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Part1: Thank you for the tea!



"Wake up Javeria! Get ready, clean up and don't forget to apply whitening serum on your face; a family is coming to see you for marriage proposal. "

Lying on my bed listening to all of this and pondering on the fact that this whitening serum might make my dark complexion a little better but would it erase the darkness of my unfortunate life, and would it work the same to erase the dirt and darkness of people's minds. Whilst I was pondering on the miseries of my life and of those created by community,  I heard an uproar again, 
"Javeria! Get up already, you have a lot of work to do." 
So I finally gathered courage to leave my bed, get ready for the adventure coming my way. At the same instant, the door of my room struck open and my mother entered, with some Ubtan in her hand. 
"Javeria ! Please apply this on your face. I don't want you to miss this chance again." She handed me the Ubtan and left the room. The Ubtan in the bowl smelled terrible and reduced me to vomit while applying that disgusting thing on my face.
Those 15 minutes of tolerating that Ubtan kind of thing, felt like eternities and as soon as the timer beeped, I ran to rinse it off as people run after food in the weddings. 
I took a shower and meanwhile Choti ironed my Eid's dress of AghaNoor: black shalwar kameez with embroidered neckline, embellished sleeves with an intricate motif on the trouser. I dressed up and stood in front of the mirror, trying to set my face to fit in the demands of the society. After a long and tireless effort, when I finally looked in the mirror again; I was looking like a pastry with a lot of frosting on the top, or the protagonist of a movie THE JOKER..... 

"Javeria, Hurry up!! What are you doing? Come to the kitchen help me preparing the lunch." I rushed to the kitchen and as I entered, the aura of food captivated me and what I saw was nothing less than DAWAT E WALIMA being prepared for the guests. The meal looked like a grand feast, ready to be served infront of the King; biryani, Shami kebab, Qorma, Chicken Karahi, salad and what not!!!! 
"But Ami, they are only coming to see me for proposal, it's not my Rukhsati as yet that you have prepared so much food." 
" keep quiet Javeria, you don't know, these things need to be done." 
Is dark complexion a curse for girls and their families. Why do parents of girls with dark complexion and avergar looks and the girls themselves have to do so much to fit in the society for getting married. Why in the first place is the physical appearance so important? Isn't it just a temporary thing? Something to fadeaway with time? These questions kept my mind occupied, why is the physical appearance prioritized over the genuine beauty i.e. the beauty of soul? 
Suddenly I was shaken back to reality by the horn of a car honking at the door. I looked out and caught sight of a dazzling black car standing at the door.




Comments

  1. UnknownJune 15, 2020 at 5:40 AM

    Sounds very interesting. The realm of dark realities.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Khadija SultanJuly 3, 2020 at 7:10 AM

    Remind me of a time when I put baisan on my face regularly for a week... Lol your writings are beautifully written. Love them ❤

    ReplyDelete
  3. Misbah DurraniJuly 5, 2020 at 4:50 AM

    Khadija Indeed, this situation is relatable by every other person. Thanks for the appreciation.

    ReplyDelete

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