She woke up a little late. Abanti was a little scared as soon as she woke up. Where is he sleeping?
After a while, she remembered everything. Yesterday, Abanti got married to a boy named Aslam Sheikh.
The man was a little older. He seemed to be around forty. He worked as a cashier in a government bank.
Abanti sat up. Aslam was not in the house. Did he go to the balcony? The man smoked a lot of cigarettes. He should stop smoking. Cigarettes do a lot of harm to people. One of Abanti’s uncles smoked cigarettes. How hard did the man die at his last age! He would have smoked all night!
Abanti came to the balcony and stood there. Aslam was not in the balcony! Who knows what area this is. She didn’t notice it when she came last night. She was in such a state of fear.
The flat was not very big. A small flat with two bedrooms. Abanti went to the next room. Aslam was not here either! How scared Abanti was! Where did the man go?
Abanti was alone in the whole flat. Abanti had not seen any of Aslam’s relatives. A few people had gone to the wedding, but none of them had come with them. Aslam and Abanti had only come! His parents had died many years ago! Does it ever happen that a person would have no relatives, even if they were not there?
When Abanti opened the main door of the flat, she saw that the door was locked from the outside!
The man had locked Abanti and left! Where had he gone? What would Abanti do now?
Before the wedding, there had been no inquiry about Aslam. Abanti’s father’s distant uncle had proposed marriage. The boy, who works in a bank, liked Abanti, which was a big deal.
Abanti was so scared! What if the man didn’t come back? What would she do? She would starve to death in this flat!
Abanti went to the kitchen. There were no pots or pans! There was a small fridge. She opened the fridge and saw that there was nothing but water in it!
Abanti watched a movie about a girl who got trapped in a flat in a big building. The building was newly built so there were no people. The girl came to see their flat and got trapped. There was no food in the flat! There was no running water! What terrible hardship the girl was going through! At one point, the girl started eating insects in the flat!
Suddenly Abanti remembered her mobile phone. She ran to the bedroom. Where was the mobile phone? At that moment, she saw her mobile phone on a small table next to the bed. Abanti breathed a sigh of relief.
When she went to take the mobile phone, she saw a note.
“I wanted to call you. You’re sleeping so well! That’s why I didn’t call you. You looked so beautiful in your sleep!
There’s nothing to cook at home. I’m going to bring breakfast.”
The man is really strange. What’s Abanti scared of!
Aslam has returned. Abanti saw him and said, “Did you wake up?”
“This is how people go out?”
Aslam smiled lightly and said, “I understand you’re scared?”
Abanti gave a shy little smile. How beautiful is the girl’s smile!
“You have to be alone at home! What if you’re so scared?”
“You’re not here.”
Aslam looked at Abanti with wide eyes. Abanti was told to do it at night. The girl doesn’t seem to be able to do it easily. He told her to do it several times at night, and now she’s forgotten!
“I don’t have to go to work.”
“What will I do alone?”
“Think about how to tidy up the house. Watch TV. You can also start studying if you want.”
Abanti looked at Aslam and smiled a little. The man was really nice.
Big sister called. Abanti hadn’t even thought of calling home.
Abanti picked up the phone and said,
“How are you, Apa?”
“I’m fine. What’s up with you?”
“I’m fine, Apa.”
“I called you at night. Why don’t you give me a call when you get there? Everyone is thinking about you.”
“I forgot, Apa.”
“Not you! Of course, Aslam called. How does that feel?”
“A new house. No one else, Apa.”
“That’s good. You’ll build a family with your own hands. Very few girls get that. Girls have a lifelong dream of having their own house. You’ll decorate it with your own hands! How lucky you are! May Allah make you happy, sister.”
“Have you had breakfast?”
“I’m making bread. Talk to your mother.”
Abanti’s mother took the mobile phone and said in a soft voice, “How are you feeling, mother?”
How peaceful it feels to hear her mother’s voice. Abanti, why did she feel like crying? She said in a wet voice, “Good!”
“Where is my son-in-law?”
“He’s sitting on the balcony. ”
“Did you have breakfast?”
“Yes.”
What did you eat?”
“Parota, dal, eggs.”
“Who cooked for you?”
“No, mother.
He brought it from the hotel. There is no cooking facility at home. There are no things at home. Everything has to be bought.”
“My son-in-law said he just got home!”
“When did we talk to you?”
“Last night.”
“Where is my father and mother?”
“He went to the market. Now, take care of me, mother. You will be fine. I won’t mind what the elders say. “A new wife doesn’t have to listen to all this talk from many people!”
Abanti smiled a little after hearing her mother’s words. It’s a mother’s nature to give advice. There’s no one at her house, she must have forgotten!
Abanti said, “Okay, mother.”
Aslam said, “Did you talk to your mother?”
Abanti looked at Aslam and smiled a little.
“Now get ready quickly. Auntie has called many times to take you.”
Abanti looked at her with a little surprise.
“You haven’t been told about Auntie Zabeda, have you? She’s my father’s cousin. Aunty is a little sick, so she couldn’t go to the wedding!”
Abanti got up. She took a bath in the morning. It won’t take long to get ready. There’s no need to dress up. Abanti looks beautiful in a simple outfit! It would be nice if she could put some kohl on her eyes. If there wasn’t an elder sister at home, mother would put kohl on her. Isha can also put kohl on well. Isha is four years younger than Abanti. My heart felt heavy as I thought about home! How bad it felt! She left everyone and went to an unknown place alone!
Aslam’s aunty’s house is Jatrabari. They took a rickshaw from Wari. The two of them are sitting side by side in the rickshaw. Abanti is wearing a blue saree. She looks like an angel. Aslam is looking at Abanti with wide eyes.
Aslam’s Zabeda Begum smiled sincerely at Abanti, “Mashallah! “The wife is very beautiful, Aslam!”
Aslam stood next to him with a smile. Abanti greeted her aunt by touching her feet. Aslam did not know how to greet women of this era.
Zabeda Begum said, “Come, mother.”
He took Abanti inside the house. The house was quite tidy. It was clear from the look that they were very wealthy. There was a painting hanging on the wall. It looks very nice! A picture like that should be hung on the wall of her house. Is it too expensive? Tom does not know the price of Abanti’s picture.
Aunt said, “Ayesha, give them breakfast.” Ayesha is the maid of this house. She is fifteen to sixteen years old.
Ayesha came with tea, biscuits, chanachur, and noodles on a tray.
Zabeda Begum said, “Eat, mother.”
Aslam and Abanti were eating noodles. A woman from the next house was coming to see her new wife. The woman had been living in this house for many years. Rent is paid. Who knows Aslam?
Zabeda Begum said, “Come here for a while, I’ve come.”
Aslam entered the next room. This was his aunt’s room. A big bed. Next to it was the prayer room.
Jabeda Begum said, “Sit here.”
The woman from the next door also came into this room. Abanti was sitting alone in the dining room.
The woman said, “What is that from your wife’s house?”
Aslam felt a little bad! Someone asked like that. Aslam understood that auntie agreed with this.
Aslam smiled a little and said, he wanted to give a lot. I said, “Give me something expensive instead of giving me something.”
The woman looked at him with wide eyes and said, “What did you give me?”
Jabeda Begum also looked at Aslam with questioning eyes.
“Give me something very valuable. I didn’t think he would give me something so expensive.”
Now Jabeda Begum said, “What did you give me, father?”
“I brought the expensive thing to show you, auntie.”
“Let me see where it is.”
Aslam was silent for some time and looked at auntie and said, “There she is sitting!”
The two of them didn’t say anything else. Abanti heard everything they said. Abanti wiped her eyes with a towel. At first, Abanti felt bad after hearing the woman’s words! Her father didn’t give her anything. Aslam wanted to give her something, but she strictly forbade it.
Aslam said, “I’ll get up today, aunt.”
“What is that! Aren’t you going to eat at noon?”
“I have to go to New Market, aunt. You know, nothing was bought at home. I have to buy some things today. I’ll come another day.”
Aunt said a little sadly, “Okay.”
Aslam left aunt’s house and took a rickshaw. He was going to New Market by rickshaw from Jatrabari. Two people were sitting in the rickshaw. The rickshaw was moving.
Abanti suddenly hugged Aslam and put her head on Aslam’s shoulder. Aslam was a little surprised at first. Abanti said to herself, “I only need this person by my side in my life!”
