The Fallen Widow

3. The Order

"No! Never! Not during my life!" Meh'r-Bano's mother in law, Kaneez, threw her soapy fists into the air declaring her opposition. Sitting on a stool scrubbing the silver bowl she yelled at Meh'r-Bano who carried out her daily ritual of sponge washing her disabled father in law.
"Wait till my son, Shafiq finds out you have been cavorting with the haveli. He will lock you in the barn forever."
"I didn't ask for this." Meh'r-Bano washed his claw like bony feet with a soapy sponge. She scrubbed between his toes so he wouldn't get blisters.
"I was at the darya when I met Choudharni Malaikhah."
Kaneez spat on the ground. With her dupatta wrapped around her head, she glared at her daughter in law with contempt. The day Shafiq bought her home as his wife was a cursed day. Shafiq was an idot taking on girl who bought no benefit and no dowry. Falling for her beauty, he took on debt to support her education which baffled Kaneez. Four years on, there was no hope of a child and this angered Kaneez. Now she wanted to go to the haveli and teach? There was a limit to Kaneez's patience and it was wearing thin.
"We work on the Choudhary's land. We till, we harvest and we mind our business. Our duty stops there. We women in Chiragpur do not serve them in their house. The neighbouring village carries out that duty. We will never be their maids." Kaneez reminded her foolish daughter in law.
Whilst rinsing his wrinkled feet, Babu mumbled incoherently at Meh'r-Bano. Kaneez stood up and mocked her husband who was recovering from a stroke.
"What? I can't understand what you're saying old man! Keep it shut and stay out of it! You always gave her side that's why she feels she has wings."
Babu grumbled pushing his body up with his right arm, but Kaneez turned her back and walked away.
Washed and dressed, Meh'r-Bano combed her father in law, Babu, sparse hair, adding kohl to his narrow, tired black eyes and prepared him like a groom. No one cared for him now he'd fallen in. He'd lay there in his urine and faeces. It was only his dutiful daughter in law who cleaned and wash him. Shafiq would change his towels which he used instead of the toilet. But Meh'r-Bano washed them, dried and softened them so they wouldn't brush harshly against his thin layer of skin. Babu was a sack of bones. Meh'r-Bano made special soups for him so he would take in nutrients and aid his recovery.
After Meh'r-Bano's father passed away and  Shafiq took responsibility of her and bought her home, it was Babu who gazed at her with love and spoke to her with tenderness. She missed her father and in Babu she found her father. Soon, her suffered a stroke leaving him partially paralysed. But this made no difference to her love, in fact her love increased.
"May Allah bless you my child." Babu mumbled incoherently. Meh'r-Bano couldn't understand his words but made eye contact and smiled giving him the attention he deserved.
"May you live in palaces sleep in silk sheets. May Allah bless you with a strong progeny. May your dreams come true." He gave her a gummy grin. She kissed his right hand and pressed it on her forehead to show respect, his bones against her lips.
That evening when Shafiq arrived on his bicycle home, he rang the bell with his silver tiffin tingling against the bike. Kaneez began a barrage protest before he put a morsel into his mouth. However, the words, Haveli and Choudhary was enough to put him off his food and drag Meh'r-Bano to his bedroom and slam the door shut.
"What is this I hear?" Meh'r-Bano pulled her arm free and flicked her hair aside. She was still in awe of how he came to her rescue last night and rescued her from the barn. He couldn't hate her even if he tried.
"You're hungry Shafiq, come, eat first."
"To hell with my hunger." He yelled. "Every day I return home there is a new problem. Now this! Who gave you permission to go to the haveli?"
"I didn't go there Shafiq, don't you trust me?" She replied softly.
"Then how did this happen?"
"I was at the river when Choudharani Malaikah met me."
"Why do you have to tell everyone you can speak and write English? Do you know how the villagers feel? They despise you! They think you are arrogant and above them."
Tenderly, she pressed her hands against his chest and straightened his shirt. She dipped her head down and flicked her hair to one side. She knew how to soften his mood, she sat him on the bed and kneeled before him.
"Why do we always argue? I still remember the day when you first laid your eyes on me, fixing my abbu's car."
He looked at her hands and pushed her bangles back. She was beautiful, like an angel. She tittered that day as he changed the tyre when the jack kept slipping.
"I know you want me to compliment you, your head is already big. I won't make that mistake again."
"You took care of me when my abbu passed away Shafi. Your father gave me a home. You kept abbu's promise and I completed my BA. I will never forget that, Shafiq. I want you to look at me like that again." She held his grease stained hands with black nails. Every evening, when he returned he'd smell of chemicals, grease marks on his face. He'd worked hard his life and earned little. His constant dispute with his partner Mukhtar Azim was the bane of his life. Mukthar did little and spent most of his time at home with the children and left Shafiq to do the work. Then Mukhtar would usurp the profits and expect equal portion.
"But things have changed." He stood up. "Do you know Mukhtar, he married a year after me and already he has a son. Look at us-"
Meh'r-Bano felt a blow to her gut. The curse of being barren was soon becoming a reality. She didn't want to admit that she couldn't give Shafiq a child. Maybe that's why she was passionate about teaching the village children, to distract her.  Over the past year they visited to every spiritual guide for prayers, every shrine, and made special prayers for a child. They couldn't afford hospital tests, but what they did afford were negative pregnancy tests. She sat on the bed as Shafiq laid into her blaming her she didn't give him enough time and spent her day dreaming of saving the world.
"I come home to mum's insults, then I change my dad's nappy. Then you go on about the school and the children. I'm lucky my sister isn't here-she makes my life hell and those devil children of hers." He pushed his hair back.
"You want to save the world, save the children but your marriage is suffering. This house is suffering. Your duty is a wife first and foremost. First fulfil that duty and give me a child then you can do what you like! Now stop with these stupid ideas of yours and go get my roti!"
"She ordered me to call at the haveli tomorrow morning."
"I will make an excuse. You leave it to me. Now go-"
He slammed the door open and made his way to the bathroom. Meh'r-Bano sunk into her bed in humiliation. She was a bad wife, unable to be a mother. The fact she couldn't give him a child killed her, she was beaten by the same verbal swear every time by her mother in law.
The dream of stepping into the haveli and having an audience with the Choudhary was a far-flung dream, it would never happen in this lifetime. Meh'r-Bano draped her scarf over her head and made her way into the kitchen back to reality.
***
It was two days later when someone pounded on the front gate of Shafiq's humble house. Sitting in the courtyard sipping hot dalchini infused chai holding a piece of ghee laden parantha, he looked at his mother in worry. Who would knock so loudly early in the morning?
"Who is it?" He yelled wiping his mouth with his sleeve.
The pounding continued reverberating through the house and the village. Quickly, Shafiq stood up chewing the piece of parantha and made his way towards the terrifying pounding. On opening the broken wooden door, a uniformed man dressed in black salwar kameez with a royal Choudhary emblem on his right hand side of the chest sent shock waves through him. Shafiq stood up straight when he saw two guards clasping rifles. They were from the Choudhary's Central haveli. Villagers rushed out on hearing the knocks, when they saw armed guards with the chief of staff, Wajahat Ali, standing outside Shafiq's house, they feared for Shafiq.
"Salaam." Shafiq greeted in fear and looked behind at his mother.
"Do you have a death wish?" Wajahat was a tall man in his late fifties. He's worked for the Choudhary household throughout his life and loyalty was in his blood. Now he was awarded chief of staff and security and if there was a message the Choudhary's wanted to send, they'd send him and it was sure to be delivered. Wajahat stepped inside the small courtyard and looked around with the armed guards close behind intimidating the family. Babu tilted his body to the side, lying limply on the kat. It was Wajahat's job to size the family, to learn the facts and deliver the information to Malaikah Qureshi. She was furious that the young woman she met by the darya did not arrive like she requested. Wajahat understood her order and it was time to do what he loved best, send terror through the family.
"What have I done?" Shafiq rushed behind him with his palms pressed together.
"What do you call this? Early in the morning?" Kaneez complained.
Wajahat glared at her. He'd met many mouthy women who he'd silenced with the barrel of his gun. It wasn't a matter of how, it was when he would shove the barrel into her mouthy gob and shut her up.
"Who lives in this house?"
Babu mumbled incoherently at Wajahat, he shooed him away with his hand. Wajahat laughed mocking him.
"Hey old man! Who rattled your cage?" From inside Meh'r-Bano rushed out and draped her head with her black shawl veiling her face.
"Go in!" Shafiq shooed his wife.
Wajahat threw his heavy fist at Shafiq punching him in the mouth as he propelled to the floor. Kaneez screamed and Meh'r-Bano ran to her husband who lay on the floor in a heap with a bloody lip.
Wajahat grabbed Shafiq by the collars and threw him against the wall.
"Leave him alone!" Kaneez screamed.
"What have we done?" Shafiq cried tasting blood in his mouth.
"You have directly disobeyed Choudhrani's order." His face screwed with anger, Wajahat was ready to tear Shafiq apart.
"For the sake of Allah, he has done nothing wrong."
"Shut up old hag!" Wajahat yelled at Kaneez. "Shut  up! Or else I will blow your brains out!"
Babu grumbled.
"When a member of the noble Choudhary household instructs you or your family to the haveli, you come!" He yelled. "Do you hear?!" He slapped his face. "Do you hear me?!"
"Yes! Yes!" Shafiq cried out.
"Two days! Two days and your wife did not obey Choudharni Malaikah's order. Why? Do you want me to ask her?"
"No!" Shafiq pleaded. "Please don't touch her." Shafiq was certain Wajahat hurt her. "I stopped her. Don't hurt her."
"The noble household does not like waiting!" He flung Shafiq to the floor casting him aside and looked around for the young women who Malaikah met by the river. His eyes fell on the women in the black shawl sitting by the old skeletal man in a stringed vest on the kat. With a step forward he marched ready to grab the young woman. Shafiq grabbed Wajahat's leg and held his back.
"Please! Forgive us! Don't hurt her." Shafiq pleaded.
Wajahat kicked his chin casting him aside. Kaneez screamed with her hands clasped around her head.
"Are you Meh'r-Bano?" Wajahat glared at her.
"Go! Go girl!" Kaneez yelled at Meh'r-Bano. "Go or else they will kill my son!"
Wajahat took a deep breath and clenched his fists. Finally the family cooperated and understood. Meh'r-Bano's eyes brimming with tears looked at her husband who lay on the floor and shook his head giving her permission to leave. Reluctantly, Meh'r-Bano stood up and made her way with the guards looming over she made her way to the gate.
"Get in the car!" Wajahat ordered at the end of the alley where a large black SUV parked. The villagers peered and watched the event like an audience. Where were they taking Meh'r-Bano? And why was she summoned by the noble Central Haveli? What had she done wrong?