnala.
Her mother used to say that a woman must have the protection of a man, even if he happens to be blind or lame. Now, the words come back to haunt her as she weeps for her daughter. She gets up quickly when she hears voices approaching and walks away quietly before the latecomers can catch up with her.
Imnala found herself in a difficult situation when her daughter developed a fever and was crankier than usual. Her fate lay in the balance, as she would have to face the scorn and abuse of Alemba’s wife and the censure of society. She was the sole accused, but she was determined to face her accusers with her head held high.
Immunala decided to devote her life to bringing up her two children, focusing on finishing high school, getting a job, and educating them. This new vision of life revitalized her, and she spent the day soothing her daughter and making her happy again. The next day, her maternal uncle arrived, and the father asked her to bring back her daughter’s body when everything is over. The uncle did not say anything, and the old man stood alone, silently acknowledging his service and upholding the honor of his mother’s clan.
The next day, the villagers saw Alemba and his wife going off from the village to their old life in the town. When Imnala was brought back home by her uncle, the father briefly spoke to him, thanking him for his service and upholding the honor of his mother’s clan. The family sat down to eat their meal together, enjoying it as though it was a feast.
As the night progressed, all three of them welcomed the hour of sleep, knowing that there would be no dreadful spectres to haunt them. The pain remained, but the threat of fatality had passed. The pain seemed to ease, leaving only a dull ache where it once throbbed relentlessly. However, the scar left by the wound would always remain on them like a disfigurement.
Imnala’s life would never be the same again, as she would have to fend for herself and her two “illegitimate” children as best as she could. She would have to bear the stigma of being an unwed mother all her life. One consolation was that her unborn child had been given the right to call someone “father” in a society where acknowledged paternity was crucial for a person born out of wedlock.
Despite the difficulties for her and her children, Imnala was determined to take life one day at a time, and tonight, despite her apprehensions about the future, she would sleep well because her unborn child heard her father say, “You are mine.”
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