Important native terms:
Tai: Father's older brother's wife
Chachi: Father's younger brother's wife
Dholak: A traditional drum used during weddings
Nikah: The religious marriage contract in Islam that declares one husband and wife. __________________________________________
After dropping Irum and Zara off, she came straight to her room. It was about to be dinner time. She had worn this dress as it was dinner-appropriate, but now there was a slight stain on it from the spilled juice. She quickly washed that part of the dupatta and ironed it, and that Khwaja Sra* kept coming to her mind repeatedly.
People from that cast often came and asked for money, but no one had ever done anything like this. The weird gaze and attitude of that Khwaja Sra* ….. a shiver ran through her again.
When she came out, satisfied with her preparation, and opened the lobby door, her foot collided with something. She was startled.
There was a bouquet of white unbosomed roses on the floor, beside the door. She bent down and picked it up. There was a sealed enveloped along with it as well. She picked them both, straightened and opened the envelope which had "Haya Suleiman" written on it.
It was the same white, square, unlined paper inside.
In the middle, there was written in Urdu,
"I hope that your dinner today will go well."
She turned the envelope over, but there was nothing more written anywhere, just a stamp of the previous day. Who was this and why was he sending her flowers?
Puzzled on the whole matter, she came outside after putting the envelope and the bouquet in her room.
There was lively hustle and bustle in Taya Furqan's house. All the cousins were sitting in the lounge. At one side, a group of women was busy, chatting happily. Men were surely in the drawing room. In their family, the informality among cousins was not frowned upon.
Taya Furqan was the most strict among all the four siblings and his strictness was only limited to Irum's scarf and her talking to boys outside. Usually, Irum and others also didn't talk to any boy other than their cousins. Haya and Irum even studied in All Women's University. Yeah the other Chacha and Mr. Suleiman himself will organize their children's wedding with mixed gathering, everyone knew that.
Their family was not big. They were three brothers and one sister. Taya Furqan was the oldest. Dawar, Farrukh, Sami and Irum were his children. Farrukh had done medical and was doing house job from Poly Clinic nowadays, he was three years older than Haya. Sami was about one year younger than Farrukh and was doing a job after his MBA. Irum was almost one year younger than Haya. Nowadays, there were preparations going on for Dawar, the eldest's wedding.
There was Mr. Suleiman after Taya Furqan. Haya was his only daughter and Rohail his only son. Rohail was in America due to studies. There was only Mr. Suleiman, Fatima Begum and Haya in their house now, only these three remained.
Then there was Zahid Chacha. He had two eldest twin daughters, Mehwish and Sehrish. Then his son Raza was an engineer. His youngest daughter Sana was doing O'levels.
Right now, other than Rohail who was in America and Dawar Bhai who was probably in drawing room, all the girls and the boys were present in the lounge. The girls were sitting on the carpet in a circle. Irum had Dholak in her hand. Her dupatta had slipped from her head to her shoulder (If Taya Furqan just came, she would have placed it on her head immediately) and she was aligning her tune with Mehwish, Sehrish and Sana while Raza, Sami and Farrukh, sitting on the chairs above were tossing around taunts at the girls jokingly.
"Hello everyone!" When she stopped before them with arms crossed over her chest, everyone's eyes turned towards her. Black, straight hair cascading down around her white face and big eyes lined with Kohl…..she was just so beautiful that admiration flashed in every eye.
"Haya! How are you?"
"Come on, let's defeat these boys."
"Come on, sit down!"
Many voices collided against her but she just shrugged her shoulders, smiling indifferently.
"First, let me help Saima Tai in the kitchen."
She uttered Irum's mother name whom she had seen getting up to go towards the kitchen. Saima Tai had undoubtedly not seen her coming, otherwise she would have called her. According to her, Haya was more sensible than Irum. Abida Chachi, Zahid Chacha's wife, had also gone behind her. Now, Fatima Begum, Haya's mother was the only one sitting on the sofa.
"Amma! Let me just go help Saima Tai." she repeated herself when she saw her looking towards her to which she smiled and nodded.
She walked off, contently. She had just stepped forward towards the kitchen door after crossing the threshold, when Saima Tai's loud voice hit her senses.
"As if I don't know what these styles are for, she had only found my sons to make a fool of."
She unconsciously took two steps back and leaned against the wall. Who was Saima Tai talking about?
"Now I know Bhabhi! why Raza kept chanting Haya, Haya." That was Abida Chachi. She startled at her name. She was saying.
"Last time when we went to Suleiman Bhai's house for dinner, how she was roaming around all dressed up, from then on Raza has been pestering me to ask for Haya's hand."
"This girl has a talent of attracting all the boys, Abida! Me and Furqan removed the idea of her from Dawar's heart with such difficulty. He became stubborn that if he will marry someone, it will be Haya only. Only when Furqan explained to him with strictness, that should they spoil their akhirah by making such an open-minded and immodest girl their daughter-in-law, that's when he agreed. But now Farrukh… what should I do with this boy?She will walk in again all dolled up and Farrukh will again become stubborn after her departure. There is my Irum as well, she doesn't dare to step outside the house without dupatta on her head."
Saima Tai was saying proudly while she was barely standing holding on to the wall, her face contorted in rage. She thought that if she heard anything more, she will have a nervous breakdown. She steadied herself with difficulty and returned.
Farrukh's gaze landed on her while laughing at something, who was coming from the hallway, his laugh stopped and he smiled uncontrollably. Farrukh with his just acceptable appearance had become more tan due to tough routine, but the problem was not his acceptable personality or Haya's immodesty, everyone knew the real problem. Then how did Raza and Farrukh even think about her?
She leveled a flat gaze on Farrukh and sat down on the sofa beside Fatima Begum quietly.
"What happened to you?" she asked after carefully watching her face.
"Nothing, Amma!" she made herself act normal with great effort. Fatima Begum was satisfied and she began thinking about Saima Tai who didn't get tired calling "Haya, my dear" and Furqan Taya, for whom Haya was the eldest daughter, but she couldn't have imagined that they were thinking like this inside.
And those flowers? They must have been from either Raza or Farrukh as well, but the flowers arrived for the first time last night, and Farrukh was on night duty then and even though Raza was in Islamabad, but how did any of them get to know about her selection in Sabanci? Maybe when she was telling Zara on the phone, something snapped outside the window. Whoever it was, he must have listened everything from outside the window and after listening, must have wrote the letter and placed it beside the bouquet but…. it had courier stamp of one day before. He might have used a fake stamp. But why would Raza and Farrukh, busy with jobs people, go to such lengths?
Her heart said it was neither Farrukh, nor Raza, but someone else. Well, he can go to hell, whoever he is, let me set these two straight now. She quickly got up and reached the girls' group.
"Irum!" She spoke with pointed indifference, her arms crossed over her chest, standing before them and everyone turned to watch when she called out Irum.
"What?"
"Did you guys send the wedding invite to Sabeen Phupho in Turkey?" She watched Raza and Farrukh from her peripheral vision. Both of them were stunned. As if they both didn't like her question.
"Phupho's card was given to Suleiman Chacha, he would have sent itent it and yes, Abba called Phupho, will she come?"
"She should come, after all there is a close relationship, if not with you, then atleast, there is with us." She gave an emphasis on 'close relationship' throwing a piercing glance at Raza and Farrukh. Both of them were deep in their own thoughts.
Then at dinner time, Saima Tai called her first of all.
"Haya, my dear! This Irum is of no use at all, you're sensible, you have to watch over the table, the moment a dish is half-empty, instantly signal Zafar (cook) over, okay?"
"Sure Tai! I will take care of it." she started serving with a strained smile.
A few moments later, everyone was piling food on their plates standing int the dining hall. Chairs were removed from around the dining table and were lined against a wall, so that everyone could dish out their own food and continue eating strolling around.
"Taya Jaan! You didn't take the salad!" she approached Taya Furqan and Mr. Suleiman holding the large glass bowl full of Russian Salad, who were busy chatting and startled at her call.
"Thank you, child!" smiling, Taya Furqan began scooping Salad into his plate with a spoon. He was dressed in Shalwar Kurta, a shawl was around his shoulders and mustache on his fearful face.
Mr. Suleiman on the opposite, dressed in a dinner suit, was looking quite smart and handsome. Their views resembled their appearance as well.
"Abba, you take as well!"
"Suleiman, did you post the card to Sabeen?" Taya remembered suddenly, maybe after seeing her face.
Mr. Suleiman's hand that was gathering salad on the spoon slowed down and his face contorted with bitterness. He turned the spoonful of salad very slowly into his plate.
"I did" There was a weird spite in his tone that was new for Haya.
"Abba! Will Sabeen Phupho come to the wedding?" She couldn't resist asking.
"Tomorrow is Henna, if she was to come, she would have arrived by now. The woman that came to meet only a few times in the past 30 years, it would be better if she doesn't come now as well."
Not only Haya, but Furqan Taya was also shocked.
"Suleiman! What happened?"
"Thank you, child" Instead of answering, Mr. Suleiman addressed her and she retreated with her head lowered , understanding the "now you go" signal.
Very slowly, she put down the bowl of Salad on the table and picked up her half filled plate, but now she wasn't in the mood to eat anything.
What had happened to Abba? Why was he talking about Phupho like that ? Then she couldn't bear it. Taking her plate, she came to stood behind the pillar on the other side of which Abba and Taya were standing.
Apparently lowering her head onto her plate but her ears were focused on them.
"Umair Laghari has given his son's proposal for Haya." Mr. Suleiman was saying, taking his friend and company shareholder's name and the plate in her hand shook, her heart sank.
"What are you saying?" Taya Furqan was stunned.
"Bhai! what is there to be shocked about? Waleed is a good boy, he'll come to Henna tomorrow then I will introduce you to him. I'm thinking of saying yes after consulting Haya."
"But… but Suleiman! How's this possible?"
"Why is it not possible, Bhai!"
"How can you arrange Haya's marriage like this?"
"I'm her father, I can do it, and Fatima is also consenting and I believe that Haya will have no objection as well."
"And Jahan… What will happen to Jihan?"
"Who Jihan?" Mr. Suleiman suddenly acted estranged.
"Your nephew, Sabeen's son, Jihan, with whom you did Nikah of Haya. How could you forget it?"
In reply, Mr Suleiman shook his head with distaste.
"It is a twenty-one years old tale and now Haya is 22. It was foolish of me that I believed Sabeen and did Nikah of my daughter with her son. In these 21 years, Did Sabeen once turn around to ask what happened to this Nikah? Or what will happen? The most she do is call every six months and hang up after talking for 3 minutes. Do you really think, they want to continue this relationship?"
"But Sabeen, due to Sikandar, you know that man with twisted mind…."
"How can I believe that just because of her arrogant and evil-minded husband, she has forgotten her son's Nikah? It has been so many years, she never uttered a word about relationship or marriage again. What should I expect from this?"
"But Jihan is a good boy, you even met him when you visited Istanbul last year."
"Yeah …. Jihan Sikandar…. Good boy ….. my foot!" he jerked his head bitterly.
"As for him, his attitude is unmatched. He is born in Turkey, he has never looked towards Pakistan. He knows neither Urdu, nor Punjabi. Did he inquire about any of his Mamu's well being in all these years? Called sometime? I would have forgotten all this but when last year I went to Istanbul, will you believe Bhai that I stayed 18 days there. I visited Sabeen's house daily, Sikandar didn't even meet and Jihan…. Jihan met me the last day and that too for 15 minutes only. And that too when his mother told my name then he remembered after a long while that I'm some distant Mamu of his. Then you know what he started asking me….? Are there daily bomb blasts in Pakistan and is there internet service available? Then his phone rang and he got up and went away. I would have never thought of filing for divorce in court for Haya, if I had not seen a Turkish girl dropping Jihan off at home when I went to say goodbye to Sabeen before boarding my flight. His frankness with that girl… God Forbid. He is Sikandar Shah's son and he's a copy of his father. I used to think that if despite being the great Ahmed Shah's son, Sikandar was his opposite then Jihan will be his father's opposite too and will be a decent human but no. He is the arrogant son of that conceited man. Who is Haya, what's her relationship with them, neither Jihan remembered, nor Sabeen. Sabeen doesn't even discuss about it, should I forcefully send my daughter to their house now? Anyways, I will introduce you to Waleed tomorrow, whichever proposal I like now, I will marry Haya there and ….."
She didn't have strength to listen anymore. With a pale face, She walked away from them with heavy steps.