Shabo was unusually pretty. It is probably not a good idea for a poor girl such as she was to be so beautiful. For it can create problems. Ever since she was a child, she had been hearing comments on how good looking she was. But those who made these comments never stopped short of going on further to say that although she was pretty, her beauty was no good to her. She was not able to get any education, she would have to work as a maid and she wont be able to marry a decent man in all likelihood.
While still drowned in her thoughts, she recalled how one of the drivers, almost three times her age had asked Salma to give Shabo to him in marriage. She recalled how the driver used to give scary and hungry looks to her everytime he saw her. Her breathing became a little faster as she remembered the night when there had been a death of a relative and all the people were out of the house, and the same driver had indecently approached her, tried to assualt her, only to be rescued by timely arrival of family back in the house.
She then thought about her childhood and how she had been traumatized emotionally. She remembered how the brother in law of the maid with whom she stayed tried to take the wrong advantage of her presence in the house. She could not clearly recall what happened exactly since she was too young a child at the time to understand everything but she knew the man had been doing something objectionable, since he would never do, whatever he used to do, in front of anyone else.
All these memories and many more were enough to scare away the sleep from Shabo's eyes. It was past mid-night and she was broad awake. This emotional baggage that she carried in her young heart was always with her, it never disturbed her so much as it did tonight. Perhaps there was something else to all this. Why in particular today was she so upset?
She took deep sighs every now and then at the recollection of a disturbing memory. Finally, she fell asleep.
She had a terrible nightmare. She dreamt that it was the wedding day of Sadat and all was going well. She was wearing the new dress which Saima had been kind enough to order for her. She was serving food to the guests when someone yelled behind her. "She is the one!" When she turned back, she saw a middle aged lady in high dudgeon to assault her. The woman grabbed Shabo's hair and struck her to the ground. She could hear the whole crowd shouting and cursing her with every bad name in the book.
When she woke up, she found herself drenched in sweat gasping for breath. She was intensely relieved that it had just been dream. Yet as she could not help fresh tears filling her sleepless eyes and rolling down her cheeks. The nightmare, although it was a nightmare, yet had a touch with her reality. As a matter of fact, there was definitely something wrong.
Shabo was unusually pretty. It is probably not a good idea for a poor girl such as she was to be so beautiful. For it can create problems. Ever since she was a child, she had been hearing comments on how good looking she was. But those who made these comments never stopped short of going on further to say that although she was pretty, her beauty was no good to her. She was not able to get any education, she would have to work as a maid and she wont be able to marry a decent man in all likelihood.
While still drowned in her thoughts, she recalled how one of the drivers, almost three times her age had asked Salma to give Shabo to him in marriage. She recalled how the driver used to give scary and hungry looks to her everytime he saw her. Her breathing became a little faster as she remembered the night when there had been a death of a relative and all the people were out of the house, and the same driver had indecently approached her, tried to assualt her, only to be rescued by timely arrival of family back in the house.
She then thought about her childhood and how she had been traumatized emotionally. She remembered how the brother in law of the maid with whom she stayed tried to take the wrong advantage of her presence in the house. She could not clearly recall what happened exactly since she was too young a child at the time to understand everything but she knew the man had been doing something objectionable, since he would never do, whatever he used to do, in front of anyone else.
All these memories and many more were enough to scare away the sleep from Shabo's eyes. It was past mid-night and she was broad awake. This emotional baggage that she carried in her young heart was always with her, it never disturbed her so much as it did tonight. Perhaps there was something else to all this. Why in particular today was she so upset?
She took deep sighs every now and then at the recollection of a disturbing memory. Finally, she fell asleep.
She had a terrible nightmare. She dreamt that it was the wedding day of Sadat and all was going well. She was wearing the new dress which Saima had been kind enough to order for her. She was serving food to the guests when someone yelled behind her. "She is the one!" When she turned back, she saw a middle aged lady in high dudgeon to assault her. The woman grabbed Shabo's hair and struck her to the ground. She could hear the whole crowd shouting and cursing her with every bad name in the book.
When she woke up, she found herself drenched in sweat gasping for breath. She was intensely relieved that it had just been dream. Yet as she could not help fresh tears filling her sleepless eyes and rolling down her cheeks. The nightmare, although it was a nightmare, yet had a touch with her reality. As a matter of fact, there was definitely something wrong.
(to be continued...)