The Fallen Widow

Chapter 29: Widow Maker

The calmness of the haveli was too good to be true, despite the disapprovement of their new queen, the maids grudgingly followed her orders without showing apprent disrespect. They whispered in the bowels of the haveli for Shahgul to return, the real queen of the haveli. As so their prayers and whispers had been answered. Shahgul's loyalty with staff and maids was thick, they provided her with a safe passage to return to the haveli after a four month exodus.

Dressed in a plain white dress, with a matching ivory chador, Shahgul entered the haveli after the midday meal, walking in unnoticed like a thief in the night. Her heart punctuated with wails of sadness, it felt like a decade since she stepped a foot in her courtyard. The maids noticed her arrival and watched from the distance, not acknowledging, nor welcoming her worried they'd upset the leader.
"Choudhary saab will be angry when he sees her." They whispered amongst themselves. Gently, she made her way towards the hookah bettak, regretting her decision to unite with Muzzamil; the worst decision she made her life. Shahgul ignored the cutting eyes, and sharp tongues, despite trying to whisper they made sure Shahgul heard. The memories flooded back with Dilwar-Baksh smoking the pipe whilst barking orders at the villagers. She sat beside him as he made the decisions, she had some influence. Now, she had none. She was a widow banished to the darkness.

It was Malaikah who was alerted and rushed into the bettak. She'd visited her mother in her banished hut; it was no more than a hut. Malaikah instantly made her way to her mother and embraced her; they held each other for a few seconds.
"How are you, ammi?" Malaikah asked her mother. She was different. Shahgul held an empty stare, a coldness that she shivered. Her face pale and skin clear. She couldn't look at her daughter. Their conversation at the hut broke her heart. The daughter who lost her father before he died. They failed her.
"How did you get here?" Malikah asked. "Do you want something to eat? Take a seat."

Shahgul wasn't interested in anything. She remained standing and demanded to see her son.

"Where is he?"

"Ammi, he's still angry with you. What are you going to say to him?"

"Leave that to me, puthar." She was staunch. Her body rigid like she was ready to go into battle, rather than bow and ask for forgiveness.

"Where is he? Call him here." Shahgul repeated.

"He's rarely away from his wife." Mailikah commented. "He's sickly in love."

Shahgul didn't want to hear anything. Staring at the doorway she asked Mailakah to call him. There was something important she wanted to announce.

Arriving from the lands half an hour later, Shah Nawaz's body turned rigid with anger on hearing his mother was at the haveli.
"Who gave her the permission to return?" He remarked and made his way at speed to the haveli. As Uzayr drove cutting around the corners sharply, Shah Nawaz's blood boiled with anger. Time was not a healer. In fact, it simply silenced the pain for a while but now his mother bought him to face the pain.

Making his was inside the bettak, his heart pounded with anger. She was back. He saw her standing by his father's portrait; the black widow. He marched into the room making his presence heard. Shahgul turned to face him, but Shah Nawaz couldn't look at her face.
"What are you doing here?" He turned his back on her, holding his hands behind his back. Was she here to apologise? To beg for forgiveness? Maybe he could allow her back, but no. He wrestled with his thoughts.

Shahgul made her way to Shah Nawaz, her eyes filled with tears but she held them back.
"Puthar-" She softly spoke and placed her hand on his shoulder. Quickly, he shrugged her off.

"What do you want?" He met her softness with harshness, unable to look at her or to bear her touch. "There is no place for you at this haveli."

"Puthar-" She called him again.