Meerasim : Dastaan - E - Ishq

Kabhi Kabhi Mere Dil Mein III

The reunion had been full of tears and smiles. Aneela had not stopped asking Meerab questions about her general well - being. Even though they were in a hospital room and she was being taken proper care of, Aneela asked her if she required food, water at regular intervals as if to make up for lost time. 

Meesam had taken turns brightening up the lives of the three people and Maryam Phuphi had been the happiest to hold little Meesam, promising to spoil her to the most. Aneela had held her close, wordlessly, seeking comfort in the fact that her daughter was safe and Waqas hadn't been failed totally. 

Meerab leaving had left wounds in both the families that they would never be able to heal. Maryam would still question the love between her brother and bhabhi, maybe dismissing the entire notion of love that was something more suited to fairytales and only brought hurt in real life. Maa begum would probably never forget the sleepless nights she had spent thinking if she would lose her son as well and dishonor her husband, having failed both as a wife and mother. Aneela would never be whole again. Maybe these questions, these thoughts and anxieties would be the sole somethings in their mind had they met only Meerab. But Meesam, she had filled the cracks with love. The baby, the little joy they held made loving again possible. She already held the honor of making the broken family whole again. It filled them with hope and they wouldn't let anything happen to that hope. 

Murtasim had made a conscious decision to not call Anwar to the hospital and had informed Maa Begum of this when she asked him the same. He knew if he called the already depressed man to the hospital, he would assume the worst and telling him that he had become a Nana over the phone felt so incomplete. He wanted Meerab holding their daughter in her hand to meet the man. They had talked about how Meerab wanted to give Anwar a chance, how the gap left by her Baba's death would never be filled, but she could try making new memories with Anwar by giving him the chance to be her Baba. Murtasim had convinced her because now, he knew the responsibilities and worries fatherhood brought. He knew that giving away Meerab wouldn't have been easy.

She was discharged from the hospital two days later, during the entirety of which her Mama had stayed with her. Meerab and Murtasim couldn't stop fawning over everything Meesam did - yawning, smiling a toothless smile and eyeing her parents with wide eyes.

When they reached home, Meerab went directly to Anwar's room. She cleared her throat and called out to him "Baba".

She could hear urgent movement on the other side of the locked door as Anwar rushed to get a glimpse of his daughter.

"Meerab!" he hugged her and broke down crying. He didn't know how to apologize for the lack of 21 years in her life. Nothing he ever did could make up for it. Her calling him Baba gave him life and inexplicable joy. He beckoned her in and she shook her head no.

"Bahar aaiye, kisi se milvana hai."

Displaying confusion as to who else could be more important than her, he followed her to the living room, where her husband was holding their daughter, trying to make her laugh.

Anwar's world stood displaced, he was taken back to the birth of Meerab and how he had held her before giving her away. He saw Murtasim and the difference in the couple that stood before him. He sent a prayer to Allah to keep the family safe and remembered Nadia and thought of how happy she would have been had she been alive. 

" Aap Nana ban Gaye hain. Meesam ke Nana."

Asking for their permission to hold her, he held her close and fresh tears of joy made their way down his cheeks. This was the most joy he had felt in the past nine months and he was grateful that Allah had presented him with an opportunity to be a father and a Nana. He couldn't change the past, but he would be the best Nana ever.

"Bahut pyaari hai."

Later, the couple along with their daughter retired to their room for some much needed rest. After putting Meesam to sleep, which was a struggle in itself and Murtasim could already see that she was as stubborn as her mother. This made him laugh and frustrated at the same time. 

Ek aur Meerab! Mashallah, isse thoda kam ziddi banana please! 

He went to the dewan, proceeding to take his shoes off. 

Meerab looked at him with a mix of wonder and guilt. 

She sat down beside him on the dewan and said "Iss sab mein apni galti jaanti hun murtasim. Tumahra kasoor bas itna sa tha ki tumhe mujhse pehle mohabbat hogayi aur mujhe iska ehsaas bahut late hua. I am sorry, un sab cheezin ke liye, jinse tumhe inn naun mahinon mein guzarna pada, I am sorry." She looked broken while uttering these words, fully willing to share his pain and he sighed. 

"Meerab, mohabbat karta hun tumse. Uss mohabat ko nibhaane ka haq dedo, bas yahi chahta hun. Adhoora tha tumhare bina, aisa lag raha hai, ab mukammal ho gaya hun. Meesam aur tumhe kabhi kuch nahi hone dunga."

He paused, trying to erase memories of the past few months during which she was not there.

"Bas ek vaada karo, please mujhe mat chodna, please! Jaise kahogi, reh lunga. Tumhare din, tumhari raat, tumhare khwaab, tumhare acche bure halaat, sab chahta hun, tumhe chahta hun, muqammal accha bura. Mujhe hamara beeta hua waqt chahiye meerab, mujhe tum chahiye, bas tum aur Meesam, hamesha ke liye."

She wiped his tears off, the stray tears that had fallen down just when he thought he had his emotions under control. 

"Kabhi nahi chodhungi, I love you Murtasim."

And finally, after having been through hell and back, all was well at the Khans.