Ishq Mubarak

•7• Daastaan

Nora's pov.

The morning sunlight filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow in the cozy confines of our dining room. The clinking of utensils and the tantalizing aroma of home-cooked food enveloped the air, creating a sense of comfort that was shattered by the unexpected shift in the atmosphere.

As I held my plate just out of my mother's reach, engaging in our usual playful banter, a sense of normalcy hung in the air.

"Mama, bas aur nahi jayega,"

[ Ma, that's it no more now, ]

I protested, a lighthearted smile on my face. The exchange brought a momentary joy, but it was short-lived.

The mood shifted abruptly when Dad interjected with an unusual seriousness,

"Fatima, voh kha legi abhi. Tum dono betho, mujhe kuch kehna hai."

[ Fatima, she'll eat. You guys site down, I have to say something]

A ripple of nervousness coursed through me, an unspoken tension settling like a fog.

" Sab kheriyat baba?

["Everything fine, Dad?"]

I inquired, trying to find reassurance in his seemingly tiny smile. His gaze shifted to my mother, and he disclosed an unexpected piece of news,

"Ek hafte baad hamare ghar mein ek party hogi, mujhe aasha hai tum sab sambhal loge."

The revelation caught me off guard, and I noticed a flicker of tension in my mother's eyes

Reacting swiftly, she suggested,

"Toh main Nora ko Haisal didi ke pass bhej deti hoon."

The proposal left me confused. Of course, my parents had always kept me away from their affairs, and I had been content with that arrangement. However, Dad's next words shattered the fragile sense of normalcy that morning had started with.

"Nora kahin nahi ja rahi hai."

The statement hung in the air, leaving both me and my mother bewildered. Attempting to make sense of the situation, I questioned,

"Baba, mama, aap log kya bol rahe hain?"

My words lingered in the room, met only by my father's distant gaze. A foreboding sense of unease settled within me - something was amiss, and the gravity of the situation eluded my understanding.

"Magar aapko pata hai na,"

Mom interjected with concern etched on her face.

"Mujhe pata hai, Fatima, par hum kitne aur der tak bhaagne ge,"

Dad responded cryptically. The enigmatic remark left me with more questions than answers. Who was running from whom? What clandestine affair enveloped our lives?

Before I could delve deeper into the unsettling mystery, the driver's horn interrupted our conversation. Dad's gaze shifted from me, and Mom sat there looking lost. As I prepared to leave, the uncertainties about our imminent future lingered, promising a revelation upon my return from college.

______________________

I

n the hushed confines of the classroom, Nora sought solace on the last bench, her eyes tracing the contours of the world outside the window. Unseen by her classmates, a mysterious fog seemed to envelop her thoughts, a lingering aftermath of the morning chores that had left her mind adrift in a sea of confusion.