YOU ONLY FALL ONCE

Chapter 8: Meet my father .

I'm currently standing in front of the mirror in my room , staring at the black top  and blue denims I'm wearing.  It's pretty mundane but it's the most pretty outfit I could put together . I sigh and check my phone for any updates about the party , I got my first phone , thanks to the coaching being far away from my house .

I have my back to the window and a clear view of it in my mirror . Something hits the window panes making a loud noise , I rush to window inspecting it and when I look down , I see my boyfriend grinning ear to ear , he is waving at me with one hand and the other is behind him and he's leaning against his bike. He motions me to come down .

I take my white shoes and run downstairs. I leave the house without saying goodbye to my mom , I take a look at him before calling out his name , he's wearing a black shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbow and a pair of denim jeans. I smile at him and raise a eyebrow . He grins and shows me the rose he's been holding behind his back . It's a perfect red rose , I take it from his hand and thank him , already feeling giddy .

We drive to the party , dance to the most ridiculous songs with a barrier in between the boys and girls , drink the punch and just enjoy each other's company , I think the punch must be spiked because I can't stop laughing and smiling. But there's something about Zaheer's smile that has sadness. That evening I return to my house to a very angry Mom , a jaw ticked Dad and my villainous maternal Uncle .

" What happened to bye mom , I'm going out ? Is it not something  college girls with boyfriends say nowadays? " My Mom says with her hands on her hips . She knows about Zaheer . Shit . But how ..?

" Maa, I was in a hurry . I'm sorry it won't happen next time . "

" Who was the guy ? What is his name ? What does he do ? " My Mom is stepping towards me with a laddle in her hand trapping me in between her and the door . 
My dad stops her and motions for me to come sit on the sofa , I remove my shoes and sit in front of him and wait for the volcano to erupt.
" Who is the guy ? "

" There is no guy , Pap-"

" Tell . Me . His . Name . " He grinds his molars .

" Zaheer Ali Qureshi. " I spit out .
" Is this thing y'all have affect your studies ? "

" No , not at all . "

" How much did you score in your last physics test in coaching. "

" 140 out of 150 . "

" The marks aren't great but I want to meet this guy, see what he's like . Bring him home tomorrow. "

"Okay , Papa ."

" I'm not supporting this , I just want to see who is this guy ."  That's surprisingly calm coming from my dad.
My mom and uncle are standing by the door both looking upset with my father's decision.
He stands up and starts removing his tie .
" Now go change and come down for dinner quickly. "

I hurriedly make my way to my room . I can hear my uncle saying , " Ladki haath se nikal gayi hai bawa aur aap isse aur sar par chada rhe ho ."
(Your daughter is already not under your control brother in law and your spoiling her even more .)
It was shocking when my father replied, " You don't tell me what to do in my house , Anand . "

I grinned and ran upstairs. That night I texted Zaheer about his meeting with my dad . Normally he reads my texts instantly but tonight he didn't. I drift off to sleep thinking about it .
I get up in the morning and scan for Zaheer's text but nothing he didn't even read the text . I go down after getting ready for college. My dad greets me and asks about Zaheer .

" I didn't tell him you wanted to meet him , I'll inform him about it the class . "
" Okay but make it today ,5 pm. " He said in a stern voice.
" Alright. " My voice small compared to him .
Once in college, I call him but no answer, texts not read yet . What is wrong with him ? Is it something about last night ? Everything was fine last night, wasn't it ?
I shake my head and attend all the classes .

It's 4 :30 , I'm waiting outside my house for Zaheer , he read my text but didn't reply . I think he's nervous. I even texted him to be early. But he's not here . 4:45 , still no call , no text. 4 :59 , I think I'm losing all my hopes .
My dad is telling me to come inside and get ready for coaching classes .
I wait until 5 :45 after that I go inside, slam the door , run upstairs , take my bag and go to  coachings.

On my way to coachings , I decide to skip today and start making my way to his house .
Once I reach his house and knock on his door , he opens the door immediately like he was waiting for someone . My eyes widened as I take in his appearance , his eyes are bloodshot , a complete contrast to his otherwise light brown eyes , his nose bleeding and face red . He looks confused and then realisation resisters on his face . He takes a step back and then it is that I see a women on the ground .

She looks like she has lost consciousness, she looks more battered than Zaheer . I look at her and immediately recognise her as his mother .

There are noises coming from the kitchen , my head turns towards it . A man comes out of it with a large bottle of whiskey in his hands , his eyes are bloodshot too but for complete different reasons . He sees me standing at the doorway , he throws the bottle at the wall beside the door but Zaheer quickly hugs me to avoid any injury that might happen to me due the glass pieces. The man opens his mouth , burps and says in a broken voice , "Stop crying you son of a bitch , just wait until the results and you'll be cleaning dumpster truck to earn food . You think your mom will come with you , no she won't. You think she tolerates me because of you , no it's just because of the money . Bus paiso ki bhuki hai saali ." He pushes past me and after a second he's gone .
( She is just a gold digger. )

I turn towards Zaheer but he is on the phone probably calling an ambulance. I make my way towards his mother and splash some water on her face , check her pulse it's very slow . I try to wake her up by slapping her face lightly . She opens her eyes slightly and opens her mouth to say something but nothing comes out .
" Zaheer, Zah- Your mom ."
He rushes towards us .
" Ammi , don't worry. Ambulance is on its way . Just stay with me . Please .Pleeasse . " Tears are streaming down his face .
" I'll -ah- get some wat-water . " I leave them there and walk towards the kitchen . There are things scattered everywhere in here . Glasses are broken . I fill a glass of water . I hear the ambulance , a minute later there's a knock and then complete silence . I am standing awkwardly in Zaheer's kitchen , alone .
I can't leave the house like this .
What the hell just happened here . It's 6:30 that's two more hours before I will have to worry about my parents knowing about my absentee .