Misery

My friend, T called last Wednesday asking me to have a date with her on Friday afternoon. She sounded depressed and really needed a friend to talk to, so I agreed. I was a feeling a bit guilty leaving my children and husband at home while I was having a time of my own, alone. However, when I met T, I am glad I came. She looked terrible and I could not forget her tearful face before we parted.

We had known each other for more than a decade. She was actually my subordinate in my old office. She has been having problems with her husband long before I even knew her. And all along the years she was in deep misery and suffered a lot pains with this good-for-nothing husband. The husband cheated her, having extra-marital affairs with countless women, some so young who can even be his daughters, took all her money, even keeping her ATM cards, made her pregnant every year ( twice I had to call the ambulance because she had a terrible bleeding, as the husband raped her even she was in the early stage of pregnancy), denied her right to spend hari raya with her family (the husband forced her to go back to his kampong in Kelantan every hari raya ever since they got married, 14 years already)...and many other sickening and cruel acts. However, for me, the worst is threatening to take all her children if she file for a divorce..and of course constant mentally-tortured her, stripped her off her dignity as a wife and woman, until she is really scared of him and hated him so much until the sound of his motorcycle coming back could make her cringe and shrivel with terror. Not just her alone..all her kids do.

Ya Allah..Ya Allah...Ya Allah...that was all I could utter when I was driving back home. I thought after 10 months we parted, things between her and that monster have settled down, but apparently I was wrong. It is gone from bad to worst. The reason she called to meet me was asking my advice of what to do because she could not stand it anymore..she is in the brink of going insane...she is killing herself..No wonder she is so thin..she is suffering from a marriage which can be best described as a hell created by a so-called 'alim' husband who uses religion as a reason to cruelly 'killing' a helpless woman.

Until now I can still remember her weak waving before I drove off..and her tears dropped on her dull face..slowly..with no sound from her lips. Dear T, Demi Allah, I will help you go through this sad time of your life..coz I had experienced the same..I know..be strong dear...