A Better Wife (Part 3)

“Eleanor…you can’t be serious?”

Sandra was shouting again and the woman was beginning to get on her nerves. Eleanor turned towards Sandra and patiently said, “Look Sandra, we just met so I don’t know you but if this is too much for you, the door is right over there.”

 

Eleanor pointed at the door of the mansion for emphasis and it was enough for Brandon. Brandon offered his hand to Brian which Brian accepted.

 

“Good luck man. See you back at the office.” 

“Wait a minute,” Sandra looked at her husband in surprise. “What are you doing?”

Brandon gave his wife a weak smile and said, “Let’s go dear.”

“Wait!” Sandra said immediately and Eleanor was sure now the other woman also had the same feeling as her. She was just too proud to accept them…or at least that’s what Eleanor thought.

 

Sandra shook her head in surprise. “I can’t believe this. Give it to me!”

“What?” Brandon’s eyes widen in shock.

“The burqa!” Sandra said. “Come on, before I changed my mind.”

 

With some surprise, the 2 men handed over the burqas to their wives. Eleanor had seen enough news to know how the burqa was supposed to be wore and found to her surprise that it was the easiest thing to wear. Once she got the skullcap in place on her head, she just had to let the burqa roll down loose over her body.

 

Even more surprisingly was how comfortable she felt in it. All the horror stories she read and seen on the news didn’t tell her of the immediate sense of security she felt behind her burqa. Amazingly, Eleanor felt a feeling of love for the burqa and didn’t think she would ever want to take it off. It was a thing that protected her from the outside world and it was hers. Looking at Brian’s face, she could see that it was just as exciting for her husband.

 

With the mesh of the burqa impairing her sight, Eleanor found that she had to turn her whole body towards Sandra to get a good look at the other women. She was just standing quietly in her sky-blue burqa. Instinctively, Eleanor knew the other woman loved it as well.

 

Her feelings didn’t changed even when she was told that by Brian that the men had a meeting and the wives were to wait at a lounge room on the ground floor. Eleanor just submissively nodded her head and saw that Sandra was doing the same.

 

As the men went up to the first floor for their meeting, Eleanor, Sandra and Safiyah were directed by the receptionist to the lounge room. As the men left, Eleanor heard Rahim congratulating the other 2 men on passing their first test at the retreat. Eleanor felt her knees going weak at the praise. She had done something that helped her husband. She felt immerse pride in it, though also a little guilty. This was not what the suffragettes fought for.

 

The receptionist opened the door and the 3 women entered the lounge room. A strange sight greeted them. 7 women in burqas of various colors were already in the room and each of them was standing in a line, shoulder to shoulder, facing the wall. As the door closed, Safiyah walked and joined the end of the line. After a few seconds of indecision, Eleanor walked towards the line and joined the women. A few seconds later, she felt Sandra’s shoulder touching hers.

 

A sense of peace fell over her.

 

For once in her life, Eleanor felt herself truly at peace. It was as if a burden had been lifted from her shoulders. She immediately, instinctively, understood why. For the first time in her adult life, Eleanor did not have to do anything. Together, with the other 9 women beside her, she can let go of all responsibility and just wait for instructions on what she need to do. No thinking, no action, no movement was required of her; she just need to stand and wait there.

 

A shiver went up her body. It was bliss. The bliss went on for some time, broken only when a male voice was heard.

 

“All girls turn around and face the centre of the room.”

 

The order came into the room from a loudspeaker somewhere and almost as one, all 10 girls turned around. In the centre of the room was a low round table full of food and water. Eleanor quickly realized her stomach was rumbling. She must have been standing there for hours.

 

“All girls stand around the table.”

 

Without a word, Eleanor moved towards the table. All the girls stood around the table and waited for the next order.

 

“All girls will sit”

 

Eleanor sat down on the floor as instructed. Once on the floor, the next order came almost immediately.

 

“All girls may eat and drink the food and water on the table. You may lift your burqa. You have 1 hour.”

 

None of the girls moved. Eleanor was hungry but she also did not want to stand out too much. She waited for someone to make a move first. Unsurprisingly, it was Sandra.

 

Sandra lifted her burqa over her head and looked pointy at Eleanor. Left with little choice, Eleanor lifted her burqa with regret. It was amazing but in a few hours, she had felt more attached to her red burqa than any piece of clothing she had ever worn. The rest of the girls soon followed and Eleanor found herself unsurprised at the faces of the girls she saw.

 

There were girls of various ages, of different ethnic background, and most possibly of different education and social standing. Yet all of them were willing to stand in this room from hours, just waiting for orders given to them by a man none of them had seen.

 

However Eleanor understood why everyone was willing to do that. They were all wives whose sole duty today was to provide help to their husbands. Their presence here in this room was solely for the benefit of their husbands. Eleanor found her hand rubbing her burqa and found herself grateful for it.

The burqa had helped her become a better wife. It was amazing caused Eleanor never thought of herself as that kind of girl but she suddenly realized how important it was to her to be a better wife for her husband. With the burqa covering her face and body, she was not just Eleanor but Eleanor wife of Brian. With the burqa over her, she could be less of a person and more of a wife; a wife who was more selfless than Eleanor ever could be.

 

The girls ate and drink silently. Eleanor looked around the table and understood why. The male voice didn’t give them permission to speak, so none of them did. Eleanor smile got bigger. Beneath the burqas, all girls were the same.