By Taufeeqa Hanief
She woke to the sound of her grandfather’s screaming his shrill cries ricocheted off the four walls of her messed bedroom and flew straight into her heart.It was so loud that it pierced through her brain and instantly made it begin to throb.
She yanked her favorite fleece blanket over her head as the tears started to roll down her pink puffy cheeks.
In the room adjacent to her_, she could hear the racket of her weird grandfather fighting once again, it was always the same all that she heard were screams the sound blurred until she was numb.
She knew she could not leave her bedroom or else she would end up experiencing the wrath of their anger so instead she sat with her head on her knees helpless, she pulled the blanket around her shivering frame in the pathetic hope that it would somehow sheild her from this miserable existence, although she knew that it wouldn’t No! Leave them out of this, ” Her father cried” It’s not their fault!
She stifled a sob as she clapped her hands against her ears in a desperate attempt to drown out the noise, but she knew that she was being stupid. This agnoy would never leave her.
The screams were closer now _ insistent, outside her bedroom her chest and she felt as if she could vomit at any moment. She jumped back and kicked hit her head on the filthy cement wall of her private comfort zone as her grandfather kicked into the lobby, stumbling inside she poked her head out from the door of her room.
Her unstable grandfather forced her father onto the wooden floor until he was nearly shocked and unconscious, tears seeping om a ultitude of open eyes.
Then he (grandfather) turned to her and his eyes were so weird, his words were so harsh and she screamed and cried but in the hatred that inhibited her world, her screams were silent. He walked towards her with malice in his step, and she closed her eyes as she anticipated the searing pain that she had grown so accustomed to.
“No please”
Ahhn! She woke up dipping with sweat, she threw her hands over her face and exhaled in a pointless attempts to calm her racing mind. It has been over one year since she get up and moving to washroom and yet the nightmare still haunted her every night.
She stepped into the grabby bathroom of her bedroom apartment and started into the smudged up mirror at her mascara streaked face.
After taking a long hard look at the lost, afraid girl with the big emerald eyes lost in a mess of thick, sticky lashes. She pulled her tangled black hair out her eyes and splashed a handful of cold water over her face. ” Good Morning “, she mumbled to herself before heading back to her single bed.
Running her fingers through her messy hair, she pulled her favorite blanket over her lap.
Suddenly she glowered at her alarm clock, oh no! It was already ten o’clock_ time to head out to work.
It didn’t matter anyway_ in her sordid line of job, they liked the women to be young, strong and wild. She threw on a black long gown ( abaya), with silver tank scarf and her fav. belly and then grabbed her bag and cell phn and called her friend.
Alas! It was the selfsame alarm that used to woke her up every single morn. Ahh! While everyone set alarm yet she and her parents always woke up with a miserable call. As she left for her job with a hope that she will come out of her frightened state, but that seems never ending straggle.
And like this life goes on and on!
Author is pharmacist and writer can be contacted on taufeeqahanief@gmail.com