MARY AND HER SISTERS - Part 1

MARY AND HER SISTERS  - Part 1

A SHORT STORY

BY
JUNAID WAHID JOKHIO
(M.A, B. Ed)

Mary was a beautiful girl. She was a Virgo by her star. Virgo people are generally open-minded, merrymaking, attractive, and charming by their nature and Mary was no exception to it she enjoyed her life fully. She considered everybody respectable and worthy of respect. She never misbehaved with anybody without any reason but whenever there was any reason, she never left any stone unturned. She used to be very much angry when she was hurt or blamed for such a matter which she never did in her life. She had three sisters and she was the youngest of all. She was young in her age, but her intelligence and acumen proved to be more than her sisters. She was much smarter and much sharper than all her sisters because of which they were jealous of her. She was not only more talented than her sisters but also was much nearer to her mother. Once her sisters made a vicious plot against her. They decided that they would tell their mother about Mary’s love affair with a boy but to do that they had no evidence. So they somehow manage to get THE number of Chris, a boy from their neighbourhood, and save that into Mary’s mobile without her knowledge. They involve him in their plot. Now that they have solid proof that Mary has a boyfriend and she even talks to him on mobile. One day when their mother was busy in the kitchen. All three sisters except for Mary came and told their mother a forged and baseless story of the love affair of Mary with Chris. At first, she was surprised but later she got mad and angry at Mary and straightly started beating and thrashing her, not even letting her utter a single word from her mouth. She even locked her up inside a room and did not listen to her at all. Afterwards, she turned to her daughters and asked them to dial the number of the boy. She called him and asked that if he does not stay away from her daughter, she will complain about him to his parents. Chris replies to her saying that he will never contact her daughter and says to her to forgive him for his mistake. Mary keeps sobbing inside her room unknown to her this kind of punishment by her mother. She understands that there must be the hand of her sisters who are jealous of her being close to her mother more than them. And while she thinks about their being behind her punishment, they come to see her through a window. They laugh at her, criticising her for her attachment to her mother. Mary resents their comments and she promises to herself to take revenge upon them by bringing humiliation and disgrace to them. Three days elapse and Mary remains inside the room locked from outside. Her mother caters to her through the window but she does not talk to her. She has also snatched her mobile from her. Mary wants to tell about her being innocent and faultless but her mother neglects her every time she goes to keep her food through the window. Mary cries, sobs, and beseeches her mother to listen to her but she does not care for her at all until five days. On the sixth day, Mary tries to commit suicide by hanging herself from the fan but her mother sees her and she unlocks the door without any delay. She holds her tight and starts kissing her saying that she will never say any word to her. Mary gets normal and she tells her that she has never had an affair with any boy but her mother tells her that she has already talked to the boy on mobile and that now he will never talk to her because she had forbidden him. Mary cannot find any option in her mind and she shows her consent that she was involved in a love affair with that boy. Her mother explains to her about her age and the society around her. Mary understands everything clearly but she also decides to prove that she was innocent and had no link with any boy. Her mother returns her mobile to her. Mary tries to contact that boy for spoiling her image in front of her mother. She talks to that boy and asks him to see her in a nearby park in the evening at 05:00 pm. On the one hand, Chris delights and he starts getting ready to meet Mary and on the other hand, she also gathers the courage to face him as she has never talked to any stranger in her life before. The wall clock strikes 04:30 pm and Chris reaches the park before the fixed time. There are only children playing in the park except for Chris. Mary reaches the park not a single minute before or after 05:00 pm. She goes to him straightly and slaps him in his face. The boy amazes at such a reaction of hers and he begs pardon from her for being so bad to her. Since she is a cheerful and sympathetic girl by her nature, so she forgives him by putting a condition before him that he will have to stand by her in humiliating her sisters before her mother in order to take revenge upon them for her disgrace. At first, Chris does not accede to her this condition and he tries to get away from her as soon as it is possible for him. But finding her upset, he agrees to do what she wishes. Mary gets happy and then she gets back to her home. Chris really falls in her love and he gets ready to do anything for her.

One day, while Mary watches the TV, her sisters come and they start teasing her about her love affair with Chris. She asks them that she does not have any relation with any boy but her sisters do not believe her at all. They keep asking her instead to tell something interesting between them. Upon their saying this over and over again, she gets angry with them, and then she blurts out that they are very callous and disgusting. She tells them that she knows everything about their vicious designs and that she would leave no stone unturned to take revenge upon them for her disgrace before her mother. All three sisters get surprised to know this and they ask each other that how did she come to know about their plans? They also doubt Chris, so they go to his home to see him at once. But due to his absence, they return to their home and they threaten Mary to keep quiet or else they would try to besmirch her good personality again. Mary does not feel fearful of their hollow threat and she says to them boldly that now it is their turn to get scared of their disgrace and humiliation before their mother. She says to them to save themselves because she will definitely bring about annihilation to their respect very soon. Her sisters get frightened after hearing such words from her mouth. Therefore, they request her not to do any harm to them but she reminds them of not having any mercy on her. They really repent for their misconduct with her. They feel ashamed of themselves too but she makes a promise to them to disgrace them before their mother more than her.

As Chris falls in love with Mary, he never refuses to help her out whenever she needs him in her difficulty. He even gets so closer to her that once when both of them go to a park, Chris gets a fine chance to propose to her. At first, Mary gets surprised but a few moments later she asks him that even she loves him. Both of them really become true lovers to each other. They enjoy themselves very much. They see each other in the park in the evening regularly. They also think about their future. They even decide the names of their babies. Their love gets stronger and stronger day by day.

After a few days, her mother doubts her going out from the home, so one day she asks her, where does she go out daily? Mary replies to her mother by telling a lie to her that she goes to the nearby park with her friend Zoya who lives in their neighbourhood but her mother does not believe her. She asks her other three daughters to find out everything about her as she has already been caught in a love affair with a boy.

Mary’s sisters remain in wait to teach a lesson to her. And now they get a good opportunity to again harm her image. All of them start following Mary the next day in the evening as she goes out from her home to the park where she meets Chris but this time she is really seen meeting a girl who is her best friend. Her name is Zoya. Therefore, her sisters get back home as they become convinced that their sister, who is so innocent and naive, cannot be liked by anybody. They become sure that she really sees her friend in the park daily. Afterwards, they tell their mother that Mary only meets her best friend in the park. So far as Mary is concerned, she understands everything about her sisters’ presence in the park. She becomes rather careful and she asks Chris to change their meeting place as she meets him the next day. Chris asks her to tell him the reason for changing the meeting place. She says to him that her sisters came here to the park yesterday to find out what she is up to these days. She further says that they can tell any story to her mother in order to disrespect her the way they had used him to humiliate her before her mother because of which all her good image was completely shattered. She says that now she does not want it to happen to her again. Chris becomes a bit nervous since he does not have any option of seeing each other other than the park where they often meet and enjoy a lot. An idea strikes his mind and he says to Mary that if they want to spend their whole life together then they do not need to get scared of anyone but she still insists on him changing the place. Afterwards, he says to her to take revenge upon her sisters. He asks her to give him the numbers of all her sisters whom he will call one by one changing his voice. Mary praises his brilliant idea and she gives him the numbers of all her sisters. After two days, he calls all her sisters one by one. The eldest sister of Mary falls in love with his voice and she longs to see him as soon as it is possible. Apart from this, her other two sisters also keep getting calls from him. He impresses them by talking to them so romantically that they also fall in love with his voice. Now all three lasses are trapped by a single boy who actually loves their sister called Mary and because of whom he does this act of making all her three sisters fall in love with him. All of Mary’s sisters do not even share anything about the boy at all because they do not even believe one another. They think that if they tell this matter to each other, their secrets of falling in love with a boy on the mobile will be leaked out. Therefore, they do not disclose their love affair with one another. Rather they keep it to themselves. Now, Chris keeps talking to all on the mobile, and one day he says to them all to see him in the nearby park on different days. All sisters, unaware of each other, see him in the park on different days. He meets all-girls one by one but he does not let them doubt him at all about his meeting with all three of them. He makes false promises to them for marriage and keeps cheating them. One day, Mary’s mother goes to the park for having a walk, one of the sisters of Mary unknown to her mother’s presence in the park remains busy conversing with Chris. Her mother recognises her and she secretly goes near to them to listen to their chit-chat. Chris happens to see her mother but despite her presence, he goes on talking to her about loving her so much. Her mother gets furious and catches her daughter red-handed. She not only grabs her by her hand but also takes her home while beating her. She also warns the boy strictly to never meet her daughter again. Chris becomes happy as his first prey has got its punishment. He immediately calls Mary and tells her everything. She also delights and enjoys her revenge from one of her enemies but she still waits for the rest two to be punished by their mother very soon. After seeing their sister being beaten harshly by their mother, two of her sisters get shocked and they do not even try to contact the boy for fear of being caught but Chris wheedles the girls to talk to him. After the passage of a few days, the mobile of one of the sisters of Mary keeps lying on a table in the drawing hall ringing with a new number on its screen, their mother receives the call. As soon as she receives it, the boy asks her to see her in the park today at any cost. Their mother understands the matter fully, she goes to the room of her daughters and scolds all of them a lot. Later on, she also beats her second daughter for keeping secret contact with a boy. She thrashes her so much so that her other daughters except Mary get scared of her. After beating her second daughter, she once again warns all to prevent themselves from keeping any sort of link with any boy, and this time she also snatches their mobiles so that they will not be in a position to contact anybody. After their mother leaves their room, Mary laughs at her sisters so much so that they feel powerless before her but they do not doubt her at all for being behind all this.

One day, Mary’s sisters want to make friends with her but she does not accept it saying that there is no chance of becoming friends with each other and she goes away. The next day, she goes to the home Chris to see him there. He gets surprised to see Mary at his home as it is for the very first time that she goes to meet him. The mother of Chris welcomes her and she tells her that her son has already told everything about her and that she would definitely get both of them married to each other after some time as both of them are still a bit younger for marriage. Mary blushes and she smiles sweetly after hearing these words from the mother of Chris. She asks his son to show her around and then get her to the dining table for lunch. After visiting the whole home, Mary asks the mother of Chris that she wants to go her home now but she insists her to have lunch with them. Afterwards, Mary has lunch with Chris and his mother, and then she leaves for her home. But this time her sisters notice her coming out of the home of Chris. They even tell this matter to their mother about Mary’s coming out of the home of Chris. And then her mother gets furious and she starts beating her so much so that she does not become able to tell her anything. Her mother also snatches her mobile and locks her up in a room again. Mary wants to disclose every matter about her love to her this time but she does not listen to her at all. Afterwards, she gets emotional and starts pouring the kerosene all over her body. Her mother opens the door and slaps her in the face and she asks her to tell her what she wants. Mary gets normal and then she says to her mother emotionally that she likes Chris so much that if she does not marry him, she will die. She also says to her mother that even Chris loves her as much as she does. After listening to her daughter silently, she assures her that she would go to meet the mother of Chris tomorrow in order to confer their marital matters with her. Mary tells Chris on the cell phone at night that her mother has agreed to their matrimony and she will come to meet his mother tomorrow for talking about their marriage. She also says to him not to come to see her anywhere as now their secret meeting can deprave their lives. Chris promises her to keep her happy after their marriage and he also tries to convince her that there must be a weekly get-to-gather in the park but she explains to him that she is ready to see him there but she also reminds him of her sisters’ swear to ruin her life. So she says that they will have to compromise for some time by staying away from each other. But Chris insists on her to see him every Sunday otherwise he would come to her home to see her. Mary gets confounded and compelled and after some time she agrees to his matter. Her sisters get to know about her meeting with Chris in the park. So they sneakingly take their photos and show that to their mother. But this time she does not react to it at all as she has already made her mind to have Mary married to Chris. Therefore, this trick of the sisters of Mary now does not work at all. Mary and Chris keep enjoying their love affair freely by having an enjoyable gathering daily while her sisters keep getting jealous of both of them. They try their best to create a kind of fission in their love by proving Mary’s disloyalty to Chris. So for doing so, they look for another boy called Danny from their neighborhood who can play the role of loving marry as she can be separated from her real love.

Danny turns out to be the friend of Chris. He promises to the sisters of Mary that he would leave no stone unturned in ruining the life of Mary and her love. But when he meets Chris, he tells the plan of Mary’s sisters and then Chris asks Danny to keep doing as they are saying to him to do because he wants to teach them a lesson. His friend gets his point quite clearly and he does as his friend says to him. They decide that now they will have to prove to Mary’s sisters by making them feel that Mary is really disloyal to Chris. Afterwards, Chris asks Danny to come to the park in the evening before him in order to propose to Mary who is not totally aware of him. Danny calls sisters of Mary to come to the park in order to see the condition of their sister. Now, Mary, her sisters, and Danny reach the park in the evening. Mary’s sisters have a look at her and Danny goes near to her to just say hello to her but after some time he directly changes his topic and asks her that he loves her so much that he can even die for him. He coins these two lines, “For you, I can live, but for your love, I can die.” Mary gets surprised and she asks her to stay away from her as she loves someone else who is on his way to the park and she does not want him to leave her because of him. She requests him to leave but he insists on her accepting her love or else he will kill himself. Mary’s sisters keep waiting for Chris to come to see Mary being with some other guy. Their wait ends as Chris enters the gate of the park, he turns up Mary talking to a stranger, he gets angry with her and he does not listen to her at all and gets back home. Mary tries to explain to him but he does not stay there and goes away in anger. Seeing Mary utterly sad, her sisters come to her and they start laughing at her sarcastically as they think that now she will never be able to get Chris in her life back. Danny also chides her badly and then she gets back to her home and she locks herself up in her room.

Her mother knocks at the door to know the reason behind her that condition. She opens the door and tells her everything that has happened to her. Her mother encourages her and says to her that she herself would go and talk to Chris in this regard. Afterwards, Chris calls Mary to stop weeping saying that it was only a drama to show her vicious sisters that they have been separated. He also tells her about his  friend Danny who pretends to be on the side of her sisters. Mary understands everything succinctly and she continues being upset before her sisters who have always been envious of her. Her sisters get so much happy to see her sad and lugubrious. She does not let them know anything about her being happy from within. She shares this matter with her mother only and she asks her to teach them a lesson for their devilry. Afterwards, her mother goes to the home of Chris where she meets his mother and fixes the marriage of Mary with Chris. She also asks for the willingness of Chris who agrees without any further delay. Now, Mary’s sisters are utterly unfamiliar with this matter nor does their own mother disclose this matter to them as she fears that they can create any fuss to stop matrimony from taking place properly. Mary feels delighted and excited as her mother tells her about her marriage which is going to occur within six months. Her mother takes a promise from her that she would not see Chris for the next six months. She agrees to it but she asks her that she may be allowed to talk to him on the cell phone. So for the following three months, Mary and Chris only talk to each other on phone and they do not see each other face-to-face which is a very tough time for real lovers as they cannot stay away from each other even for a moment. One day, Chris asks Mary to see him in the park after the passage of three months but she refuses to go and see him telling him about her promise to her mother. He insists on her or else he would go mad. She understands his condition and she agrees to go to the park in order to meet him. Now, she will have to break the promise that she had made to her mother. She sneakingly leaves her home wearing a black veil for the fear of being recognized but her sisters see her heading to the park. They find something fishy and thus they follow her without her knowledge. After she reaches the park, she finds Chris waiting for her madly. He hugs her tightly and makes her feel that he will die without her. She also embraces him and asks that even she cannot live alive staying away from him but she also consoles him by saying that there are only three months more which they will have to wait for their matrimony after which they both will become one forever. Chris gets satisfied and content but he wishes to see Mary regularly but she explains to him that she had promised to her mother not to meet him continuously for six months. While both of them remain engrossed in talking to each other, Mary’s sisters record a video of the exchange of their hugs to show that to their mother. They again want to create a chaotic situation for Chris and Mary. So they get back home and show the recorded video to their mother. When she finds her daughter hugging Chris, she gets cross with her as she had already taken a promise from her for not getting close to him for six months. She decides to take Mary to task so badly that she stops meeting Chris. After she gets back home, her mother scolds her for breaking her promise. Mary cries for some time but her mother brings her around and she explains to her that such open meetings with Chris can spoil the name of their family and she does not want to be bothered by this thing. She asks her that even she can understand her sentiments and feelings. She further tells her about the recorded video of hugs of Chris and her. Then she gets astounded to hear this. Her mother tells her that her sisters recorded their video in the park while both of them were embracing each other. Her mother makes her realize that it is a matter of their respect which can be ruined by her openly meeting a boy like this. People can talk about them and this can really have a negative impact on her life, too. Mary listens to her mother’s instructions carefully and after that, she satisfies her that she would surely control her feelings and that she will not let her down again. Her mother gets happy to hear this from her and then she goes out of her room. Now, Mary starts making a plot to take revenge upon her sisters for their vile actions. She calls Chris and discloses everything to him. She also takes a promise from him to humiliate her sisters. He assures her saying that he will make such a design which will utterly bring about disgrace to them. He asks her to take care of herself and not to worry about her sisters. The next day, he calls his friend Danny and tells him to get ready to disrespect the sisters of Mary by calling them to the park. His friend understands everything and he consoles him that he will leave no stone unturned in disrespecting them for their being so mean to them.

Danny wheedles all sisters of Mary and he wants all of them to stay in his contact. He does not let them all know that he sees all of them in the park one by one. He keeps ditching and befooling them incessantly for the next three months until the day of matrimony of Chris and Mary comes. Now, all sisters get shocked to know that they are getting married. They also talk to their mother about Chris but she rebukes them for their devilish doings. She explains to them that it was only due to their mischiefs that she had to keep this matter of marriage of Chris and Mary a secret to herself and she did it right as she already knew that had she disclosed this matter to them, they must have created some big problem for them and they may have been separated by their devilry before getting closer to each other. She further says that she is really furious with each one of them for being very rude and unkind to Mary in every matter. But now that Mary has got her love, they cannot do anything to her as Chris is there to protect her.

The second setback for Mary’s sisters was still awaiting and it was this that all three of them get really shocked to see Danny standing by the side of Chris and Mary. They cannot believe it at all. While talking to him, they ask him the reason for their humiliation. He explains to them that it was just a snare to take revenge upon them for irritating his friend and his to-be wife.

Afterwards, they all feel extremely ashamed of their  jealousy with their sister and they take an apology from both for trying to ruin their love. They also apologize to their mother and they promise to her that now they will never even think bad about anyone and that they will try their best to be good to everybody in the future. Listening to their genuine words, both their mother and their sister embrace them and they also take part in the matrimony of Chris and Mary merrily. To be continued …