KAFILA - Journey Towards Freedom

Photo by Nawal Escape. Collected from Pixabay.

Rukaiya:

It is a warm sunny day with powder blue skies and golden sunlight filtering through the small muddy kitchen window. Although the village is not breathtakingly beautiful, Rukaiya loved it just the way it is. The warm sunshine took her back to the day she first met Rafique. In his mid-twenties, Rafique was tall and dark with eyes too innocent for his age. He had a basic education which got him a lucrative job in a factory in Dhaka.

He was everything a girl could ask for in a husband. Rukaiya, with a heart still untainted in the ways the world worked, fell in love with him since the first time she saw him first at the village fair. Rafique had come to visit his friend's house, which happened to be in Rukaiya's village. With time love blossomed and the rest is history. It is a very beautiful day, a nice day before Rukaiya married Rafique tomorrow.

Lost in daydreams of her happy married life Rukaiya, had already burned the rice, forgot to make the rotis for her father and had also forgotten to bring water from the nearby pond. Ameena, Rukaiya's mother, was appalled at the state of the kitchen and more of her daughter. Although she was happy for Rukaiya's marriage, her instincts were not. Yes, Rafique is a really nice man, the best they could get for Rukaiya. Yet, her motherly instincts warned her that something was not quite right with the whole arrangement. Regardless, Ammena ignored that feeling as she knew that this marriage was a necessity for the family and for Rukaiya's bright future.

" You are getting married tomorrow, so leave all this and take care of yourself. A bride should look fresh and beautiful which is far off from what you are now. Take a bath your cousins will be coming soon," Ameena rebuked her daughter gently, goading her to leave the kitchen and relax.

" Ammi, don't worry Rafique will marry me even if I am ugly. He loves me a lot," Rukaiya happily announced to her mother before leaving the kitchen to see her wedding saree for the thousandth time.

Her bright red wedding saree had cost her father quite some money. But he had not begrudged even once as he was ready to give up everything to get his daughter married in elan. Rukaiya had tears in her eyes thinking of her parents, who she will be leaving behind tomorrow. Despite their poor condition her father had done all he could to get Rukaiya married in a dignified way. Rafique too hadn't asked for a single penny as dowry. All he wanted was her.

Rafique:

I am getting married tomorrow, and nothing will go wrong. Rukaiya blindly loves and trusts me. I can do this. It was the 15th time Rafique had said this to himself. He was nervous and tensed. Everything had to be perfect or the house of cards that he so built so carefully would tumble down in the blink of an eye. No matter what he has to keep it together. The arrangements were complete - tomorrow at dawn he would set on the journey to Alampur, 5 hours from Dhaka. All his friends had invited him to drink and celebrate his last night as a bachelor, but Rafique was against it. He didn't want to be intoxicated on such an important day of his life. He looked again at the bundle of cash and his shaky resolve got hard again. Yes, tomorrow he is getting married and that will change his life.

The Wedding:

It seemed that the whole village was there for the Nikaah of Rukaiya and Rafique. The courtyard was cleaned that morning and colorful clothes were draped around the bamboos making a beautiful shamiyana. The bride and the groom were seated on the courtyard of Rukaiya's house but were separated by a thin curtain. Rafique looked every bit like a prince in his cotton kurta and pajama. Although Rukaiya couldn't see his face because of the curtain as well as the sehera, she knew Rafique would be looking dazzling in the groom's attire. From far a voice came and broke her daydream.

"Kya aapko yeh nikaah qubool hain? (do you accept this marriage?)," asked the village maulvi.

Rukaiya realized everyone was waiting for her response eagerly.

"Qubool Hain", she said with a fluttering heart and shy smile.

The chorus of "mubarak ho" filled the air. Now maulvi saab asked the same to Rafique.

"Qubool Hain," he said with bated breath.

As soon as he uttered these words, the whole courtyard gave a joyous shout. Ameena had tears in her eyes and Rukaiya was glowing with happiness, pride, and love. Her father came to Rafique and gave him his blessings. The bride and groom went around to take blessings from the elders. But amongst all these chaos and humdrum Rukaiya could only concentrate on Rafique, his strong hand that clasped hers and never let go, his carefree smile, and the love in his eyes. Coming from a poor Muslim family in Bangladesh, where girls either get trafficked or is married off to men twice their age, Rukaiya felt like a princess. And why wouldn't she, her prince had married her. Now all she waited for was to gallop away to beautiful horizons on a white horse with Rafique. It was her happily ever after .........

(To be continued ....)