A Ride With Courage: Story Of Survival And Sisterhood

I met Courage today. Her hands were gentle on the steering wheel, yet she was stealthy in her vision, fixed on the road ahead. The road was blazing with it’s shining tar in the midst of the desert dunes on the sides and few shrubs that made me squint my eyes and ponder on the arduousness that was needed to survive such terrain. The sun was unforgivingly hot this afternoon. 

I wasn’t expecting a female driver in Abu Dhabi. And here was Courage, with her head covered and no smile on her face. I asked her if I could sit in front with her, she readily agreed. I got off, felt the hot blazing sun on my face and quickly got in, to sit next to her. 

I slowly began with a smile to break the silence. Very hesitatingly, she smiled back. I asked her questions and she answered in monosyllables. Finally, Courage opened up and told me, that she had come to Abu Dhabi, 7 years back from Uganda after surviving an abusive marriage and being a mother to her three children, it was a decision that wasn’t made with much choice, in the matter. She had to earn to raise them well. 

I must admit that I wasn’t expecting a female driver in Abu Dhabi. All my notions of the subjugation of women under the hijab were being challenged. So I asked Courage; “How is it to be here”? She replied, “Better than dying every day with the betrayal of my Ugandan husband.” 

I shared my life story with her and we both said “Me too” and “Exactly” in unison, each time we met at the crossroad of our conversation of being a woman in a patriarchal world. 

Courage said betrayal hurt never ends. She cries even today, for the hurt that never leaves her heart. She said she lives with 4 more Ugandans in Abu Dhabi. It is one room with four partitions. The other three roommates are men from Uganda. She said they are kind and caring towards her. She shared that when their girlfriends come over and they cook, the men leave a part of the food for Courage. She liked being with them, without the bickering of women who didn’t hesitate to hurt her when she needed support. She likes this arrangement. 

Courage showed me her daughter’s photos. Two lovely girls, one training to join the airlines, the other studying. She said her daughters encourage her to meet a man so that she isn’t lonely. But Courage said that she can’t trust anyone, any longer, ever again, as her faith is shattered. 

As the airport got closer, I promised to stay in touch with Courage via WhatsApp. As I looked into my wallet, I was left with Dirhams I had saved to buy a perfume and a bag. I thought maybe if I tucked the money in her hand, she would smile. Her strength belied the brokenness and rage inside her. I just desperately wanted Courage to smile. 

As I gave her the money, she said I had given her more. I sheepishly said, “It’s for you”! Courage held my hand, then she held my feet. I was utterly embarrassed and almost dying by now. She held me tight, sobbing as we both said goodbye. I walked into my air-conditioned lounge, as she drove away into the relentless heat of the desert with her mutilated heart. All I hoped for was that Courage wouldn’t lose faith in human beings. 

My phone lit up with a WhatsApp text from her daughter, all of maybe 17 with the text, “We won’t forget this ever”. 

I thought of the word “altruism". That I had read in books. As I delved deeper in my own mind, I knew that it felt great to be able to help a stranger, who I am aware, that I will never meet again. According to Dr.Jessica Myszak, a psychologist, from Illinois, “Altruism is often considered one of the defining characteristics of what it means to be human.”

The UAE hosts some 8.7 million migrant workers, equivalent to over 80% of the country's resident population, thereby making it one of the largest foreign labour-receiving countries in the world.

Abu Dhabi will stay forever in my heart, because of Courage, as one of my most memorable bonds that I shared sans judgment with one more woman, whose life trajectory had once again been thwarted by her man. 

Mohua Chinappa is an author, poet and runs two podcasts. The Mohua Show and The Literature Lounge. She is also a member of an award winning London based non profit think tank called Bridge India.