Kamini
A week ago, Kamini's husband, who has been calling her at KM and demanding that she return home, asked for their one-year-old son. We came to an agreement with him, where he could take baby for one week, then mom has baby for one week, and they rotate taking care of the little one on that timetable. He agreed. Mom wasn't very happy, but we told her that we suspected that dad would return baby after two or three days after he realized how difficult it is to take care of a baby. She knows that dad loves the children, but she also knows that when he drinks, he's a different person.
Sure enough, after the first day, dad returned baby to mom.
Dad remains very annoyed that Kamini won't return to her. He keeps asking us to tell her to return to him. We told him that she has no desire to go back to him. He couldn't understand that and asked why not. We then told him that it's because he beats her frequently, that the abuse really hurts her, and she's sick of it. He just stood there, seemingly unable to comprehend what we just told him.
Today, dad came to Karunya Mane and asked to take their older son (three years old). We were hesitant as the boy needs to take medicine every day without fail, but Kamini said that dad knows how to administer the meds properly. This time, Kamini actually came out to talk to dad. She then said that she wanted to go with him, back home, to try things out for a while and see if he's learned his lesson.
So Kamini is back with her husband, and their two boys are with them, hopefully happy and safe. We can only hope that dad learned his lesson---it seems he was completely unaware that abusing his wife is something she doesn't like. Jury's out on what will happen next, but we're all praying for the safety of Kamini's entire family.
Mary
Mary's case against her husband (who remains in jail as nobody has gone to bail him out) is moving forward. The counselor, Ranjiini, called to tell her that before the family court hears their case, they need to meet with a counselor to discuss the status of their marriage, and to determine whether there is any chance for a reconciliation. That counselor then makes a recommendation to the family court.
At this point, Mary is very happy with her life without her husband. She is staying at Karunya Mane at night and goes to work at Aunty's during the day---all without fear or worry that she'd face a drunk, abusive husband at home. She has no desire to try to reconcile with him, as she has done all that she possibly could for the past seven or eight years, and now wants a new life for herself and her kids. With Aunty's positive influence, Mary has outgrown her husband.
We're hoping that since husband has been in jail for so long now, he'll simply agree to anything Mary demands, just to get out of prison.
