Zaroorat

Chapter 7

Recap:

Zoya's father then sat up a little bit straighter and continued,

'Hum apke liye Mussorie se aik surprise laye hain. Hume yakeen hai apko bohat pasand aayega...'

Chapter 7

Zoya looked at her father, delighted.

'Kya laye hai humare liye Abbu? Dikhaiye kahan hai?'

Zoya started to look around her and behind the sofa to see if she could find her gift until her Abbu stopped her.

'Zoya woh tohfa yahan nahi hai. Hamara matlab ke vo eek cheez nahin, ek insaan hai.'

Zoya was utterly confused by her father's words. How can a human be a present?

'Hum samjhe nahin Abbu, apka matlab kya hai?'

'Zoya jab hum Mussorie main the, hume apne bachpan ke bohat ache dost, Saleem mile the. Unka ek beta hai, Arshad. Mumbai main doctor hain aur bohat hi ache insaan hai Zoya. Hum chahte hain ki aap unse mile.'

Zoya was still very confused about what her father was trying to suggest. Why did he want her to meet Arshad. She didn't need a doctor, she was doing fine. Just then it began to dawn on her what this was about. She didn't want to believe what she thought her father was suggesting so she decided to confirm.

'Kis liye Abbu?' She asked with hesitation and irritation.

'Hum aapse jhooth nahin bolna chahte beta. Hum chahte hain ki aap aur Arshad ka nikaah ho jaye.'

Zoya was stunned. She couldn't believe her father was actually suggesting what she had suspected. It hadn't even been a year to Yash's death and her father was trying to marry her off to someone else. Not to mention the situation with Aditya was already complicated.

'Why is Abbu making this worse? I can't do this right now!' Zoya thought.

'Abbu. You know this, I am not ready to get married right now. Maybe never. Not after everything that happened with Yash.'

Wasim knew she would resist. He had prepared himself for the eventuality but he was a master at getting her to do what he wanted, most of the time.

Zoya listen to me, I know you don't think it's enough time but how long will you stay like this? How long will you cry over a man who was cheating on you? Yash may have died a few months ago but your marriage was over much before that, you were the only one who didn't realise!

Zoya was taken aback. Her father's words were cruel and unnecessary and she wouldn't stand for it.

'Abbu, regardless of what Yash was feeling, I still loved him till the end. Those feelings don't disappear overnight and while I don't love him anymore, that doesn't mean I'm ready to marry someone else.'

She could see that her Abbu wasn't going to budge but she continued on anyway, exasperated,

'Abbu please please try and understand. I have only just begun to be independent. I have a career and I company I care about. I want to work and take Zosh to another level, I want to be Zoya Siddiqui Abbu, not Zoya Arora or anything else. Why can't you just let me be?' She got up off the sofa and started walking around agitatedly.

Wasim retorted, 'Zoya, who told you you won't be able to work after you get married. He's a doctor and I spoke to him. He has no problems with you working. How long will you be alone Zoya?'

The next words he said took Zoya's breath away.

'Zoya, aapki ek baar shaadi ho chuki hai, aapko kya lagta hai aapse doosri shaadi kaun karega? Aap khush kismat hai ki Arshad aapse shaadi karna chahte hain.'