Not Since Then

Zaira

This was so not what I imagined living alone to be like.

When Mama and Baba actually allowed me to move in to an  apartment an entire country away from them, I was baffled. My parents, the most conservative and traditional Pakistanis I know, actually allowed me, their only daughter, to live away from them, alone. That was one of the things I never even tried to think of. Like, this is my parents we're talking about! I was so shocked and happy that I hugged everyone in my sight!

Until I found out their plan.

They devised an extremely sneaky and backstabbing plan to let me live alone, in whichever way I want to, for an year, as a bloody compromise so that I would get married to whomever they tell me to, as soon as the year is over. I was not surprised. I was just disappointed that my whole family was ready to destroy my life. I felt betrayed by my entire family.

Well, not all of them. Everyone except Mehar, my eldest brother's wife. And Zain. They were the only one who supported me when I said that I wanted to go off to university. But my parents were firm believers that a girl's place was within the four walls of her house.

There was no reason for them to refuse. I even got a scholarship. Sadly, that wasn’t enough for my parents. So they decided to marry me off.

I’m serious.

They thought that marriage would ‘tame’ me. They literally said that. Like I was an animal in need of domestication.

At first, I was a little offended they actually thought this low of me. That I would be forced into something I did not want, and wouldn’t even try to fight back. Maybe they wished I wouldn’t.

Hell! I fought back alright. As soon as I got my passport, I ran away from that hell. Mehar bought my airplane tickets and gave me some money. I wanted her to come with me, but she had her sons to think of. Zain couldn’t come either. He was trying to change my parents mind. But that was an impossible task.

So here I am, in an unknown city, with just five 50 Dirham bills. That would be enough for 2 weeks, I think. Therefore, I applied for all kinds of jobs. And guess what I got? I got a job at a company named Vivek Enterprises, as a cleaner.

I couldn’t exactly be picky at this situation. This guy, whose flat I’m living in, is asking 50 dirhams a day. It was the only place I got, with this pandemic going on and all. So I have enough money for barely 10 days, if I fast continuously. Then I’d have think of the hospital bills.

I groaned and put my head in my hands. This was so not going as I had planned. Maybe I was too reckless in this idea.

A knock on the door snapped me out of my reverie.

“Yeah?” I called.

The door opened and the guy, who's my landlord, came in.

“Hi.” He said awkwardly. I assessed him. Six and half foot tall with coal black eyes and light brown hair. He was an awkward giant. A good looking one though.

“Hello.”

“So, Mehar told me that you ran away.” He said bluntly.

I drew my eyebrows back on surprise at his words. “Yes, I did.”

“I don’t mean to intrude, but why?” He asked curiously.

“You did intrude.” I said curtly.

He stared at me for a while. I was beginning to be uncomfortable when he said, “Well, you’re a complete stranger and I don’t even know if you ran away from the police.”