The Flying Dreams

CHAPTER TWO

About two months before, my father was taking his morning tea when he received a call from Wahab. I was sitting on the opposite end of the brown wooden table but my whole focus was on my father. But he was not talking, just giving small reactions to everything Wahab was saying. In the middle of it, he glanced at me and hummed. He was nodding his head too, and with each nod of his head, my heartbeat increased.

 I had talked to Wahab the night before and I wasn't sure why he felt the need to call my father so early. In my mind— it was something bad or maybe he was asking my father about my character. Then I recalled I had told him about my dream of becoming a doctor. Then, maybe he was telling him to control my aspirations. He had asked. But perhaps, he just meant in a more general way— like how I wanted the wedding ceremony to be or where I wanted to go for our honeymoon, but when he said dream— I just blurted out the first thing that came to my mind— becoming a doctor. My father then smiled and hung up, he casually announced that I would be going to sit for an entrance exam for a medical school. I waited for night to come as I had never done before and when the phone rang around nine— I jumped down and started asking him so many questions. He had listened to every word and then said as if that meant nothing, 'But didn't you say you wanted to be a doctor?' He didn't show any doubt that I may not get in. He didn't even ask me if I can do it. I studied, keeping in my mind his confidence in me.

'Yes, I would.'

Wahab shook his head slightly before sighing, he finally took my hand in his, it meant he was upset by my answer but my whole focus was on how warm his hands were. Not how my voluntary submission had made him upset.

'Adia. You are the only person who can make decisions for yourself, alright? Besides what kind of husband would I be if I just crush your only dream?'

I knew it, he was too sweet to ask me to stay, but I just wanted him to know— for me he always came first. When I failed to speak, he squeezed my knuckle tightly.

'Ow, what?'

'I would miss you. Say you'd miss me too.'

I couldn't control the smile that crept into my mouth, 'I will miss you more.'

'Well, that's why I gave you that phone. Call me whenever you can and put all your concentration into your studies, okay? I want to boast to my friends.'

I had applied for the NEET exam and when the result came, Wahab was the one who called my brother to tell me the news of I had made it in the cut-off list. I had wanted my college to be near my home but AIMS, Delhi had been the college assigned to me and I could never forget the long look on my mother's face as my father told her I would be going to Delhi. She didn't say anything, she didn't have to. A thousand other things let me know where my dream ended. 

'Boast? What?'

'You say what a lot. That my wife is a doctor of— well, doctor?'

I snickered at that. He wanted to brag but had no idea which course I was planning to apply after my MBBS, 'I'd be a gynecologist.'

'You know how the wife gets the title of her husband?', he grinned. 

I nodded, my attention was on our hands again since the conversation was taking a turn towards the light topics, he hadn't let go of my hand which was nice.

'Would you mind if I take your Dr. title and use it as my own as well? Dr. Wahab Adia Siddiqui'

'Wahab Adia? I thought you only wanted the title? And you didn't use my surname.'

He shrugged his shoulders lazily, 'You are going to take my name, it's only right I take yours too. Alright, your highness— Dr. Wahab Adia Farooqi. Happy?'