In The Hands of Fate By Yaqeen Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander

In the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur dwelled Jamie, a young girl, still innocent and untouched by the harsh, persistent realities of life. She was youthful, pretty and ambitious. Her life was rejoicing, her ways full of spirit. She was humorous and easy going, a girl who seemed to possess all the delighting qualities and aura that would appeal to any decent man. She was not privileged, royal or rich but she was unique in her own ways, making the best of every moment. And like every other girl she too harboured and cherished the dream of having an ideal man in her life, a guy who would love her unconditionally for what she is, make her feel special and precious. Jamie was a science student and completed her bachelors in science from a reputed local university. Soon afterwards she applied for a job and got appointed as an English teacher in a local government school. She was smart, well-read and loved new experiences. She was the member of a regular family with parents, a brother and a younger sister. Her family was her greatest priority and she made all efforts to make them comfortable especially after her job when she got a chance to serve her family financially. Her income was reasonable but her parents had too many expectations from her many of which were unrealistic. She had everything except she didnt feel the freedom which she wanted to have. She worked on weekdays and on the weekends she had to drive her parents to their relatives or friends places. She felt shackled with no freedom to choose on her own. But she always continued happily, thinking that it was a means to see her family glad. In the later days of her college, Jamie often used to see a man in his forties at the library. He often used to search through books and do his work at a table. Once Jamie was borrowing some books and she passed by his table. He looked at her and smiled and it just happened that they exchanged some greetings. She came to know that his name was Shahrul and he was doing his research. Afterwards, they met in library few more times. Jamie found out that his personality was dynamic and he was good looking, besides being soft in his tone and

manners. He talked to her with respect. All this was enough for Jamie to fall in love with him. Shahrul now became the first love of Jamie. They both adored each other and wanted to get married and stay together for a lifetime. But when her parents discovered about their relation and the fact of their age difference, they outwardly rejected the proposal and refused Jamie of any meetings or connection with him. Eventually, it led to their breakup and her life changed drastically until the point she got convinced that love wasnt meant for her. This event had a profound effect upon her and since then, the meaning of life became different for her. After this incident, Jamie in order to forget her woes would hangout more with her friends. She used to go out and chill with her friends which included some guys as well. It so happened one night that she got late and going back home wasnt possible due to some unavoidable circumstances. So a friend invited her to stay overnight in his home and due to the trust, she agreed. Once they reached there, he started making advances towards her, attempting to seduce her. She resisted to her utmost level but it didnt move him until he became violent. The house was empty and the skies and the earth then witnessed the torment of an innocent girl whose chastity was torn by this monster. Losing her virginity forcibly completely changed the course of her life. She no longer cared about who she went out or met with. She thought she had nothing more to lose now. Nothing worse could come to her now. She fell down from the abyss of morality and there was none to take her hand and guide her faltering steps. She then went for occasional dates and had physical relations for short periods. She started to derive pleasure out of this shortlived fun. She continued making new friends and getting intimate to the ones she liked more. After certain years then, she met a guy online from a foreign country who was studying at some university in Kuala Lumpur. And just after some initial conversation, she felt an intrinsic longing for him in her heart. His name was Ryan and he gave her respect and made her feel special. He was decent and more of an intellectual kind. She was twenty-eight while Ryan was twenty-one. They met once in a cafe and just afterwards, her heart opened once again towards love and she expressed her desire to marry him after all these long years. He

liked her too but due to his conservative family background he was compelled to reject this proposal of hers. So once again she felt shattered and her dreams of having a loving partner faded away. As of now, she feels that her future lies in the hands of fate.

Epilogue
Ryan is currently completing his degree at the University. He never fell in love since. Jamie continues to live in Kuala Lumpur with her parents and occasionally visits her grandma. Nothing much has changed over the years. She still works as a teacher in a government school and tries her best to satisfy everyone around especially her family. She is twenty nine now and still awaits her soul mate, the one who will look into her eyes and speak to her heart. She is hopeful in her longing and believes that a day will come when she will get married and settle down finally. She desires an affectionate and romantic husband who will give her cute and adorable babies. Will she be able to follow her dreams and get what she has been waiting for through all these years of emotional exploitation? Will she ever get the one who will bring her out from the clouds of her dark past towards the sunshine and light of a new, bright and blissful future? The question lies in slumber. (Based on a true life experience as narrated to the Author) (Yaqeen Ul Haq Ahmad Sikander is the Executive Director of Inspire ME & can be reached at www.yaqeenulhaq.com)