hassiehidaya
"You will not go to university. You don't qualify, so don't even think you stand a chance," she said venomously, her words cutting through the heavy morning air. "That boy is just giving you false hopes. He will sleep with you and dump you. Men like him will always choose girls like Clara, not maids like you."
I stood rooted to the paved compound. The broom I was holding slid from my hands, clattering against the cold concrete. As she turned her back to walk away, something inside me snapped.
"Mom!" I called out, my voice steadying. "You're lying. I am worthy of everything. The education, the good clothes, and a bright future, just like Clara. Your precious Clara."
For the first time in seven long years, I felt like I was finally breaking free of the handcuffs that had bound my wrists. I walked slowly up to where she stood, matching the same icy coldness she had inflicted on me all these years.
"What did I ever do to you?" I asked, the pain finally giving way to fierce determination. "What did Dad do to you? Why did you change so much? Why do you hate me this much? I am your daughter, your only biological child. Not Clara! Dad loved you so much. Why did you change?"
I moved closer, leaning in until I was inches away from her face, and whispered, "I'm leaving with Hashim. I don't care if he loves me or not. I will go back to school, and remember this, Mother: I will be the engineer Dad always wanted me to be. I am done serving as a maid in your perfect marriage."
Turning on my heel, I walked briskly back into the house toward my room, leaving her standing frozen in the middle of the empty compound. I was sure of one thinng, I was done.
After her father's death, Hadijja lost everything , her home, her peace, her freedom, her youth, her education and her mother's love. Her mother being married to a wealth single dad, she seees Hadijja as the baggagge that follows her in her successful marriage.
Does Hadijja survive the cruelty ?