It’s All About Her
It was a hot summer day at the end of July 2002. The wall clock struck 3 p.m. She could hear the roaring thunder and a flash of light appeared for a few seconds in the ventilator near the ceiling of the room, she was detained in. She was placed in solitary confinement for the last three months and she endured the pain helplessly. Now tapping rain was forcing her to break the ice. The ambient sounds of rain reminded her that there was life outside the room she was kept in.
These Monsoon rains in July were her most favorite. Dancing in the rain on the beat of tapping raindrops was so fun. The muddy rainwater flowing in the streets like a small river always gave her immense pleasure. Though rainfalls usually caused a power failure in her town and this was the reason people used to get irritated and did not like the rain but it was an adventure for her to enjoy the deep dark nights, the deafening sound of thunder, and blinding bursts of lightning. “I was so much full of life” She murmured while roaming in the flashback.
She wasn’t heard by her family for the last three months and she stopped waiting for them to come and rescue her. It was a family trend to abandon a girl after her marriage and not to interfere with her married life. She was now the property of the person to whom she was married and he had the right to decide how she will spend her life.
The rainfall was now turning into a shower, this was her most favorite part and she couldn’t help going out of the room. She knew that when she will open the door, those savage women will abuse her, curse her, and even beat her for no reason. Still, she went to open the door because now the suffocation was melting her fears. She was standing near the door, trying to muster up the courage and make herself ready to take a plunge and fly away. She touched the knob of the door, someone screamed; she could hear a girl screaming with fear. Yes, it was her herself. How could she forget about that horrific day? Three months ago, sitting in the room, ironing clothes she heard someone calling her name loudly. It was her husband in the next room. She immediately went to the next room where her husband, his father, his sisters, and his stepmother all were shouting at each other. It was difficult to identify the problem and she couldn’t understand what was going on.
Suddenly one of the girls dragged her by her hair and started beating her. Two more girls joined their sister and they started dragging her in the courtyard. They were trying to throw her out of the house. Her clothes were torn, her mouth was bleeding, and most of her hairs were rooted out. She was shocked, trembling with fear, trying to get herself free but her fragile body had no strength left. Near the main gate she found a hook and held it firmly to save herself from being thrown out. The girls started shouting at her and said “you are cursed. After you got married to our brother and came to our house, our well has dried. Our father has lost his car. Our financial condition is getting worst because of you. We will not allow you to stay at our home.” After saying all this they went back to their room and warned her to leave the house else they will kill her. She took herself to the room, how, she didn’t remember. After her marriage, she started losing some of her memories of some parts of her life. She only remembered the part when her husband came to the room and told her to lock herself in the room and don’t come out until he resolves this issue. He told her that his sisters can kill her so she was sentenced to be in the prison for an uncertain period of time while he himself was free to go and enjoy his life.
The screams were faded now. The rain had stopped. She did not open the door. She stepped back, sat on the floor, and started thinking about her freedom. She was changing now. This time period of imprisonment was proving to be the hibernation period. She felt like she is withdrawing her shell and soon she will meet her New Self. “You are actually making me stronger,” she said to them silently and smiled.
