The Dormant Fire

The Dormant Fire is a love story about a housewife named Sultana . She is a shy woman. Even after ten years of marriage she is not fully opened up to Suleman her husband.

      Suleman’s wife was like a religious book meticulously wrapped in a canvas that needed to be handled with care. Although she had been married  for ten years now still she had not fully opened up with Suleman. Whenever Suleman would call her she would look furtively around to make sure there was no body about. She took particular care for the children. And until she was absolutely sure that children were fast asleep, she would not allow suleman to come close to her.

 

In the initial stages Suleman was fairly irritated by this behavior of Sultana . It then seemed to him that having sex with her amounted to committing some kind of sin .

 

But once Razia came to his life, the mystery unraveled itself . It now dawned upon him that there was a difference between wife and paramour and both of them have their distinct importance in life.

 

Razia was Suleman’s paramour and she had those attributes that a paramour must possess. To a kiss she responded with a kiss . If Suleman took her in his embrace, she exhibited warmth in equal measure . At times. In fact. She took the initiative and once in embrace, she would caressingly whisper into his ears…”Where were you all these days My Love….’’? This used to have an intoxicating effect on Suleman. He never received this shower of love from Sultana. Sultana was like a knot that could be loosened, but not opened fully. Razia was just opposite to that. She was like a book on the shelf that he could open at his sweet will in the manner he pleased. And whenever he opened this book called Razia, he invariably found a new chapter of love…and Razia herself used to say…’’this is the difference My Love…wives fulfill the duty of a married life, beloveds open up the treasures…’’

 

Razia believed that a woman fully opens herself only in the arms of beloveds. If the husband himself is the lover, it’s fine, otherwise she only performs her duty…she is dominated by the sentiment of duty to love.

 

On this Suleman had once even remarked to her ‘’that means you do not love your husband.’’

 

Upon this Razia put her arms around his neck and said.’’ My Love! I consider it my duty to love my husband, but love is not duty.’’

 

On this Suleman had planted a long kiss.’’ Then what is love ?’’

 

‘’This is love…no man ever kisses his wife in this manner…love is not tying down to tether-post…love means liberation…love means liberation from all kinds of ties.’’

 

‘’Oh ! That’s great indeed.’’ Suleman began to laugh.

‘’See how free we are…? How liberated we are…? The relationship between husband and wife is actually the matter of ownership where no one is owner, both are slaves, both are dependent on one another…and love is not dependence.’’

 

Suleman was tongue-tied. He was overwhelmed.

 

‘‘Shall I tell you one thing…?” Suddenly Razia smiled, but soon blushed and went silent.

‘‘Tell me …!’’

‘‘No…I won’t.”

‘‘Tell me My Love.” Suleman cuddled her cheeks.

‘‘When I am being loved by my husband, I have you in my mind…having you in my mind helps me get excited…and then I get my…”

 

Suleman embraced her tightly. ‘‘And how about when you are with me in my embrace.?”

 

‘‘When I am in your embrace I find myself fully liberated…there is no resistance…no impediment…only I remain…there is a current …the current of a river in full flow…and then nothing remains… no current…no river…I also do not remain.”

 

Suleman was thoroughly gratified by what Razia had said.

 

But for all this , his relations with Sultana was harmonious. Rather the more he was drawn towards Razia, his regards for Sultana also went on increasing and he had begun to realize that she was a husband-devotee who was shy by nature. She had the same purity that a husband wanted to see in his wife, i.e. her soft-spoken manners…her docile nature…her readiness to eat after feeding all other members of the house…all theses are the necessary attributes of a good wife which Sultana had in full measure.

 

It surprised Suleman no ends that in the course of their ten years’married life , there never had been an occasion when Sultana had to raise the pitch of her voice, nor did she ever make a demand on him that could put him in an awkward situation. In the initial days of her their marriage she had indeed counseled him once on sartorial matters when she advised him to get a prince suit for himself.

 

Suleman had indeed realized that it was Sultana’s desire to see him in a prince suit, but as he did not like buttoned-up neck, he did not pay much attention to it and she also did not insist any more.

 

It was during those days that she used to prepare that bitter-guard curry with jiggery stuffed in. Suleman had observed that she took great interest in making this curry, but he did not like the test of bitter gourd. Once or twice he just tested and left it off.

 

Suleman was satisfied with his married life. Sultana had given her three beautiful children .She was quite an efficient house wife. She herself did all works, no matter whether significant or otherwise. Suleman handed over the requisite amount for meeting day-to-day expenses and there after had no bothers.

 

Often Razia used to ask Suleman about Sultana. But Suleman was wary of talking much about her. Sometimes Razia used to make caustic remarks and sometimes it occurred to Suleman that Razia was out to tarnish her image.

 

Once he was heaping praises on sultana- how efficiently she managed all house- hold affairs. Razia at once retorted. “Tell her not to remain a perennial maid-servant…wives should sometimes try to live as women.”

 

Suleman was peeved. He realized that Sultana was actually devoting all her time in doing domestic works. Even in the moments of comparative quietude if ever he happened to call her up, she would find some excuse and run away to attend to some work. Then ultimately he allowed himself to believe that Sultana was a dexterous woman and such women always kept themselves busy in their works.

 

Once suleman went out for shopping. Sultana also went along. After visiting one or two shops, he wanted to enter the Raymond House and they were about to enter it when Sultana suddenly stopped. S he rather stood stultified there. She gazed in astonishment.

 

“What happened ?”Suleman enquired.

“Oh ! He is Ilyas.” Sultana’s face had gone crimson.

Suleman looked inside the shop. A handsome man in prince suit stood at the corner.

 

“Let us go from here.” Sultana said after pacing away from there .

 

Suleman looked back once or twice as he walked along. Sultana in the mean time  entered some other shop.

 

“Who was he ?”

“Elder brother’s friend.””

“What is harm in meeting if he is an acquaintance ?”

“I feel embarrassed.” Beads of perspiration had made an appearance on her forehead.  At the time of emerging from the shop, she looked furtively around once or twice and as they were passing through the  Raymond house, she glanced sideways.

 

On the way back, Sultana halted at the vegetable shop. When they returned after buying fruits and vegetable, it was already dark. Suleman occupied his seat in front of TV and Sultana made for the kitchen.

 

After viewing the news when he came to the dining table, he saw bitter-gourd curry with jiggery stuffed in served on the table. He was amazed to see that. It was after a very long time that Sultana had made this dish. This time Suleman ate it full. After dinner also he sat before TV for sometime. When he went to the bed he found Sultana already lying on bed , covered and on the fringe of the cot. This too amazed him no ends because this was unlike Sultana. He kept lying for a while, then switched off the light and pulled her towards himself. She at once coiled into him landing her breast onto him. The touch seemed somewhat mysterious. Her body had never been this exciting before. And he could not help realizing that she was breathing violently. In the darkness of the room he once tried to read the countenance of Sultana and then he clasped her into his embrace…and suddenly Suleman realized that Sultana was breathing like a blower… and it seemed with each breath she took, the age-old knot was gradually opening up…opening up…opening up…

 

He looked at her in total disbelief. For a flash of second he remembered Razia…and then the beads of perspiration engulfed his face…his grip on Sultana began to loosen up…

 

To Suleman it appeared that the one held in her embrace was not Sultana…but someone else….!

 

Author's Note

A psychological story