Forgetting Love (Dublin Sisters #2.5)

Chapter 15

               

There was silence. No communication between them. She ignored him. He ignored her. They were not in speaking terms. It was better this way, Samreen decided. At least, the children were not the witness of the problems that they were facing. Not once he came towards her apologetically. Instead, he was doing the opposite, coming late from work. Way late, by then she would be exhausted and asleep with the children.

It was only in the mornings that they saw each other. For the last couple of weeks, he had stopped waking up for Fajr prayer. Before all the dirty secret was revealed, she would force him to wake up. But now he didn't care. He would sleep through it, ignorant to the added sins in his account. The situation would have proceeded in the same manner had it not been for Nawal to show up unexpectedly on their door steps three days after her marriage.

The sight of her loving sister in law had been a relief. She had been going crazy in her own home. The hostility and resentment with her husband were hurting her. In the ten years of their marriage, there had been many arguments. Some were silly others serious but never had they resort to never talking to each other. In a couple of hours, any of them would approach the other and apologize. The argument forgotten and buried in the past. But this was different. She was bleeding internally and he... he ... didn't care. It was all over his face and body language that weren't remorseful of his actions. Her wrist still was harbouring slight bruise from his onslaught. Slowly recovering, but the beating he did to her soul was irreparable. And his dismissive attitude of the whole issue hurt her further.

Her misery was her own. Her struggles were private. She had no desire for the world to be aware of what she was going through. She foremost thought the impact of it on her children. This is why she initiated the communication, and text messaged Faraz an hour after Nawal had arrived.

Nawal is here. Be on time this evening.

She didn't expect a reply and was truly astonished when she did receive one within minutes.

Ok.

She stared at her phone for many minutes. In marriage, no matter how degrading one felt or how shattered one was, one had to pick up the pieces of her being and move on. She was learning this the hard way. If it was only about her life, she would have left this house days ago. But three innocent faces rushed in her mind. She couldn't...just couldn't.

****

Old or new – each married couple had problems. Some were minor, other were major issues. Nevertheless, Allah burdened one as much as one could bear. This was clearly seen when Samreen listened to a tearful Nawal regarding her issues in her three days old marriage. Little did Nawal know how much a woman had to sacrifice for the sake of this marital relation.

In an ideal world, it might have seen that both spouses had to make compromises but the reality was that end of the day it was the woman who made the most compromises. The most sacrifices. But most of all at times, wiping off her identity and self-respect all for her marriage. She smiled ruefully as she chopped tomatoes, this was a far cry to the idealistic feminists' thoughts she had when she was a young single woman. Believing in that she can easily bend any man to her will. The reality was different. Much different. And worse of all it was bitter and brutal.

"Cheer up Nawal. This is just the start of your marriage." Samreen said, adding tomatoes to the pot of curry.

"Bhabi, I know marriage is not easy but I had never thought it will be this difficult," Nawal rubbed her throbbing temple while sitting on the kitchen chair, she stopped in the act of chopping lettuce for salad.

Shaking her head, Samreen contemplated Nawal's innocence, "Many times a woman has to let go of her ego Nawal. It is for the best."

Nawal's lips twitched in annoyance, "Why don't men let go of their ego? Why should we women only compromise?"