BismiLlāh Ar-rahmān Ar-rahmān This is a piece every parent needs to read. A true life story with slight alteration, which makes it A FACT...
BismiLlāh Ar-rahmān Ar-rahmānThis is a piece every parent needs to read. A true life story with slight alteration, which makes it A FACTION.
Warning: Readers discretion advised.
THE SCOURGE
1. (A glimpse)
Just come here!, You this foolish and ruinous boy. Hameedah!!, bring me the wire in my room now!. If you children intend to kill me, then I will be the one to send you to your grave first. Hameedah!, Won't you do quick before it bounces back on you now?.
Here it is ma'am. Hameedah handed her the cane.
Just prostrate, I need your back and your bumbum.
Yee! Please mummy!, it was a mistake!, I didn't drop it intentionally!, Please! My body aches!. Adam cried out.
Welcome to my home, the home of fury, where every slight mistake resulted into a merciless beating or punishment. That's my Mum, I call her goddess of beating, I don't know if hand always hitched her or something, my brother had just been beaten because the remote fell from his hand, funnily, the remote was still even intact, it didn't break.
Oh my God! You sure have a lot of tears to waste, Adam that was beaten self had stopped crying, and you are here sympathizing him. Hameedah sneered.
Please just leave me alone, I don't want your trouble this evening. I replied.
Ehyah! Sorry good Samaritan!. She giggled and left.
That's who I used to be for you, I was created with a flexible, soft and tender heart, I became emotional easily, I hated it so much if my elders were beaten, it struck my heart. As the youngest, I wasn't left out as well, I remember the day I accidentally spilled water on the kitchen's tiles, the slap I received that day almost got my brain restored, I went giddy for seconds before I was back.
My Dad had gone on a business trip for days, we were just lucky that mum had to come home earlier that day, Oops! did I just say Lucky?!. The times we spent with our parents were always miserable, especially Mum, she would always find fault and see a reason for you to be flogged, we'd prefer their absence.
They say: "Bird of the same feathers flock together". Mum and Dad were just too compatible, if mum could be goddess of beating then my dad was god of punishment.
Hameedah! Hameedah! My Dad called.
Yes Daddy, I'm here. She answered.
So, you've become insolent to the extent of you counting my calls? Dad said angrily.
No sir! I dare not, I only answered when I heard you calling sir. She said timidly.
So where are the clothes I asked you to wash?. Said Dad.
Oops! I'm really sorry sir, I forgot to tell you the washing machine was faulty. Hameedah replied.
Oh my goodness! So you haven't washed it? Just kneel down there!, I need to lend you some senses. Dad became so furious.
Could you believe what my Dad did?, he stripped a whole grown up lady naked, he cut her and laced the cuts with pepper. Don't be surprise, that's how horrible my parents could be.
My name is Dhikrah, the last daughter of the family of three. Hameedah was the oldest, followed by Adam. We had quite a huge age difference between us. Even though we were given Islamic names, we never had a clue of what Islam was all about, we only celebrated Eid and that's all. My parents as you would have caught a glimpse were extremely strict, they instilled phobia in us, especially myself, each time they came, we pretended to be asleep. They spent most of their times out with their businesses, they never gave us quality time, and each time they did, we ended up been punished or beaten. They owed us no warmly chats, advices, encouragements, it's rather the opposite. What they thought they owe us in their pretty minds were just victuals and shelter. We lived with them like strangers, even orphans were better than us,If not for the apparent resemblance, we would have thought we were adopted, With these love never reign amidst we kids either.In the street, everyone tagged them weirdos because of their strictness and unapproachability.
Mu-mm-y! I stammered
Say what you want, and stop stammering. She shouted at me
The fear upsurged, I didn't know what to say any further.
I said you should talk!, have I carried fire on my head?, And don't waste my time you could see I'm already on my way. She said angrily.
I was trembling like a cold chick, I finally mustered up courage.
We have PTA meeting tomorrow ma, and they said our parents must come or else we would be a scape goat. I said with my voice waxing and waning.
So, I should abandon my business because of that?!, When they finish using you as a scape goat, you will still be used as a scape dog, you should have got used to that by now!, Just get lost from my sight. She scolded.
I ran to a corner and wept. I despised talking to my parents, they made life a hell for us, only God knows the wrong we've done to deserve such antipathy and ill treatment...
Mubārakah Bint Imrān
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