Sheena was a gift from God to her mother, who had been childless for five years after her marriage at the ripe young age of 18, and was being lambasted for infertility. Her mother’s position was precarious as her maternal grandfather told her she would be welcome back home, only if she visited with her husband. He emotionally blackmailed her by saying that he lacked funds for a huge dowry for his average-looking daughter, and she would have to win the hearts of her new family by putting in as much household labour as she could, in the highly patriarchal setup.
The family believed that Sheena was the reincarnation of her great-grandmother. Her grandfather dreamt of his mother’s comeback announcement a day before Sheena’s birth. Sheena substantiated the belief by picking up things that belonged to the old lady, and claiming ownership. The great-grandmother had suffered as much as a hapless widow with an infant son would in a conservative joint family setup.
The soul knew she had to change something, but she hit walls of imposed expectations at every step. Her mother never tired of saying that she did not get the kind of daughter she wanted.
One fine day, Sheena gathered the courage to retaliate, “I did not get the kind of mother I wanted either, but I had no choice.” The deafening silence that followed nursed anger that her mother would keep expressing throughout her life.
Sheena defied norms, refused to uphold traditions and carved her path amidst a lot of toxicity.
A feminist was born in a home that despised woman power.
Who told her what she was before she was told what she was expected to be?
From where did the rebel instinct originate?
Was it the unfairness she witnessed all around her in this lifetime, or the history of pain and resentment packed in the folds of her soul?
She was sent here with a purpose, and she had to fulfil that.
So much packed into so few words, Reena. The line that stopped me is Sheena’s retort to her mother “I did not get the kind of mother I wanted either, but I had no choice.” Brutal and fair at once, and the silence afterward says everything about a household where that kind of honesty was unforgivable. I also love the question you leave open: whether the rebellion came from what she witnessed in this life, or from the pain folded into the soul she inherited. Either way, a feminist born in a home that despised women’s power is quite the ending.
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Thanks for the deep dive! It is true that the pain never ends.
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RAWR!!! Loved the message of this story, Reena!
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Thank you, Susi!
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You’re welcome!
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This is a story that happens everywhere. The non-favored sibling, told they can’t, shouldn’t try, won’t succees. And ‘we’ have to prove them wrong at every turn!
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Expectations impose identities, unless you find out who you were before you were told who you ought to be.
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I was born a rebel… I was quiet in my early years. But I always questioned others expectations or lack of them.
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Likewise.
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Loved this story of courage Reena. It’s so difficult to break the mould women are expected to inhabit, but some are brave enough to do it. Thanks for joining in.
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Thank you, Sadie! Glad you liked it.
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You’re most welcome
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What doesn’t break you makes you stronger. Good for Sheena.
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Agree. Thank you so much!
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