THINK PAD
It was a foggy and chilly December evening. Natasha was driving home after a long, tiring day at work. All she wanted was to reach home, and spend time with her children, Amna and Sahir. As she stopped at a traffic light, her phone buzzed with a message from her daughter, Amna.
“Mummy, I’m craving pastry. Please, please get one for me. You’re the best mother in the whole universe.”
Despite her exhaustion, Natasha smiled. How could she ever say no to her daughter’s sweet request? She decided to stop at a bakery, but she didn’t know that this simple act of love would turn into one of the most dreadful moments of her life.
She parked her car in the parking lot and was just about to enter the bakery when two men on a motorbike rushed towards her. They were armed with pistols. Panic gripped her when she saw them coming towards her. She froze, unable to move or scream. Within seconds, one of the men had snatched her handbag. To make matters worse, they fired a bullet towards her car before speeding away, leaving her paralysed with fear.
There were a few people on the road, but no one came forward to help. Trembling with fear, Natasha tried to calm herself for a while before forcing herself to drive home as fast as she could. She felt grateful to be alive, yet terrified that the men might still be following her.
That night, she reached home without the pastry. She locked herself in her room, unable to speak or stop crying. Her husband and children were deeply worried, but she could not explain what she felt. The sound of the gunshot, the sudden rush of fear, and the helplessness had shaken her completely. She had never encountered such violence before, and the experience broke something inside her.
Years later, the forty-five-year-old woman, now a successful architect, still cannot forget the horrifying incident that changed her life forever. She stopped driving and became overly cautious about her children’s safety. She restricted them from going out alone, constantly fearing that something terrible might happen. You may call her a survivor, for she lived through a snatching incident that left scars not on her body but on her mind.
Although she was not physically harmed, her mind was deeply traumatised. Trauma does not always fade with time; it lingers and resurfaces in moments that recall the past. Such experiences do not affect only women - men too can suffer from the invisible wounds inflicted by fear and distress. Sometimes, professional help is the only way to heal.
There are countless stories like Natasha’s. What we must do is offer support, understanding, and kindness to those who are trapped in their memories, helping them break free and heal once and for all.