Zehra Hassan
She was robbed of her ordinary life, brought into the dirt turned into a profanity introduced to the vulgarity of the red light area. She was tormented by day and tortured at night, fighting to survive in a completely different world...
I know for a fact that if that person behind me would not gesture for Dev to take me away, he would have never helped me leave that place.
I did not once turn around or met my eyes with him. I just left behind Dev, and not a single word was shared by either of us.
I sat behind Dev, as he drove his bike silently, and remembered sitting on the bike with Daiwik, tears slipped through the pool of my eye socket.
It was late a night, the shops were closed, and the people had retired to their own houses. The bike parked in front of a staircase, that led to a first-floor house, while the ground floor was made of shutters and shops.
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I got off the bike, and Dev parked it and turned to me, "Divya and Maa will ask you questions, just tell them the truth. Maa will be paranoid but she will understand your side." He warned me carefully and started to climb the stairs, I walked behind him.
My face was stained with kohl, slightly, but I couldn't care less, the door we entered on the first floor, had first an open porch area, there was a wooden cot kept in the corner, and then there was a door, that he knocked on, Divya opening it, when her eyes saw me.
"Bhabhi!" (Sister-in-law) She jumped towards me, as she already knew what it was, and she hugged me immediately, and I felt good even for the tiniest bit this physical hug and warmth I did not know my body was craving cracked me up furthermore.
I couldn't hold my composure and I just ended up crying in her shoulder. Her mother appeared at the door, "Divya take her inside! And let her have some rest, give her water!" She did not choose to blame me for everything.
And rather supported with unsaid words and actions. Divya rub my back, as she asked me to come inside the house. She gave me water as she sat me down, Dev just climbed on his couch and acted like he was watching television but his eyes kept coming back to me again and again.
Divya gave me water. As she sat down across from me. "I am so sorry, that this happened!" She said feeling guilty.
My emotions were at high, and questions were in my head. I did run away today, but how long can I stay outside like this?
I closed my eyes, and my mind lingered on him again, the way he sat before me on his knees, his apologetic eyes, but the sight of his apology was followed by the pounding sound of the door in my ears ringing, "Divya let her rest in the bedroom. It's late." I heard his mother talking about me.
I opened my eyes, drinking a glass of water. I looked at his mother, she did not have any anger on me, but her face was just as regretful as Divya's look was.
Both of them pitied me because I was married to him in their eyes and my future is tied with repeated episodes of his anger like this. I took my eyes away instantly.
Since I have known it well, that she is not very fond of me, I never attempted to make her like me, I did the minimum expected from me and it seems like it always pleased her.
