Child Brides of India
Bt C. Stanton Leman
Chapter 24: Deciding Aleeya's Fate (Mgg, rom, no sex)
I awoke uncovered, in the same position I fallen asleep;
naked, on my right side, spooning tightly against Aleeya's
tiny butt. I had a tingling erection, which was still
pressed between her closed legs and wedged between her baby
fat labia with about three inches protruding out the front
of her vulva. Pretending to be asleep, I slit one eye
barely open and saw Aleeya's head propped up in her hand,
talking to Priya softly as she stroked the exposed part of
my erection. I closed my eyes again to listen and enjoy her
playful fingers.
"When I marry Sean, will he put his thingy in my poopy hole
like he did with you last night?"
"Only if you think you might want to try that. Only you can
decide if you want to do that and other things husbands and
wives do."
"Will he make a baby in me?"
Someday, Baby, someday."
"How?"
Aleeya had since ceased stroking my dick, concentrating on
her conversation with Priya.
"There's a special place where a husband and wife join
their bodies together to make a baby."
"Where is this special place? Will he put his thingy inside
my body?"
"Yes, sweetheart, he will, it's a very special place
between your legs, near where you go pee pee from."
"Then he'll put his love juice inside me?"
"Yes, honey, he will. That's how Sean will put a baby
inside you when you're old enough to have a baby."
"What's it feel like when he puts his juice inside you?"
"It makes you feel all warm and wonderful inside. It's like
feeling his love pour inside you."
"Will it hurt when he puts it inside me?"
"It may hurt the first time because your body has to
stretch open to fit him inside. Your body is very small,
and it might be painful at first, but after a few times, it
will begin to feel wonderful, but don't worry about that
yet. Do you trust Sean?"
"Yes, I trust him more than anyone."
"Then you'll just have to trust Sean. If he thinks you are
too small and it will hurt you too much, he won't try to
put his thingy inside you. He doesn't ever want to hurt
you, so when he thinks it's time, and you're big enough to
fit him inside you, he'll ask you if you're ready to try.
Does it scare you a little?'"
"A little, but I can take the pain of Momma's beatings. I
love him so much. Priya, and I know he would never hurt me.
I know I'm not supposed to know these things, and I'm not
supposed to love a grown up this way, but Sean just fills
me with tingles when I'm near him. When I hear the grownups
start to talk about these things, they send me away. Why
would you share your husband with me and let me do secret
things with him?"
"Sean gives me tingles when I'm around him too. I want to
share him with you because I love you and I love Sean. I
know you need to love Sean as much as I do and that we can
make each other happy."
"You and Sean have made me more happy these past two days
than I ever dreamed I could be." And she began to cry.
Priya stroked her face and asked, "Why the tears, little
one?"
"I don't want this to end. I'll have to go back home today,
and I know Momma will beat me because she'll think I told
on her. Daddy will go to work as he always does, and I'll
be left all alone again with her.
It's not just being naked and doing secret things that
makes me happy with you and Sean, it's everything: the
closeness, the hugs and kisses. I can talk to both of you
about anything and you don't hate me. You letting me be
naked with Sean and doing that special thing just made me
feel that you don't think I'm a stupid, silly girl and
you're teaching me that these feelings for Sean are
special. I feel so safe in his arms, like no one could ever
get near me to hurt me. I like the secret things we did; it
only makes everything seem so much more special. I will
just die not being able to have these feelings again. I'll
just die!"
"Sweetheart, sometimes these things take time. You need to
be brave and know that Sean and I love you and will bring
you into our family as soon as we can, but you need to be
brave and hold on to those special feelings of love and
know that one day soon, you'll be with us forever. Can you
be brave for us? Can you bear it just a while longer?"
"I'd take a hundred beatings to be back with you and Sean.
I want to grow up and have Sean put a baby in me someday. I
know he would never hurt our baby like Mommy hurts me. Will
you help me?"
"I'll do what I can to help you."
As Aleeya was carrying on her conversation, she was
subconsciously moving her self along my shaft and was
starting to get a little wet in the process. She looked
down between her legs, and I think she started to notice
because she asked Priya, "Can I ask a private question?"
"Sure, sweetheart, you can ask me anything."
How come when I feel Sean's thingy between my legs, I get
all wet down there? Am I peeing myself?"
"No darling, you're not peeing yourself. It'd your body
telling you that you want your husband in your secret
place. It's your heart telling your body you have a special
feeling of love for your future husband."
Aleeya looked down again, and there was a drop of precum
resting on the head of my dick. She asked Priya, "Is Sean's
thingy crying?"
Priya giggled and said, "No, it's saying he loves you."
She swiped the drop away with her finger, and with a
naughty look on her face stuck her finger in her mouth and
replied, "His love tastes sweet to me."
Priya giggled and said, "I think so too! We have to get up
now, but first I have to tell you something and you have to
obey me, do you understand? It's very, very important."
"I'll obey you Priya, tell me what a wife is supposed to
do."
"Listen and obey me or you'll sin against God. Allah says
it's a sin to touch ourselves down there to make us feel
good. Only your husband can do that. No matter how much you
want to have those feelings again, you have to wait until
you're married, do you understand? And remember, what you
did with your husband is a secret between us.
I have to pray to Allah for forgiveness because I let you
and Sean be together like you're married to him, but I love
you so much and believed that you needed to feel this
special love. It is my sin, not yours. Don't worry about
it, everything will be all right."
"I understand, and I'll only let Sean touch me there when
the time is right."
"Be brave, and all things will work out for you, me and for
Sean to all be together soon. I don't know how we'll do it
yet, but we'll find a way. Just be brave, can you do that?"
"I trust and believe you, I'll be brave."
OK. Let's get up and wake up our husband so we can get
dressed and say prayers before breakfast. Come on now,
let's get going!"
"OK, I have to go pee really bad! And with that, she was
off like a shot to the bathroom. Priya went in and the two
girls playfully showered to the sounds of giggles and
laughter.
They both came into the bedroom wrapped in towels and told
me to go take my shower. When I'd finished and came out,
both girls were sitting on the edge of the bed silently
looking at me.
I looked at them both quizzically and asked, "What?"
Priya and Aleeya looked at each other and giggled, and
Priya said, "Well, we're waiting…."
Still in the dark, I asked, "Waiting for what?"
Priya looked at Aleeya and said, "You tell him. Don't be
shy, tell him what I told you to tell him."
I looked ay Aleeya and she pulled her shoulders in, covered
her mouth as if very shy and said "We're…" she turned to
Priya for help, and Priya whispered in her ear. She giggled
again, and said, "Your wives are waiting to see your
beautiful naked body and watch you get dressed." She then
turned her head and buried it in Priya's side and giggled
some more.
I laughed and slowly dropped my towel to two clapping girls
and began to get dressed.
We said morning prayers and went downstairs to breakfast
and Mom. She was just getting off the phone and said, "That
was your father. I called him yesterday after I got back
from the park with Aleeya and he's on a flight here as we
speak. He said he was using a private jet that he and some
other executives time-share and would be landing in about
ten minutes. He already has a car waiting to pick him up
and he'll be here in an hour, tops."
Shocked, I asked her, "What did you tell him?"
"I told him there was a crisis involving possible physical
abuse of Aleeya by a family member, and that you and Priya
were involved and he needed to be here, that's all… no
specific details."
"What'd he say?"
"First, he was shocked, and then got very sad. He just
asked if you and Priya were handling things properly, and I
said that Aleeya's been here with the two of you until we
got to the bottom of it all. He said you did the right
thing and to keep things as they are until he gets here,
and that was the whole conversation."
As we sat and ate breakfast, Aleeya got progressively
quieter. Mom asked her what was wrong and she replied, "I
don't want to go home. Can I please stay here and live with
Sean and Priya?"
Mom, feeling sorry for her but also wanting to be honest,
replied, "I'm sorry sweetheart, but you have to go back
home with your parents. You have a home to go to."
"But Mommy will beat me! As soon as Daddy goes to work,
she'll punish me because she thinks I told about the
beatings. Please let me stay, please!"
Priya laid her hand on Aleeya's and said, "Remember what I
said about being a big brave girl?"
Looking down, Aleeya whispered, "Yes, I remember."
"Can you be a big brave girl for me and Sean?"
"I'll try, but for how long?"
"I'm not sure, but hopefully not too long. Sean and I will
come see you every day, all right?"
"You promise?"
Priya and I both said together, "We promise."
We were just finishing breakfast when Dad walked through
the door. He hugged us all including Aleeya and we went
into the dining room for coffee and to talk. He turned
Aleeya around, lifted the hem of her dress and saw her
bruises. He shook his head sorrowfully saying, "What's in
the mind of a person who would hurt a defenseless child
like this? It's beyond all rational reason," as he hugged
her to his shoulder.
At that moment, the front door bell rung. Pita, our maid,
went to answer the door and as soon as she opened it, we
heard a woman yelling and barging into the house, pushing
Pita to the floor. Priya said, "It's Aunt Tallie."
Mahmoud looked frantic as he tried to grab Tallie's arm and
restrain her as she yelled at Priya in Tamil. She broke
free from Mahmoud's grasp and lunged past Dad for Aleeya.
Aleeya took off running into the living room and as she
tried to round the coffee table, her sandal caught on the
rug. Aleeya fell forward in a semi-prone position and she
stuck out her hands in front of her to break her fall, but
her foot was stuck in her sandal and she hit the corner of
the table right in the center of her groin area.
She rolled off the table onto her back with a piercing
scream. She doubled over into a fetal position holding her
vulva with both hands. I rushed to her, sliding on the
floor to a stop next to her. I picked her up in my arms,
and she threw her arms around my neck screaming, "My pee
pee hurts, my pee pee hurts so bad!"
I looked at her groin area and her dress was starting to
show a one-inch stain of blood between her legs. With
everyone crowded around me, I yelled, "Get the hell out of
the way!" I carried her to the dining room table, sweeping
everything from the table onto the floor and laid her down.
Mom was standing next to me along with Priya as Mahmoud and
Dad held Tallie by the dining room entry. Mom turned to
everyone and yelled, "Get out! Get out… all of you! Go to
the living room! Priya, stay here with me and help me calm
her down while I see what's wrong with her, now all of you
out! RIGHT NOW!!"
Mahmoud and Dad dragged Tallie to the living room and flung
her onto the sofa. Dad went to the den and called Adib, and
told him he needed him and Salima to get over here right
away, that Tallie had hurt Aleeya… Click.
Dad returned and said he'd called Adib and that he didn't
even have to wait for a reply, Adib was off the phone that
fast!
About ten minutes later, Mom came back into the living room
and looked around at Dad, Mahmoud and I. She wouldn't even
look at Tallie as she began to speak. She said, "Her hymen
has a slight tear, but it's not completely torn away and
she has a small scrape on her right labia, but she won't
need any stitches. She'll be very sore for a few days, and
she shouldn't be on her feet. Walking will only irritate
the cut."
Looking at Mahmoud, she said, "Your daughter is staying
here, and you damn well better make sure your wife doesn't
show up here again or I'll beat the living shit out of her
myself, do you understand?"
Looking down in shame, he nodded his assent.
Tallie began to question Mahmoud as to Aleeya's condition
and when she'd been told, she began screaming again in
Tamil. Priya came into the room holding Aleeya in her arms
and translated Tallie's ranting by saying, "She says her
daughter is now a whore with no maidenhead to give a
husband. She also says that Aleeya has brought shame upon
the family name and cannot be offered in marriage, because
she's no longer a virgin. It's Aleeya's fault for being a
disobedient and disrespectful child who has shown everyone
her rebellious whorish nature."
Dad told Mahmoud, "If you don't shut her up, I'll knock her
teeth down her throat"
Mom looked at Tallie and back at me, and I've never seen my
mother with her face in such a state of rage. I then turned
to look at a man that I had come to respect and love as my
own blood relative, and he was a broken man, his hands
burying his heaving, sobbing face. I knew what I was about
to ask might rip at his gut, but I had to know, so I said
to him in a calm but firm tone, "Mahmoud. Mahmoud, look at
me."
He slowly lifted his tear-streaked face to look me in the
eye and I asked him, "Why do you cry? Is it for your
daughter's safety or the loss of a piece of skin that has
no meaning what so ever concerning your daughter's virtue?"
"For my child, my poor, innocent child. I am to blame for
all of this. I turned a blind eye as my wife punished my
child for our lot in life. Instead of loving her as a gift
from Allah, I resented her because, in my selfish pride, I
had wanted a son. My daughter is not a whore, she's an
innocent baby, but I know she will endure a terrible pain
that's not of her making because finding her a husband will
not be easy, even though it's not her fault; that's just
the way it is in our country. It's the same as if she were
scared on her face. Her heart and spirit are pure, but
people will only see the blemish."
The front door bell rang: it must be Adib. Pita was afraid
to go to the door, so I told her to go clean up the dining
room and I let Adib and Salima in.
Priya had taken Aleeya up to our room and left her on the
bed to rest. Priya said she told her that she needed to
translate for me, but that I would protect her and wouldn't
let her parents come near her and that she was safe.
Priya returned and was standing beside me while Mom was
sitting in the armchair, seething with so much anger her
face was flushed and she had her fists clinched on her
knees, shaking. Dad sat on the arm of the chair rubbing her
back, trying to calm her down.
As soon as Priya had explained to her parents what had
transpired, Aleeya's condition and what Tallie had said,
Salima fell to her knees and uttered a sorrowfully moan.
Adib fell to his knees and embraced his wife, trying to
console her. "Allah had cursed this innocent child as
punishment and proof of your sins Tallie," Salima shouted.
"You shall pay whatever sum is required to find her an
honorable and good man, even if you have to sell yourself
as the whore you claim the innocent fruit of your womb to
be."
"What does she mean?" I asked Priya.
She whispered to me, "Because they cannot prove she's a
virgin, Aleeya's parents will have to pay her future
husband a large sum of money to compensate him for her
shame. He will still probably treat her poorly."
Looking at Adib and Salima, Mom spat out, "Did either of
you know anything about the abuse this poor child has been
suffering? You should see her little body! Her back and
thighs are bruised with stripes like she's been beaten with
a switch, and her little butt is black and blue; all
because she wets herself!"
Dad jumped up like he was going to punch someone and yelled
out, "Is THAT what this is all about? All because a four-
year-old wets her pants?"
Both Adib and Salima shuddered and Salima said, "We had no
idea! When we saw the bruises on her leg the other day,"
Salima looked at Tallie with fierce betrayal, "You told us
she fell playing on the swings." Then looking at all of us
continued, "I've never had a reason to see her undressed to
see any other bruises."
Adib turned to his brother with a questioning, pleading
look and asked him, "How brother, how could you have not
seen your child's pain and protected her, shown her she was
your heart? How could such s thing happen to a child in our
family? We have always looked upon Aleeya as a source of
great joy and light in our lives. My heart is breaking
because of the pain this poor baby will have to endure her
entire life, just because of the treachery your wife has
committed upon her."
Mahmoud was still sitting on the couch with his head down
crying. Adib moved to his brother's side, and angrily
grabbing him by the hair, jerked his head up to look him in
the eyes. "What are you going to do with this despicable,
child-beating piece of shit?" he angrily asked.
Dad pointed to the front door and spat out, "Get her the
fuck out of my home!"
Mahmoud looked at Tallie, who was looking at everyone in
fear, and said to Adib while looking at his wife in
disgust, "I will drag her to the Imam in shame and divorce
her this very day, she'll be on the street by nightfall. As
far as I'm concerned, she can survive on her back,
servicing the curs on the street."
Falling to her knees, Tallie began begging for forgiveness,
but Mahmoud pushed her to the floor saying, "Betraying the
trust and love of your child is worse than if you'd sold
your wares on the streets in front of our house. You shall
never lay eyes on that child again. To her and to me, you
no loner exist."
Adib hugged his brother's head to his chest and said, "I
feel such sorrow and my heart aches for your pain, and that
of your child, but go now, and do what needs to be done to
rid your life of this curse on your life.
Allah will provide a way to bring back the happiness and
hope you've worked so hard to provide for your child and He
will bring peace again to your heart. Our God will not
forsake your child. Have faith my brother that Allah, in
His wisdom and mercy, will provide the means to heal all
things and bring damnation to the mother He entrusted His
creation to protect. Now go, do what must be done according
to our faith."
Mahmoud dragged a pleading Tallie to her feet and left the
house. Everyone in the room just looked at each other in
silence, not knowing what to say next. Salima looked at Mom
and asked her, "Has she been here since the party?"
Mom said, "Yes, Priya and Sean have been caring for her,
but I took her to the park yesterday, and she told me
everything. She's frightened to be alone with her mother,
and she said Tallie told her she wouldn't even buy her any
new clothes because she's only piss on them and ruin them.
She berated the child by telling her that she'd grow up to
be, and I'm using Aleeya's own words, "A pissy whore who
cannot control herself."
Dad's mouth dropped an asked, "She called that little girl
a WHORE?"
Salima gasped and uttered, "I can't believe that a baby
could be humiliated that way. How in heaven's name could
she hide it so well? None of us even suspected what she's
been going through."
Mom answered, "She's in such fear of reprisals from her
mother, she's kept it silent to avoid being beaten."
Adib looking puzzled said, "But when she's around everyone,
she's so loving and affectionate, especially with Sean. I
don't understand though, why she asked Sean to marry her;
if I remember correctly, she's asked him that question
twice. Where did she get such an idea: it's not a question
a four year old would ask, except maybe in an isolated
incident as part of a playful childish joke?"
Dad, shaking his head said, "I thought she was joking,
merely trying to act grown up like Priya"
Mom went on to explain, "Aleeya is a very observant child
and she's looking for protection, love and security. What
she longs for most is someone who will accept her because
her mother has engrained in her mind, by continual verbal
and physical abuse, that she's not lovable because she
can't control her bladder.
Aleeya looks at Priya, who is still a young girl, not too
much older than herself, and sees that Sean protects and
loves Priya and makes her happy. She sees that Priya's
parents have allowed Priya to get married to be happy, and
wonders why her parents don't want the same happiness for
her. She thinks her father loves her, but she knows he
resents the fact that she's not the boy he always wanted,
and that he leaves the nurturing to her mother because, as
she said, "Taking care of children is women's work." Sean
has somehow sensed she was needy and shown Aleeya love and
acceptance, and she feels safe and protected with him.
That's why, when she's around him, she always clings to him
to be held and cuddled.
She told me she knows Sean will protect her and love her,
even if she makes small mistakes like wetting herself. She
feels accepted, loved, and protected and that he thinks
she's very special even if she was to make mistakes.
She wants to marry him because she's been taught through
her faith at home and during the events leading to Priya's
getting married, that marriage is a holy bond forever, and
that if she were married to Sean, she'd have his love,
protection and acceptance all of her life. In her childlike
way, she's really in love with him. She trusts him
completely. She sees him as the only one in her life that
can heal her heart and make her feel safe enough to give
her love to and have it returned.
She's so frightened she wouldn't even sleep in a room by
herself, or with me; she only wanted Sean. She slept with
Priya and Sean, and to try with her limited understanding
of Islamic law regarding marriage, to willingly place
herself in a position so she has to marry Sean because he's
seen her dressed in only her panties. She's heard us women
talking to Priya before her marriage that only a girl's
husband can view his wife in such a state of undress.
Otherwise, she believes she'll become what her mother has
engrained in her to believe she'll become; "a whore."
She was so explicit when she told me from the bottom of her
heart that she feels at peace and protected from the pains
of the world in his arms. She says she knows that husbands
and wives do secret, private things and that she feels safe
enough to even do these secret things and asked me to
explain them to her.
I told her she was neither ready nor needed to know what
these things were, but she said she wasn't afraid to be
married to Sean. That's why she wouldn't let him put her
down the other night, even falling asleep in his arms. At
four, her spirit has chosen whom to trust with her 'inner
child' In my opinion, she's very near an emotional
breakdown. After today, she might even withdraw from all of
us except Sean."
Adib looked at Salima and said, "What's to become of her?"
Salima looked at Priya and said, "I don't know where to go
from here… I just don't know."
Dad, shaking his head said, "Jesus, Mary and Joseph! God
help us!"
Mom, seeing no use in trying to solve this problem right
this moment, said to Adib and Salima, "I guess the best
thing to do is wait. Let's see how Aleeya will react to all
of this. We can keep here for a few days. By then we'll all
have had time to think this through and try to come to some
kind of decision. Adib, Salima, I think you should contact
the rest of the family and let people know what's going on.
Mahmoud's been hurt by this also and will need your
family's help and support."
"Can I see her?" Salima asked my mother.
Mom smiled and said, "OK, let's see if she wants to see
anyone. Sean, Priya, you come with us. John, you come
also."
Adib plopped down on the couch in a stupor and stared off
into space as we went upstairs. I knocked on the door and
asked Aleeya if we could come in, and I heard through the
door, a timid "OK."
We entered the bedroom to find Aleeya lying on her side,
holding her groin. We went to the bedside and Salima sat
next to her and asked her, "How do you feel child, are you
alright?"
Aleeya started to cry and said, "Go away Auntie, don't look
at me, I'm a little whore."
Salima bent to embrace her, but she painfully rolled over
to face the other way. Salima started rubbing her back and
said, "Your mother said some terrible things that aren't
true. You're not a whore, you're a little girl whose been
injured that's all, nothing more. You're still the innocent
little Aleeya that we all love and adore. Can I hold my
favorite niece? Can you give Auntie a hug and a kiss?"
Without a reply, Salima gently pulled Aleeya onto her lap,
hugged her to her breast and kissed her forehead. Aleeya
started to cry and said, "Now no one will want me, not even
Sean. I can never marry anybody anymore. I just wanted to
be happy like Priya.
No one understands me except Sean and Priya: they know how
I feel. If everyone loves me so much, how come only Sean
knew how I felt? How come only he knew what I needed? He
saw into my heart and protected me and made me feel safe.
No one else saw, but he did!
To everyone else, I'm just a stupid and silly baby girl
that acts all giggly and happy, but it was all an act. I
tried to save my father's face by hiding the hurt, but I
can't anymore, it hurts too much and my heart feels broken!
Sean is the only who one saw it and made me feel important.
To him, I wasn't a stupid, silly girl who doesn't know what
real love is, but I do. I do.
You think I don't see how much you and Uncle Adib love
Sarah and Priya? I know I'm supposed to get the same love
from MY Momma and Daddy, but Sean knows what I need, he
loves me and make me feel I deserve love like anyone else.
He's the only one who saw the love in my tiny heart as a
precious gift that's bursting so much to give. He treasures
it as he treasures me, and if you take me away from Sean
and I lose him, my heart would be torn away. I'll have no
one safe to love.
Everyone thinks I don't know how to love, but I do. I know
that love is supposed to make us feel safe inside, and it's
supposed to take the hurt away when we're sad. It's
supposed to make us feel special to someone. But Sean has
taught me that what's so wonderful about love, is that love
never hurts, it heals.
Please Auntie, let me be Sean's second wife. I know that
Priya comes first, but Sean has so much love to give, he's
found room in his heart for me too. Priya would be like my
sister and help me grow to be a good girl and a good wife
and help her take care of Sean. I promise not to pee in my
pants anymore, I CAN be a big girl! Please Auntie, I know
I'll just die if I can't be with him!"
Tears were streaming down Salima's face as she heard her
little niece pour her heart out. Mom and Dad were holding
each other, crying as she spoke. Salima hugged Aleeya's
head to her chest and replied, "But Aleeya, now you're not
alone any more. We know your pain and we'll all try to help
and understand you now. Sean isn't the only one who can
love you and protect you. You now have your family to help
you.
Think of all your cousins, especially Sarah and Priya, and
your Me Ma and Uncle Adib and me; we'll all love and help
you just like Sean will."
Crying out, Aleeya replied, "You don't understand! It's not
the same! Sean knows my soul like Uncle Adib knows yours,
and Sean knows Priya's, and Uncle John knows Auntie Joan's.
You think that I can't see the special love people have
when they're married, but I do; it's easy to see if you're
looking for it! I know I'm still small and stupid; I can't
even write or spell yet, but my heart knows where it's
safe. How can I make you see?"
Dad, holding my crying mother, listened to the little
child's pleas. Sniffling with tears, Dad, with his head on
my Mom's shoulder, said, "Out of the mouth of babes… Why
does it take a child to tell us what's most important in
life?"
Sighing, Salima kissed her forehead and said, "I'm trying
to understand. I really am, dear. You get some rest, and
we'll talk about this later when you feel better, OK?'
"Are you mad at me? Do you think I'm a stupid, little baby
too?" Aleeya asked, looking up.
"No sweetheart, I'm not mad. Not mad at all. I only wish
grown ups could understand things like you do, then little
girls like you, or even big girls, wouldn't have to suffer
so much pain. You sleep now and get some rest. You're safe
now with Sean, OK?"
"OK. You won't leave me will you Sean?"
No sweetheart, I'll never leave you," I replied softly with
a smile.
Salima laid the child back down on the bed and I covered
her up and kissed her with a peck on the lips and said,
"Now get some sleep, we grownups need to talk"
Aleeya smiled, nodded and closed her eyes. We left her to
rest and went back downstairs. I whispered to Priya on the
way downstairs to keep silent unless asked our opinion, and
she nodded indicating that she understood
Pita had cleaned up the mess I'd made in the dining room
and I apologized profusely, both for the treatment she'd
endured and for the mess I'd made, and she was gracious in
accepting my concern for her.
We all sat down and Pita brought us tea as we continue
talking. Mom said, "Well, I told you how she felt and this
whole ordeal has only reinforced in her mind her dependency
on Sean. She also feels Priya understands and will accept
her as a sister/wife in a polygamist marriage with Sean.
Dad put in with, "We can't even consider that as an option.
She'd just a baby, I think it's a ludicrous idea that
wouldn't conceivably be worth talking about!"
Mom looked at him and said, "You promised. For now John,
let's just talk things out and consider every option, even
ones we might not think at first are the best possible
solutions. Leave your emotions out of it and look at things
objectively. Can you keep quiet and do that for me, and
especially for Aleeya?"
"Alright Joan," he replied, "For now, it's only talk, and
I'll listen."
Mom looked at Salima and Adib and began, "Adib, Salima, is
there anyone, anyone at all, in the family who can take
Aleeya in and care for her, even if we pay them for her
support?"
Adib looked at Salima and Salima put her head down and
shook her head no. Adib said to my Mom, "Unfortunately, at
the moment, there's no one. It's not an issue of money:
it's the space. All of our family is poor, barely making
ends meet and living like most Indian families in crowded
conditions. Sadly, Aleeya will not only require a place to
live, but special attention and care that my family is not
trained or able to give her. It would mean devoting care to
her at the expense of other family members. They would,
understandably, not wish to neglect their own children for
Aleeya. At best they are mostly just high school graduates.
Our family is the only one with any higher education, and
Sarah and Priya will be the first college graduates of all
the children.
Salima and I don't have any room for her until Sarah and
Haseeba go off to off to college, but that won't be for
another eight or nine months."
Mom thought for a moment before broaching the next topic,
one she knew Dad was going to get emotional about. "I'll be
completely honest with you John and give you my views on
the next topic that we have to at least consider. First,
neither John nor I believe in polygamy, not at all. The
thought of sharing my husband, or he sharing me, with
someone else is something neither of us would ever be able
to deal with. Second, even though it's condoned and
practiced in the Muslim faith, I don't know the procedures
of how a multiple wife family is structured or the rules
governing such practices, or for that matter, how they even
work.
Since Aleeya is only four, this practice must be, to some
degree, common knowledge in your society and at some point
must have been discussed in her presence in order that a
girl this young has any knowledge of such things. I have
noticed that no one else in your family that I've met
practices polygamy."
Salima interrupted with, "That's because of two reasons;
first, a man must be able to equally support all of his
wives, and none of our husbands have the means to do so.
Secondly, it's not as common a practice as non-Muslims
widely believe. Most Muslims are like any other couple of
any another religion, find happiness with one spouse, and
live contented and fulfilled lives with one partner."
Mom continued, "The most distressing issue, I see, in this
situation concerns her age. As John and I were discussing
the Muslim view of a marriageable age for girls when Sean
was deciding to meet with Sarah, the Imaam told Sean that
the recognized age was 8 or 9. Aleeya obviously falls way
short of that mark. How would a marriage to a child that
young work?
As for intimacy, I know that even at four, she has all the
equipment a grown woman has, only smaller; if Aleeya was
stimulated sexually, say either manually or orally, she
would feel and gain pleasure from the experience, but what
about consummation of the marriage? She's certainly way too
small to be penetrated, to have actual intercourse. Are
these marriages valid without actual penetration?"
Adib looked around at all of us and began to explain.
"Islamic law states that actual penetration need not be
mandatory to consider the marriage consummated. If she and
her husband spent the night together as man and wife, and
even if no penetration was made, her giving herself to her
husband for the purpose of sharing marital communion, such
as fondling or oral sex, constitutes her fulfillment of her
wifely obligations. She has given herself to her husband as
much as she's capable of, the same as Priya did by having
actual intercourse.
A husband's duty to a child that young is that she is his
wife. He is to be kind and gentle with all of his wives.
He's not to force her to do something she doesn't want to
do or that will hurt her physically or emotionally. No man
hurts his own flesh, and he's to care for her as he would
his own body.
Obviously, at Aleeya's age, a husband would also be as much
a father figure to her as a husband. He'd be responsible
not only for seeing to her needs and caring for her as a
father would; not only her physical and financial needs
like shelter, food, clothing and medical care, as well as
her education and emotional well being, but also the added
dimension of intimacy fulfillment (on some level) in their
relationship.
In any marriage with multiple wives, the first wife has
total authority, and controls the household. She must first
agree to allow her husband to take another wife. The second
wife is always subject to be obedient to the first wife in
trust. The first wife cannot use her authority to dominate,
punish or be cruel, but her authority is to provide order
and fairness in the home, recognizing her sister wive's
need to spend intimate time with their husband. Usually,
the first wife will dictate the scheduling of intimacy in
fairness to all these needs.
The first wife is to protect her sister wife's rights and
needs as she does her own. In a case like Aleeya, the first
wife would also be somewhat like a mother figure who trains
the girl to grow up healthy, happy and well adjusted in her
life as a married young girl to help share in the duties of
the home, raising all the combined children as equals and
caring for her husband.
Dad sat silent. He looked like his entire world was torn
apart and said, "This can't be happening, it just can't be
happening. It's too much to even think about…"
After everyone sat in silence for a moment, looking at
Adib, Dad asked, "What of the legal ramifications of this?
You and Sean came within a whisker's width of being
prosecuted for child abuse with Priya… and she's eleven!
How could anyone possibly get away with marrying a four
year old without going to prison?"
Mom looked at Dad and answered him by saying, "When I was
in the park with Aleeya, and hearing her thoughts as to how
she felt she could be happy as a second wife, I began to
think of the very issues you just brought up.
Legally, if Sean were to marry Aleeya, it would be a Muslim
marriage only. Probably the Indian government, and most
definitely the US government, would declare this marriage
null and void and Sean would definitely be prosecuted for
it. But if Sean were to legally adopt Aleeya, by law, he'd
be her guardian and could lawfully get her an American
passport as an adopted child of a US citizen, without the
Indian or US governments ever being the wiser.
This would present the problem that Aleeya could never
openly recognize Sean as her husband, or she his wife, but
what goes on behind closed doors is another matter."
Dad looked at Mom in shock and said, "That would mean
living a lie to the outside world. What if she, or someone
in the family, let it slip? Everybody's life would then
unravel."
Mom replied, "John, people live lies everyday; men and
women being married with secret lovers, wives letting men
raise children believing they're his, kids having secret
sex lives under their parent's noses, people who secretly
embezzle money from their employers. These are lies that
destroy people's lives, but what if the lie saved one?
You once told me that sometimes we do the wrong thing for
the right reason, wouldn't this be one of those cases?"
Dad looked at Mom as though he'd been pierced through the
heart. I knew, as he knew, exactly what Mom was referring
to with her last comment. He hung his lead in silence, not
knowing how to answer.
Mom took his hand in hers, pleadingly looked up into his
eyes and said, " John, I'm trying my best to do what I feel
is right, as any woman who's a mother would do for a child
who's been abused and hopelessly floundering on the edge of
an emotional breakdown, looking for the chance to find
happiness. If the circumstances were different, and I felt
there was another way, after twenty years of marriage, you
know I would be appalled at a four year-old child getting
married, but in this case, I believe that in this country,
with this culture, it could work.
The only things left to determined are the details. First,
Adib, do you think that Mahmoud would give Aleeya up for
adoption and would he consent to giving her hand to Sean?"
Salima nodded and looked at Adib and he said, "I think if
it would make her happy, he would. He knows Sean and Priya
would love and care for her and never abuse her; she
wouldn't have the shame that trying to later find her a
husband would bring, and that Sean could provide her with a
life of opportunities she would never have with someone
else."
Mom turned to Priya and said, "You know Priya, you are a
daughter to me and to John, and I shall always see you as
Sean's soul mate. The two of you share such a special love
for each other that very few couples ever realize in life.
How do you feel about the thought of sharing your husband
with someone else, even a girl like Aleeya?"
Priya looked at her parents, then at Mom and Dad and said
with a gentle smile, "You're right, Sean and my souls are
one. Neither life, or death, or anyone else will ever come
between us… we have enough love to accept and welcome
Aleeya into our family. Sean's love for me is different
than his love for Aleeya will be, and I believe he is
capable of loving us both with a special love, never
denying either of us what we need."
Salima asked her, "Child, do you fully understand what you
say? You will have to be as a mother to her as well as a
sister who shares your husband's bed; can you do this not
with jealousy or remorse, but in love?"
"I know in my heart, Momma and Papa, that this is right and
Allah will bless and sanction our family. Aleeya could
never take from me what's not hers to have. Sean's love for
her will be as special to her as his is to me. This is the
right thing to do."
Dad looked at me and asked, "Son, if this comes to pass, it
will all hinge upon you. Can you love this little girl as a
baby bride, be a father figure to her and still maintain
the loving bond you share with Priya? She is your wife and
your prime responsibility is to her. Can you give each of
these girls what they need, to maintain a special love for
each of them without destroying all of your lives? You
realize that the mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing
of two women's lives hangs in the balance?"
I looked at all of them and then at Priya and began, "Priya
and I discussed this in detail last night. I truly believe,
and I told Priya, that I believe that my very breath and
strength come from my unquenchable love for her. It may, on
the surface, sound unfair to Aleeya, but I'm sure that I
could give her the love she needs in life, but my soul
belongs to Priya. I would be in this together with Priya
and we would both decide what the best way is to include
Aleeya in our family, but we would never feel as though she
was not an equal partner in our love. Does that make sense?
There is a love in Aleeya's heart for me, and in mine for
her, but she's not capable of giving what Priya and I need
from each other. Each has their own gift to give; and on
the whole, we believe it will make the bonds between Priya
and I, Aleeya and I. and between all three of us, much
stronger over time."
Dad looked at mom, then around at all of us, and said, "I
can't believe I'm saying this, but as crazy as it appears,
it seems to be the best solution under the circumstances.
Adib, Salima, can both of you accept your daughter and
niece being married to Sean? What about the rest of the
family? If this happens, can they be trusted to keep this a
family secret?"
Salima said, "My father had two wives, my mother being the
second wife. My father and his first wife were killed in a
car accident. The family will sanction and accept Sean
marrying Aleeya knowing that she'll be happy. The women
will also help Aleeya grow to be a good wife. They'll kept
this secret as a family issue, not wanting to bring
unwanted attention to Muslim customs and put anyone's
future in jeopardy. Mahmoud will be happy for Aleeya and do
what's necessary."
Mom looked at Adib and said, "Call Mahmoud and make the
necessary arrangements for the adoption and marriage. John
and I, along with Sean, Priya and the both of you will make
all the marriage arrangements. John, go call the lawyer and
have the adoption papers drawn up immediately."
Dad rose and went to the den to make the call.
Mom, trying to put a happy face on things, smiled and said
to Salima and Priya, "Well, it looks like we've got another
wedding to plan! Priya, some birthday present, huh? A
sister wife!"
And Sean, don't you dare come to me and tell me you're
exchanging wedding vows with a newborn babe in a crib!"
Continued in Chapter 25…
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