"Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed." —
Martin Luther King Jr.
Chapter 59
"Zeynep!" Yusuf called out, making everyone look in my direction.
I suddenly felt like a deer caught in the headlights.
"W…welcome," I managed to stutter. "I…I hope you had a pleasant journey."
"What does a local village girl like you know about a 'pleasant journey'? Have you ever seen a plane before?" Kamir retorted.
Thankfully, the sound of the minister's Mercedes driving in distracted everyone.
Taking advantage of the distraction, I quietly made my way back upstairs.
The last thing I wanted was to face Yusuf, my first crush, especially not after living as not only his father's 'wife' for the last two decades but, even worse, his brother's concubine.
I was so different from the pure and innocent girl he knew, I wasn't even the same person. But even greater than any shame I felt was an intense fear.
The last time I had seen him, he had tried to rape me.
He had tried to get what it was I was 'giving his father and brother'.
No, I couldn't run the risk of seeing him again.
I was going to stay locked in my bedroom for as long as I had to, no matter how long he was in Boston.
Allah knew I had more than enough to deal with already.
Not having slept in over 24 hours, my eyes were heavy.
But I couldn't risk sleepwalking, not especially with the two prodigal children back home.
In addition to locking my door, I pushed my armoire in front of it, so that if my sleepwalking spirit returned that night, it would be that much harder to get out of the room.
To finally seal the deal, I located some old sleeping pills in my bathroom cabinet and swallowed two of them, with the intention of knocking myself out too deeply to even consider wandering out into the. night.
I just couldn't afford to.
And it worked. In a matter of minutes, I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep, so deep that my eyes didn't even flicker when the sun rose the following morning.
I slept so soundly and didn't wake up until there were persistent knocks on my door. Squinting to look at my watch, I was surprised to see that it was 3 o'clock in the afternoon, a record for me.
The armoire was still firmly in front of the door, meaning I hadn't tried to move it out of the way in the middle of the night.
If losing half of my day was the price to pay for not sleepwalking, then maybe old Doctor waverson had been right after all.
Maybe the sleeping pills were what I needed to end my nocturnal habit.
The knocking continued, and I reluctantly rose to my feet and pushed the armoire out of the way.
"Hey! Zeynep! I was just about to call for help to break your door open,"catherine said, walking into my room. "I have been knocking for almost an hour. Are you okay? Don't tell me you're just waking up."
"Did my brother call?" was all I was interested to know.
"Yes! That's why I've been knocking! He's here. He's been outside by the garden, waiting to see you," she answered enthusiastically.
My heart leapt with joy upon hearing that demian had truly come, but then it crashed right back to earth when I remembered that I had been prohibited from leaving the compound, legitimately at least.
It was much too early in the day to attempt any escape through the back gate.
"Don't worry, they have all gone out. The minister and his two children from London went out since morning and haven't come back," she said, probably noticing the look on my face. "And I've spoken to the chief security and co. at the gate, so they will allow you to quickly go and come back. I told him your brother wants to see you, and he was very sympathetic when he heard."
"What about Ibrahim ?"
"He hasn't returned since yesterday. My mom said he doesn't like being around when his brother and sister are here," she answered. "Zeynep, you have to be fast so you can return before they get back."
That reminder brought me right back to earth, and I immediately dashed to the bathroom to pour water on my face.
Returning to my room, I threw on an old saree over my nightwear and tied a scarf.
This was no time for beautification. It was imperative for me to see my brother.
It was imperative for me to hear what he had to say.
I half-walked, half-sprinted down the stairs, eager to see him as quickly as possible.
It took everything in me to restrain myself from running down the driveway as we approached the gate.
Left to me, I would have run as fast as my legs could carry me…and never return.
"zeynep, be fast ," the chief security warned, opening the gate cautiously. "Please, be fast. I've sent someone down the road to alert me when the minister and the rest return, so you can return inside quickly. But let's not allow it to come to that, please."
I nodded, looking around anxiously, wondering where my brother was.
"He's over there," he pointed across the garden on the pathway . "But why is he hiding in the bush like an armed robber and not coming into the house? He's your brother!"
"I'm sure he's in a hurry," I answered curtly. "Thank you. I will soon be back."
Once out of the gate, I caught sight of Demian standing several feet away. Glancing anxiously from left to right, I walked quickly to him, and we embraced.
We held each other for a long time, not minding the curious glances from passersby.
At that point, I didn't even care what they thought. I was so happy to see my brother after well over a year.
"Is this where he hurt you?" Demian asked, tracing the thin line that ran along my left temple.
I nodded and lifted my scarf to show him the deeper one on the back of my head, running along where my hairline connected with my neck.
"These people don't know who they have been messing with," he chuckled cynically, shaking his head. "They have stepped on the cobra's tail, but they will see that we are not pushovers in our family."
"Demian, please," I pleaded, looking around, hoping nobody had heard him. "I don't want any trouble. I just want to leave here. Leave all this and just come back with our people to take me away." My eyes widened as an idea struck me. "Or I could follow you now…"
He frowned. "No way, zeynep. They came to ask for your hand in marriage. You came here with honour, and you will leave the same way. I'll return, and I won't return alone. I will come with some people who will help me 'talk some sense' into this barbaric family."
"Damian, I beg you. They are dangerous. Very, very dangerous!"
My brother laughed, and I noticed a hardness in his eyes I had never seen before. "zeynep, don't worry about it. They can only huff and puff around women. They are no match for me. Just get your bags packed, as my friends and I will come at any time."
"Why don't I just follow you now?" I implored. "The guards are not looking. If we run away quickly, we'll be able to make it to the road."
""भगवान बुरी चीज़ों से बचाए, the I forbid such! You are not leaving here like a common criminal!" Demian said, his voice raised several decibels higher than was ideal for a discrete conversation. "zeynep, please go inside. Go inside, and be patient. Before the end of the week, you'll be out of here."
And with that, he gave me a brisk hug and walked away.
I stood on the pathway, watching his disappearing form, tempted to defy him and run away anyway.
I looked back at Ahmed, who stood at the gate watching me keenly, as if anticipating my escape.
That was when I realised there was no use creating a scene.
If I ran, I would be chased after and swiftly caught, giving the media and townsfolk more fodder for their gossip. I just had to trust Demain. If he said he would return for me, then he would.
So, I turned around to make my way back to the ranch.