Uns Ki Mohabbat : Heartstrings

Chapter : 5 - Intezaar

Upon entering the house, Uns proceeded to the kitchen where her mother, Amira, was cooking. She approached her with a smile and greeted her, then asked, "Mom, what's that wonderful smell? What are you making today?" Amira replied, since Ramadan is starting, the moon will be sighted today, so I'm making kheer."

Excitedly, Uns exclaimed, "Wow, kheer!" She then asked, "Does that mean dad will come home early today?" Amira's joy vanished instantly.

She couldn't decide whether to tell Uns the truth, that her father wouldn't be coming home today either, or to give her false reassurance that he would be coming soon.

Seeing her daughter's smile, Amira said, "Inshallah, your father will come home soon, Uns. Now go freshen up, till then , I'll finish up here."

Uns smiled back and headed to her room, happy that at least today she could spend some time with her father.

At 9 o'clock in the evening, Amira, Uns, and Sahara, after offering 2 rakat salah for Ramadan, sat on the couch in the hall, eating kheer and waiting for Hassan Reza.

Impatiently, Uns asked Amira for the fifth time, "Ammi, when will Abbu come?" Amira gave her the same answer she had been giving for the past hour, "He'll come soon, Uns, maybe he's stuck in traffic."

Uns asked again, "Did you talk to him?" Amira shook her head, saying, "I called, but couldn't get through. He said he's little busy and will talk later."

Hearing this, Uns felt disheartened, but she tried to reassure herself that her father would come soon.

It was already past 9 to 10, then 10 to 11, but Hassan Reza still hadn't come home. Sahara and Amira were used to Hassan's late arrivals, but for Uns, who had returned home after so many years, the hope that her father would come back had never faded.

In her childhood, her father had distanced himself from her, but now she had no intention of leaving him. Uns loved Hassan deeply, and Hassan reciprocated that love, but due to a single incident, he had to send her away despite his reluctance.

Uns still didn't know the sudden reason for Hassan's distancing. She always reassured herself that they sent her to America for her success, but only Amira and Hassan knew the true circumstances of why they had sent Uns away.

Uns was losing patience, her hope diminishing. She got up from the couch and went straight upstairs, ignoring Amira and Sahara's calls, and closed the door to her room.

She didn't want to cry, but tears welled up involuntarily. Since returning to India, she hadn't had a single opportunity to talk to Hassan Reza.

In this month alone, she had only seen Hassan two or three times, and that too when he was asleep.

She remembered her childhood, how Hassan would rush home at the sound of her call, how he would take her in his arms, and how they would talk for hours. Tears started streaming down again,

still crying, Uns said to herself, "I'd rather stay in America, at least there I had hope that my father loves me. Why am I crying like this here? Why, abbu, why? What sin did I commit that you don't even want to see me?"

Uns was lost in her thoughts when Amira called out to her from the other side of the door. Lost in her own emotions, Uns walked over to the door and opened it.

Amira was deeply concerned to see her in such a state and gently asked, "Uns, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" Uns couldn't hold herself together and began sobbing, leaning into Amira's embrace.

Amira comforted her by patting her head, trying to soothe her. After a while, both of them sat on the couch in Uns's room. The room was filled with Uns's sobs.

Amira tried to break the silence. "What's wrong, Uns?" Instead of answering her question, Uns asked one of her own, "Does dad love you?"

Amira found Uns's question strange at first, but then she thought and said to Uns, "Haan karte honge."

With her eyes cast down, Uns then asked another question, "Do you love dad?" Amira immediately replied, "Haan karti hoon, Beintahaa mohabbat karti hoon."

A strange smile appeared on Uns's face, and this time she lifted her gaze, looking into Amira's eyes. Uns said, "What's the point of such love, Mom, where one person loves endlessly, and the other doesn't even acknowledge it?

What kind of love is it where one person dedicates their entire life to someone and the other person can't spare even a little time for them? Why does it happen, Mom? Why does the person we love endlessly cause us so much pain?"

Amira couldn't say anything. How could she, when what Uns said was true? Amira had loved Hassan deeply, sacrificing her own dreams for his.

She believed that Hassan's happiness was her happiness, and she never asked anything for herself from Allah, praying only for her husband's long life and happiness, and for the happiness of her children.

Hearing Uns's words, she realized today that she had never asked for her own happiness. Whatever she wished for was always for Hassan's sake. Hassan's happiness lay only in his work at the hospital.

Aaj, Amira ko yeh yehsaas hua ki uski mohabbat sirf ek dafa thi. Sirf ek dafa.

Amira was listening to Uns's complaints, but neither of them had any idea that there was a third person listening to their conversation, and that person was none other than Hassan Reza.

Aziz arrived home at around 9 o'clock and as he entered, he saw Khalid Nader and Zaina sitting at the dining table, enjoying kheer.

Carrying some shopping bags in his hand, he walked over to them. Khalid was still engrossed in eating the kheer when he heard Aziz's greeting, and he turned towards him.

The first shock for Khalid was that Aziz had arrived home early. The second shock came when he saw Aziz greeting them. And the third shock was seeing Aziz himself.

It wasn't the usual Aziz standing before them; he was dressed differently from his everyday attire, wearing decent formal clothes, with a well-groomed appearance and shoes instead of boots.

Khalid was taken aback by the sudden change in his son.
That, He choked on the kheer and began coughing.

Aziz immediately left the bags and went over to Khalid Nader, handing him water. Scolding him gently, Aziz said, "Abbu, you should be more careful while eating."
Khalid, smiling, looked at Aziz sitting beside him and said, "Agar tumhari jaisi aulad hoon toh shock hona mamuli baat hai. Is baar Aziz bhi muskurane laga. (If I have a son like you, then getting shocked is normal." This time, Aziz also started to smile).

Khalid was happy to see his son in these clothes. Seeing the change in Aziz, he felt a glimmer of hope that his son would find the right path. He didn't ask Aziz anything, but instead prayed to Allah for his son's well-being.

Aziz looked at the kheer his father was eating with great fondness and then asked Zaina, "Ammi, did you make this kheer?"

Zaina replied, "No, son, I didn't make it. Amira sent it. And we've also been invited for Iftar tomorrow.

Are you coming?" Zaina asked Aziz with doubt, thinking he would refuse as usual, but Aziz's answer this time shocked her. Aziz said yes to going with them to the Iftar invitation.

Aziz didn't prefer going out, but when he heard Amira aunty's name, he made up his mind to go with them, knowing that he would get to see Uns up close for the first time.

Smiling, Aziz picked up his shopping bags and headed to his room.

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