Belong Together

A Parent's Nightmare

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The last time I dedicated this chapter to you, ShabanaTheStar as you had experienced some unfairness on Wattpad, so this is for you again.

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Iman

While Appi was busy missing her flight, I was up to no good, as usual. And accompanying me in this latest craziness was my usual gang: Ibrahim, Noor and Bilal and Armaan. Armaan was still relatively new to the gang, so he was better behaved, but he was slowly becoming like us.

Looking at Ibrahim, you would think that he was Ahad Mamu's son, and not Arhaan Mamu's. His eyes were always sparkling mischievously, and he came up with crazy plans seemingly out of nowhere. He had a baby face, and was often mistaken for a sweet, shy boy because of it. That was until you really got to know him. But then again, I was told literally every day that I didn't seem like the daughter of Dr Fawad Ali, and not even Jasmina Fawad. Once, I heard a neighbour woman talking when she was over with other neighbours for tea, and she was saying, "If she didn't look like her father, I would think she has been adopted. She's nothing like her parents!"

Bilal had crazy, out of control, curly hair which he hardly seemed to brush. He normally wore ripped jeans and t-shirts with band names printed on them. He was relatively calmer, compared to the rest of us hyper bunch, but not too much. When it came to getting in trouble, he was always up for some fun. We had seen old photos of Ahad Mamu, and Bilal looked exactly like he had back when he was this age.

Noor was spoiled in the sense that she got literally everything and anything she wanted, but she was also a very generous girl, with a big heart. Despite being pampered, she was raised very well, but when she was with us, she was a completely different person. It's only natural, though. Kids of South Asian origins tend to be much different around their friends, than they are with their parents and families (Appi and Ismael Bhai being an exception).

We're not criminals. We don't steal cars, we don't go around hurting people and we generally don't break the law, apart from the occasional speeding. However, each family has a kid that is basically a parent's nightmare: they're always worried about them getting in trouble, or doing something reckless. I was the kid in my family, Ibrahim in his, and unfortunately for my Ahad Mamu, both of his kids were like that. As I mentioned, Armaan was becoming like us.

So, while Appi was experiencing Dubai, and Phupho was looking after Dado, I told Phupho that Ahad Mamu was picking me up, and I was going over to their place. Phupho believed me innocently, trusting me. If Mama had been here, she would have called Ahad Mamu over to confirm. I guess, parents just know their kids. 

It all started when Ibrahim sent a text message in our WhatsApp group. This group only had the five of us in there, because none of us trusted Appi or Ismael Bhai, and Amara had a tendency to  blurt things out in front of Nazia Mumani. 

<Ibrahim: Hey, guys. Want to do something crazy fun?>

None of us refused, naturally, and we all headed out for a drive around the city, despite Papa's strict order not to go out with them alone.. We ate, drank cold drinks and acted like those annoying youngsters that everyone complained about. We watched a comedy film, after which we decided to go to a nearby bowling alley. It was an awesome day, at the end of which I told my friends that I would be meeting Fariha Phupho at the new shopping centre that had opened near Gulberg. That was a complete an utter lie...again. I was just using my newfound freedom to explore a part of Lahore by myself. Papa had transferred a significant amount of money into my account, and had advised me that it was mainly for emergency use. Well, this was sort of an emergency because I would never be in Lahore with so much freedom again. I planned on taking a cab and going back home once I was done. I'd marked the address of my grandparents' house on my phone.