Play of Fate

Chapter 2

    کاجل آنکھیں، زلفیں، جھمکیں، چہرا ،ہونٹ 
    ہائے سب ہار گیا تجھے بے نقاب دیکھ کر
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I walked in to dinning room hoping for him to be not in there and still in his room sleeping away the tiredness but did it ever happen as I wished. At the moment, I was standing on the threshold of dinning room thinking if I should run away or gather my courage and walk in.

And again my choice was taken as Mummy saw me standing there. "Noor chanda, come sit."

I knew that she probably thought that I was surprised by his arrival which had me standing there staring at his back.

She pointed to the seat next to him and asked me to sit there. I wanted to be anywhere but near him but I couldn't just sit anywhere else. It wouldn't look good.

I pulled the chair next to him in a way that it moved a bit away from his chair.

"Salam mummy, pappa." I greeted them ignoring his presence and maybe it was noticed but I didn't care.

"W. Salam beta." Pappa looked from his newspaper and greeted me with a smile.

I may have ignored his presence but it didn't mean that I couldn't feel it. His stare was causing me to clutch on my kameeez tightly as I poured the juice in the glass.

Mummy was already talking to Jahan making sure that he had every single dish from table. I could hear him speaking once or twice answering in his rich voice. The table was filled with his favourites. Those and many more that mummy made me learn by heart. She was a mother. She couldn't remain upset at him but I noticed that pappa was not having any decent conversation with Jahan.

I was munching on my raspberry jam covered toast that suddenly mummy started talking about rukhsati.

"Ab Jahan ageya hai to shadi k date set kardani chaheye. (Now that Jahan is here, we should set a wedding date.) There is no need to wait anymore. What do you think Ali?"

My heart was in my throat. Wedding. I looked at pappa. My eyes pleading for him to say something against it.

"Do as you wish but make sure your son doesn't run away again."

Mummy ignored the jab and looked at us with a warm smile. "Then after two months a wedding will be held.

My hands were trembling. I placed the half eaten toast back on plate. My now cold tea still remained untouched.

"Noor chanda."

I placed a warm fake smile on my face as I looked up at her. "Ji, mummy."

"Ap ko koi aitraaz?" (Do you have any issue?)

My hands clenched in a fist. I looked down and shook my head. Just like that, I again crumbled. I didn't want to disappoint her. She was the only mother figure that I knew and even if I take a decision. Where I would go. To an empty house. The society would claw a divorcee without any parents to support. If I do it, I would lose the only family that I have. We humans can never live in solitude and I was no different.

My parents married each other without blessing of their family. My father and mother side of family cut all their ties with us. They didn't even attend my parents funeral claiming to have no relation with them. Pappa and Abba were good friend from their college time. Our families had tight and beautiful bond that remained same even after years My abba also had shares in the Shah enterprise. Financially, I know I would face no issues but socially, there would be a lot especially with no one at my back.