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Child Brides of India
By: C. Stanton Leman
Chapter 66: Becoming Parents (and More?) (Mgg, rom,
cons)
We arrived home from Adib's about five fifteen. Leeya
and
Attiya were playing out back. I asked everyone to step into
the study and once seated, I turned to Priya and said,
"Priya, you commented about me being honest and keeping my
word. I believe that I have proved my honor by saving
Faatina's life from her father and it's not necessary to
keep a promise of marriage made to a would-be murderer. I
did what I had to do to get him to agree to sign that
document tomorrow. Once he signs, I'll give him his blood
money, then she's mine legally and there's not a damn thing
he can do about it."
Looking at Mom and Dad, they were both smiling in assent
as
I continued, "Look at me Priya. If a rapist took you
hostage and threatened to kill you if you didn't have sex
with him, understandably, to prevent him from killing you,
you'd agree to have sex with him. Now, assume you manage to
get away: do you go back and keep your word and have sex
with him or do you run for safety?"
"I see your point," Priya said, "It's not
necessary to keep
a promise made under duress in order to save a life, right?"
"Right," I confirmed, "He subtly
threatened that she would
die if I didn't marry her. The police would offer and
promise someone with hostages anything in order to get the
hostages released. I won't rest easy though until that
document is signed and registered with the court."
"Amen to that," Dad replied.
"What are we gonna tell Leeya about Faatina living
here?"
Priya asked.
"I'll talk to her." I said, "I'll tell
her the truth:
Faatina's coming to live with us - plain and simple."
I called Pita and asked her to find Leeya and send her
in.
A few minutes later, a ragged looking Leeya came into the
study gasping for breath. She wiped her brow and said,
"Whew! We were playing hide and seek, what's up?"
"Come here, Munchkin," I said as I motioned
her over, "I've
got some good news for you."
Hopping up on my lap, she asked, "What kind of good
news?"
"Tomorrow," I began, "Faatina is coming to live with us.
She'll kinda be like my daughter."
"Really?" she said, as she thought about what
I'd said,
then asked me, "If you're gonna be her father… well,
wouldn't that make me and Priya her mommies?"
Nodding at her deduction I replied, "Yeah, never
thought of
it that way, but yeah, you're right."
"Boy!" Leeya replied, "I'm gonna be a
mommy at five! That
means (giggles) I had my baby when I was one!"
With all of us laughing at her math, I quipped,
"You're a
very precocious little girl, aren't you?'
Leeya nodded as she giggled and said, "Told you I
was a
lotta woman for five!"
That cracked the whole room up with laughter.
"One thing though," I warned, "No one can
know just yet.
I'll tell you when, OK?"
"Sure! Can I tell Tiya," Leeya asked,
"That she's coming to
live with us tomorrow?"
"Uh huh," I answered.
"I don't have to change her poopy nappies do
I?" Leeya inquired.
"Sure do!" I said teasingly.
"Oh yuck!" Leeya shuddered, "Do I hafta,
Priya?"
"No Baby," Priya said, "Sean's just
teasing you. Sean and I
will take care of Faatina. All you have to do is love her
and teach her to learn how to do things OK?"
"I can do that!" Leeya affirmed with look of
relief on her
little face.
We ended our family meeting on a much happier note than
it
begun. As we were sitting down for dinner, the phone rang.
Dad was closest to the phone so he picked it up. It turned
out to be the lawyer telling Dad that he was on his way
over with the guardianship papers.
We ate quietly and Leeya was telling Attiya that she was
going to be a mommy, but Attiya just looked at her like she
was crazy. We were just about finished dinner when the
attorney showed up. Dad looked at the document then showed
it to me. I read the words "I, Amaad Hirsi and Alpa Hirsi
do hereby irrevocably relinquish all parental rights…" and
said, "YES!" to myself.
After dinner we said our good nights and went upstairs
for
prayers. After prayers, we three took a group shower and I
helped the girls wash and condition their hair. Once back
in the bedroom, I had the pleasure of brushing and drying
my wives hair. Both Priya's blue-black mane and Leeya's
dark brown were both luxuriously long. Leeya's was at the
middle of her back when we married but was now down to her
waist. As I gently brushed the tangles from Leeya hair, I
leaned over, kissed the top of her head and whispered,
"You're so beautiful, Sweetheart."
She blindly reached back and taking my hand replied,
"No
I'm not. I'm just an average girl, but you make me feel
like the most beautiful girl in the world when you tell me
that. I love you Sean, my heart just bursts with love for you."
After my five year old was finished, it was now the
"old
woman" of twelve's turn to be pampered. After detangling
Priya's hair I began to brush through it as I waved the
dryer. I pulled her luxurious veil of hair from her neck
and nipped her in her nape. She cocked her head a little
and said, "It's a shame you're off limits. I've missed our
wild intimate nights. I need one soon, very soon or I'll just bust."
"Another week Baby," I said, "Just one
more week."
"God Sean," Priya said, "Starting
tomorrow, we'll be
parents. I'm really frightened that I'll fail her in some way."
"Don't feel bad," I tried to comfort, "I
think every parent
in the world is afraid of the same thing."
After a surprisingly good night's sleep I woke at my
usual
six. For some reason, I was very excited, anticipating
bringing Faatina home today. Maybe it's that idealistic and
romantic picture we have of a child with their loving
parent but I was looking forward to holding her in my arms.
I guess the girls weren't as chipper as I and when I
tried
to roust them awake they responded with mixed grumbles and growls.
"Up we go girls," I said cheerily,
"Today's the big day, we
become mommies and daddy!"
Priya grumbled and replied, "I'll sleep, you get
the first feeding."
I gave her a shove and she chuckled as she rose. Leeya
was
compliant and sat up also but warned, "'member, I ain't
touchin' no poopy diapers!"
We said morning prayers, went downstairs and had an
early
breakfast. We were ready to go by eight-fifteen. As we
readied to leave, Leeya wanted to go to the hospital but I
told her I had to do some mean business with bad 'ole Uncle
Amaad and she readily agreed to wait at home. Dad said he
was going to the office and that we didn't need him.
Mom, Priya and I readied to leave at eight-thirty. Dad
dropped us off at Adib's at a couple of minutes to nine.
After exchanging salaams, we moved to the dining room to
transact the "sale."
I laid the guardianship papers on the table and told
Amaad,
"Here are the legal documents giving me guardianship of
Faatina. If you do not understand them, what they basically
say is that you and Alpa give up your rights forever as
Faatina's parents and give me sole custody and legal rights
to act as her guardian and parent until she reaches
eighteen. Do you understand?
He nodded, then asked, "Her dower: what's her
dower?"
I said to him, "I will give her what I've given
Priya and
Leeya: a trust fund of ten million US dollars that she may
spend as she sees fit."
Pulling out my checkbook, I said to him, "Are you
and your
wife ready to sign the agreement?'
He looked at his wife sternly and she reached for my
pen. I
handed it to her, smiled gently and pointed to the several
lines, one by one, where she should sign. I then pushed the
papers to Amaad and pointed out the places he needed to
sign. Everyone held their breath until Amaad had signed in
all three places and I put the document in my breast pocket.
I said to them, "You both know that now, your
daughter is
no longer legally yours but I have stipulated in this
agreement that Alpa has unlimited visitation rights. We
would very much like Alpa to continue to help with her care
and give her daughter her love."
Amaad had a silent chiseled look of victory on his face
while Alpa covered her face with her hands and wept at
having given up her child.
Mom and Salima took Alpa to the living room while Priya
sat
with Adib and I to finish our business. I asked him, "How much?"
He told me through Priya, "$17,000 US."
I wrote the check, tore it from the book and handed it
to
him. I stood and motioned for Priya to follow. When I
entered the living room, I asked Alpa if she wanted to go
to the hospital with us. She nodded yes but wasn't sure if
Amaad would permit it.
I returned to the table and asked Amaad if Alpa could
accompany us to the hospital and he waved his hand as is to
say, "Go ahead."
Nodding to Mom, Alpa picked up a shabby satchel that
contained Faatina's clothes and we left to pick up Faatina.
We arrived at the hospital about eleven-thirty and the
driver let us out at the main entrance.
When we entered Faatina's room, she was sitting up in
the
crib sucking on a bottle. I looked at Priya and sighed. I
thought to myself, "How am I gonna do this? How can I be a
father to an infant girl?" The task seemed so daunting and difficult.
Mom saw my apprehension and said to Priya and I, "I
know
that you're frightened, you should be. That little bit of
fear will always keep you vigilant to give your child the
very best within you to give. You'll always ask yourself
"Am I doing the best I can?" Being a parent is the hardest
job you'll ever do, but in the end, it's the most rewarding and
fulfilling."
Priya showed Alpa how to lower the side of the crib and
she
reached in and scooped up her baby girl. I had to leave the
room because watching her hold the baby she'd given to me
was too much to bear.
After calming myself and washing my face, I returned to
see
Priya rocking Faatina in her arms. It looked so strange to
see my twelve year-old wife holding a child that she was
now going to become its mother.
Priya stood, cradling Faatina under her butt and handed
her
to me. Faatina turned and looked up at me and smiled. That
did it. My heart instantly melted and I felt an immediate
connection to her. I smiled back as I rocked her in my arms
and whispered in her ear, "Daddy's gonna love you forever
Baby, it's gonna be alright."
I carried my new daughter to the nurse's station and
asked
the attending nurse if we could get Faatina's discharge
papers completed and take her home. She told me that the
doctor would be in soon to talk to us. Only the doctor
could authorize her discharge. I asked her to page Dr. Gupta.
I took the baby back and we waited for the doctor to
arrive. Alpa practically kissed my feet with gratitude for
taking her daughter. She said that she'd try to visit
Faatina as much as possible and thanked me for allowing her
continued contact. She also said that she was afraid of
Amaad, and that she hates when he has sex with her because
he's brutal, and it hurts her to have sex with him.
She said her days were filled with anguish because she
bore
him a beautiful daughter and he'd looked at her from birth
with disdain. I asked her what Faatina's name meant and she
replied, "It means captivating one."
The women decided that after we left the hospital, we'd
return to Adib's and the women would go shopping for new
clothes, diapers and things Faatina would need. Mom
quipped, "Well "Daddy," looks like you get to get to know
your daughter while we women go shopping!"
Although now quiet and cooing, I suddenly had visions of
soiled diapers, a screaming child and not knowing what to
do. I said, "But, But…"
"But what?" Mom asked, "You've got a
piece of paper saying
that you're now Mr. Mom, deal with it."
I was awakened from my "nightmare" when Dr.
Gupta arrived.
He was sullen at first, thinking he was releasing his
patient to an uncaring man only to brighten up when he
found out that Priya and I would be taking over her care.
He said, "The only instructions I can give you, is
to treat
her like an infant and give her lots of love and
encouragement. Let nature take its course and pray she'll
be OK. Just be aware that she may learn slowly, so exercise
patience. Pay close attention to her. If she appears to try
and wants to do something, say stand or walk and she's just
not capable, call me and we'll see if physical therapy
might be helpful. Pay very close attention to her: she'll
be like all infants. They have quick hands, are inquisitive
and can get into a dangerous situation very suddenly and
easily. She'll want to get into everything, that's how a
child learns. Just childproof the home and keep dangerous
objects or chemicals out of reach: they tend to put
everything in their mouths."
"Mom was chuckling the whole time and I turned and
asked,
"What's so funny, why are you laughing?"
Priya and I looked at her as she said, "It's
payback time
kids! Now you'll find out what WE went through with you
two! Ha, ha!"
Priya and I smirked at each other and she uttered,
"Great!"
Just then, said little "captivating one" peed
all over my
jacket. Dr. Gupta looked at the wet spot on my jacket,
smiled, and said, "I'll leave you to it. I'll just go fill
out her discharge form," and left chuckling.
Laughing, Mom said, "Oh Sean, isn't that sweet, she
loves
you! Now that you've been christened, you're a real daddy
now! Here, I'll change her."
"A chip off the 'ole block I'd say," Priya
quipped.
"Huh?" I asked unknowingly, as I handed her
off to Mom.
"Well," she replied, "You DO like water
sports!"
Mom about choked and dropped the baby she started
laughing
so hard. Alpa, not speaking English, just looked confused.
With everybody dry (except me), we walked to the nurse's
station: me displaying my new badge of parenthood. The
nurse saw it and just smiled. She handed me the paper and
said, "Dr. Gupta had discussed everything with you I presume?"
"Yes," I replied, "All except surprises
like this (Pointing
to my jacket)."
"Well, when you gotta go, you gotta go," she
reminded me.
We made it home without any more tokens of love from
Faatina and arrived at Adib's at two. We were sitting in
the kitchen talking and Mom asked Adib, "Where'd the asshole go?"
Adib smirked and said, "He went to cash his check
and pay
his debts I presume."
I was bouncing Faatina on my knee and she was cooing and
gurgling as we talked. About five minutes into our
conversation, we heard an enormous wet fart emanating from
the 'captivating one's" nappy. There was silence, followed
by uproarious laughter.
All of a sudden, I smelled this horrendous odor. Holding
her at arms length I cried, "Mom????"
Priya thought that she might have to do the honors and
looked at Mom with GREAT trepidation. Mom took a sniff and
said, "Well, who da daddy?"
Pointing to me she said, "You be da daddy? Go do
the daddy thing!"
"Mom!" I whined like a little boy, "Help
me!"
I stood holding the defecating urchin at arms length and
walked to the living room. Mom laid a blanket out on the
floor, withdrew a new nappy along with the wipes and said
"There. Everything you need, except maybe a cloths pin for your
nose."
"What do I do Ma?" I whined again.
"First you hafta lay her down, dummy, and open the
diaper."
She instructed.
I laid the soiled little princess on the blanket. After
pulling her pants off, I tentatively pulled the tabs on her
diaper open, one by one, and slowly pulled it open to
reveal the arduous task at hand.
The sight before me was horendously disgusting! She had
that odiferous mess spread from mons to tailbone! Being a
newbie, no one reminded me that the mess before me was made
by a living being with moving extremities and that I should
restrain said extremities from spreading this mess beyond
the confines of the diaper.
Faatina had her finger in her grinning mouth and began
kicking her legs. The more she kicked, the more she
squished the mess into her little coochie. I turned my sour
face in disgust and cried out (to everyone's amusement),
"Oh God Mom! How do you clean THIS mess, it smells so God
awful disgusting!"
Mom kissed my cheek and whispered in my ear,
"What's the
matter "Daddy," finally found a tiny pussy you don't know
what to do with?"
"Funny Ma, real funny!" I retorted.
Mom turned to the audience and they were all almost on
the
floor in hysterics and said, "Well folks, should I relieve his
misery?"
This was the first time I'd ever seen Alpa smile and she
was now doubled over in laughter. Salima pointed to me but
couldn't speak, she was laughing so hard and finally
blurted out, "Please Joan, I'll pee myself if you don't!"
"Oh alright," Mom sighed, "First, grab
her feet."
I grabbed an ankle in each hand and she said, "No
Daddy,
take both ankles in one hand like this (she put both ankles
in my hand)."
"Then push down a little bending her knees, like
this
(directing my movements)," she continued, "So that you
spread her legs open, see?"
Just then the squirming creature added a hand to the
mix-
right into the middle of the mess. Mom quipped, "Didn't the
doctor tell you she had quick hands? Now you've got to
clean her hand or she'll put it in her mouth."
"Holy cow Mom," I childishly whined,
"I've only got two
hands (voice cracks)!??!!!??!"
Mom placed Faatina's soiled hand in between my fingers
and
said, "Get her other hand or you'll be saaww-rreee."
I trapped her other hand in my fingers and thought that
I
could now clean her up. Murphy's Law states that whatever
CAN go wrong WILL go wrong and at the least opportune moment.
Where and how did this child remember learning this?
Evidently, the "captivating one" decided she didn't like
being held in a hog-tie fashion and started squirming and
lifting her butt off the floor.
Mom said, "Be quick because she's getting
frustrated,
you're taking too long (I'M taking too long, why doesn't
she co-operate?). Take the wipe and begin cleaning
downward. That's the way. With a girl, ALWAYS wipe down:
otherwise, you could get some fecal matter inside her
vagina and she'll get an infection."
As I wiped I said, "Great Mom, Now you tell me I
could kill
her changing her dirty diaper."
"I'm not joking about this Sean," Mom said,
"It's just a
matter of anatomy. OK now. Once you've got her relatively
clean (four wipes later), let go of her hands and legs,
open her little lips and make sure she's clean inside.
There, there's still some under her hood. That's it, good.
Looks like you got it. Now lift her up by her ankles:
that's it, check and make sure she's clean in back in
between her cheeks. There. She looks clean. Now, put the
clean diaper under her and fasten it and you're done."
To add insult to injury, my "captivating one"
decided she
wasn't finished and began to take a leak. She released her
bladder and began squirting all over the place: including
me, while she squirmed.
"Boy!" Mom observed, "She's really giving
you a hard way to
go isn't she?"
Mom reached in the bag and retrieved another dry nappy
while princess peed on me I quipped, "She must REALLY love me!"
Mom chuckled and replied wryly, "You're lucky she's
not a
boy or she'd a got you in the face: girls pee down, boys pee up."
Once my new daughter had thoroughly put me through the
paces, I managed to get the damn diaper on her and fastened.
When finished, I raised my hands in glorious victory as
if
I'd just wrestled the biggest steer at the rodeo. Everyone
clapped their approval, but I forgot something…
Although diapered, the "captivating one" was
rolling away,
still not dressed. Mom pointed and said, "She's getting away!"
"Damn she's quick!" I noted.
I grabbed her ankle and pulled her back as she giggled.
To
her, this was a game, to me it was a matter of male pride
and she was kicking my ass!
I pulled her to my lap as she squirmed and giggled. I
snagged one foot and got it in the leg hole of her pants. I
grabbed the other foot and she started kicking and trying
to roll over.
Fighting to pull a pair of paints up a twisting kid's
legs
isn't easy: let me tell you!
Once I had her pants up, it was time for revenge! I
flipped
her over on her back, trapped her hands in my left hand and
pulled her arms up over her head. I held her squirming legs
down with my right upper arm and pulled her shirt up to
expose her tummy and began blowing zoobers all over her belly.
She was laughing and twisting and started to pant when
Mom
said, "You'd better stop, or you'll be changing a wet one
for your folly!"
"Oops, didn't think of that," I said as I let
her up.
Faatina lay there, just panting and looking at me with a
smile on her face. Her eyes sparkled and again, she just
melted my heart. I scoped her up in my arms kissing her
cheeks and she laid her head in the nape of my neck. I
carried her back to the table where everyone was seated and
Mom said, "Just one more thing to do Son. Take her to the
sink and wash her hands with soap then wash yours. Always
wash your hands, and hers if she gets them in the way,
whenever you're finished changing her."
I took her to the sink, bent and raised my knee against
the
sink and sat her down as I turned on the water. I let her
splash as I soaped her hands and after rinsing and drying
her, I set her down on the floor. As I washed, Faatina
grabbed my leg hugging me.
Priya and Alpa began to softly cry at the sight. I
gently
picked her up and hugged her to me and moved to sit with
her at the table. Alpa gasped when she saw Faatina gently
rub her cheek against mine.
We turned and Salima asked her what was wrong. Alpa
spoke
and Salima said, "She said that Faatina used to do that to
her when she was an infant, but hasn't done it for years."
That tiny action brought all of us a glimmer of hope
that
trapped in her brain was memories from the past. How many
more, we could only hope would soon be revealed.
Priya rubbed my back and remarked, "Sean, I'm so
very happy
right now. I knew you'd be a good father and she loves you
already. I'm so proud of you!"
Alpa, still sniffling remarked, "My heart soars
with joy at
seeing a man show my baby love. I know she'll be all right.
When will you arrange the wedding?"
We looked at each other in silence and I said to her as
Salima translated, "What if I told you that there wasn't
going to be a wedding?
"No wedding?" she asked surprised.
"You and Amaad," I replied, "Have given
me complete and
total guardianship of Faatina. I am now her parent. Amaad
no longer has the right to give her hand in marriage and he
cannot tell me what do with my child. I cannot, in good
conscience, marry Faatina in her current state of mental
and physical state. What she needs now is love and
encouragement like a parent would give her and teach her
how to be a little girl, then become a woman."
Alpa silently gave a look of worry and said, "You
tricked him into believing that you would marry her didn't
you?"
Nodding I replied, "Yes, yes I did."
Looking at Salima she said, "He'll probably want to
blame
me and beat me for this you know."
We looked at each other in sadness of her revelation and
Mom said, "Alpa, do YOU think Sean's doing the right thing
by not marrying her?"
"Yes and no," she replied, "Yes because
she's too young and
incapable of understanding and no because I know that Sean
would always cherish her as a wife no matter whatever
becomes of her."
"But don't you understand?" I asked,
"I'll love her no
matter what as her father. I don't have to marry her to
love her unconditionally."
Alpa got suddenly serious and said, "No, YOU don't
understand what you’ve done do you?"
"What?" I asked, "What's there to
understand?"
Alpa, being very devout, was well versed in Islamic law
said, "According to Islamic law, you entered into a legally
binding contract of marriage with Amaad, Faatina's father
and legal guardian or Wali Al-Amr. He made an offer of
marriage, not matter how cunning, and you accepted in a
single sitting being witnessed by two or more witnesses.
Since Faatina cannot speak because she’s not reached puberty and a virgin for
herself, her father has the right to do so. Regarding her infirmities, you
knew before you accepted his
proposal her age and that she had an infirmity so it cannot be
used to
nullify the agreement. You accepted her as she is and stated that you
would take her into your house and that the wedding would be scheduled at a
date to be set: I think your words were
"…after all the arrangements can be made." He will
contend that you,
using Islamic law, deceitfully conspired to steal his rights and took his daughter away
from him and knowingly committed a sin"
We were all dumbfounded as we looked at each other. Alpa
said, "This is not just my opinion. It is required of
Muslims that they comply with any agreements that they
enter into. Marriage is a holy contract and not like the
sale of property or an item in which the buyer may change
his mind before consummating the transaction. I can think
of several scriptures that apply. Allah said, "{Yaa ayyuhaa
alladhina aamanoo aufoo bi al-'uqood...}
{O you who believe fulfill your contracts...} Al-Ma'idah:1.
And, "Al-muslimoona 'alaa shurootihim." "Muslims are bound
by their stipulations." Abu Daud & Al-Hakim (sahih).
Also, the Prophet said: "Ahaqqu maa aufaitum min ash-
shurooti maa istahlaltum bihi al-furooj." Or, "The
conditions which you have the most duty to fulfill are
those by which you have made marital relations lawful."
Finishing her point, Alpa said, "You also offered
Faatina a
dower of ten million dollars along with a gift to her
father. You consummated your agreement by paying him the
gift, which he accepted. This fulfills all the requirements
of a legally binding contract of marriage according to the
Koran. He will bring you before the Imaam and state his
case and he will win. The Imaam will require you to return
Faatina to her father and punish you by whipping or you may
honor your contract and marry her."
It felt like I'd been shot between the eyes and Mom and
Priya were dumbfounded. Adib and Salima looked at each
other then Adib said to me, "She's right Sean, You could be
labeled an infidel and banished from Islam."
Alpa said, "If it were possible, there's nothing
more I'd
like to see happen than you raise her, but if he regains
custody of her, I hate to think what might happen to her.
To force your hand, he would notify the authorities that
you have an illegal relationship with Aleeya and you would
then be civilly prosecuted for child abuse."
"Heaven forbid!" Mom exclaimed.
Priya said, "He doesn't know what Sean's real
intentions
are, right? Sean, if you follow through with the contract
as agreed, all of this can be avoided, can't it?"
Looking around at each other, Alpa, Salima and Adib
nodded
while the three of us sat silent. Faatina sat playing with
my nose, distracting my concentration, oblivious to the
serious discussions about her fate.
I looked at her lovingly as she smiled innocently at me
and
I wondered what was I going do. I sighed and said out loud,
"Boy, I really screwed up didn't I?"
Mom soothingly said, "Sean, you did what you
thought was
right and it was worth the effort. I don't see any way
around it: you'll have to marry her. If you go to jail,
your family will be destroyed. You can marry Faatina and
STILL raise her like a daughter. The only problem that will
arise is when she's old enough or mentally capable of
understanding her true relationship with you."
"What if I call the Imaam and plead my case before
any of
this comes to light?" I asked openly.
"Depends," said Adib, "On how well you
know the Imaam. But
he will still follow the law over you. He'll tell you the
truth. There's still time to fulfill your obligations and
he will probably tell you that. Either way, you will have
to keep the contract or possibly face prosecution."
"Well," I said, "None of this is helping
Faatina. Why don't
you girls go and get what she needs. I'll call the Imaam.
By the time you get back, I'll know what to do."
Grudgingly, everyone agreed and started to rise. Mom said,
"I'll take Faatina with me, you need to concentrate on your
discussion with the Imaam."
"No," I said solemnly, "She'll be all
right here. I'll
watch her. You guys go and get back as soon as you can.
Without her, you can get things done much quicker anyway."
Agreeing, The women rose to leave. Priya kissed me and
said, "I'll be all right. We'll raise her and love her and
take things as they come. The good thing is, she'll be
cared for and loved, no matter what."
Rubbing my back, Mom tried to sooth me by saying,
"Priya's
right Son, she'll have a life and know she's loved."
With that, the women left to do their shopping. I called
the Imaam and explained everything to him: Faatina's
illness, her brain damage and her father's intentions and
what I'd done to avert Faatina's demise. He asked me if I
could prove any of this and I asked him how I could prove a
crime that I'd averted from happening?
He told me that that was the problem: I can't. There's
no
way to know what Faatina's fate would have become because
the conditions no longer exist for that to happen.
He basically told me that what I did was very serious.
Just
by me telling him, he could have me punished, but said that
if I agreed right then and there to him to fulfill the
contract I'd made, he would consider the matter closed. I
told him that I would keep my word and thanked him for his
advice and time. We exchanged salaams and disconnected.
Adib looked at me expectantly, wanting to know the crux
of
the conversation. I sighed and said to him, "Looks like I'm
gonna have a three year-old infant wife."
"I'm sorry Sean," He replied, "But look
at the positive
side: if Alpa wouldn't have brought this up, in a week or
so, you'd be standing before a judge fighting for your
freedom."
"Yeah," I said sadly, "I guess you're
right. I just hope
Allah, praise be His name, will give me the strength and
conviction to do the right thing for her."
Grabbing my hand firmly, Adib said, "Sean, you're a
very
loving man and will do what's right for her. She somehow
knows that: see how she looks at you with affection? She
knows she's safe. It will all work out, just trust in God
and He will help you. Salima and I will tell Me Ma and the
rest of the family. Don't worry, everything will work out."
I played little tickle games with Faatina on the floor
and
about an hour later, I checked her diaper: whew! Dry (thank
God)! I'd called Dad and informed him of my dilemma and he
wasn't happy. I told him that we'd be late for dinner and
would be home soon after the women arrived from shopping.
After about two and a half hours later the women returned about six.
From the description of what they'd bought, it sounded
like
they'd bought out the shopping center: dresses, shirts,
PJ's, pants sets and jumpers, shoes, shampoo and
conditioner, baby lotion, some medicine in case she ran a fever,
along with diapers and wipes (of course).
I told Mom and Priya I'd told Dad of the situation and
that
we should be getting home. Alpa said that Amaad would
probably be contacting me soon about a wedding date and
that she'd keep quiet about our discussion. We said our
salaams to my in-laws and left to take Alpa home.
I felt sad when we dropped Alpa off. She lived in an
area
not much better than a slum, he conditions looked
horrid. Although bad, it seemed that a great deal of the
city's population lived about this way. We left for home,
sad to leave Alpa in those conditions with a brutal and
uncaring man. She IS a kind, loving good woman.
We arrived home about seven. Dad and the younger girls
had
eaten, so we sat and had dinner. I spoon-fed Faatina as she
sat on my lap. Surprisingly, she co-operated and ate pretty
well. Leeya looked on and we could see the sadness on her
face as she looked at her now infantile cousin eating and cooing.
After dinner, I asked Leeya if she would play with
Faatina
in the living room as I talked with Priya and my parents.
After capsulation of the day's conversation for Dad, I
informed everyone of my conversation with the Imaam and the
resulting agreement that I would follow through with the marriage.
Mom said, "Well, I guess I'd better make
arrangements for
Faatina's wedding clothes then shouldn't I?"
Dad replied futilely, "Yeah, why not. Not much else
we can
do, he's got Sean over a barrel."
"Now," Priya said, "We've got to tell
Leeya she's about to
have another sister wife."
With that, we silently rose to go say prayers. I scooped
up
Faatina as the girls followed behind to say evening
prayers. Faatina rolled around, playing with our shoes as
we prayed. When finished, I asked Priya to look after
Faatina while I talked to Leeya.
As Priya and Faatina played on the floor, Leeya and I
sat
in the sitting room. I said to her, "Leeya my darling,
there's something I need to tell you."
"What's that?" she asked plainly.
"I cannot take care of Faatina as my daughter like
I'd
hoped." I explained, "In order for her to live with us and
get the love and care she needs, I'll have to marry her. I
made a promise to her father and I have to keep it or I
could go to jail."
"I understand," She said as she looked down,
"But if you
marry her, and she’s like a baby, will you do those secret things
with her and sex her?"
"No Baby I won't." I replied, "She's too
young and small
and she can't make any decisions like you did to do those
things. I would be bad if I did that to her."
"Good," She replied, "She's just a baby
and I think it
would be bad touching if you did."
"That's right," I agreed, "It WOULD be
bad touching. Even
though she'll be my wife, I'll treat her like a daughter."
"What if she gets better and wants to do secret
things?"
"Well," I answered, "We'll just have to
wait and see. That
day may never come."
"But what if?" she asked.
"We'll discuss it if and when the time comes."
I replied,
"We just can't say right now."
"OK," she said, "I'll love her like a
sister. Can I still
be her second mommy?"
"Sure Sweetie," I said, "I think she'd
like that a lot."
"I still don't want to change her poopy nappy though," she noted.
Chuckling, I replied, "That's OK, I think Priya,
Momma and
I can handle that."
"Good," she agreed.
Priya changed Faatina and readied her for bed as Leeya
and
I did the same. We crawled into bed with Leeya on my left
and Faatina between Priya and I. Priya turned on her side
and cuddled Faatina to her. Leeya went to sleep within
minutes, and as Faatina fell off to sleep, Priya eeek'ed out in surprise.
I turned and asked her what was wrong. She giggled and
replied, "She's asleep and nursing on my breast!"
I chuckled and quipped, "Well my dear, welcome to motherhood!"
As Faatina suckled in her sleep, I kissed my Beloved
goodnight and we fell off to sleep ourselves.
Continued in Chapter 67…
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