Sheila looked at her sleeping children. Rahim was curled up in a small not and Aisha was stressed out on the sofa. They looked peaceful and beautiful. Even the traffic of Lahore did not disturb their deep sleep.
Sheila walked across the living room and entered the kitchen. One of her servants was making dinner for the whole family. ‘What are you making?’ Sheila asked her in Urdu, as she poured herself a cup of chai tea.
‘I am making a chicken curry with rice and roti.’
‘Faruq will like that’. Sheila sat down on a stool by the kitchen table. She had been married to Faruq for five years now. She had been 19 when her parents arranged a marriage between her and Faruq. Sheila had not seen Faruq before the wedding. It had been so terrifying - getting ready for your own wedding without having met the husband-to-be even once before.
The marriage has not been bad although Faruq was very conservative. Sheila had to wear a hijab headscarf whenever she was around men who were not family members. She could not socialize with any men nor could she spend a great deal of time with her female friends. She could not continue working. To Faruq, the place of the wife was at home doing work for the family.
Many of Sheila’s friends could not understand her husband. They thought that he was controlling and did not let her live her life. But what choice did Sheila have? She had to marry this man, because of her parents wish. She had to adjust to this life. And she was not going to be miserable for the rest of his life. She was going to make the most of what she had. She was going to live a happy life and bring up her children as happy human-beings. No matter what anyone else said or thought.
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Nadia turned to face herself in the mirror. The red fabric dazzled her eyes. She did not recognize her own face; it had so much make-up on it. Her hands were painted with henna and her ears glistered with diamond earrings.
‘How do I feel?’ Nadia asked herself. She felt apprehensive but also slightly excited. This was her wedding day. This was the day that she had been dreaming about for so many years. Now it had finally come.
Nadia had met her to-be-husband twice before the wedding. Once at his parent’s house. They had had tea together and asked the compulsory questions. It had seemed that they shared the same family values and wanted the same things from life. She had had a positive feeling afterwards. The second meeting had taken place at her parent’s house. They had tea again and asked more questions. The following day Faruq’s mother called Nadia’s mother and asked for Nadia’s parent’s approval for Faruq marrying Nadia. They had had a celebration dinner that evening.
The door behind Nadia opened. Her sister walked in. You ready?’ She asked. ‘You look stunning!’
Nadia smiled. ‘Thank you. I have to look the best on the day that starts the rest of my life.’
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More stories by Pakistani women can be found at:
http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/48440/
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