Member-only story
Her Crown
Pakistani Women’s Voices Project
It was a normal Monday morning. I just got done with my breakfast and waited eagerly for my house help to show up. The apartment was a mess after the long weekend. After what seemed like an eternity, there was a faint knock on the door. “Shehnaz you need to start coming on time. You know I leave early to pick the kids from school. If you cannot make it on time, I will have to look for someone else,” I warned. She just walked past by me, without a word. Appalled by her attitude, I followed her in frustration. I noticed something unusual about her. Her eyes were groggy and she was exceptionally quiet. She dusted the lounge rather sluggishly and dragged herself to the next room.
“I just told you to get done with everything quickly. There is not much time left!” I ordered. That is when I noticed that she had been sobbing this whole time. She took a few moments before speaking up, “Baji I am sorry. My husband beat me up again this morning. He is a good for nothing drug addict who just beats me every day.” She took off her chaadar to show me her half-swollen face. Her cheek was a twice its size, and fairly bruised. “Whatever I earn, he forcefully takes it from me. This month, I used my salary to pay our daughter’s school fees. He has been beating me everyday since then. He says a daughter does not need to study. It is his right to have that money…
