Ayesha

The picturesque hills of Kashmir glittered courtesy of the blazing heat unleashed by the sun. An occasional cooing of birds embellished the beautiful Srinagar city. Folks of Kashmir went about their daily chores with a cool head. Amir was on cloud nine when his daughter's marriage got fixed. His wife Sara was reduced to tears which was a mixture of joy and sorrow. Their twenty-year-old daughter Ayesha was to get married to a Pakistani guy named Ajar. Ajar's father Irfan and Amir had become friends under unusual circumstances in Pakistan. Both of them decided to strengthen their relationship by getting their children married to each other. Sara stroked her daughter's hair with affection, "May Allah bless you to have a happy married life, my daughter."

Ayesha's lips curved into a cute smile as she embraced her mother. A few tear balls propelled out of her eyes as she realized that she would leave her beloved mother and go to Pakistan. The beautiful Ayesha who had spent all her twenty years in the laps of Kashmir hills was to step foot into an unknown landscape. With just two days to go before her official wedding, she decided to roam and drink in the pure joy offered by the beautiful city.

The much-anticipated wedding finally arrived sending both families into celebration mode. As per Amir's request, Irfan had agreed to come to India to have his son get married. Traditionally, the nuptials materialized thereby breaching the bachelor tag of the groom and the bride. Attendees wished them a happy married life.

"This marriage is a testament to the strengthening Indo-Pak relationship," Irfan said.

"This marriage symbolizes the ever-brewing strong friendship between India and Pakistan," Amir smiled.

A dance party was organized where everybody showcased their dancing prowess to add a touch of glitz to the wedding ceremony. Attendees feasted on sumptuous meals before leaving. Eventually, the time had arrived for Ayesha to depart India. Her welled-up eyes depicted the unconditional love she had for her parents. She tightly embraced her parents and they too shed drops of tears.

"Your daughter is our responsibility. We will ensure that she lives peacefully at our home. You can call us at any time," Irfan consoled his friend before they climbed into a car and disappeared. 

The streets of Lahore were filled with children playing gully cricket. They were crazy about the India vs Pakistan international cricket match which was to commence in two hours. Ayesha looked out of the window of her car gazing at the children who said, "Pakistan Zindabad."

The vehicle stopped thereby disrupting her solitary musings.

"This is our abode, Ayesha" Ajar broke the silence.

Ayesha slipped out of the car and strode towards the house which seemed to welcome her with open arms. The memories of Kashmir came flooding back but she had to start a new journey in the new country.

Ajar flicked on the switch to watch the much-anticipated India vs Pakistan clash. He cheered when Pak batsmen scored boundaries. Ayesh felt incongruous in a place filled with Pakistani supporters. She wanted to openly cheer the Indian cricket team but feared the consequences if she did so. Ajar noticed her uncomfortable feeling and he promised not to retaliate if she rooted for her home country. His parents too bestowed her with love and affection to ensure she doesn't feel alone in the neighbouring country.

Months flew by. Ayesha gave birth to a baby boy much to the delight of the family. Even her parents visited Pakistan to behold their grandchild.

"He is a half Indian and a half Pakistani," Irfan laughed.

The baby boy was christened Ajesh.

One day, Ajar took a deep drag on his cigar before he set his eyes on Ayesha who happened to be busy doing household chores. He hugged her from behind and the cigarette butt took its frustration on her shoulders thereby making her scream.

"Oh, sorry! Ayesha. This damn cigar appeared out of nowhere," he said.

Ayesha ignored her pain and went about her work before the crying voice of the baby emanated from the room. Ajar's mother Reshma scurried to the kitchen and pulled her hair reflecting her anger for not attending to the child. "Your wife is neglecting your child," she said to her son who came and slapped his wife.

If that wasn't enough, Irfan asked her to massage his legs nonstop even though she developed pain in her arms. The same family that showed her abundant affection before delivering the child seemed to have gone rogue for no apparent reason. When she juxtaposed the family's behaviour before and after the baby's birth, there seemed to be an astonishing difference. Why are they treating her like a slave? Whom should she confide in? How is she going to live with them if they continue to torment her? She couldn't grapple with the painful thoughts that refused to subside. Subsequently, she consumed a sleeping pill to have a breather against the onslaught of thoughts.

The next day Ajar asked his wife to prepare a sumptuous breakfast in just twenty minutes. Ayesha looked anxious fearing consequences if she didn't prepare the breakfast on time. In a hurry, she prepared a biryani and forgot to apply salt. Ajar who took a bite from the plate got enraged since the main ingredient was missing in the food. He pulled her hair and she groaned in pain.

"You are just a woman who is a child-producing machine and a food-manufacturing robot. If you can't even do that work effectively, what are you there for?" he smeared the food on her face.

"You just disrupted my son's happy mood," Reshma slapped her hard.

Ayesha's life had indeed devolved into a nightmare. She had never expected her new family to backfire on her. She felt alone unable to fathom the bitter reality that conjured up a conspiracy against her. She couldn't even attend to her child which exacerbated her woes. The telephone made a noise to attend to its needs. Reshma stopped Ayesha who was about to pick up the phone and issued a stern warning, "In case you reveal the truth to your parents, you never know what heinous things we can do to you. Be careful!"

"How are you, Reshma?" Sara asked.

"I'm fine, Sara," Reshma responded.

"Is my daughter there?"

"Yeah, she is waiting to talk to you," Reshma widened her eyes to scare Ayesha.

Ayesha couldn't even speak her heart out since her mother-in-law stood next to her glaring at her. She pretended to be happy despite an avalanche of pain descended on her life. Gripped in fear, she spoke to her mother as if nothing untoward happened to her.

Ayesha's painful tears had no takers. There was no option for her but to suffer in silence. In the evening she served dinner to her husband. She feared that he would go berserk and take out his frustration on her. Her fear just materialized.

"What awful food is this?" he hurled the sambar on her face as she screamed in agony.

Reshma and her husband persuaded her not to cry thereby making her control her burst of emotions. This was a brutal torture on another level. Ayesha couldn't even sleep in the evening as she tossed and turned on her mat. She desperately wanted to see her son and she slowly inched towards Reshma's room where her son slept. She slowly picked her son up and bombarded him with a plethora of kisses. Reshma noticed this and grew angry. She snatched the boy from her hand and issued a tight slap which made her fall. Ayesha felt like committing suicide instead of going through such a terrible ordeal.

She made up her mind to leave the house.

On a Saturday evening, when everybody in the house had retired to deep slumber, Ayesha got up. She stealthily scurried out of the room as her husband tossed and turned on his bed. She controlled her breaths that threatened to go out of control. As she took paces amidst the darkness brewing in the hall, she fell the tumbler placed on the table and immediately cringed. She knew the repercussions if she was caught red-handed. Reshma ran out of her room and flicked on the switch to illuminate the hall but couldn't see anyone. She peered into her son's room and found Ayesha to be lost in sleep. She scratched her head and went back to sleep. Ayesha heaved a sigh of relief. This time she was more cautious and she ambled out of the house with dread smouldering in her eyes. She ran as fast as she could from the prying family's eyes. She noticed cops who patrolled the streets. Discovering them felt like finding water in an arid desert. Without wasting a second, she asked them for help. They took her to the police station on the pretext of assisting her.

"Can you please send me back to India?" she pleaded.

"Of course! We are more than happy to parcel you to the Indian-looking jail available here. You bloody Indian spy," they locked her in the cell.

Ayesha's extended woes continued to depress her. She wished to reunite with her parents but got locked in a dreaded Pakistani jail.

Ajar and his parents were taken aback at the absence of Ayesha in the house. Her parents kept on calling but there was no response which made them jittery.

"Where did that useless woman go?" Ajar banged his fist on the wall. "I will kick her to death."

"We shouldn't have allowed her to roam freely. Had we tied her like a dog, she wouldn't have shown the courage to escape," Reshma gritted her teeth.

"Let me find her first and then I will offer her such a punishment she will never dare to escape," Ajar promised to cut her leg.

Ayesha's parents came to Pakistan from Kashmir to see their daughter who hadn't spoken to them for over a month. They prayed to the Lord to keep her safe from all the evil forces in the world. Little did they know the plight of their daughter. They came to know that Irfan's family had vacated the house which further fueled their fears. They showed their daughter's photo to the strangers and asked if they had seen her but to no avail. They grew restless and went to the police station to complain. The police reddened his eyes upon seeing her photo before he could give them an earful, Ajar interrupted their conversation.

"They are my family," he gestured to his parents something and they requested Ayesha's parents to climb into the car. As soon as he saw the car disappear from the police station, he tossed the evidence at the police to prove that the apprehended lady was not a spy but his wife. She got released right into the lion's mouth.

"Why do you abandon your husband?" he pretended to care for her.

He forced her into a jeep, tied her limbs

and stuffed a cloth into her mouth before taking her to a secluded spot. The moment Ayesha got out of her car, she cried in joy looking at her parents but they were bound on a chair on top of the cliff.

"Please leave my parents. Do whatever you want to do to me," she fell on his feet but the ruthless man dragged her with his leg.

Her parent's hearts broke looking at the sorry state of their beloved daughter. Never in their wildest dreams had they imagined her to live like a slave. Ajar tied her to a chair opposite to her parents. A one-metre gap separated her from her parents.

"Alas! Indian family and its tragic stories," he broke into deadly laughter along with his parents.

"Do you know the punishment you will get for daring to escape?" he laughed. "I will cut one of your legs and make you crippled for life."

Her parents tried to break hold of the stranglehold to save their daughter but had no strength to do so.

"Before I cut your leg, I want to make you see your parents die in front of you," his wicked laughter reverberated around.

Reshma and Irfan stabbed Ayesha's parents with no mercy reflecting their sadistic demeanour. They just committed a diabolical crime sucking the life out of innocent souls. Both of them died, "Ayesha, let God save you."

Ajar mopped his wife's tears, "I am so sorry, my dear!"

"You coward butcher! Killing innocent old souls that too tieng them up shows that you have no courage left in you. Shame on your manliness! You don't have the guts to face me one-on-one. You are not a man but a coward," Ayesha fumed.

Her words pierced Ajar's arrogance who always took pride in his masculinity. He freed her from the ropes.

"Come on! You useless woman. What are you in front of a man? You are just a slave," he spit on her face.

Something inside her snapped and she went bonkers. She kicked him so hard, he lost his balance and fell. Ayesha messed up his face with multiple blows. She took the same knife that was used to kill her parents. She stabbed him incessantly until her blown-up anger subsided. His legs twitched and finally became motionless. She set her eyes on her parents who lost their balance in fear and fell off the cliff.

"Never underestimate the power of women. She knows how to be a loving mother and also knows how to be Goddess Durga to end the evil once and for all," she roared.