Waiting For Forever

Besotted!

Prompt : What if Vashma would have fled away from her marriage? Only to get separated from Uday post partition and land up in a brothel? Would her spirit have given up? For she got tired of fighting..?

Preet ki lat mohe aisi laagi ho gayi main matwaarii....

Vashma could hear the faint music echoing downstairs, there's a feast tonight. A grand feast organised by Doctor Iqbaal in Baig Manzil on the occassion of his dear daughter's marriage.

"Aaj to appi ka nikaah hai..badi daawat hai Baig Manzil mein, aur is nikaah ke charche poore Lahore mein.." Sameena, Vashma's cousin said while combing the bride's hairs. Zahida forced a smile and replied "Haa. Aakhir meri beti ka nikaah hai vo bhi Farooq se." She stressed on his name, her eyes were fixated on Vashma.

But Vashma was looking into the oblivion. Zahida saw a smile on her face, a smile no sane person offers. Her head ached at her daughter's sight. Vashma's plight is extremely miserable. She looked enchanted. Mad. Madly in love with Uday, ofcourse. Her daughter had claimed it in front of her, some hours ago that she loves someone who is a Hindu, she is smitten on a man, she has grown up with, the one who lives in their neighborhood, exactly opposite their house. Uday loves her too. Last night she also made a claim that she can die for him. A seventeen year old mad girl she is, Zahida thought. But the very next moment she saw a fire. An inextinguishable fire in her daughter's eyes. The one which can consume everyone, even Vashma herself. Uday and Vashma are not afraid of anyone. And this is the most frightening fact of this night, that they are not afraid...

Zahida again looked at a paused Vashma. She wasn't flinching even a bit. Sameena was having a hard time in doing her makeup. Zahida couldn't bear anymore and left the room mumbling "Ishq ka bukhaar hai, utar jaaega."

"Ishq ka bukhaar nhi utarta ammi.. " Vashma said in her breathe. She smiled again and Sameena replied "Appi bahut khush hain hum aapke liye." And she back hugged her.
"Uday hai to mai hoon. Uske binaa main kuch nahi hoon. uske liye hi to zindaa hoon. Mere khwaabo ka aasmaan hai vo ammi.. kaash aap samjh paati.." she voiced the rest in her head.

bal bal jaaun apne piyaa ko, hi main jaaun vaari vaari..

"Sameena mujhe kahin janaa hai.." she turned to her cousin all of a sudden. Her eyes were bright instead of colourless.

"Abhi.." her cousin wondered but was cut off - "Haa abhi.. par usse pehle ek khat bhijwa denaa.."

"Kise?" Sameena started forming theories in her mind, immediately. It's in her genes. She possessed backbiting and overthinking genes of her mother.

"Farooq ko." Vashma replied mono syllabically and smiled, raising her eyebrows.

Sameena ran down the stairs with a letter tightly pressed in her fist. No one should see her. No one should caught the letter. She was too viligent in such matters. Matter of affection. Love affairs. Vashma asked Sameena to hand over this letter to someone called Randheer Raizaada. He's the friend of the groom, she had said to her cousin.

"Aap kya ye khat Farooq Bhai ko de denge?" Randheer looked at the peculiar letter and asked "Ye? Aur main?"

"Vashma appi ne aapko Dene ko kaha tha. Unhe nikaah se pehle ek baar Farooq Bhai se milna tha.." She said, and blushed. Her gaze not meeting his. Just like all the other woman present there.