Unfaithful sister [Archives:2006/977/Community]

By: Nawal Zaid
This story starts with Abeer who loved her little sister, Maha, very much. She was in fact clinging to her. She raised and looked after her as she deeply loved her. One day, a bridegroom came asking for Abeer's hand. Abeer was hesitating between acceptance and love for her sister. In fact, Abeer does not want to leave her sister. After long thinking, Abeer decided to marry and told her husband that she wants to take Maha with her. Abeer's husband, Ali, agreed and Abeer took Maha to her husband's house, where Abeer raised and looked after Maha.

Now Abeer has two sons and after giving birth to her first son, Salim. she did not neglect Maha.

With the passage of time, Abeer gave birth to another child and she felt very happy to have two sons together with her sister. Maha's beauty was increasing with her growing in age. Reaching 7 years, Maha was enrolled in a school and Abeer's burden increased as she has to look after her children and husband as well as her sister.

By the time at which Maha reached 10, Abeer gave birth to her third child and now Maha started to help her sister with house work and looking after the children. Now, Abeer started to rely completely on Maha while she used to go out to sit with her friends chewing qat or attend wedding ceremonies.

Abeer's husband used to sit in front of the TV set chewing qat while the four children were around him playing. Maha was caring for them, giving food to them and changing their cloths.

Now, Abeer was free from burden and the whole burden of caring for the children and Ali was laid upon Maha's shoulders.

When Maha reached 15, at the verge of adolescence, she started asking herself: why does her sister go out everyday and leave her husband alone? Why do not I play her role and give him things Abeer is supposed to do? All these questions were circulating in her mind.

Following to Abeer's departure the next day, Maha replaced her cloths with Abeer's cloths and put on her make-up and went to sit beside her sister's husband. She felt that she should pay her own obligation towards Ali as she does with the children.

Over time, Maha started to care for herself, neglecting the children and study. She liked to spend time with Ali who liked the situation, especially since she was very beautiful. When Abeer returns home, she finds her cloths in different places from where she leaves them, as well as their smell seems to be different.

One time, Abeer saw Maha washing off the make-up and asked her what she was doing and Maha replied that she wears her cloths and uses make-up to make herself beautiful

Abeer was silent and rhought to herself, this is my sister and my cloths are her clothes. Surprisingly, Abeer stared to notice that her husband did not want to sit with, nor speak to her. Abeer felt he has changed and she thought he knows another woman, so she asked him, but he did not reply and she started to doubt him.

One Eid celebration, Abeer called her family members and friends to her home. When all people were sitting in the guest room, Maha, wearing fine cloths and using the best perfumes, was sitting alone with Ali in a room in the first floor.

Abeer was looking for Maha to fetch Eid dessert and juice, but she did not find her. She looked for her everywhere, but in vain. To her surprise, when coming downstairs she found Maha sitting with her husband. Abeer was shocked to see her sister with her husband in that immoral situation. She tried to get control over her senses and acted as if she saw nothing in order to avoid scandals.

When guests left in the evening, Abeer asked her husband about what had happened and he replied she is my daughter and you are envious of her as she is more beautiful than you. Afraid of her sister's rage, Maha kept herself in a closed room with the children.

Rage mounted and Abeer decided to leave, and her husband told her that she can leave but alone as he decided to keep children with him. She took her sister and left to her father's house.

Abeer told only her mother and sisters, but did not tell her father or her brothers about the problem. Her mother beat Maha and they were surprised and shocked to listen to Maha's answer as saying that she loves him and he loves her and their relation started long ago and they wanted to marry one another.

Abeer, unable to listen to such words, fell to the ground and was rushed to the hospital and spent seven successive days in the intensive care unit. Abeer's father asked about the reason for which Abeer suffered. Her mother told him everything and he beat Maha fiercely and imprisoned her in one of his rooms.

When Abeer came out the hospital, she was sad and unable look her unfaithful sister in her eyes. Two weeks later, Abeer was surprised to be sent a divorce letter and the children were sent back to her. Sadness was grave in Abeer's heart while Maha was treated violently.

One day, the mother went to Maha's room to give her breakfast, but Maha was not there as she left the house, without taking cloths or anything else. When the mother did not find Maha, she cried loudly for the loss of her daughter, yet she was silenced by other family members who did not want their secrets disclosed.

Maha's brothers went many places searching for her and they asked their neighbors about her, however none gave them a sure answer. When they asked about Ali, they were told that Ali married to Maha and they had moved to Hodeidah.

Being unable to forget her sister's unfaithfulness, Abeer, by now, became more and more afflicted with sadness and grief and the family decided to abandon Maha forever and to forget about her as if she was not there.
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