Proposed In Kindergarten

Chapter-2 Her Struggles

Zuby's POV

Looking at my parent's photograph I wonder every morning why was I not with them on that dreadful night? Why did they let me sleepover at my friend's place? It would have been so good if I had also died with them in that accident. My life would not have been like it is now, but then I regret having such thoughts. I am sure that my Almighty's plans are the best. There is definitely a reason why I survived; it could be anything which I did not understand till now. But I guess it is faith in my Lord that I am surviving with these people and bravely facing their tortures. Yes I stay with my paternal uncle and his family since my parents passed away, or should I say they live in my house with me and behave as if they are doing me the biggest favor of my life by letting me stay in my own house. In the beginning after my parents demise my uncle convinced me that I should let him and his family stay with me as I cannot be left alone. It was with the passage of time that I realized their actual motive, my parents were well settled and my father had many commercial properties which he had given for rent. And my mum had her own boutique; all in all we were a financially sound family. My uncle and his family were good with me in the beginning or I guess it was all just a show, but after few months they started to emotionally and physically torture me. I was beaten up and threatened not to tell anyone about anything, though I am thankful that they let me finish my studies and now I have been working in my mum's boutique since the last three years. The boutique was shut down after my mother's death but I started it again after completing my degree in fashion designing. I quietly took in all the torture for a few reasons, one because I had hope that one day I will be pulled out of all this and two that I have no one else or nowhere else to go. May be I am a coward but that's how I am. I don't like being treated like this but I just can't speak up. Though one thing about myself that I love is that I don't mope over my fate all the time. I stay happy as much as I can, everybody knows me as happy go lucky girl. I don't want to see pity in people's eyes so I always have this 100 watt smile plastered on my face. There are just two people who actually know how lonely and broken I am from within, my two best friends Sagarika and Sagar. They are fraternal twins and we know each other since grade 3. We have been together since then and Sagarika and I also completed our fashion designing degree together. Sagar decided to study Law so he joined the law college. They have always been there for me in fact I am grateful to my uncle that he never stops me from socializing. Well the reason behind it is only that he does not want to spoil his reputation; people think he and his family are the best care taker in the whole wide world. I don't care to be honest; to be treated nicely is a dream which I have stopped dreaming of now.

Any way I better get ready now as it is already time for the Morning Prayer and then afterwards I will go for a walk. I love my morning routine and the fact that nobody stops me. Every day after the Fajir (Morning) prayer I go for a walk in a nearby park and come back after almost an hour, then I get bathe and get ready to leave for my boutique around 8 in the morning. I am actually an early riser and love to start early. The only good thing in this house now is that I am not burdened with household work, mainly because my aunt thinks that I might put them all in some sort of danger. Well I really don't understand that woman. Sometimes I feel why do they actually have to torture me, I can write everything on their name after all they are my only family. Urgghh! Why am I stuck with all these thoughts early morning I must hurry up?

Third Person POV

After performing her Morning Prayer Zuby changed into a comfy track pant, t-shirt and covered her head with her head scarf. She wore her joggers and left the house for the park. She walked for around 45 minutes then bought some rusks from the General Merchant shop nearby and fed her lot of stray dogs cum pets. Zuby was an animal lover and would feed or help any animal she saw, cats and dogs being her favorite. Once she reached home her aunt was in the kitchen preparing breakfast. As Zuby walked towards her room she was stopped by her aunt...