I have watched many movies and TV serials where I’ve seen daughters and sisters being married off, but never have I felt the same sort of pain as I felt that day.
By Shaban Ali
It was 18th October when I reached my home. My parents were stressed about my sister’s impending marriage. I met my father and talked to him. His eyes welled up with tears of helplessness.
I’m the last son of my father. I was studying and could not help the family financially, while my two brothers support the family from their modest salary. For two years we had been struggling to arrange my sister’s marriage because it needed much money as people have made marriage unnecessarily complex and costly.
My father is a wood-cutter. That’s the job he has being doing for years. He was very sincere in his work and is now considered as senior and experienced. In our village, other people have earned money and encourage their sons to do the same but they have ignored their children’s education. In contrast, my father didn’t earn much money but he gave great attention to our education. He educated his three daughters and four sons. That is why our family is respected even though we aren’t economically very well-off.
When I got home I observed how things were. I found out about what was to be given to the groom as dowry. I met my mother and asked whether they had arranged all the necessary things for the marriage. She said: ‘We couldn’t. Many things are missing. How we will manage with such a small amount?’
My father’s face turned pale. He was upset about how to arrange such a costly function. I consoled him many times, but I knew he was sad.
The day of my sister’s marriage arrived. The lunch was ready. The beds were decorated. The marriage party came. They were served snacks and juice and then lunch.
At 05:00 pm the marriage party was to depart. My sister was leaving the house. She was crying. My mother and other sisters were in tears. They hugged her to console her that is the customs of the world. I couldn’t help myself weeping. Tears glittered in my eyes.
My elder brother held my sister’s right shoulder, while I held her left. We lifted her and placed her in a waiting vehicle. I put my head on her shoulder and started sobbing. Some of the moments we shared all these years started flashing on the screen of my mind..
The next day, my elder sister and I went to the groom’s house for the walima function. There, we met our sister. Thirty minutes later, I received a call from my home that my mother had a pain in her stomach. I got ready to leave.
My mother was admitted to hospital, and a report revealed that she had a stone in her gall bladder. The hospital was a private one and they would charge a hefty amount for the operation. So, we shifted to another hospital. The doctors said that my mother had blood pressure and sugar and that they could operate her only when the pain, sugar and blood pressure decreased.
I have watched many movies and TV serials where I’ve seen daughters and sisters being married off, but never have I felt the same sort of pain as I felt that day.
Blurb; My father’s face turned pale. He was upset about how to arrange such a costly function. I consoled him many times, but I knew he was sad.
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