Married Without Love novel Chapter 21

||Mishal's POV||

~Before Mishal's & Zayaan's Nikkah~

I set the table quickly and quietly before pa entered the dining hall for lunch and started yelling or screaming at me. He was very punctual and always wanted the whole dining table set with the dishes before his and my brother's arrival.

I put the last dish on the table and silently went back to the kitchen to disappear myself. I sat down on the floor in the corner of the kitchen and opened my book. I was revising for my last exam which I had the next day.

Pa didn't know that I was going outside the house to give my exams but Numan knew about it because he was the one who dropped and picked me from my college without pa knowing.

He was also the one teaching me everything. I smiled as I remembered the day when Numan surprised me by buying my books instead of his new mobile.

“Mishu, I can buy mobile anytime or wait till next month for a pocketbook but you can't buy new books anytime or wait till pa agrees. My sister's education is my number one priority right now. Study well and rock your brother's name.” This was what he said to me.

I was so happy that day and promised him to study well. I looked down at my book and revised all the courses. When I heard the footsteps in the dining hall, I quickly closed my book and hid it in one of the cabinets.

I went out of the kitchen and entered the dining hall just as pa and Numan sat on the chairs. I quickly served them and stood in the corner in case they needed something.

“Girl, come here and served my son more,” Pa ordered me, pointing at Numan's plate.

I was always a girl for him but Numan was always his son for him. Sometimes, I thanked the Lord above for not giving him one more daughter. I never wanted any other girl to go through what I was going through since birth.

“I am not hungry and you know I don't eat that much,” Numan said, quickly before I walked to him.

“When I was your age, I ate more than you and was strong enough to fight against ten or move the tractor with my muscles,” Pa told him, proudly.

Numan didn't say anything and kept eating slowly. I knew why because he always ate with us after pa was done. Like us, he also hated this rule that females eat after the men of the house.

Pa thoughts were always ancient. He always thought like the uneducated ancestors from the 60's or maybe 90's.

Once pa was done eating, he walked out of the dining hall to the other big hall. Numan quickly helped me to take all the dishes and plates to the kitchen. We both washed the dishes together with siblings conservation.

“Give me ma's lunch. I will take it to her room,” Numan said in a low voice.

I nodded my head and gave him a tray of food for ma and also for him because I knew he must be hungry. Ma always had her meal in her room and ate lonely but Numan always made sure ma never ate lonely.

“Mishu, please you eat, too. You have an important and last exam tomorrow for which you have to eat or else your brain will not work due to hunger,” Numan told me, Sternly.

“OK, bro,” I said with a smile and watched him walking out of the kitchen and made sure pa didn't catch him.

I put a little rice in a plate with gravy on it. I took my book out of the cabinet and sat back in the corner. I studied and ate in the silence.

• • •

I sneaked out of my house and ran to the side of the road where Numan always waited for me. I saw him sitting in his car and waiting for me. I quickly got in his car and looked at him. He started his car and pulled it on the road.

“You have everything right?” He asked me with a side glance.

I nodded my head with a smile and looked in my bag once again to check everything. I had everything with me which made me more relaxed but the tension of the exam wasn't calming down.

“We reached!” Numan informed me.

“Best of luck!” He wished me as I got out of his car.

“Thank you,” I whispered and went inside the college.

After giving my exam, I sat outside under the shadow of the tree and was waiting for Numan. Suddenly, a passing car stopped one feet away from me but it reversed back and stopped in front of me.

My breath hitched when I noticed it was pa's car. I stood up slowly and looked at the car with wide eyes which held fear in them. The passenger door opened and I stared at pa who was looking straight ahead with the stone cold face.

“Sit inside,” His cold voice startled me.

I saw one more car stopped in front of pa's car which made me more scared. The door of the other car opened and Numan stepped out of the car. His face also had the same fear as me and he looked at me with a scared face.

“I said sit inside the car,” Pa's loud voice boomed which made me jump.

I looked at pa who was glaring at Numan and was ready to kill someone. I gulped and got in the car dejectedly and nervously. I didn't know what would happen now.

If I was caught alone then I wouldn't have to fear for Numan but now I was scared to death for my brother.

Once we reached home, pa got out of the car and went inside the house without any word, leaving me alone in the car. I slowly got out of the car and looked at Numan who stood beside me.

“I am afraid,” I whispered, quietly.

“I will not let anything happen to you,” He said, softly and held my hand.

He squeezed my hand gently with a smile and I smiled back at him. I didn't know what I would do without his support. Allah gave me a beautiful and blessing gift as a brother.

We both slowly went inside the house and didn't hear anything. The whole house was drowned in silence and pa was not in sight.

“Is this silence a sign of storm?” I asked looking around the hall in nervousness.

“Maybe,” He replied in a whisper.

• • •

I set the table quickly and nervously. Every two seconds later, my eyes moved to the entrance of the dining hall in fear. Once the table was set, I quickly rushed away to vanish somewhere. I ran back to my room and sat against the wall.

I startled when the door knocked and jumped up quickly. I stared at the door in fear and slowly walked to it. I opened the door and sighed when I saw it was a servant.

While I stood in the bewildered state, he also pulled my bags out of his car and put them beside me. He put the cash in my free hands forcefully and climbed back in his car with the three bitter words of divorce and took off.

I looked down at my hands which had a letter, an envelope, divorce papers and cash. One by one, my tears fell on them because I had nowhere to go now. I remembered the cold words of pa which he said to me before my Nikkah.

“Drink your tears or suck them back. If you ever want to return back home then straight go to the cemetery. The doors of this house are closed for you permanently.”

I looked down at the divorce papers and put them in the front zip of my suitcase and took my both suitcases inside the station. I sat on the bench and removed my gold jewelry which was earrings, necklace, two bracelets, and a ring.

I also put them in the same zip of my suitcase and looked down at the letter and envelope. I opened the letter and my eyes filled with tears on seeing the handwriting of my brother.

Dear sister,

I am sorry I failed to become the best brother in your life. I should have fought for you more. I should have stood in front of pa for you. But I didn't. I am helpless and now feel more helpless and weak.

I don't know if I can ever meet you in the future or not because I know the meaning of marriage in our family and area. Remember one thing, I may not be a part of your life anymore but I am giving you something which may help you in future.

The envelope in your hands has some money in it. Consider it a gift from your brother and also from ma. Ma wanted to meet you before your Nikkah but because of pa, she couldn't. She wanted to hug her daughter but she was helpless just like me. I promise you, Mishu, I will take care of ma.

And about that money, ma wants you to accept it and have it. Because no one knows when you need them.

‛And if you ever think your husband is not good or is just like pa then don't hesitate to run away from him and settle somewhere else with the help of this money.’ ~Ma words.

Ma doesn't want you to repeat her mistake and be bound with a cruel man. Run away from him when he starts treating you ill and start your new life with the help of your education.

I know my sister is strong and she will face every obstacle bravely.

A helpless brother of a strong sister,

Numan.

I sobbed silently and hugged the letter. My brother was not helpless for me because he just helped me in this tough hour of my life. His letter just gave me a new hope to start my new life with his and ma's help. I wiped my tears and looked down at the envelope and opened it.

That was not just some money, it was a lot of money. I took a deep breath and closed the envelope and also put it in the suitcase along with the letter. I looked around at the station and saw there were few people who were waiting for the next train.

I slowly stood up and went to see the schedule. The next train was coming in one hour and would head to Multan. I bought a ticket from the money which my brother gave me and donated the money which my ex-husband gave me. I donated all his money in a box near the schedule because I didn't want any penny from a man who just ruined my life.

I couldn't go back to my house because of two reasons; one, due to my pa and two, in our village, females are not allowed to return home from an unsuccessful marriage if they come back then their families burn them.

A cruel village. With cruel thoughts.

I went to the washroom with my suitcases and washed my face to remove all the makeup. I unpinned my dupatta and wrapped it around my shoulders after adjusting it on my head. Then I went to the waiting room and sat there till the train arrived.

. . . . . . . . . .