Daily Times

Peeral was never satisfied with his wife. They fought with each other all the time and their neighbors were fed up of their everyday drama. Because of his wife Ganjuk’s bitter tongue, he could never come out of his home.

Their daughter-in-law, Mahzaib, was suffering a lot too. Besides Peeral, only she knew along with Allah Almighty, how much the both of them were bearing Ganjuk’s brutalities.

Fights in the house were increasing on a daily basis. Peeral couldn’t dream of hurting his daughter-in-law but Ganjuk had been committing atrocities upon her.

Peeral’s son was living abroad and was not aware of how much his mother was brutalizing his wife back at home. Peeral was compelled to keep things secret so that his son would not be worried and could settle well in foreign land. Mahzaib never complained about her mother-in-law as well or described her tensions and worries in front of her husband. Whenever Dooda, Peeral’s son, talked to her over the telephone, she only used to say, “I am very happy and am not worried about anything.”

One day, Mahzaib was aroused with suspicion. He could not fathom her utter happiness as he knew his mother very well. So, he asked her again, “Mahzo, are you hiding something from me?”

Dooda called his wife ‘Mahzo’ out of love.

“No,” she replied. Mahzaib wanted to scream out loud how unhappy she was, how she was being sucked inside, but she became silent again and eventually changed the topic just so her husband would not be worried. Dooda was relieved once again that she was happy.

Ganjuk, however, didn’t stop dehumanizing her. Because of her violent acts, the house was like a living hell.

Mahzaib eventually suffered a huge disease and Peeral finally became tired of bearing Ganjuk.

One day, Peeral retorted back to his manhood and confronted his wife.

“From the time our innocent daughter-in-law has set foot in our home, she has endured your cruelties. Just because of you she is facing an insufferable disease. And, you still won’t leave her. Because of you our neighbors are angry with us, and because of your resentful tongue I can’t go outside. ”

“Now, it is unbearable. Now, it is better that you take your belongings and go to your parents. You are your own way now and I my own. Peeral is dead for you.”

Ganjuk wanted to shout but she couldn’t utter a single word. Her mouth was wide open. She was speechless.

This is a translated version of a Balochi short story written by Asif Yaat

Published in Daily Times, December 6^th 2017.