It only took five seconds to send the message- “Do you know any
lawyer?” The ripple effects these simple words created were outreaching.
Inayat’s phone rang and it was her brother on the line. “Why do you need a
lawyer?” Aadil asked his sister, hiding panic in his voice.
Inayat was ten years younger than Aadil and he had always been
protective of her. In school, Inayat was bullied due to her weight but Aadil
used to beat them up. As time went on and after their parents had died in a car
accident, society started pressuring Aadil to find a suitable boy for Inayat.
Inayat was pursuing MA in Music when her parents died. But soon,
her sister-in-law, Meenal, started treating her as if she was a burden on
Aadil. Meenal worked in a bank and told Inayat, “When you’ll start working,
you’ll understand the importance of money.” whenever Inayat asked for money;
but she wasn’t allowed to work, “Who will take care of the house and the
children if Inayat starts working” Meenal used to say.
Inayat got a marriage proposal through a relative and she said
yes. Her husband, Vikrant, a college professor was a single child and pampered
by his family. The only question he asked during the first meeting was, “Do you
know how to cook?”
The marriage was solemnized in court. Vikrant was against pomp
and show he didn’t want even a single penny in dowry, much to his mother’s
disapproval.
The initial days of marriage had their ups and downs. The house
chores were a bone of contention in the family. Vikrant’s mother had never let
her son waste his time doing household chores instead of studying. She
displayed her disapproval whenever she saw her son helping his wife in the
kitchen and Inayat hated this.
When Inayat told Vikrant that she wanted to teach classical music
to society students, he supported her decision. He said, “You can teach the
kids in the spare room upstairs.” and Inayat was elated.
But this happiness was short-lived as her mother-in-law stopped
the children from visiting, “So much noise these children make” she told her
son.
Days turned to months and life kept throwing curveballs her way.
Soon she got pregnant. That is when things started to change. As she was not
able to do the housework like before, she asked her husband to hire a cook for
the family. Her mother-in-law was shocked to hear such unreasonable requests,
“Why do you want a cook? I used to cook for my family till the day of my
delivery.”
Soon, the small quirks of her family members that Inayat found
entertaining started getting on her nerves. The hormones and her changing body
stopped listening to her good sense and soon Inayat started counter-responding.
After nine months, baby Ahaana was born.
Just like Inayat had sleepless nights in the last trimester,
Vikrant also had to wake up at night due to the baby’s constant crying. “You
can sleep in my room Vikrant. You look frazzled.” his mother said one day.
“Who will change baby’s diapers at night? I have to wake up
repeatedly to feed the baby and you don’t even let me formula feed my baby.”
Inayat had asked angrily.
“I have also raised Vikrant just like this. You are not the
first one to be a mother.” was her mother-in-law’s response.
One day Vikrant came home to see his wife shouting at her
mother. “How dare you talk to my mother like this?” he snapped without
listening to anything and added, “Go out of this house.” That’s when Inayat
decided that enough is enough. She texted her brother to consult a lawyer for
getting a divorce from Vikrant.
“Enough is enough bhaiya. I cannot tolerate this kind of
behavior anymore.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll come and talk to Vikrant jiju in the
evening.”
Later in the evening, Aadil visited Inayat’s house. Aadil
listened to the complete incident. “She was going to feed cow milk to Ahaana
behind my back, even against the doctor’s advice. The doctor has clearly said
no to cow milk till one year but mummy keeps interfering in everything, such
trouble maker she is.” Inayat looked exasperated.
“Is she the trouble maker or are you trying to be the epitome of
perfection?” Aadil asked. Inayat looked at Meenal, confused.
“Look Inayat, relationships are hard. Living with people with
different personalities in the same house is difficult. But should we discount
what value family is bringing in our life?”
“I value my family but I have to take permission for every
little thing. I can’t even go out to meet any of my friends, I feel all alone.”
“Then without judgment or expectations, tell all this to
Vikrant. He may or may not understand, but instead of bottling up all these
feelings inside, discuss them politely. Tell him about your loneliness.” Inayat
nodded her head in agreement.
Later that night, when Vikrant came to the bedroom, she said,
“Look, I shouldn’t have raised my voice today, but you know how protective mummy
is for you, then why am I wrong if I am also protective for my child.” and
Inayat explained the situation to Vikrant.
“Inayat, she cares about us,” Vikrant replied.
“I get it. But why can’t you care for us? Why can’t you help me
around the house and with Ahaana? I can keep everyone happy if I’m happy. Isn’t
that true?”
The next morning, Inayat was getting ready and Vikrant was
holding the baby trying to soothe her.
SHHHH…SHHHH
Her mother-in-law came rushing towards their bedroom hearing the
commotion, surprised to see Inayat dressed, ready to go out, and Vikrant trying
to soothe the baby.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“Reunion party. I’ll be home by 7 pm.”
“Who will take care of Ahaana?”
“I will,” Vikrant said sheepishly.
“Why? Why does she have to go? You just get one day off.”
“Because Ahaana is my child as well,” Vikrant said and
smiled.
