IZTIRAAR

Chapter 5

The car ride may be silent but it certainly had the tension.
Neither of them talked.

The occasional directions Insia would give to Wali was it.  Nothing more, nothing less.

Suddenly Wali's phone rang.
" Hey Marcus. Whats up." he said to the person on the phone.

"Oh no. The files must be with my PA. Ask Laura. She knows where the files are. I told her about it when we went to dinner last week.I need you to get them signed by the company ASAP." he continued.

Laura? whose Laura.So he's taking other girls to dinner. Ha! what a joke. Why do I care. He can marry her for all I care.
Insia knew better than to say something to him.

Insia wanted to remain quiet but couldn't.

"Ainda ap ko mere liye kuch bhi krne ki zaroorat nhe hai." she said suddenly no longer holding it in.

" Kia matlab."

" Matlab ye k mujhe apne kaam khud krne ki aadat hai. Aj tak mne khud kiye hn. Aage bhi me khud hi kraoon gi to phir ye waqti aasani pohchane ki zaroorat nhe hai." she said.

That must have been a jab to Wali's pride because he remained quiet the entire drive. His grip on the steering so hard, his knuckles turned white.

Insia knew what she said . She wasn't ashamed one bit. She's heard worst from him.

Insia got out of the car faster than you could say guilty. Thats what she hates about herself. She would overthink something for hours and when she would finally do it, regret would cloud her like a smoke.

Its been a month since Wali returned. Everyrhing was going normal. Wali had hired a new driver for Insia who drove her to work, which even increased her guilt for what she hsd said to him.
Occasionally they would run into each other, but not talk much. Wali joined the office like he had planned. Insia returned to working on a new piece for her her big exibition. 

One evening when Insia came back from the studio, everyone had been running around the house as if the president was visiting.
None of the men were at home, not even Wali while the ladies were running around screaming things like,
Mere kalrey kahan hn or Biryani ko dam lga do

"Koi aarha hai, kia?" Insia asked Bua, the cooking lady.

"Vo bare sahab k business partners aarhe hain na. Un ke aane ki tayyarian ho rhi hn." the old lady replied.

"Acha? mujhe to kisi ne nhe btaya."

" Arre baji! parson mere same hi to bari malkin ne ap ko btaya tha."

Thats when it hit her. Her tayi had told her. She was just too preoccupied with herself to remember.

How could she say something like that.
Wali wondered.
What Insia said to Wali in the car stuck with him.
He felt like a hypocrite to be hurt by her words.
Knowing Insia, its blessing she did'nt slap him the moment she saw him.
Thats the kind of person Insia was.
Free and brave. Not afraid to say her mind.
But, this Insia was reserved, quiet pretended to not care when she does.

" Oye kia soch rhe ho, Angrez." Shahmeer, Wali's childhood besfriend said.

Angrez, he thought. Thats what Insia said to him. It made him remember the little accidental meeting they had and it made him smile.

" Abhi literally ik maheene pehle aye ho aur abhi se apni angrez girlfriends ko yaad kr k  muskura rhe ho."

" Shutup yar." he replied to him laughimg.
"Kia plans hain?  Aur Insia?" Shahmeer asked him on a serious note.