" Help your brother's boat across, and your own will reach the shore." - Hindu Proverb
Kamran
If there was one thing that everyone who knew me would agree on, it was this: I was a patient man.
But patience too has a limit, and I had just about reached it now. It had been four years since I had spent a weekend in the presence of the woman that I would end up falling in love with for her intellect as much as her pretty face. Four agonizing years where I had to stop myself from emailing her, or picking up the phone and calling her. Because where would any of that have led us except for more frustration and distractions? We literally lived on two different continents, in time zones that were 12 hours apart, and even when I was 'home', it was in a different city than hers.
Well, the wait is over, I gleefully told myself as the airport taxi dropped me off outside my home in Islamabad at 3 am on June 1st.
That was the day I was also done with my first 2 years of PhD. Whether or not I would be able to complete my PhD requirements in the next year were still up in the air. But at this point I couldn't care less if I followed in my brother's footsteps or not. I just wanted to get married.
I chuckled at myself as I rang the bell on our front door.
Maybe stop getting ahead of yourself. Farah hasn't even agreed to marry you yet!
"Dulhe sahaab, finally shaadi karvane aagaye hain aap?", Komal smirked as she opened the door in her pajamas. (Dear bridegroom, are you finally here to get married?)
"Haha...very funny", I laughed, but couldn't help giving her a bear hug and adding, "Shaadi bhi karva lun ga, pehla rishta bhej ke uss ki razamandi tou pooch lun" (I'll get married too, but I have to send a proposal to her and get her consent first)
I stepped in to the dimly lit foyer, as Komal helped me pull the rest of my bags in.
"Where is everyone?", I looked around at empty living room, feeling that pang of jealousy again as I remembered the welcome reception my older two brothers would get when they returned from abroad, no matter the time of the day.
Komal gave me a sympathetic look, "It's late Kamran, and Ami and Abu are getting old"
"Their age is a factor only for me, isn't it? If Ahad was...", I started to mutter when a sleepy gruff voice interrupted me, stepping out of the dark hallway.
"If Ahad what?", my older brother asked as he rubbed his eyes and extended his hand to greet me.
It had been two years since I had seen him, and our history wasn't one that resulted in us having anything other than minimal communication when we were not physically in the same place. Yet, he had also saved Farah's life, and for that I would be forever grateful to him.
Maybe that is why I pulled him in for a bear hug too, surprising him, and greeted him with a big smile.
"What's gotten into him?", he asked Komal with a chuckle.
She winked at me, "You'll find out tomorrow"
"You two are so weird...", Ahad shook his head, "But go to sleep now. Abu has called for a family meeting tomorrow at breakfast"
"At breakfast? Why?", Komal and I asked almost in unison.
We were used to these family meetings when we were younger. Typically held after dinner, Abu always called these when our family had to make some important decisions. Though often these were meetings where Abu told us that he was making some decision(s) and we needed to be quiet and accept them.
YOU ARE READING
A Midsummer Weekend (The Extended Version)
Short Story"I used to think that I fell in love with you at first sight, but now I think my soul fell in love with yours the moment we were paired in heaven" His fingers gently caressed her cheek as he whispered to her, "I think I've loved you since long befor...
