Humsafar (short stories)

Atish e Ishq

"Hey, you stupid girl! Why is this food not cooked properly?"
Rubina Khan asked angrily glaring at tired Heyam

"Umm I am not feeling well today"
She sat on a chair holding her back and speaking in a low voice with closed eyes

"You're always not feeling well. I don't give a damn my daughters are coming go and make a proper meal"
Rubina Khan screamed

"Let Heer cook today. I am gonna go rest"
Heyam now held her head out of pain and talked about Heer as she was Burhan's younger brother's wife so she was younger than her in a relationship

"My daughter-in-law wouldn't do any work and who are you to order her huh? Who do you think you are? You would never be a daughter-in-law of this house"
Ayesha Khan screamed while Heer smirked looking at Heyam

"Then I will not work as I am not your servant"
Heyam got up saying in a broken voice

"OK prepare your and your husband's separate meal as we are not gonna let you guys touch our food"
Ayesha Khan said in a calm way

Heyam went into the kitchen and started crying silently holding the kitchen counter but as soon as she saw Heer, Pari, and Aleena coming into the kitchen she started chopping onion pretending that she was crying due to it

"Ahh, I am tired. I would go and sleep in my room peacefully"
Heer said stretching her arms as first she couldn't marry Burhan because of her and now she's the Khanum and her sister in law

"Same here I would tell the maid to massage my legs"
Pareeshay looked at Heyam while eating salad to move her

"And I am gonna get a good hair massage from Nani Jaan"
Alina said while looking at her

"We are lucky that we have such a supporting family"
Alina said looking toward them

"That's because we are honorable women not like some homewrecker or a characterless woman"
Pareeshay replied getting up from the chair

"Ahh"
Heyam who was lost in their voices cut her finger mistakenly and went toward the tap immediately to stop her finger from bleeding. They all left but she continued sobbing as she felt like she couldn't bear it anymore. She prepared the lunch all over again for everyone
.................................................................

Burhan entered the women's side at night  and smiled looking toward Heyam whose eyes welled up again looking at him but she still smiled controlling herself and went to prepare coffee for him

Burhan sat beside his grandmother and felt an unusual silence in the hall. He looked keenly toward Ayesha Khan to see her crying silently

"Mama"
He immediately got up and went towards her with a worried expression

"Mama what happened why are you crying"
He sat beside her hugging her and asked worriedly

Ayesha Khan pushed him and sat at a distance angrily

"Mama, what happened? Did I do anything wrong?"
He sat beside her again holding her hand and asked concerned

"Yes, you are the reason behind my tears. I am ashamed to give birth to you. Get out of my sight"
Ayesha Khan screamed

"But what did I do?"
He whispered getting a little back with a shattered heart

"Your wife made a very bad lunch when I asked her to make it again she started screaming saying she was tired and she's the owner of this Haveli. We should respect her. Her husband's making all of us eat. If we don't follow her commands then she will take you away from Haveli. Not only that she told us to prepare our food which I had to do because it was the order of our Khanum otherwise she would have kicked us out of your Haveli"
Ayesha Khan screamed glaring at him dangerously while crying