Few women have the bravery in Pakistani society, which has been exhibited in this story. Most of the females prefer to be drama queens than become their own savior and uphold their beliefs and values.
this story is a must read for every girl next door in Pakistan, to bring home to them the fact- Courage comes from within.
starting scene —
A teacup in my hand,
I sit here quietly pondering,
And watch the day unfold
A long, enduring journey…
Sonya sat at the kitchen table, early Monday morning, with a cup of hot tea. She had some time to herself before setting off to battle her job, and the tensions that went with the package.
She stared at the whorls of steam rising from her cup; a feeling of nostalgia overwhelmed her…
‘How life had changed!’
She found herself walking down memory lane…
“Hurry up, Soni, we’re going to be late!” called Umar, as he adjusted his tie and pulled on his coat, giving himself a final appraisal.
“In a minute, darling!” She called back from the bathroom. “There’s no need to be there before the hosts, you know!”
“The card says seven sharp, and seven it will be, honey!” He tried to impress upon her the urgency that conscientious people like him felt duty-bound to respond to.
The newly-weds, Umar and Sonya, were getting ready for the dinner hosted in their honour by Sonya’s favourite Aunt Samina. Umar was a stickler for punctuality, but Sonya was not one to be pushed into anything that everybody considered ‘the proper thing to do’. So, as Umar was to learn, they got there when Sonya saw fit to make her grand entrance!
There was nothing conventional about their relationship either…had never been from the start! Umar, the quiet and ‘proper’ type, was in for a rude shock from the moment he stepped into the bedroom on their first night together. Expecting to find a shy bride, he nearly jumped out of his skin when he lifted her veil, to gaze into the huge eyes of a disgusting, evil-looking witch! She had pulled on an ugly mask borrowed from her little cousin, Mani. Though considering the practical joke in bad taste, as well as ill timed, Umar was immediately charmed by her lovely smile and mischievous doe-eyes.
Anybody could see that they had taken to each other like fish to water, despite being total opposites. Whoever said, ‘opposites attract’, sure knew what he was talking about!
Umar was a perfectionist and she was his undoing - he was meticulous, she careless to the extreme – burnt the dinner with unfailing regularity; he preferred to eat a cosy meal at home, she loved dressing up and eating out; he enjoyed slow strains of sitar, she opted for hard rock…by the usual rules of prediction, they couldn’t have lasted beyond the wedding night, but eight years hence, and still going strong – theirs was a dream relationship.
There was just one small catch causing an occasional unpleasantness…they were childless. Having gone through extensive tests, after two years of their union, they had learnt that Sonya would never be a mother. Umar, strangely, didn’t seem to mind so much but Sonya was devastated. And every now and then she felt she couldn’t take it anymore…
“I can’t imagine never being able to hold a little bundle-of-joy in my arms!” she sobbed.
“It doesn’t matter, sweetheart, we’ll adopt a baby”, Umar tried to calm her down.
“No, no…I want my own baby,” she cried hysterically, “ours!”
He would take her in his arms and - as always - having had her catharsis, she would finally calm down. She suspected, though, that he was rather glad they didn’t have any children, and he had her all to himself. He loved her so much, he always said. How lucky she was…most men wanted children and didn’t hesitate in remarrying just for the sake of carrying on the family name
**
So lets make the story short …ok baby ..so here comes…**
‘What would I do without my darling?’ She often wondered.
A few more years passed - some flew and some dragged – and their life kept moving forward on a smooth track, with no major ups and downs… till something happened that changed her life forever…
‘What the heck was going on?’ she wondered. ‘What was all the secrecy about?’
‘Why was she waiting for him to say anything, anyway? It concerned her life too!’
She decided to confront him.
“Honey, what the hell is going on?” she demanded, when he came back from the office
“Stop treating me like a child, Umar.” She spoke quietly. “Do you want to …
“Mum gets to make our decisions? Then where do I figure in your life?”
Trrrn…trrrn… the phone rang.
It was Zoobia. “Sonya, how are you?”
Huma was Umar’s cousin - a quiet submissive creature living in a world of her own.
‘The man she had loved with all her heart and soul, was not going to be man enough to stand by her side when she needed him most.’
“Don’t overreact, for God’s sake, Sonya!
‘Husband and home - hers no more.’
How could she have been so blind?
He, who comforted her no end at her smallest displeasure, was unable to comprehend her pain when her whole life was falling apart?
Did men have a completely different set of values that could accommodate anything they saw fit for consumption?
Would he have been so accommodating if she had another man in her life?’
‘Could he sink so low? Use a woman for his selfish needs and discard her as soon as they were met with? Did Huma know what was in store for her?’
“Don’t ever come here again.” She muttered coldly.
That had been the most difficult decision of her life, but she would not be treated like a commodity…
‘If Umar really loved her, he should’ve stood by her side…actions spoke louder than words, didn’t they?’
Sonya came back to the present with a sudden jolt,‘Yes, life sure had changed…
For a fleeting moment, the past and present seemed to merge and co-exist…
“Long enduring journey, here I come!
**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Teacup in My Hand
Tahera Sajid**
I read that & really loved tht story A wonderful read. Few women have the bravery in Pakistani society, which has been exhibited in this story. Most of the females prefer to be drama queens than become their own savior and uphold their beliefs and values.
this story is a must read for every girl next door in Pakistan, to bring home to them the fact- Courage comes from within.