"Phoenixes burst into flame when it is time for them to die and are reborn from the ashes"
-Dumbledore
"Come on my little Yousef smile for mama," her subtle laugh echoed in the room and was the first thing Davar heard as soon as he opened the door. His steps faltered and he took a deep breath, a trivial way of filling himself with courage.
The bleached room was flooded with bright sunlight, one thing that Karachi never lacked, a full sun, but this specific hospital room saw light after an eternity. The curtains were drawn apart, and a soft voice was filling up the room every now and then.
"Daniyah," Davar softly spoke as he made himself visible and soon the coos that were initially filling up the room were silenced. He saw her putting her phone aside on which she was repeatedly watching the videos of her child.
"Are you ready to leave?" He asked carefully, placing her files on the table. She was already changed in her clothes, her bags and belongings packed and placed neatly in front of her bed.
With a nod, Daniyah got up and soon Davar was by her side, "I can walk, Bhai, it's my face that has burned not my legs," she didn't want to sound bitter or cold but her own words seemed just that to herself.
"I know you are very much capable of doing everything your own, I just," he broke his sentence and decided to move ahead picking her belongings and giving a last glance at the room to look if they might have missed anything.
"We'll be taking the back gate of the hospital," Davar said in a low voice again once they left the room, "there are still some cameras roaming around the front gate." He noticed Daniyah tensing up but silently led the way and soon they were securely sat in their car.
***
To Daniyah it felt like ages after she was returning back to her home, it scared her how it feels alienated to her. As the car drove inside the house and stopped at the porch she saw her parents standing outside to welcome her.
Daniyah could feel her heart speeding up, she didn't know what would she say to them.
Davar stopped her from getting out and started, "Dua and Azmarah left for the U.K. two days ago, they wanted to come and meet you but with cameras and police--"
"Bhai there is no need for any explanation. I understand, staying here would just bring them unnecessary pain and suffering. I know things will be messy and it's better we have fewer people around us when that mess is thrown at us." She sighed and picked her handbag to get out of the car.
With slow steps, she finally made her way towards her parents, who soon engulfed her in their arms and with comforting words she was led inside.
Lunch for the Shah family was a silent affair, the only noise was made by the clattering of the cutlery against each other. Her mother's extra effort in welcoming her could be seen on the dining table.
"Daniyah, the lawyers would be coming in a few hours to meet you, they would be here to discuss the case. DIG Shehzad with a few of his people would also be coming---"
"Mohiuddin, I guess we can discuss this later, she has just returned from the hospital let her rest for a while." Farhana Shah decided to interject but her husband shook her head.
"Farhana, haven't we delayed all of this already? Maybe if we would have taken all these steps a bit earlier we wouldn't have gone through all that we did." He sounded bitter, more bitter than Daniyah had ever remembered her father.
For a splitting second Daniyah looked up her at father, and then she extended her hand to take his and as she squeezed her father's hand she saw him relaxing and closing his eyes. Daniyah bit her lips when she saw tears glistening behind his closed eyelids, before he opened them, he must have calmed himself before he spoke up again.
"We have lost more than our capacities in the last one year. Staying silent and not standing up against their brutality has gotten us here today but its time we stand up for ourselves and those like us. Many parents and daughters have silently suffered because that's what we are expected to do but it should never be like that. It is time that we teach our girls to stand up for themselves because marriage isn't a medal if it starts suffocating you, there is a huge difference between compromising and suffering and it's about time we learn that." Mohiuddin Shah looked at his daughter who was smiling slightly, her eyes were glistening with unshed tears and were full of courage which people would see soon.
"I am going to go to my room for a while, you can call me when the lawyers come." She stood up after a while and made her way upstairs. Her room was how she remembered it, the windows wide open letting the late afternoon light filter through the white curtains.
There were bouquets from family to friends, roses to carnation, her bags residing in a corner, and a small frame replacing the old one on her bedside table. This one had her with her baby boy, from the night it all happened. The memories even after 45 days were still clear like it all happened a few hours ago.
She could feel another panic attack rising in her, so swiftly turning on her heels she dashed to the attached bathroom. She needed to take her mind off her thoughts and that's what she did. In a matter of a few minutes, her dressing material was scattered on the slab in front of her, cotton, ointments, freshwater running, bandages, tapes, and taking a deep breath she started.
Her fingers were shaking as tape by tape she removed each bandage, she could swear she can smell acid burning her nose, her eyes were getting blurry but she would shake her head and removed the last layer. Her raw skin reflecting brutally on the mirror, starting from the left side of her face, right below her lips reaching her half neck and ending just above the collar bone. It felt like the skin has struggled to stretch back after being constricted.
Doctors have said it could have been worst but Daniyah was fortunate enough. Images were running wild in her mind, memories started haunting her again as she splashed the water on her face, once, twice, thrice and she lost the count. She winced and bit her lips as the wound started burning again. She wiped it carefully, as carefully as she could, and started putting ointment on them before placing layers of fresh bandages and tapes. She looked at her reflection again before she felt her legs giving out and crumbling on the floor.
And as the burning heat of the city cooled down, Daniyah reminded herself that today was the last day she would shed any tears, today marks the day when she would bury her old self and rise again. She had to be a reminder to all those who have silently struggled up till now that it is never too late to get up or to raise your voice. Till you can breathe you can fight.
***
"Sahab jee, those cameramen are just increasing and there are many reporters too! They said they were called." The driver was frantically reporting of what was happening outside.
"They were called? Who called them?" Mohiuddin Shah was fuming, "come with me, and where the hell is the guard? What am I paying you all for?" He was about to cross the foyer when Daniyah came down the stairs.
"I have called them dad," dressed in a simple aqua blue kurta and trouser she was descending down the stairs. Her hair was up in a ponytail and her skin was bare just a patch of the bandage covering her neck.
"You have called them, why?" Her father stopped in front of her. "Daniyah, what do you want to do with this? You are leaving tomorrow anyways."
"I thought about it dad, I thought about it a lot. From weeks they have been dragging my name through the mud its time I clear my name as much as I can." She smiled and walked ahead.
It had been two days after her return and last two days she has been meeting with lawyers and police officers. Her documents were almost ready and she was about to fly to the states where she would be proceeding with her case.
Her father felt his heart swell with pride as he saw her directing the guards and other workers of the house for setting up their drawing-room where she would be leading a press conference, and in a matter of few minutes, the army of media personnel was swarming through the front door into the drawing-room.
She sat in the center alongside her brother, who was initially shocked and then was ready to sit with her through this conference which they both knew would get messy. Daniyah saw one of her friends, who arranged this conference standing in a corner with a phone in her hand for a live recording that could be posted on social media platforms. The cameras were set, the mics were placed, representative of each media house was seated in the room and then Daniyah started.
"Bismillah hirrahman nirrahim. Asalam o alikum and thank you to all of you for coming here today. I am sure all of you must know my name by now and those of you who don't I am Daniyah Shah, ex-wife of Emmad Kirmani, the one who apparently cheated on him, decided to kill her child, and probably did every sin there is under the sun." She looked around to see each person listening to her, "I was such a monster that the only way for Emmad to teach me a lesson was to burn my face and then run away with my child. I have a question if I am the one who was horrible in our story then why is he the one who is in hiding?"
Davar gave a side glance to his sister and saw her rigidly speaking, her fist was clenched as she spoke again and narrated the story of her life, from how he forced her upon her, how there was always another woman in the picture, how he left her in the nights, how he would accuse her, how she was threatened, how she was drugged and induced with early labor, she gave proof of how those who could be her witnesses were threatened and silenced.
"I am pleased how Allah is now opening their sins and corruption at us," she was still speaking, not once she let her eyes get teared up as if they were dry of all the emotions she had ever felt, "and this was not it, even last night their lawyer decided to barge in our house, I was fortunate enough to record what he said and did,"
Davar was shocked, last night Jafar did come to their house and openly threatened them but they didn't record him, what was Daniyah saying? The bitter memories from last night were still clear for Davar. How Jafar was being arrogant and how he was confident that no justice would be served. How he looked at Daniyah, at that moment Davar wanted to bury him alive but he was there with 6 of his men all armed and standing in the middle of their house. Davar was still very much thinking about last night that suddenly a video started playing on a laptop and each person was looking at it.
"I have already circulated this video to all of you, that is Jafar the lawyer of my ex-husband alongside his guards threatening me in my own house." Daniyah was calm and she knew that whatever she expected of this press conference has happened. "So through all of you, I want to address all those who have tried to suppress me till now, you thought you were winning when you showed me the fake proofs when you thought you could shut me up, but not anymore, I have nothing to lose now and I will not rest till justice is served."
She settled back and then the questions started some were encouraging, some a bit harsher and at that moment Davar realized even if he wouldn't have been here Daniyah herself was enough to go through this. After an eternity Davar felt that maybe they will win the case, that maybe things would be alright.
It was after two hours when finally all the cameramen and media representatives had left, Daniyah's phone was buzzing like never before, there were messages of encouragement and support. Her live video was watched by two thousand people and the recordings were shared by thousand more in few hours.
As she rested that night, looking at Izhan's pictures like every other night, for the first time she felt hope rising in her chest. Tomorrow when she would leave for the states, she would be a step closer to getting her son.
-----
Hello/Asalam o Alikum!!!
I know there's nothing which can justify my return after an year and I honestly don't have any proper explanation apart from that I can try now. Things have been pretty messy and with too much going on I wasn't in a mental space to work on the story.
But now I can hope that I end it!
HOWEVER, I am also planning on something different. For those who enjoy my writings would now be able to enjoy short stories covering various social issues. It will be up in a few days, In shaa Allah! So it means there would be no need to wait for updates because each chapter there would be a different story! :)
Till then enjoy here, vote and comment!
Love,
Z.