An Arranged Marriage - Episode 2

 

I wait until we are inside before turning to papa.

"Papa.." I begin, my voice trembling after that hideous dinner, those hideous men, the promise of pain they had in their eyes.

The things I will pass through in thier hands.

"It's late Anadia, go to bed"

"Papa, you mustn't make me marry that man, I do not want to"

"It's late Anadia, bed" he says, as if not wanting to talk about him selling me to the highest bidder. 

"Papa, please, I do not want to get married, I want to dance, to play, I want to be free"

"You will get to do those things in your husband's house" He says, finally addressing the issue.

"Don't you see papa? That man is too old for me, I don't love him"

"You will love him when you get married, you are still a child, you know nothing of love" He says, his voice rising, I can hear my sisters at the stairs

"But papa.."

"Anadia.. Go to bed"

He says, turning, dismissing me, so I say softly.

"Mama wouldn't want this for me" the blow comes very fast, like I had expected, expecting it and feeling it are two different things, it hurts.

I sprawl on the floor, I hear my sisters gasp, someone whimpers, must be Aroofa. 

He turns, the edge of his boot hitting my thigh, I whimper. 

"You do not question me girl, I am your father" A blow for every word. 

I curl up, the pain making my vision blur.

It must be the wine he had for dinner, or the extra shot he took before leaving because papa raises his boots and steps on my fingers. 

My fingers. 

My fingers. 

My fingers. 

My playing fingers.

I whimper, the sob breaking through. 

He kicks me again, in frenzy, a rush, I roll, my hip cracking on the hallway table. 

I hope Anaya has taken Aroos and Aroofa far away, I hope. 

He stops, pulling back, stumbling away and Anaya is there, in my vision, through the pain I see the bruise marring her cheek and my heart caves in, he must have hit her too. 

Aroos is watching, Aroofa in her arms, crying. 

"G. . G.

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. Go" I say, my voice cracking, they have to go to thier room, they can't see me like this, in case he comes back. 

"I'm calling an ambulance" Anaya says, her hands grabbing for the hallway phone, it must have clattered to the ground when I hit the table.

"You can't" I say, through mouth full of blood 

"You can't be like this Anadia, I'm calling an ambulance no matter what you say" She says, I don't argue with her, I just curl into myself, feeling my heart shrivelling up and dying. 

"They will be here in 5"Anaya says and I must have drifted because I did not hear her conversation with them. 

" You.. You mustn't tell the.. police "I say, before the darkness swallows me. 

***

Glaring lights wake me up and I groan, my eyes flying open, going to my very, very bandaged hands,fingers held by peg like thingies. 

I begin to panic, oh God, no please, my hands. 

The door opens and a female doctor steps in, looking at a chart on her hand. 

"Good to see you awake Nadia" She says and I almost tell her it's not Anadia not Nadia, papa hates that name. 

"You've been in a drug induced coma for 2 days, your body slowly healing, I'm grace and I'm your doctor" She says but I can't summon anything to say. 

"The police are out there, waiting, so you must talk to me Nadia, I'm here to help, we spoke to your sisters but they were tight-lipped, so you must tell me what happened to you" 

I look into her eyes, seeing the compassion there, the will to help, I see all of it but I'm too wake, I make the wrong decision. 

"I fell, down the stairs, I rolled, hit my body" I say and her eyes shut down, disappointment shining in them. 

"You must rethink your decision Nadia" she says again. 

"I fell" I say, tears stinging my eyes. 

I might be 20 but my sisters, Aroos and Aroofa, they are 16,they will be taken away from me if  I tell social services, they will be taken away, I can't let that happen. 

The doctor nods. 

"We must thank God that you survived, no lasting damages, you should be good as new in a month, your hands and everything"  she says as if knowing my hands means a lot to me. 

But I shake my head. 

"No, no, my hands, my leg, they hurt too much, I must have broken them, I need extensive rehabilitation" I say, beseechingly, pleading with my eyes. 

She watches me, not saying anything, turning away to leave the room. 

She exits. 

I wait, I don't know for how long but the door opens and Anaya is there, leading Aroos and Aroofa. 

I try to seat up, it's easy. 

Aroofa runs into my arms. 

"I'm glad you are okay Nady, I was so scared." 

"I'm okay, I'm fine" I say, stroking her hair, Aroofa is the most softest of us all, the baby, the youngest. 

"The doctor says you were hurt too badly, you might never dance or play again" Anaya says and my eyes flick to her too knowing one's, older to her by a year she might as well be my mother. 

My heart shutters, the doctor had helped me getting what I meant. 

"Oh Anadia, you must be so sad" Aroofa says and I nod, turning to her, smiling wanly. 

"Papa is besides himself in anger, he's outside, Anaya refused to let him in" Aroos says and my eyes go to the closed door, before going to Anaya, only my strong willed sister can keep my father outside a room, my eyes go to the bruise on her cheeks, fading it might be but still prominent. 

"Thank You" I say, they don't respond, knowing that I'm thanking them for too much, for not saying anything but they understand, they understand perfectly well. 

AN

Thank you so much for reading. 

Have a wonderful evening 

And thanks for all the comments today.