Imperious

Chapter 15

But if their intention is firm for divorce, Allah heareth and knoweth all things. (Quran 2:227)

Falak placed the phone onto the receiver after having engaged in a detailed conversation with Parissa.

The last prayer of the day had been observed, yet Nafeesa was nowhere to be found. Her rowdy departure from school had sparked conflict in the household. Farasat and Sarwat Begum were infuriated by her senseless behaviour, Zubeda being held accountable. Iqtidar handed his sermons on the girls' behaviour, marking out the shortcomings in Parissa and Mehrisa. Ghazala pitched in with her remarks, Deema Begum stood for defence. Sahm's rowdy behaviour was remarked upon, and comments were lashed out at Juwad's performance in school. A heated argument had taken place. Parissa claimed there had never been such disharmony in the Manor, not even during Sadia's final days. Zubeda's was slipping into a depressive spell again and as a consequence Inaya was immediately placed in the care of Marwah. The entire Jatoi household had been plunged into a state of disarray.

She clutched her aching head.

Adham had sent out a group of men to aid the Jatois in their search. But Nafeesa could still not be traced. And Farasat was not permitted to trespass the Rasool Residence without the permission of the local police authority, but the Jatois could not bring themselves to publicly announce that their daughter had been kidnapped. The shame had stiffened them.

Falak flung her face into her hands and wept.

There were no stable arrangements for the nurturing of Inaya. Nafeesa had not been found, her mother was emotionally unstable and the Manor's peace, in tatters. She ran her fingers through her hair and glanced at the staircase before her. They were only being pushed further and further down in life. Rising from Sadia's murder was proving to be difficult. The fear of losing Nafeesa to their cousins, concerned her and she sat in the corner suite, convincing herself that everything would be okay.

Adham was reconsidering the divorce, now that days had passed by. Her days here were numbered. But now, upon hearing about Nafeesa, Falak was finding it difficult to cope with the idea again.

Would her mother be able to handle another misfortune? Three of her five daughters, destroyed within a month of each other?

Zubeda had never been excessively protective over her daughters, exposing them to evils moderately and in accordance to their age. Mentally and emotionally, she tailored them for the best and the worst, engraining them with the belief that God was merciful and that if they turned to Him, He would heal them. However, Falak doubted her mother would have much to say on this occasion. Although she prayed, it was half-hearted, and when a sympathiser said 'God will make it all better', she glanced at them neutrally. Her mother was a strong and complacent woman, but her patience had been tested. She had picked herself up, only to be knocked back down again.

Moreover, the abduction would prove to be scandalous news if leaked. No one raised an eye to the Jatoi women, let alone kidnap them. The preservation of their dignity was a responsibility that the men had taken very seriously. To find themselves failing in it, was mortifying. The issues Nafeesa's abduction would cause were endless.

Falak desperately wished to approach Adham regarding the matter, but he was out. The best part of his afternoon was spent aiding the search for Nafeesa. By the evening, he left for an emergency and had not returned since.

Falak knew that she would have to suppress her thoughts and assumptions and find another way around this quandary.

But then there was the society to think of. Her village society.