The Cage Of Culture

My Husband To Be

My cousin Arsal was the kind of boy who didn't consider any girl worth listening to. I never really talked to him before our marriage. But he was always mean to his sister and all the other female cousins we shared. My best cousin, Falak, used to tease me about him. Honestly speaking, she observed him more than I ever did. The way he told Aamir and Aashir to shut up whenever they said something silly, the way he made fun  of anyone with any form of physical disability. Once he asked our obese gatekeeper if he'd explode if Arsal stuck a needle in his stomach. The joke wasn't even funny.
     When I was old enough to understand our relation, I was 14 and he was 24. During that period, he would often catch me in closed corridors and ask me to talk to him. I would try to run away. And I always got away. I did not like him at all.
    His breath stinked and he always smelled of  ciggaretes. He hardly ever washed his hair. It was always greasy and messed up. Looks aside, I was scared of him. He made me uncomfortable and nervous. He always looked like he wanted to hurt me.