Sakina's husband, Khalid had been traveling in Mumbai on business and fallen ill enough to be hospitalized for a week. Sakina was able to get time off work and flew out to the sub-continent. It turned out that Khalid had a severe bout of food poisoning. After being discharged, he felt weak from having an empty stomach for days. He did feel strong enough to curse Indian hygeine however.
"The streets are filled with filth, oxen and pollution. It's a wonder I didn't die out here, "he said between sips of chicken soup.
One day he felt well enough to venture out to visist relatives. He was glad to be rid of the wheelchair he had been reluctantly using. Since he still felt wobbly, he asked Sakina to hold his hand for balance. The couple was usually very undemonstrative in public so Sakina blushed and looked around her as though she had committed some small crime.
"This may sound mean but can one of your cousins help you? " she whispered to Khalid as they crossed the street to an uncles' house, arms linked." It's just that in this culture, married couples showing affection, well it's considered a little risqué. People will think I'm a little forward."
Khalid pondered on how to respond to this. He saw an elderly gentleman with his back to him, standing near a wall. The scene made Khalid shudder. He remembered the pose all too well from his childhood.
" I get it. I can't believe I come from a country where a man can urinate in public, but can't hold his wife's hand".
Sakina wondered if the local pharmacy sold walking sticks.
"The streets are filled with filth, oxen and pollution. It's a wonder I didn't die out here, "he said between sips of chicken soup.
One day he felt well enough to venture out to visist relatives. He was glad to be rid of the wheelchair he had been reluctantly using. Since he still felt wobbly, he asked Sakina to hold his hand for balance. The couple was usually very undemonstrative in public so Sakina blushed and looked around her as though she had committed some small crime.
"This may sound mean but can one of your cousins help you? " she whispered to Khalid as they crossed the street to an uncles' house, arms linked." It's just that in this culture, married couples showing affection, well it's considered a little risqué. People will think I'm a little forward."
Khalid pondered on how to respond to this. He saw an elderly gentleman with his back to him, standing near a wall. The scene made Khalid shudder. He remembered the pose all too well from his childhood.
" I get it. I can't believe I come from a country where a man can urinate in public, but can't hold his wife's hand".
Sakina wondered if the local pharmacy sold walking sticks.
4 comments:
The uncanny paradoxes of the ex-pat...
Sakina should have held his hand and gave him a little peck of gratitude on the cheek since he was feeling better!
Hyderabadis don't peck.
What a sweet story - Sakina went all the way to India by herself to help him, but that wasn't enough - she was supposed to hold his hand in public!!
Yikes! : )
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