Faith Restored

Chapter 23

Sadaf's POV

"Sadaf, your Aunty Sameena has called all of you to her house. You have to go tonight okay." My mum informed me.

"I have work tomorrow. Do I have to go?" I asked. I wasn't too keen on going. She was my father's sister. That meant everyone from my father's side was going to be there. Just recently they have started to side with my father over a lot of things and kind of going against us. They always make us feel out of place and wrong no matter what. It's been happening for a few months. In there eyes my father is good now and we are bad. They don't know about my father's most recent marriage to someone in Pakistan and that's probably why.

"Yes. And that's my final word. I don't want anyone accusing you all of being ill-mannered or anything. I didn't raise you to be disrespectful towards others." My mum was only harsh on us because it seemed like everything we did, my father's family would find bad and she didn't want them to have an excuse to say anything to her.

It was late evening me and my sisters were now sat with all the ladies. We kept generally quiet once the conversations started.

"Sadaf, why didn't you tell anyone you passed your driving test?" My aunty Tasnia asked. I had passed 2 months ago but didn't find it necessary to tel them and plus they didn't care to notice either.

"I'm a private person, I'd rather not make an announcement." I brushed off her question.

"When did you get your car then?" Here comes the interrogation.

"As soon as I passed."

"Where did you get it?"

"A showroom in Bristol."

"Did you go on your own?"

"No I went with a few friends."

"Which friends?"

"Uni friends, you don't know them."

"Why are you not telling me?" She was really grilling me with unnecessary questions.

"Sorry, I answered your questions."

"You're becoming quite rude aren't you." She was quite angry now.

"How? I didn't even do anything." She was treating me wrong now.

"Sadaf, I asked you a question and you can't even answer me." She said sternly.

"I did though. Have you got something against me? I clearly did nothing wrong." I don't get why they always start this.

"Why do you think everyone's against you?"

"Because you are accusing me for no reason. I mean does anyone else think I did something wrong?" I looked at everyone else. No one said anything, great.

"Wow even Mama and Dadabuji (grandparents) would be sad seeing this. They never held it against me about me hating dad, so you guys shouldn't either. Put yourself in my place and then see. What he did to us, you would hate him too. I will only forgive when he takes responsibility over what he did. Till then you can hate me all you like." I was fed up at this point.

"He just left that was it. He has changed now, he's good." My aunty said.

"Just left! I'm glad he left. What I hate him for is how he abused us. He punched us, twisted our wrists, stood on our feet, stuffed dirty socks in our mouth, beat up Bilaal and them made fun of him for crying, bare in mind it started when he was just 7. The list goes on. If your ready to that to your kids then justify his acts." My anger was rising.

"You know what he's like. He's mentally ill." My aunty threw an excuse for him.

"And that makes it excusable?! He was a grown up. Couldn't he see what he was doing to his own kids?! And if he ever was good, he would of tried and sorted himself out. He still hasn't done that and I assure you he hasn't changed. He's still out there getting married over and over again."