Father of the Bride

Chapter 7- At first Sight

mere rashk-e-qamar tu ne pehli nazar, jab nazar se milaaii maza aa gaya
O my envy of the moon,
when your eyes first met mine,
I was overjoyed.
barq si gir gaii kaam hi kar gaii, aag aisi lagaaii maza aa gaya.
Lightning struck and destroyed me;
you ignited such a fire
that it made me ecstatic.

jaam mein ghol kar husn ki mastiyaan, chaandni muskuraaii maza aa gaya.
Mixing beauty's mischief into my drink,
the moonlight smiled – how enjoyable!
chaand ke saaey mein ae mere saaqiya, tu ne aisi pilaaii maza aa gaya.
In the moon's shadow,
O my cup-bearer,
you made me drink such a wine
that I was ecstatic.
Nasha sheeshe mein angraaii lene laga, bazm-e-rindaan mein saaghar khanakne lage.
Intoxication spread through the bottle,
and goblets clinked
in the party of debauchees. 
Behijaabana woh saamne aa gae, aur jawaani jawaani se takra gaii
Unveiled, she came before me,
and her youthful splendor
collided with mine.

-Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan 

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Mahnoor was in a foul mood all morning and Sheetal avoided her wrath. Last night the conversation over a certain doctor got heated to a point where Mahnoor hung up on Sheetal in a fit of rage. Their difference of opinions sent Mahnoor's temperature soaring when Sheetal accused Mahnoor of using Ayaaz's situation as an excuse to hide her true feelings for Khizar.

"I feel absolutely nothing for Khizar!" Mahnoor curled her fists into balls. "All I know is he will be my son's father in law!"

"How long will you deny it Mahnoor, it's clear you have feelings for him! Just admit it!" Mahnoor slammed the phone down in rage.

So, this morning in the office, Sheetal watched Mahnoor tear apart the woman on the phone

"I have 15 women waiting for your trainer. I arranged the course 4 weeks ago and made payment for the 12 week course. What shall I tell my women? I have paid for their travel costs! Do you have any idea how unprofessional you are?" She scolded her face turning red.

But Sheetal wasn't going to back down, she piled the pressure shoved the invoices under Mahnoor's nose bringing the matter to her attention.

"I want a full refund." Mahnoor insisted.

Sheetal closed the door containing her anger inside the office.

"Same to you, you incompetent twit!" Mahnoor slammed the phone down and leaned back in her chair grunting in anger.

"Patricia Newman and Mark Crosby are coming to the fundraiser tonight." Sheetal stood over Mahnoor reading her email from the Ipad. Tonight at the Hilton Hotel a fundraiser for Queen Elizabeth Hospital was being held. The evening was lined up with live music, charity auction and live dancing competition with food and drinks.

"You need to attend with Rajah Naveed and arrange a meeting. They have been awarded 1.3 million from Camelot and are looking to fund projects in the community. This could be our moment to shine." Sheetal handed the Ipad displaying the email in full to Mahnoor. Seeking funding was imperative for Malikah Foundation; it was the lifeline of the organisation. Without funding, their office could effectively close.

Mahnoor rubbed her forehead and looked at the email.

"We fit their criteria." Sheetal expressed. "We are a community based run charity providing a service to women from different communities. We could fund our Community Empowerment Project. We need a meeting with Mark and Patricia."

Mahnoor had no intention of going to the fundraiser that Rajah Naveed invited her. She wasn't prepared to give him the wrong impression. Everything had to be strictly office based.