Dua-e-khair is a compilation of urdu romantic short stories which is entertaining as well as heart warming. If you are a hopeless romantic just like me, then you must read this. I am sure you won't be disappointed.
The first short story "Nissa" is k...
'Mehru beta kidher reh gaye ho, ab aa bhi jao neechy khana thanda ho jaye ga'. Shahista Begum called her daughter downstairs while she was putting the hotpot on the table.
'Agaye maa, sorry mujhy zara thori dair ho gaye', Mehrunissa said as she came down the stairs. Mehro in her solid white kurta, paired with white trousers, a purple dupatta and long silky hair looked like a fresh summer breeze. Mehro wasn't materialistic as per say, but she had a good eye and a minimalistic taste. She hugged her mother from behind and settled herself on the dining table. Then she took some Qorma in her plate and a chapati from the hotpot and began eating in a hurry.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
(Here's a glimpse of Mehru's Outfit)
Shahista Begum was pouring water in her glass when she said 'Mehru thora aram sy khao beta, itni jaldi bhi kiya hai?'
Mehru without altering her speed replied: "Maa it's my first day at job, toh isi liyay bas thora excited hun".
"Haan bhai pata hai, kal raat sy sara ghar sar par sawaar kar rakha hai" Shahista said softly while smiling.
Both the mother and the daughter were interrupted by Nadia who was Mehrunissa's chaachi, Rohail's wife. Nadia was in her late thirties, a woman with attractive features but a soft smile yet had a mocking tone whenever she spoke to Mehru and her mother. Nadia had 3 children, Shams (the eldest), Affan (the middle one) and Nooreh (the youngest). Shams was in Atlanta, with his wife Ayesha and a cute little daughter Zohra. Affan was just a few months older than Mehro and was studying Mechanical Engineering in Mehru's university, whereas Nooreh was completing her Olevels these days.
"MashAllah aaj toh bari tiyaariyan hain Mehru ki" Nadia spoke while addressing Mehru.
"Han jee chachi apko bataya toh tha aaj job ka pehla din hai" Mehru replied.
"Han han yaad hai mujhe, pata nahi kaisa mahool ho udher ka, saath kisi baray ko ly jati toh behtar hota" Nadia said mockingly, pretending as if she was worried about Mehro's safety, but in reality she didn't even care.
"Chachi, Affan mujhe drop kar dy ga aur uss ny jaga bhi pehly sy dekhi hoye hai, aur rahi baat mahool ki, mein aik bachi ko he home tuitions denay jaa rahi houn jisko ama janti hain, iss mein aise kiya baat hai" Mehro answered in one go.
"Acha bhai mein ny toh aisay he kaha tha, tum toh bura he maan gaye, maaf kardo ainda nahi kahoun gi kabhi kuch, ab banda ghar ki betiyoun ko kuch keh bhi nahi sakta" Nadia said as she took the dish pot in her hands. She started acting cold towards Mehru when she rejected Shams's proposal. No offense to Shams but Mehru was 19 back then and both her parents thought it would be better if she completed her studies first. Plus Mehru and Shams had no interest in each other but Shams's father Rohail thought that this bond would strengthen the family even more. But he respected their decision as he also didn't want any forced marriages in the Khan household.
"Nadia aise baat nahi-" Shahista wanted to say something just when someone entered the room screaming: "Mehru chalo bhi, aur kitni dair lagani hai, tumharay fashion he nahi khatam hotay". Affan came barging in, swinging the car keys in his hand, wearing a white t-shirt, blue denim jeans and nike sneakers. Affan was no doubt a heart-throb who was really popular among girls and inherited his looks from his mother and a good height from his father. Affan and Mehru were very close and were best friends since the childhood. He confided Mehru with a lot of his secrets and Mehru always had her back. Affan was like a brother to Mehru, who was always looking out for her as he did for his younger sister Nooreh.
"Khana kha rahi houn, give me 2 minutes and I'll be outside" Mehru said as she tossed another bite in her mouth. Then she drank a glass of water, gave salam to others and ran outside holding her bag.
Affan was already seated on the front seat of his civic when Mehru came and sat on the passenger's seat. Affan resumed the music and drove Mehro to the location.
"Yeh lein madam, pohncha diya na apko sahi salamat, awein darti rehti hain aap" Affan said as he flexed his rash driving skills.
"Tumharay saath beth kar banda Ayat-ul-kursi parh parh kar thak jata hai, laikin tum ny baaz nahi ana, chalo mein chalti hun ab, aur haan wapisy par lene na ana because baba will pick me up" Mehro informed him as she opened the car door.
"Oh hello?! Mein ny tumehin lenay ana bhi nahi tha, driver nahi hun tumhara, aur na he tum Angelina Jolie ho jisko bhaag bhaag kar lenay aoun mein" Affan said while putting back his shades.
"Ha Ha, hassi nahi aye, ab niklo idher sy" Mehru shut the door and pressed the door bell of the Yousafzai Mansion. Guard opened the gate and let her in. The mansion was splendid from the inside too as it was from the outside. Lush green lawn, huge door ways, well furnished interior and basically contained everything which would make any house impressive. Mehru wasn't startled to see such a majestic house because her friends lived in the same sort of houses and she was very well aware of where she was going and what is she getting into. Mehru was not a person who was easily impressed by someone with an elite status, she always sought the upbringing and personalities of others first.
With the help of the maid, Mehru sat on one of the posh sofa's in the lounge. In few seconds, a cute chubby girl walked through the door. She was looking so cute wearing two dutch braids, t-shirt and pants, Mehru instantly started smiling as she saw the girl coming. Her name was Zarminah and was full of sunshine energy.
"Assalam o Alaikum Miss" Zarminah said as she gestured her hand towards Mehru for a handshake.
"Walaikum Assalam, you must be Zarminah" Mehru embraced her hand politely.
"Yes but you can call me Meenay I won't mind at all." Meenay chuckled.
Both of them passed smiles and took their respective seats. They exchanged necessary information regarding one another and proceeded with the session. Meenay was in her Olevels and was appearing for Pakistan Studies and Islamiyat in the upcoming year. She needed a tutor for this purpose so Shahista Begum referred Mehru to Zarminah's mother, Aliya, when she came across their need. Mehru being an A* student all her life accepted the deal for two reasons. One, she always wanted to earn and be independent plus we are talking about Mehrunissa Khan here, so duh. Second her mother forced her into agreeing this offer so she couldn't let her Maa down. Little does she knows that something is cooking in her Maa's mind.
(First chapter of Nissa comes to an end, it was more of the plot builder, might be slow for some but we have some good stuff coming ahead. Anyways, I hope you liked it, feedback is always welcomed :))
