PEER E KAMIL

Untitled Part 50

̳Poor Imama Bibi!' exclaimed Nasira as she cleaned Salar's room. Salar
was organizing the papers, etc. on his writing table; he turned around to
look at her.
̳She got a really bad beating last night,' added Nasira, noticing his
attention.
̳Who got a beating?' Salar asked, arranging his books.
̳Imama Bibi, who else...' Salar stopped to look at Nasira. She continued
that her daughter had informed her that Hashim Mubeen had been very
violent with Imama.
Salar appeared amused. ̳Really? Very nice.'
Nasira couldn't fathom his remarks which were in English. Salar inquired
about the reason behind this episode. The maid was surprised by his
reaction and his sardonic smile—she did not expect this reaction.
According to her understanding of the relationship between them, Salar
should have been saddened but the situation was quite the opposite.
̳If poor Imama Bibi found out that Salar Saab was smiling at her plight,
she'll die of shock,' she thought.
̳Why else would her father be so furious,' she said aloud. ̳She refused to
marry Asjad Saab because she wanted to marry another boy.' Nasira
stressed on the last word and looked meaningfully at Salar.
̳That's all?' he remarked casually.
̳It's not an ordinary thing, sir. Their household is in an upheaval. The
wedding dates have been fixed, invitations sent out, and now Imama Bibi is
refusing stubbornly—so her father beat her up.'
̳That's no reason for such punishment,' he commented.  You may think so, but for them it is a very serious matter. I feel verysorry for Imama Bibi—such a nice, polite girl and now she's in such a
mess. Hashim Saab has locked her up at home. My daughter tells me that
she's in poor shape.'
Nasira went on about Imama's sad condition in the hope that, believing
her to be a sympathizer, Salar may reveal some secret. But he was no
one's fool and nor was he interested in Nasira's so-called sympathy. He
was not concerned about Imama's hardships and punishments but he did
find it amusing that in this day and age, there were people who would raise
their hand against grown-up offspring for defying them—and that too
people of Hashim Mubeen's status, rich, affluent. It was a revelation. Many
conflicting thoughts crossed his mind.
Nasira went on talking as she went about her work but Salar took no
notice of her words so she finally quietened down, rather disappointed. She
had never seen such indifference between lovers. ̳His reaction is so
peculiar—no distress, no anxiety, even after listening to all that Imama has
gone through. Perhaps she may also feel amused if he were to suffer a
similar fate,' Nasira wondered as she dusted a picture and put it back on
the shelf.
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The decision to leave home was the most difficult and most painful
decision of Imama's life, but she had no choice. She had no clue as to
where her father would take her or how he would dissolve her marriage to
get her married to Asjad. All she knew was the reality that once Hashim
Mubeen took her away somewhere else, she had no way out: he would
never kill her, but she preferred death to the kind of life she knew would be
her fate if she stayed on.
When her father left the room, Imama wept for a long time. Then, for the
first time, she took stock of her life, her situation. She had to get out of the
house before morning and find herself a safe place. ̳Safe place?' the
question arose in her mind and she thought of Jalal Ansar again. To her, he
was the only one who could give her that security in the real sense of the
word. ̳Perhaps, if he sees me in person, he may change his mind, his
attitude...perhaps, he'll be compelled to review his decision and give me
support and protection...perhaps his parents will have pity on me.'
A faint hope arose in her heart. Even if his parents did not help them, at
least she would be free to live her life the way she wanted to. ̳But the  question is how am I going to get out of here and where will I go?' She wasagitated and then she thought of Salar: if she could reach his house in
some way, he could help her out.
She called Salar on his mobile. It was switched off. She tried several
times but couldn't get through. She put down her mobile, and she put some
clothes and other things in a bag.
She had some jewelery and some money, which she also put in the bag.
Then she collected all her other valuables which she could easily carry and
which could fetch her ready cash. Finally, she shut her bag, changed her
clothes and prayed two nwafil.
Her heart was heavy and her whole being was engulfed in sadness and
despair. Even her tears did not provide her relief. After offering the nwafil,
she recited all the ayaat and surahs she could remember.
Imama took the bag, switched off the light and tiptoed out of her room.
Except for one light in the lounge, all the lights were off and it was quite
dark. She cautiously descended the stairs to the ground floor and made for
the kitchen, where it was pitch dark. Feeling her way in the kitchen, she got
to its door which opened on to the lawn where, at the rear end, some
vegetables were grown—the kitchen door was the only exit that was not
locked but just bolted. The door was not locked that night also. She quietly
opened it and exited. At some distance were the servants' quarters; very
cautiously, she walked across the lawn to the boundary wall separating her
house from Salar's. She quietly tossed her bag over the wall and, after
some effort, managed to scale the wall and get to the other side.
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