a
burqa
, covering her from head to toe. Surely it cannot be? I will see my father! He cannot dothis or let it happen.’ She turned to leave but her mother caught hold of her arm and pulled her back.
‘No, stop, Ruby! I have tried to persuade him, but it is no use. How can you succeed where I have failed? From this fate our Zarri Bano can never escape.’ Ruby watched her mother with horror dawning on her face by the second. ‘He has his traditions, his father and all his male relatives to support him,’ Shahzada continued fiercely.
‘But Mother, why are they doing this?’ Ruby was now trembling with fear and rage.
‘Don’t you understand?’ Shahzada’s voice dripped with sarcasm. ‘Don’t you yet know that your sister is to be tied to these rotten fields of sugar cane around our property?’ At this Shahzada broke down.
‘Are you saying that my sister is to be wedded to our
zemin
– she is not allowed to get married,
ever
?’ Ruby gasped. ‘But Zarri Bano doesn’t need our wealth. Sikander can provide well for her.’
‘Ruby, my darling Ruby, listen to me. Zarri Bano is your father’s heiress. She cannot escape from that role, or from her inheritance. The two are forever entwined. It is only by taking on the role of Holy Woman that she can become the legitimate heiress …’ Shahzada stopped, staring wide-eyed at the open door, as Habib’s shadow fell across the floor.
He read the scene in one glance. Ruby’s accusing glare; her mouth half open ready to shout at him, his wife’s restraining pinch on her arm from behind, stopping her. Ruby then turned and glared at her mother, Shahzada signalling with her eyes to calm down. ‘So Ruby knows as well.’ Habib came heavily into the room. A tall, stiff figure, he stood by the bed and looked down at his eldest daughter, lying motionlessbefore him. He felt low. A novel experience, for him to be so estranged from his family.
‘Please, Shahzada and Ruby, will you leave? I wish to be alone with Zarri Bano,’ he requested. Shahzada made no move to leave.
‘Please do as I say!’ he ordered. ‘I am her father. I love her too. Don’t treat me like a leper. Do not usurp or undermine my authority.’
The iron timbre of his voice immediately prompted Shahzada into laying her daughter’s head back on the pillow and pulling an angry Ruby out of the room behind her. Only years of filial duty and respect for parents and elders had prevented Ruby from shouting back at her father and venting her rage openly on him.
Habib watched them leave. Sighing, he turned to look down at his daughter. Zarri Bano was still staring into space. Bending down, he lifted her head and cradled it in the crook of his arm. Almost squatting on the cold marble floor, Habib gently turned Zarri Bano’s face towards him. Smoothing away the curly wisps of hair from behind her ears, he whispered, ‘Look at me, my beloved daughter. Do not shut me out!’
At his firm, quiet tone Zarri Bano’s eyes lifted to his face.
‘Thank you, my beautiful princess.’ He caressed her cheek the way he used to when she was a little girl, and used to fall asleep in his lap. Once she was grown up, propriety dictated that they just talked, or at the most he kissed the top of her head. What he had always wanted to do was to caress her beautiful dimpled cheek, especially when she laughed and smiled teasingly at him. Today he wanted to communicate with her pain, on a level which did away with propriety.
Zarri Bano continued to look at him. All of a suddeneverything came jolting back like a black cloud and she hid her face from him.
Habib stood up, letting his arms fall to his side. No matter how he tried to pretend to himself, the rejection hurt.
‘Forgive me, Zarri Bano, but it won’t be that bad,’ he told her. ‘I have no choice …’
Zarri Bano stared at her father in horror. Habib saw the look of a trapped animal in her eyes.
‘Of course you have a choice!’ she told him. ‘Every human
burqa
, covering her from head to toe. Surely it cannot be? I will see my father! He cannot dothis or let it happen.’ She turned to leave but her mother caught hold of her arm and pulled her back.
‘No, stop, Ruby! I have tried to persuade him, but it is no use. How can you succeed where I have failed? From this fate our Zarri Bano can never escape.’ Ruby watched her mother with horror dawning on her face by the second. ‘He has his traditions, his father and all his male relatives to support him,’ Shahzada continued fiercely.
‘But Mother, why are they doing this?’ Ruby was now trembling with fear and rage.
‘Don’t you understand?’ Shahzada’s voice dripped with sarcasm. ‘Don’t you yet know that your sister is to be tied to these rotten fields of sugar cane around our property?’ At this Shahzada broke down.
‘Are you saying that my sister is to be wedded to our
zemin
– she is not allowed to get married,
ever
?’ Ruby gasped. ‘But Zarri Bano doesn’t need our wealth. Sikander can provide well for her.’
‘Ruby, my darling Ruby, listen to me. Zarri Bano is your father’s heiress. She cannot escape from that role, or from her inheritance. The two are forever entwined. It is only by taking on the role of Holy Woman that she can become the legitimate heiress …’ Shahzada stopped, staring wide-eyed at the open door, as Habib’s shadow fell across the floor.
He read the scene in one glance. Ruby’s accusing glare; her mouth half open ready to shout at him, his wife’s restraining pinch on her arm from behind, stopping her. Ruby then turned and glared at her mother, Shahzada signalling with her eyes to calm down. ‘So Ruby knows as well.’ Habib came heavily into the room. A tall, stiff figure, he stood by the bed and looked down at his eldest daughter, lying motionlessbefore him. He felt low. A novel experience, for him to be so estranged from his family.
‘Please, Shahzada and Ruby, will you leave? I wish to be alone with Zarri Bano,’ he requested. Shahzada made no move to leave.
‘Please do as I say!’ he ordered. ‘I am her father. I love her too. Don’t treat me like a leper. Do not usurp or undermine my authority.’
The iron timbre of his voice immediately prompted Shahzada into laying her daughter’s head back on the pillow and pulling an angry Ruby out of the room behind her. Only years of filial duty and respect for parents and elders had prevented Ruby from shouting back at her father and venting her rage openly on him.
Habib watched them leave. Sighing, he turned to look down at his daughter. Zarri Bano was still staring into space. Bending down, he lifted her head and cradled it in the crook of his arm. Almost squatting on the cold marble floor, Habib gently turned Zarri Bano’s face towards him. Smoothing away the curly wisps of hair from behind her ears, he whispered, ‘Look at me, my beloved daughter. Do not shut me out!’
At his firm, quiet tone Zarri Bano’s eyes lifted to his face.
‘Thank you, my beautiful princess.’ He caressed her cheek the way he used to when she was a little girl, and used to fall asleep in his lap. Once she was grown up, propriety dictated that they just talked, or at the most he kissed the top of her head. What he had always wanted to do was to caress her beautiful dimpled cheek, especially when she laughed and smiled teasingly at him. Today he wanted to communicate with her pain, on a level which did away with propriety.
Zarri Bano continued to look at him. All of a suddeneverything came jolting back like a black cloud and she hid her face from him.
Habib stood up, letting his arms fall to his side. No matter how he tried to pretend to himself, the rejection hurt.
‘Forgive me, Zarri Bano, but it won’t be that bad,’ he told her. ‘I have no choice …’
Zarri Bano stared at her father in horror. Habib saw the look of a trapped animal in her eyes.
‘Of course you have a choice!’ she told him. ‘Every human
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