Opened Doors [COMPLETED]

The Brightest Sun- Part 3

Afghanistan has had a quite depressing history with regard to the constant wars between the rulers, most of whom don't actually belong to the nation itself. Even to this day, the Taliban rule has done nothing but bring more woes to the suffering masses. 
Back in 1996, when they first imposed their rule over the country, it was still recovering from its previous injuries. They did not just try to take over Afghanistan, but each and every Afghan. They took away every single liberty a woman had, from bringing them down to the status of stray animals to hiding every single part of their existence. They were expected to wear a burqa, leaving no part of their body bare, not even the eyes. No hospitals were there for them, not even for the pregnant. One shabby building with no, like absolutely no, medical facilities, only one nurse, and a doctor, who is forced to operate with her burqa on. The poor state of such a basic need for women, is concerning yet not unexpected. In fact, the men, most of them, actually support it, which again is not surprising.
It was in this building (I would not dare to call it a healthcare building, let alone a hospital), that Zalmai, Laila's son with Rasheed, was born. The delivery process was worse than you could imagine. No painkiller, was available for her, or rather any one. It was reserved for the men. Comming back to the birth of Zalmai, he was a pampered little boy- Loved, adored and cared by his father all the time. Laila hardly ever got the chance to spend time with him. Rasheed bought new clothes, new toys, even a television which was banned by the Taliban, just for Zalmai, in the black market, when they barely had enough to feed themselves. Rasheed's going out of his way to pamper his son could make anyone believe that he was the best father in the world, but let me tell you, that he is not. He completely resented his Daughter ever since she was born, and he never ceased to express that, even after Zalmai was born. He continued his abusive nature with Mariam and Laila, in front of Zalmai, and as anyone would expect, Zalmai was growing up to be just like his father. He spoke in a tone with the women in the house, threw tantrums even with the slightest of mistakes, just as his father. But the only thing different in him, was his love for his near and dear ones, and by that I mean his love for his sister, Aziza. 
Since the family was struggling so much to meet their basic needs on a regular basis during this cruel war, they thought of sending Aziza away. By them, I meant Rasheed. He had the audacity to send his daughter away to live on the footpath, or even just be alive? I bet, he did not care about that. Only when Aziza was sent into an orphanage, do we see Zalmai's care for his sister. He keeps asking Laila and Mariam, when his sister would return to play with him, and the innocence in his voice, makes their eyes water. They say, she will return soon. Soon, when the brightest sun rises again, and shines upon them.