My story began in a small town in Punjab, in a family of four – my parents, brother, and me. However, unlike most families, our family was defined by hardship. My father was an alcoholic; and it was extremely common to see frequent arguments, violence, and financial instability. His abuse wasn't even limited to my mother, even if someone from our extended family intervened, my father turned violent towards them as well.
We barely had any money to get by. There were some times when we didn’t even have basic necessities like toothpaste and milk. My father barely cared about his family. These financial struggles impacted my education. However, my grandfather really supported us through these moments. He supported our school education from his pension money.
As I grew older, my father's behavior worsened. The arguments escalated; physical and emotional abuse became the norm, and he spared no one. One day, his abuse got so bad, that my brother couldn’t see it all happening, and he finally fought back. Since that day, we decided that only we could get our family through this hellhole and were ready to work as hard as we could. We started focusing more on our studies and completed our graduation with financial help from my maternal and paternal grandparents.
And through hard work, my brother and I landed jobs as teachers. The additional income brought some financial relief, and we thought we had escaped our problems, but this respite was short-lived. Seeing this additional income, my father started demanding money from us to support his alcoholism. If we refused, the cycle of abuse – verbal and physical – started again.
The constant stress took a toll on my mental health. Years of abuse had destroyed my social confidence, and I battled depression and PCOS. Things got so worse that one day I attempted suicide by consuming lots of pills, and when that failed, I resorted to cut myself with a sharp blade. Self-harm became a common activity to relieve my internal turmoil.
Just as I reached my lowest point, I found a new glimmer of hope: I secured a good job. While this eased the financial pressure, I had a whole new problem waiting for me. And that was marriage. Everyone in my family started pressuring me to get married. My father wasn’t concerned with compatibility at all, he just wanted me to get married to just any random guy he liked. This again started a period where my anxiety levels were at an all-time high, and I felt I had no escape from this situation.
This time around, I found relief by surrendering myself to religion and faith. I used to fast every monday and went to temples a lot. And I think God was finally on my side. My maternal uncle introduced me to a man who I instantly connected with. We married shortly after, and I’m extremely grateful to say that I have gotten the best husband in the world. He supports me mentally and emotionally and our marriage is a great source of strength for me.
Looking back, my journey has been difficult, yet through perseverance, the support of family and my wonderful husband, I have found my own happy ending. It may not be a traditional fairytale, but I hope my story can encourage people to fight through their problems and be hopeful for their dreams and future.
~Anonymous
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