Chapter 17 – Rock Bottom

Twenty-four hours have passed as a married woman. I thought Layha would have been kicking and screaming at the wedding. She is such a drama queen usually. I was heartbroken that Aneesa did not come to the wedding. She did not even reply to my message. I was missing her so much.
I walked into the bathroom and for the first time I really looked at myself in the mirror. I was stick thin and half my normal body weight. My face was looking dull, ragged and there were blotches forming. I had red, glassy eyes and my nose was running incessantly, trickling with blood. My voice was hoarse and I had difficulty swallowing. My mouth was dry and I was always thirsty. What I found disturbing was that I was losing my sense of smell. “Who cares Fatima, You are living the dream life,” I reassured myself. I then washed my face and brushed my teeth. My teeth were becoming very sensitive and the ulcers that had formed were burning as I was brushing them. My nose started bleeding again. “Argh shit happens I guess”.
Aslam was waking up and I was wearing my skimpy bikini getting ready to bask in the sun by the pool. “Babes, have you eaten?” He asked as he was wiping the sleep from his face.
“No, I am waiting for you just like a good wife” I said playfully.
“Oh shit, look at the time, I have to meet Layha in an hour,” he said as he jumped out of bed. For the first time I noticed his nakedness as he walked towards the bathroom. All our sexual encounters were a blur.
Aslam showered quickly, dressed and left in a hurry. We parted ways like strangers. It was as if we did not know each other. It did not bother me.
I checked my emails on my phone as I walked towards the pool area. I noticed a message from my mother. I just ignored it because I was not in the mood for her bayaans (lectures).
I was bored out of my mind. I had no friends and it was awkward to confront my family. Twiddling my thumbs, I decided to call Aslam. “I am bored Aslam. Can’t we go do something fun?”
“Stop your whining junkie, get a grip, I am busy” he laughed at me mockingly and put the phone down.
When boredom prevails the only thing to liven things up again is to get high, and that’s exactly what I did. I took some pills to remove me from this dull anxiety I was feeling. When you hit rock bottom the last thing on your mind is food. You are never hungry so you don’t eat. You never realize how close your body is to shutting down. The least attractive thing is when you’re noticeably high. I was stumbling all over the hotel but it didn’t phase me one bit.
What started out as a midday nap turned into a good sleep. When I looked at the time it was 4pm.
I called Aslam to find out where he was.
“Babes, get ready. I have an important business meeting and I am taking you with me. Wear something skimpy and short” he instructed.
I showered, did my make-up and wore a short black dress. I accessorized with a gold belt and completed the outfit with glitter gold heels. I curled my hair, rounding up my ‘party girl’ look. I freshened up with a line of cocaine and waited in the lobby.
Aslam arrived and looked at me disapprovingly.
“You need to go shorter, I need to show off that I have candy.” He said.
I just glared at him. “I feel sexy!” I insisted. Surprisingly, he didn’t persist.
As we were driving I asked him what Layha wanted.
“Babes, Layha is still my wife and I needed to spend time with her,” he answered.
I threw a huge tantrum! Aslam took a fistful of my locks and tugged violently, shouting at me, “Listen here you junkie! She’s my wife and nothing will change that! Not even you!”
“You’re hurting me, you dog!” I yelled in retaliation, to which he stopped the car and promptly slapped me across the face.
“Don’t you ever call me a dog again, you whore!”
Defeated, I mumbled, “I’m sorry.” He gave me a pill and all was fine again.
We met the client at a classy restaurant. The food was  scrumptious. I had the lobster, and Aslam had sushi. We took the liberty of ordering a seafood platter for the client. The client was used to the finer things in life and insisted on taking us to an upmarket and exclusive nightclub. The allure of free drugs always got me excited, so I was game.
True to the nightclub lifestyle, we danced, drank and socialized. Deals were struck and of course we snorted several lines.
Suddenly my nose was on fire and the insides of me felt like hell had opened up its doors. In a panic I went up to Aslam and said, “Aslam something’s wrong with the stuff I snorted!” I had to yell repeatedly before he heard me.
“Can’t you see I’m busy? And go clean yourself up! Your nose is bleeding, you junkie!” was all he said.
Tripping and fumbling I eventually found a bathroom.
“Are you ok miss?” someone asked. That was all I remember. ‘Hitting rock bottom’ happened figuratively and literally. As I fell, the bathroom floor hit back.