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Iddat
#TheWritingProject
I knew Husaina since I was a child she was my 3rd cousin and used to live beside my house. we used to be classmates we had spent our entire childhood together playing hide and seek,
playing with dolls, and every other thing that children used to do . she was always a jolly kind of girl who used to be active and used to participate in co-curricular activities. I fondly remember she used to be a huge fan of Shahrukh khan back in the 90s she used to collect his posters and always used to keep his photos in her pencil box, there was another thing she used to love and that was bullying others. at home, she used to be my friend but back in school she used to rag me and make fun of me all this continued till class 6 but everything changed after that she became quiet and less mischievous after her ami died I fondly remember .her ami was close to her.
back in my adulthood I and Husaina used to study in the same college I remember she used to be unpopular in college as compared to her school life but I must say she was good at studies and always used to top our batch. I only studied till 2nd year with her because my father had sent me abroad for further studies.
when I returned after completing my graduation in the summer of 1998 I heard that husaina got married a year earlier
after this, I again went abroad for my job
it was probably around 2002 or 2003 I don't clearly remember I had returned for my sister's wedding it was when I came to know that Husaina's husband had died a week ago after falling from a moving train
and now she is going through her iddat and now she lives in her husband's house
for four months in her iddat
(now what's iddat as islam says it is the four months that a Muslim woman follows after getting divorced or becoming a widow now in these four months she can not marry any other man )
one day while returning from a friend's house I saw Husaina standing in front of a bus stand I quickly stopped my car towards her and asked " Do you want a lift "
at first, she ignored me but after a few seconds she turned her head toward my face and replied "do I know you "
I made a strange face and replied "ahh I am your 3rd cousin imran remember who used to play with you during your childhood ahh we studied in the same college and school and I used to live beside your house remember "
she with a slightly smiling face replied me back. " oh I am sorry and thanks but I can't take a lift "
I replied " ahh you can if you still consider me as a friend "
she replied " no no I am not saying in that way don't get me wrong ok ok I will take your lift " she entered my car after saying this "
For the first 5 minutes, both of us remain quiet
it was I who spoke the first word
" I heard about what happened to your husband and I am feeling bad for you " she stared at me for a minute and replied " no you don't have to feel bad it was in my faith " and started staring back outside my car's window. after 2 minutes I asked her " so Husaina what are you doing for your livelihood " she replied nothing " I replied with a questionable face " why you have wanted to be a pilot if I remember back in your childhood " she replied " ya but Abu got me married so there was no scope for it "
I replied " but you were good in studies you should have at least done a minimal job after your bachelor's " she replied " I didn't do my bachelor's " I replied with a shocked face " but why " she replied" my in-laws were against this " I replied " see husaina if you don't feel bad can I just say something " she replied " go forward " while staring outside my car window " see you have got this 3 months so why don't you restart your life in a new way " she replied " thanks I will think about this "
after this I asked her " do you still watch srk movies " she gave a childish smile and replied " ya but sometimes but not often as I used to do "
after one week I again saw her waiting at that same bus stand so I again offered her a lift but this time she agreed at the first chance
as she entered the car I could see joy and happiness on her face so I asked " Husaina it's a nice day did something good happen to you I mean you seemed to be very happy than the last time I saw you " she replied " yes yes I thought about the thing you have said me so I thought why not give it a try so I have decided I will do a part-time job for now and will continue my studies after iddat " I replied " but what about your in-laws did they agree on this " she replied no but I didn't care after all it's my life " I replied " wow husaina that's a good news as if you don't mind can we celebrate it with a cup of coffee " she replied"ok but be quick " I replied " as your wish my queen "
as we went in the coffee shop I could now closely look at the face of Husaina her face was filled with joy a joy of independence a joy of new life as I started observing her face I was interupted by the waiter who quoted " sir your order " " oh yes two cups of coffee and two sandwiches Husaina do you want something else " " no " she replied . " ahh Husaina tell me something about your husband " all the joy of her face was gone I immediatly observed this and asked her " I am sorry if I said anything wrong " she replied " no it's ok actually my abu had told me not to disscuss anything regarding this " I replied oh it's ok if it's personal " no nothing like that you have been my childhood friend so I think I can share with you " she pulled up her salwar and showed me a scar on her hand I replied " what's this husaina " she replied it's the dowry that he had given me" I replied " I'm sorry but I don't what you are saying "she replied " see my abu got me married when I was 19 at first I really thought my husband love me but as days passed I realised he was a puppet of his other wife even the in laws listen to her and I was treated like a castaway in his family I dont have any right to say a word they tortured me they beat me the harrassed me they had taken my freedom away from me they had separetd me from
my soul and even after all this my abu still wanted me to adjust with those creatures why should I adjust why should a girl always adjust " I could see the tears in her eyes as she utterd those words . I replied "do you miss him "she replied "who ? " I said " your husband " she replied with a confused mind " I don't know sometimes I really loved him and sometimes really hated him "
after this, I and husaina became good friends we used to talk with each other on our phones to discuss our life and work and I even used to drop her to her working place sometimes.(not always as her iddat was going on so she can't meet another men so many times , but she met me not often but few times beacuse I guess we were old friends and I was her 3rd cousin )
I don't how but I had slowly started to like Husaina's company I have seen her before many times but back in those days she seemed to be more beautiful than ever one day while I was dropping her I asked her quite frankly actually " Husaina what do you think about me "
she replied " you are a good friend and I think I will miss you when you will go abroad " I replied in a flirty manner " really you will miss me " she replied " yes yes I will miss you " I replied " ahh Husaina do you want to go abroad "
she replied " yes maybe after I finish my masters in 2 to 3 years " after saying this she started staring at me for 5 to 7 seconds before saying " do you want to say something more " with eyes that wants to hear something more
I replied " no no what more can I ask " in a puzzled voice "
one day husaina called me and asked me to meet her in a restaurant near her office. it was around 7:00 pm she entered the restaurant and I could see that she was very happy she quietly sat beside me with a joyful face and replied " see you have been one of the closest friends I have ever had you made me realise what independence is and what it means " I replied " yes but why do you call me here " she replied " wait I am telling you I was feeling quite sick few days ago and was experiencing vomiting frequently so I visited a doctor and he told me that I have been pregnant for 5 months " with an overjoyed face. to be honest, I didn't know how to react at that very moment it was a mixed feeling on one hand I was happy for husaina but on the other hand, I was sad for myself may I loved her or had feelings for her. but just on that day I just want an escape so lied to her " that's a great news husaina but I am sorry I had to meet someone today so I can't be here for long " I said . she replied " oh it's okay "
I wished I had stayed with her that day because on that very faithful day she was gang raped by a group of boys . as I had heard the event goes like this Husaina was waiting for a bus when suddenly a group of drunken boys stopped their car in front of her and dragged her into their car in front of everyone while other people don't even dare to interfere. the next morning she was found lying unconscious
on a footpath near the highway her face was filled with scars and her clothes were torn apart it was a street vendor who covered her body and brought her home. I WISHED I WAS THERE WITH HER PERHAPS I WOULD HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE.
After this husaina was kicked out of her husband's house before her iddat period was over because her in-laws considered her impure and refused to accept the child she is carrying as their blood. I fondly remember during those days her father used to lock her in his house all her independence vanished with the wind
and all her dreams were crushed she is just now a burden to the society
one day while I was going for a walk I heard some old men from our colony discussing husaina one of them uttered " has anyone of you heard that news " the second person replied, " what news ?" the first person replied by saying " that news of Rahim Iqbal's daughter " the second person replied with a gossip full face " ah yes yes that girl who got raped by some boyz " a third person interfered their conversation and replied " no no I don't think that's the case there must be something else I think that girl must have done something or must have to wear small clothes that's why the boy's got attracted to her " another one replied "you know she is pregnant " the third person replied " ya that the after effect " and started laughing. they were so frank and loud while talking about this matter and their conversation reflects what society thinks about rape survivors.
after this incident I didn't meet husaina for one week I tried to call her but she didn't pick up my phone. I wanted to meet her and be with her during this time but it seemed impossible because she was not picking up my phone and not getting out of her house. that girl who once wanted to be independent and live on her own is now spending her days in exile and isolated from society. I had to go back to London by next week and I thought that I will never be able to meet her but I just wanted to see her for one last time before my departure no matter at what cost.
one day I had got the chance to visit her when her father had gone for a namaaz offering it was around 6:00 am if I am not wrong it was during the month of November the dawn was covered with fog I had jumped over the walls of her house and got myself in from a broken window as I entered the house I quickly rushed myself towards her room. I know all this made me sound like a thief but I wanted to meet her before I leave. when I reached her room the door was open and I entered only to find out she was lying on her bed with eyes open and by eyes, I mean red eyes perhaps the proof of her sleepless nights suddenly her eyes which were faced towards the up turned towards me and with an emotionless expression she replied " why have you come here what do you want from me "
I replied with a mourning face " Husaina I heard what happened to you and I am sorry for that " she remain quiet for 2 seconds but her eyes were filled with tears and with those tearful eyes she replied " JUST GET OUT OF MY HOUSE YOU DON'T HAVE TO FEEL SORRY FOR ME NO ONE FEELS SORRY THEY THINK IM CHRACTERLESS THEY MOCK ME THEY MADE FUN OF ME EVEN MY FATHER DOES NOT PLEAD FOR MY JUSTICE BECAUSE HE THINK'S IM IMPURE
IM CARRYING SOMEONE ELSE'S CHILD NOT MY HUSBAND'S " she said all this in a screamed voice but this scream was not of anger but of tiredness a scream to find her own identity I could see those tears in her eyes those are falling like rains of august and with a puzzled and tearful face I replied " I am sorry husaina i didn't mean it " she replied with another scream " YOU DIDN'T MEAN IT ACTULLY NOTHING IN THIS BLOODY HYPOCRITE SOCIETY HAVE MEANING , I WISH I HAVE DIED " after this I had really lost all my control may be because I loved her and i replied with frustration " WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU HUSAINA WHY WILL YOU DIE YOU DIDN'T DONE ANYTHING WRONG THE PEOPLE WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS WILL DIE AND THINK ABOUT YOUR CHILD IF NOT FOR ANYONE THEN ONLY FOR HIM YOU HAVE TO LEAVE " after this she got up from the bed and hugged me while she was hugging me I could feel she really broked away by my words all those rains from her eyes are now turned into showers and she utterd " WHY WHY THEY DIDN'T KILL ME AFTER RAPING ME I CAN'T LEAVE IN THIS SOCIETY WHERE EACH SECOND STRUCKS LIKE NAILS EACH MINUTE CUTS LIKE KNIFE EACH HOUR HITS LIKE A SWORD AND EACH DAY PASSES LIKE LAST BREATH "
I hugged her tight and replied " dont worry Husaina one day everything will be okay I promise " after this, she separated herself from me and looked towards her mirror and replied " all these are just comforting words of goodwill and formality you didn't mean " I replied " I really mean it " she replied " how do I know you mean it " I replied "BECAUSE I LOVE YOU " after this both we remain quite and stared at each other face with tears falling from both sides after 1 min she came close to me and said " is true love or just sympathy " I replied with almost a broken voice " husaina I love you, I respect you and I adore you no matter what happens I will always be there for you HUSAINA YOU WILL NEVER WALK ALONE " after this, she turned towards the window and replied " can you hear the voice of birds " I replied " yes I can " she replied" what does it speak "Iplied " IT SPEAKS OF YOUR NEW LIFE, YOUR NEW BEGINNING, YOUR NEW HOPE AND ATLAST IT SPEAKS OF YOUR NEW JOURNEY "
after this she again turned towards me and replied " I know you love me but do you .... she puts her hand in her womb " I replied "don't worry Husaina that child will be my I don't care whose blood he or she is carrying because some relationships are not defined by blood " after this her face was like she will say yes but to my surprise, she just replied " okay " I replied " so Husaina Iqbaal will you marry me " she replied with a confused but yet joyful face the face was like it had smiled after many years " I will let you know after my iddat is over now leave otherwise my abu will found you here "
but her iddat never ended because on that very faithful day Husaina's Abu took her as well as his life because according to him as he wrote in his last letters he was forced to do so. After all, Husaina is dishonouring his family and he didn't want him and his little girl to face all those cheap comments from society but little did he know that his little girl lived independently and wanted to start a new life after all this.
no one came for Husaina's last rite except me because for others she was an impure and characterless girl but deep inside my heart, I knew that she was an independent woman who was willing to break barriers to reach her destiny. my parents were angry with me because I was the only one who attended her last rites but I don't care because I knew I did nothing wrong by accompanying my old friend, a girl I loved and more than that a woman I respected.
while I was returning after burying her I heard an angelic chorus from a nearby church singing " WE SHALL OVERCOME SOMEDAY OH HO! DEEP IN MY HEART, I DO BELIEVE WE SHALL OVERCOME SOME DAY . after hearing this I closed my eyes and whispered to myself " WE SHALL OVERCOME SOME DAY " as the song faded with the wind.
MORAL OF THE STORY - pls raise your voice if you are seeing women suffering from domestic violence, sexual harassment, child marriage, polygamy, or honour killing whether it's your mother, wife, girlfriend, sister and even if she is a stranger because there are lot women in our society whose dreams are crushed and who suffers the hardships of our so-called CIVILIZED SOCIETY
THANK YOU.
Written by,
Sayan Das
- cover image from google
#THEWRITINGPROJECT
#Fictional
© All Rights Reserved
I knew Husaina since I was a child she was my 3rd cousin and used to live beside my house. we used to be classmates we had spent our entire childhood together playing hide and seek,
playing with dolls, and every other thing that children used to do . she was always a jolly kind of girl who used to be active and used to participate in co-curricular activities. I fondly remember she used to be a huge fan of Shahrukh khan back in the 90s she used to collect his posters and always used to keep his photos in her pencil box, there was another thing she used to love and that was bullying others. at home, she used to be my friend but back in school she used to rag me and make fun of me all this continued till class 6 but everything changed after that she became quiet and less mischievous after her ami died I fondly remember .her ami was close to her.
back in my adulthood I and Husaina used to study in the same college I remember she used to be unpopular in college as compared to her school life but I must say she was good at studies and always used to top our batch. I only studied till 2nd year with her because my father had sent me abroad for further studies.
when I returned after completing my graduation in the summer of 1998 I heard that husaina got married a year earlier
after this, I again went abroad for my job
it was probably around 2002 or 2003 I don't clearly remember I had returned for my sister's wedding it was when I came to know that Husaina's husband had died a week ago after falling from a moving train
and now she is going through her iddat and now she lives in her husband's house
for four months in her iddat
(now what's iddat as islam says it is the four months that a Muslim woman follows after getting divorced or becoming a widow now in these four months she can not marry any other man )
one day while returning from a friend's house I saw Husaina standing in front of a bus stand I quickly stopped my car towards her and asked " Do you want a lift "
at first, she ignored me but after a few seconds she turned her head toward my face and replied "do I know you "
I made a strange face and replied "ahh I am your 3rd cousin imran remember who used to play with you during your childhood ahh we studied in the same college and school and I used to live beside your house remember "
she with a slightly smiling face replied me back. " oh I am sorry and thanks but I can't take a lift "
I replied " ahh you can if you still consider me as a friend "
she replied " no no I am not saying in that way don't get me wrong ok ok I will take your lift " she entered my car after saying this "
For the first 5 minutes, both of us remain quiet
it was I who spoke the first word
" I heard about what happened to your husband and I am feeling bad for you " she stared at me for a minute and replied " no you don't have to feel bad it was in my faith " and started staring back outside my car's window. after 2 minutes I asked her " so Husaina what are you doing for your livelihood " she replied nothing " I replied with a questionable face " why you have wanted to be a pilot if I remember back in your childhood " she replied " ya but Abu got me married so there was no scope for it "
I replied " but you were good in studies you should have at least done a minimal job after your bachelor's " she replied " I didn't do my bachelor's " I replied with a shocked face " but why " she replied" my in-laws were against this " I replied " see husaina if you don't feel bad can I just say something " she replied " go forward " while staring outside my car window " see you have got this 3 months so why don't you restart your life in a new way " she replied " thanks I will think about this "
after this I asked her " do you still watch srk movies " she gave a childish smile and replied " ya but sometimes but not often as I used to do "
after one week I again saw her waiting at that same bus stand so I again offered her a lift but this time she agreed at the first chance
as she entered the car I could see joy and happiness on her face so I asked " Husaina it's a nice day did something good happen to you I mean you seemed to be very happy than the last time I saw you " she replied " yes yes I thought about the thing you have said me so I thought why not give it a try so I have decided I will do a part-time job for now and will continue my studies after iddat " I replied " but what about your in-laws did they agree on this " she replied no but I didn't care after all it's my life " I replied " wow husaina that's a good news as if you don't mind can we celebrate it with a cup of coffee " she replied"ok but be quick " I replied " as your wish my queen "
as we went in the coffee shop I could now closely look at the face of Husaina her face was filled with joy a joy of independence a joy of new life as I started observing her face I was interupted by the waiter who quoted " sir your order " " oh yes two cups of coffee and two sandwiches Husaina do you want something else " " no " she replied . " ahh Husaina tell me something about your husband " all the joy of her face was gone I immediatly observed this and asked her " I am sorry if I said anything wrong " she replied " no it's ok actually my abu had told me not to disscuss anything regarding this " I replied oh it's ok if it's personal " no nothing like that you have been my childhood friend so I think I can share with you " she pulled up her salwar and showed me a scar on her hand I replied " what's this husaina " she replied it's the dowry that he had given me" I replied " I'm sorry but I don't what you are saying "she replied " see my abu got me married when I was 19 at first I really thought my husband love me but as days passed I realised he was a puppet of his other wife even the in laws listen to her and I was treated like a castaway in his family I dont have any right to say a word they tortured me they beat me the harrassed me they had taken my freedom away from me they had separetd me from
my soul and even after all this my abu still wanted me to adjust with those creatures why should I adjust why should a girl always adjust " I could see the tears in her eyes as she utterd those words . I replied "do you miss him "she replied "who ? " I said " your husband " she replied with a confused mind " I don't know sometimes I really loved him and sometimes really hated him "
after this, I and husaina became good friends we used to talk with each other on our phones to discuss our life and work and I even used to drop her to her working place sometimes.(not always as her iddat was going on so she can't meet another men so many times , but she met me not often but few times beacuse I guess we were old friends and I was her 3rd cousin )
I don't how but I had slowly started to like Husaina's company I have seen her before many times but back in those days she seemed to be more beautiful than ever one day while I was dropping her I asked her quite frankly actually " Husaina what do you think about me "
she replied " you are a good friend and I think I will miss you when you will go abroad " I replied in a flirty manner " really you will miss me " she replied " yes yes I will miss you " I replied " ahh Husaina do you want to go abroad "
she replied " yes maybe after I finish my masters in 2 to 3 years " after saying this she started staring at me for 5 to 7 seconds before saying " do you want to say something more " with eyes that wants to hear something more
I replied " no no what more can I ask " in a puzzled voice "
one day husaina called me and asked me to meet her in a restaurant near her office. it was around 7:00 pm she entered the restaurant and I could see that she was very happy she quietly sat beside me with a joyful face and replied " see you have been one of the closest friends I have ever had you made me realise what independence is and what it means " I replied " yes but why do you call me here " she replied " wait I am telling you I was feeling quite sick few days ago and was experiencing vomiting frequently so I visited a doctor and he told me that I have been pregnant for 5 months " with an overjoyed face. to be honest, I didn't know how to react at that very moment it was a mixed feeling on one hand I was happy for husaina but on the other hand, I was sad for myself may I loved her or had feelings for her. but just on that day I just want an escape so lied to her " that's a great news husaina but I am sorry I had to meet someone today so I can't be here for long " I said . she replied " oh it's okay "
I wished I had stayed with her that day because on that very faithful day she was gang raped by a group of boys . as I had heard the event goes like this Husaina was waiting for a bus when suddenly a group of drunken boys stopped their car in front of her and dragged her into their car in front of everyone while other people don't even dare to interfere. the next morning she was found lying unconscious
on a footpath near the highway her face was filled with scars and her clothes were torn apart it was a street vendor who covered her body and brought her home. I WISHED I WAS THERE WITH HER PERHAPS I WOULD HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE.
After this husaina was kicked out of her husband's house before her iddat period was over because her in-laws considered her impure and refused to accept the child she is carrying as their blood. I fondly remember during those days her father used to lock her in his house all her independence vanished with the wind
and all her dreams were crushed she is just now a burden to the society
one day while I was going for a walk I heard some old men from our colony discussing husaina one of them uttered " has anyone of you heard that news " the second person replied, " what news ?" the first person replied by saying " that news of Rahim Iqbal's daughter " the second person replied with a gossip full face " ah yes yes that girl who got raped by some boyz " a third person interfered their conversation and replied " no no I don't think that's the case there must be something else I think that girl must have done something or must have to wear small clothes that's why the boy's got attracted to her " another one replied "you know she is pregnant " the third person replied " ya that the after effect " and started laughing. they were so frank and loud while talking about this matter and their conversation reflects what society thinks about rape survivors.
after this incident I didn't meet husaina for one week I tried to call her but she didn't pick up my phone. I wanted to meet her and be with her during this time but it seemed impossible because she was not picking up my phone and not getting out of her house. that girl who once wanted to be independent and live on her own is now spending her days in exile and isolated from society. I had to go back to London by next week and I thought that I will never be able to meet her but I just wanted to see her for one last time before my departure no matter at what cost.
one day I had got the chance to visit her when her father had gone for a namaaz offering it was around 6:00 am if I am not wrong it was during the month of November the dawn was covered with fog I had jumped over the walls of her house and got myself in from a broken window as I entered the house I quickly rushed myself towards her room. I know all this made me sound like a thief but I wanted to meet her before I leave. when I reached her room the door was open and I entered only to find out she was lying on her bed with eyes open and by eyes, I mean red eyes perhaps the proof of her sleepless nights suddenly her eyes which were faced towards the up turned towards me and with an emotionless expression she replied " why have you come here what do you want from me "
I replied with a mourning face " Husaina I heard what happened to you and I am sorry for that " she remain quiet for 2 seconds but her eyes were filled with tears and with those tearful eyes she replied " JUST GET OUT OF MY HOUSE YOU DON'T HAVE TO FEEL SORRY FOR ME NO ONE FEELS SORRY THEY THINK IM CHRACTERLESS THEY MOCK ME THEY MADE FUN OF ME EVEN MY FATHER DOES NOT PLEAD FOR MY JUSTICE BECAUSE HE THINK'S IM IMPURE
IM CARRYING SOMEONE ELSE'S CHILD NOT MY HUSBAND'S " she said all this in a screamed voice but this scream was not of anger but of tiredness a scream to find her own identity I could see those tears in her eyes those are falling like rains of august and with a puzzled and tearful face I replied " I am sorry husaina i didn't mean it " she replied with another scream " YOU DIDN'T MEAN IT ACTULLY NOTHING IN THIS BLOODY HYPOCRITE SOCIETY HAVE MEANING , I WISH I HAVE DIED " after this I had really lost all my control may be because I loved her and i replied with frustration " WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU HUSAINA WHY WILL YOU DIE YOU DIDN'T DONE ANYTHING WRONG THE PEOPLE WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS WILL DIE AND THINK ABOUT YOUR CHILD IF NOT FOR ANYONE THEN ONLY FOR HIM YOU HAVE TO LEAVE " after this she got up from the bed and hugged me while she was hugging me I could feel she really broked away by my words all those rains from her eyes are now turned into showers and she utterd " WHY WHY THEY DIDN'T KILL ME AFTER RAPING ME I CAN'T LEAVE IN THIS SOCIETY WHERE EACH SECOND STRUCKS LIKE NAILS EACH MINUTE CUTS LIKE KNIFE EACH HOUR HITS LIKE A SWORD AND EACH DAY PASSES LIKE LAST BREATH "
I hugged her tight and replied " dont worry Husaina one day everything will be okay I promise " after this, she separated herself from me and looked towards her mirror and replied " all these are just comforting words of goodwill and formality you didn't mean " I replied " I really mean it " she replied " how do I know you mean it " I replied "BECAUSE I LOVE YOU " after this both we remain quite and stared at each other face with tears falling from both sides after 1 min she came close to me and said " is true love or just sympathy " I replied with almost a broken voice " husaina I love you, I respect you and I adore you no matter what happens I will always be there for you HUSAINA YOU WILL NEVER WALK ALONE " after this, she turned towards the window and replied " can you hear the voice of birds " I replied " yes I can " she replied" what does it speak "Iplied " IT SPEAKS OF YOUR NEW LIFE, YOUR NEW BEGINNING, YOUR NEW HOPE AND ATLAST IT SPEAKS OF YOUR NEW JOURNEY "
after this she again turned towards me and replied " I know you love me but do you .... she puts her hand in her womb " I replied "don't worry Husaina that child will be my I don't care whose blood he or she is carrying because some relationships are not defined by blood " after this her face was like she will say yes but to my surprise, she just replied " okay " I replied " so Husaina Iqbaal will you marry me " she replied with a confused but yet joyful face the face was like it had smiled after many years " I will let you know after my iddat is over now leave otherwise my abu will found you here "
but her iddat never ended because on that very faithful day Husaina's Abu took her as well as his life because according to him as he wrote in his last letters he was forced to do so. After all, Husaina is dishonouring his family and he didn't want him and his little girl to face all those cheap comments from society but little did he know that his little girl lived independently and wanted to start a new life after all this.
no one came for Husaina's last rite except me because for others she was an impure and characterless girl but deep inside my heart, I knew that she was an independent woman who was willing to break barriers to reach her destiny. my parents were angry with me because I was the only one who attended her last rites but I don't care because I knew I did nothing wrong by accompanying my old friend, a girl I loved and more than that a woman I respected.
while I was returning after burying her I heard an angelic chorus from a nearby church singing " WE SHALL OVERCOME SOMEDAY OH HO! DEEP IN MY HEART, I DO BELIEVE WE SHALL OVERCOME SOME DAY . after hearing this I closed my eyes and whispered to myself " WE SHALL OVERCOME SOME DAY " as the song faded with the wind.
MORAL OF THE STORY - pls raise your voice if you are seeing women suffering from domestic violence, sexual harassment, child marriage, polygamy, or honour killing whether it's your mother, wife, girlfriend, sister and even if she is a stranger because there are lot women in our society whose dreams are crushed and who suffers the hardships of our so-called CIVILIZED SOCIETY
THANK YOU.
Written by,
Sayan Das
- cover image from google
#THEWRITINGPROJECT
#Fictional
© All Rights Reserved
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