Second Chance (Vol.1) Squandered

19: Yash Arora

Waseem always chose outstanding suitors for Zoya.

The first suitor he had chosen for Zoya was from a learned, rich and powerful family with political connections.

Waseem had met them at one of the rallies organized for party workers which Waseem was supervising. Though Waseem did not contest in the elections he was a very active party worker. He had been secretary few years ago but was keeping a low profile for the past 5 years.

Zoya's prospective in-laws were ahead of their times and would have doted on Zoya. They would have treated her like their own daughter and would not have forced their lifestyle, traditions or decisions on her. Zoya could have had an independent lifestyle and made her own choices in life. Roshnaq had been excited for Zoya's prospects.

But Zoya had panicked and run away from home and married Yash.

Zoya had mentioned Yash several times but nothing more. So Roshnaq had never suspected Zoya loved Yash. Zoya had tried explaining to Waseem that she could not dump Yash.

Roshnaq suspected that the relation had not really kicked off. If Waseem had not forced Zoya to marry the boy he had chosen, Zoya would not have been under pressure to make a choice immediately. Her relation with Yash may have fizzled out or may have grown stronger. It could have gone either ways.

Roshnaq was not sure whether Yash married Zoya because he loved her. She suspected Yash may have felt obligated to marry Zoya. After all Zoya had forsaken her family for him. The boy may have just not been mentally prepared for marriage.

In the first 3-4 years whenever Roshnaq met Zoya and/or Yash, they seemed blissfully happy. But it had not started off well.

On Noor's suggestion, Zoya and Yash had moved into Zoya's Nani's property in Mussoorie that her Nani had willed Zoya. It was a beautiful house that Nani had let Zoya and Noor look after, decorate and furnish since their childhood. And they had continued to look after the house even after Nani passed away. The newlyweds lived there for few days before and after their honeymoon.

A month into the marriage, Yash had taken Zoya to Mumbai and within a week she had developed an allergic cough. The cough got worse with each week.

Roshnaq could do little to help them from Mussoorie but Noor cheered the pair over the phone by downplaying Zoya's illness. She explained to Appi that eventually Appi would develop immunity to the Mumbai pollution. She asked Appi to give herself a few months more to adjust.

Mahi, Yash's sister was away at a 3-month workshop in ____ and Yash's mom was undergoing therapy for her knee-joints in ____. Sitting in Mussoorie Roshnaq could only speculate if this was by design or by chance. Yash and Zoya were both too naïve to gauge if the 2 ladies were giving Zoya the cold shoulder.

Yash could not bear to watch Zoya suffer and decided to relocate Zoya back to Mussoorie. Zoya had a miraculously speedy recovery on home soil. Noor was confident that the cough had nothing to do with Mumbai or Mussoorie. It was just a freak coincidence that Zoya had felt better in Mussoorie. Maybe the cough was in its last stages when they left Mumbai. But Yash never risked taking Zoya to Mumbai again.

Yash was doing well in his career. There had been promotions and salary hikes. But Roshnaq guessed that his travel expenses between Mumbai-Mussoorie and maintaining a house each in 2 different cities did not leave much for savings or investments.

Roshnaq who had been anxious for the couple began to relax on their 3rd wedding anniversary. 3 years of happy married life was a good milestone for a naïve pair with long distance relationship challenges.

She convinced Waseem to forgive Zoya and to open the doors of his home and heart to the couple. Waseem reluctantly gave in. Roshnaq knew he was missing Zoya and wanted to see her more often. She also knew he was doing it for her.

Yash did come home a few times. But he was no thick skinned Aditya Hooda. Aditya Hooda with his superior air and quick wit was unaffected by Waseem's barbs. Yash was the exact opposite. He was sensitive and conscious of his lower financial status and social standing. Yash at best felt awkward at their home, never welcome, especially in Waseem's presence

Waseem remembered how naïve his dear Zoya was. She had never realized that she continued to use her father's credit card for her upkeep even after 3-4 years of marriage. The 2 girls used to repaint and redecorate Nani's home on a whim every few months. Both of them used to keep their wardrobes in line with the latest designs. Their ethnic clothes and accessories were the talk of the town. Zoya had adjusted her lifestyle to suit Yash's standards and he felt terrible about it.

Waseem did not want to deliberately hurt Zoya or Yash but her naiveté compelled him to remark on how she was denying herself luxuries she deserved. When Zoya used to be excited over Yash's rare achievements, Waseem had to open her eyes to his faults.

Roshnaq used to be very upset that Zoya could not stand up to her father. Zoya had only one reply to all her father's taunts. Yash loved her!

Noor better defended the couple. The house was not repainted because it did not need a fresh coat. Appi had realized she did not need designer clothes to look the diva she is. Appi could not afford new jewelry because the local banks were out of lockers. They had outgrown doing other girls a scorn with childish counts of who had what and how much. Appi was so busy in her romantically blissful happily married status that she had no time for her childish expenses. Appi had learnt not to do fizul kharchi.

Roshnaq worried that Zoya carried Waseem's negativity back home. She noticed that Zoya's shopping expenses went up. She purchased a few expensive designer clothes and accessories every few months. She became house proud, spent on redecorations regularly and purchased expensive gifts for friends and relatives. Zoya explained to Ammi and Noor that her appearance and habits reflected on Yash's reputation and she could not permit anyone the notion that he did not love her.

But a bigger shock to Roshnaq came when Yash resigned from his good job and invested in running a startup. That was possibly when the first cracks had appeared in Zoya and Yash's relation but not one of them; neither Zoya nor Noor nor Roshnaq herself had noticed it then. And without damage control it had ended up in a full blown EMA.

A new guilt had gripped Roshnaq's heart by the turn of events these last few days. She wondered if Zoya's marriage would have survived better if she had not forced Waseem to make peace with Zoya. Waseem could never open the doors to his heart to anyone he had not chosen or worse rejected. Had she Roshnaq put Zoya&Yash's relation on the line?

Roshnaq realized that Waseem had never made peace with Zoya's choices. Be it Yash, Mumbai, Zosh, Aditya... The only exception was when he had Zoya's back against the Hoodas.

When Zoya's decisions went in her favour he was proud of her, happy for her and applauded her successes. But when things went wrong he was quick to point "I told you so. But you never heed my advice"

Waseem had to suddenly slam the brakes as a child ran across the street.
Roshnaq returned to her immediate catch-22 conundrum.

And it struck Roshnaq and it struck her hard.
In the next 3 months or less Zoya would be forced to take some decision.
And it did not matter what she decided.
They were all going to be deeply hurt.
Zoya and Waseem will suffer the worse.

She prayed that at least Noor and Arjun be spared.
No. Noor and Arjun would be the martyrs in the crossfire.

Roshnaq mentally braced herself for the inevitable.
They were destined to squander Zoya's second chance to happiness...