Guys, a few words about my story before you start reading.
Theme of the story: Zoya's remarriage with Asad (contract marriage with terms and conditions applied)
Time: 2 years from now
Based on: Loosely based on the current track and presumably the future track
AsYa SS: Phir le aaya dil...(Chapter-1)
Beep beep! Beep beep! Beep beep!
Zoya clumsily picked up the mobile phone, wiping the morning slumber away from her eyes. She glanced at the screen. It's 4.55 in the morning; time for her morning prayer.
Zoya's eyes shifted to the other side of the bed, where Ayaan was sleeping peacefully. She quietly got out of the bed and tip toed to the washroom, careful not to disturb him.
A faint morning glow was spreading in the sky. A few dewdrops glistened on the glass windowpane. Zoya stared at them, her mind still lingering in the shadowy zone between dreams and reality. She tried to remember what day it was...Thursday, perhaps...or was it Wednesday? She pondered for a few moments, and then gave up on the thought. After all, what difference did it make, when she could actually predict how each day would begin and end for her?
*Life goes on. Doesn't it?* Even she had moved on, apparently. *I'm still alive* she thought *if being alive means allowing your heart to pump sufficient blood so that it reaches your brain and can bring back some memories which will again make you wishing for death...then yes, I'm still living a life.*
She placed the prayer mattress on the ground and kneeled down slowly. This was the only time of the day when she could be herself. She, Zoya Farooqui, not someone's wife, not someone's daughter-in-law, not someone's sister-in-law, but the woman within her could feel the touch of divine blessing on her.
*Ya Allah! Mujhe itni himmat dena ke main apni muqaddar ko qubool kar saku. Sabki khair aur madad karna mere Maula.* a tiny drop of tear escaped her eyes.
After spending nearly one hour in the kitchen, Zoya brought the steaming bowls of soup and parathas to the breakfast table. Everyone except Ayaan was already there.
"Zoya Bahu, Ayaan nahi aaya? " Badi bi asked as everyone glanced at the empty chair where Ayaan usually sat.
"Jee, aate hi honge." Zoya mumbled, dropping her gaze to the floor.
"Zoya, main ne aap se kahan tha na, humesha khana parosne ke waqt sar pe pallu odha kijiye..." the subtle reproach in Shirin's voice didn't escape Zoya.
"Sorry, Ammi." Zoya pulled the dupatta over her head. She silently served parathas to everyone's platter as others eat busily and made small talks in between.
"Maaf kijiyega, mujhe aane mein zara der ho gayi." Ayaan hurried down the stairs, looking a little ruffled in a cream coloured kurta and unkempt out-of-the-bed hair.
Humeira's eyes followed him as he settled himself on the chair. Her eyes were slightly reddish and puffy, as if she had trouble sleeping the previous night.
"Ayaan Bhaijaan, congratulations!" Nuzhat chirped merrily through her mouth full of kheer.
"Thank you jee. Par subah subah kis baat ki badhai de rahi hai aap?" Ayaan tore a piece of paratha and munched noisily.
"Kamaal hai Bhaijaan! Aap ko yaad bhi nahin? Aaj aap ki nikah ka second anniversary hai! Do saal pehle issi din aap ke sath Zoya bhabi ki nikaah hui thi." Nuzhat flashed her dimpled smile.
Zoya felt as if someone had whacked her heart with a big hammer. The bowl of soup trembled in her hands. Ayaan had stopped eating suddenly and was looking intently at her.
"Main abhi aayi." Zoya abruptly put the bowl down on the table and almost ran to the nearest washroom.
She closed the door behind her and leaned against it. Then the tears came. Wet, salty tears streamed down her cheeks, wrenching her heart, burning her soul, wrecking her body. She bent over the sink, her body shuddering with suppressed sobs.
"Aapko humari mohabbat pe bharosa hai...yehi kaha tha na apne, Mr.Khan? Allah uss bharose ka aur kitna imtihaan lenge, mujhe nahi pata. Aaj se do saal pehle, issi din hamari nikaah hone wali thi...aur aaj do saal ke baad bhi main wohi khadi hoon...apna adha adhura mohabbat ko apne andar samet kar aap ke intezaar karte hue...par aap kabhi aaye hi nahin."
**************************
"Rashid, aap bhi kamaal karte hai! Kal Nikhat ki godh bharai' ki rasm hai, ghar mein itni kam padhi hui hai, aur aaj aap office ja rahen hai?" Shirin looked helplessly at her husband.
"Shirin, samajh ne ki koshish karo, today's meeting is very important for our company. I have to finish the presentation today so that I can take a break tomorrow and be here for Nikhat." Rashid sounded a little weary. Then suddenly, as if he had remembered something, he turned to face Shirin "Tum ne Dilshad aur Asad ko toh dawat pe bulayi hogi na? Ya phir bhul gayi ho?"
Shirin squirmed in front of his gaze. "Jee, woh...main...Rashid, humari har khushi ke mauke par unn logon ka shamil hona itni bhi kya zaroori hai?" Her voice faltered slightly at the end.
Rashid stared disbelievingly at her for a few moments. He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again, perhaps thinking better of it. A few awkward moments of silence passed between the two. Then he cleared his voice and spoke again, emphasizing each word "Shirin, shayad tumhari yaaddast kamzor ho gayi hai...that's why you have forgotten what Asad has done for this family. If not for Asad and Zoya, we would have married our daughter off to that treacherous fellow, Haseena bi's son Farhan. Humari Nikhat kisi ki dusri biwi ban jati, woh bhi bina kisi jankari ke!" Shirin winced visibly at the word dusri biwi'. Rashid continued in a calm yet powerful voice "It was Asad who disclosed the real face of Farhaan and Haseena Bi. Otherwise, she would have tortured our Nikhat the way she tortured my Najma." Rashid's fists curled with anger. "...Jiss Asad ko tum iss ghar pe bulana bhi nahi chahti, aaj ussi ke wajah se meri dono beti apne apne shohar ke sath ek shukun ki zindagi jee rahi hai."
Rashid paused for breath. Shirin's eyes were filled with tears. She couldn't meet Rashid's eyes.
"Yeh mat bhulo Shirin, even Nikhat's husband Aslam was Asad's friend, who had graciously agreed to marry our daughter when the rest of the world was against her. She could have ...tried to hurt herself again, if not for Aslam protecting her like a shield from all the abuses and ill-wishes being hurled at her. Ek paise ka dahej nahi liya uss ladke aur uski parivaar ne hum se. You can conveniently forget all these now, but whether you like to admit it or not, the one man who had brought all the happiness to my family is my eldest son, Asad...even at the cost of himself...and his happiness." Rashid wiped his eyes which had turned moist.
"Abbu, aap ki chai." Zoya's voice startled both of them. She was standing near the threshold, holding a tray with teapot and cups on it. The pristine white salwar suit and the white dupatta draped over her head had rendered her face an ethereal, angelic beauty.
"Zoya bahu, ghar mein khushi ka mahol hai, aur aap inn safed kapdon mein kyon ghum rahi hai? Yeh achcha shagun nahi hota, beta. Jaiye jaa ke apna kapda change kar lijiye. Koi achchi si red ya bright colour ka suit pehen lijiye. Aur chehre ki yeh kya haal bana ke rakhkhi hai aap?" Shirin mildly reproached her.
"Jee Ammi." Zoya tilted her head like a lifeless puppet. "Aap dono ke liye chai layi thi..."
"Wohan table pe rakh dijiye. Aur jaa ke taiyar ho jaiye. Humari ghar ki bahuyein aise dusro ke saamne nahi ghumtein..." Shirin frowned.
"Zoya beti, mere liye ek kaam kar dogi, please." Rashid gently placed his hand on her head.
"Jee Abbu. Kahiye na." Zoya gave him a weak smile.
"Ek baar apni Dilshad phoophi ko call karke kal ke function ke liye invite kar lo. Aur sath mein Asad ko bhi aane ke liye keh dena. Tell her we will be eagerly waiting for them to come." Rashid glanced at Shirin, who averted her gaze.
Zoya couldn't say anything, just nodded in affirmative. Her heart was beating so fast she was afraid the others could hear it. After 19 long months, she'd be talking to her phoophi! The thought was exhilarating, but scary at the same time.
*Kya main apne aap ko phoophi ke saamne chupa sakungi...will she see through my lies? Ya Allah, aisa kuch mat hone dena!* Zoya prayed as she dialed Dilshad's number, her fingers trembling slightly on the buttons.
After the third ring, Dilshad's familiar voice came from the other side.
"Hello?"
Zoya bit her lower lips hard to stop her from crying. For a few minutes, she couldn't utter a single word, only breathed softly on the receiver.
"Hello, Jee kaun bol rahe hai?"Dilshad's voice was slightly perplexed.
"P..Phoophi". Zoya choked back her tears.
"Zoya...meri bachchi!" Dilshad went silent on the other end. For a few moments, Zoya listened to the sound of her strained breathing. Then she spoke again, this time with a wispy voice "Kaise hai tu, Zoya?"
"Jee, main thik hoon. Aap kaisi hai, phoophi?" Zoya wiped away the tears which were threatening to get the better of her again.
"Buss beta, main thik hoon." Dilshad said in her ever polite and graceful manner.
"Aur..." Zoya cleared her throat "Ghar mein baki sab thik hai na?"
"Najma Imraan ke sath Singapore mein apni nayi ghar basa ke khush hai. Aur Asad..." Dilshad sighed. "Apne business ke silsiley mein kuch dino ke liye bahar gaya hai."
"Bahar gaye hue hai!" Zoya couldn't hide the despair in her voice. "Lekin Phoophi, kal yahan Nikhat ki godh bharai' ki rasm hai, aur sab chahte the ke aap dono bhi iss mein shaamil ho."
"Beta, actually Asad kal sham hi wapas aa raha hai. Main uss se baat karke dekhti hoon...if he can make it here in time. Shayad humein aane mein thodi der ho jayegi, par hum zaroor Nikhat ki iss khushi mein shamil hona chahenge. After all, she is like my daughter, meri Najma jaisi." Dilshad's kind words once again brought tears to Zoya's eyes.
"Jee phoophi, main sab ko bata dungi. Aap apna khayal rakhiyega. "
"You too take care, my child. Allah Hafiz." The line got disconnected. Zoya sat there motionless, cradling the mobile phone in her hand and listening to the monotone beeping of the dead line.
****************************
Next day:
Zoya was meticulously applying mehendi on Nikhat's palm. Only a few hours were left for the ceremony to begin. Nikhat's face had the beautiful glow of a soon-to-be mother. She watched with silent admiration as Zoya's expert hands moved briskly to create beautiful patterns on her hand.
"Zoya bhabi, aap kitni achchi mehendi lagati hai!" Nuzhat exclaimed. Zoya nodded with a hint of smile on her face.
"Bhabi, aap mehendi nahi lagayengi?" Nikhat asked softly.
"Aaj mera nahi, aap ka din hai, Nikhat. You are going to present us all with the most beautiful gift of Allah, your child." Zoya gently squeezed Nikhat's shoulder "aur MashaAllah kitni khoobsurat dikh rahi hai aap."
"Aap bhi kuch kam nahi hai, Bhabi. Aap ko dekh ke aisa lag raha hai, jaise Jannat se koi hoor aa gayi ho. Aaj toh kisi ka qatal hone wala hai." Nuzhat gave Zoya a naughty wink.
Zoya was looking breathtakingly beautiful in her peach and white ensemble. The oxidized silver ornaments she wore with the dress complemented her look perfectly. After much persuasion by Rashid and Badi bi, Zoya had finally decided to dress up properly for the ceremony. Off course, the occasional reminders from Shirin regarding how an ideal bahu of the Siddequi Khandaan should look had its fair share of credit in creating such a look for her. Even the aura of melancholy that normally surrounded her had enhanced her beauty in a mysterious way.
Another hour passed and the Siddequi Mansion's drawing room was bustling with guests now. Almost everyone on the prestigious guest list had made it...everyone except Dilshad and her son.
"Rashid, mere khayal se ab humein rasm suru kar deni chahiye." Shirin whispered urgently to Rashid.
"Par Shirin, ab tak Asad aur uske ammi nahi aaye hai. Tum toh janti ho ke Nikhat apne Asad bhai jaan ke bina rasm suru nehi karna chahegi." Rashid was looking a bit worried.
"Agar unn logon ko iss baat ki parwa hoti, toh kya woh log waqt pe nahi pahauchte ?" Shirin looked disgusted.
Suddenly Rashid's phone rang. "Ek minute." He walked away from Shirin and picked up the call.
"Rashid!" Dilshad's traumatized voice on the other end thoroughly alarmed him.
"Dilshad, kya baat hai? Tumhari awaaz aisi kyon aa rahi hai?" He was bewildered.
"Rashid, jis flight se Asad wapas aane wala tha, uss flight ki accident ho gayi hai. Just now I saw the news on Television. Woh bol rahe hai ke..." Dilshad was panting for breath "...there is not a single survivor." She burst into tears.
"What?" Rashid's voice reverberated in the room. The mobile phone slipped through his fingers and broke into pieces. Every eye on the room was on him now.
"Kya baat hai, Rashid? Kya hua?" Shirin came running to him. Rashid stared at her without saying anything. His face looked drained out of all colours.
"Rashid beta, kya hua? Tum kuch bolte kyon nahi?" Badi bi asked anxiously.
"Abbu, kuch boliye. Kya hua hai?" Ayaan shook his shoulders. Yet no reply came from him. Rashid was staring blankly in space. He mumbled something after a while and went inside.
As Rashid walked inside, his eyes fell on Nikhat, Nuzhat and Zoya. All three of them were busy preparing for the ceremony, with Nuzhat mimicking how Aslam would react to Nikhat's look. Zoya adjusted Nikhat's dupatta on her head and praised her beauty. The beauty and innocence of the scene almost drove Rashid to tears. Nikhat had finally found her happiness with Aslam. How could he disclose the news, which was like a death sentence for all of them, now?
*I have to be strong. For the sake of my children. For the sake of Nikhat's health, her child's health.* Rashid steeled himself. He gently knocked on the door, making all three girls look up at his direction.
"Dekhiye na abbu, I was just telling these two how much I'm missing Humeira pa ji. Agar woh apni saheliyon ke sath trip pe nahi gayi hoti, toh hum sab sath mil ke aur bhi masti kar sakte the." Nuzhat pouted.
"Nuzhat beta" Rashid tried to keep his voice calm. "Tum Nikhat ko le kar bahar drawing room mein jao. Sab log intezaar kar rahe hai."
"Jee Abbu." Nuzhat nodded and supported a heavily pregnant Nikhat to stand up. She leaned slightly on her sister and smiled coyly.
"Ruko main bhi madad karti hoon." Zoya supported her carefully on the other side.
"Nahi, Zoya beta. Tum yehi ruk jao. Mujhe tum se kuch baat karni hai." There was something in Rashid's voice which startled all three of them. Nikhat scanned her abbu's face anxiously, but his expression was unreadable.
"Abbu, sab thik hai na? Aap ki tabiyat..."
"Kuch nahi hua meri tabiyat ko, Nikhat. Aap bahar jaa ke mehmanon ke sath baatein kijiye. I just want to talk to Zoya for a few minutes. It's absolutely fine. Nothing to worry about." Rashid deliberately emphasized his last words.
Nikhat and Nuzhat left the room hesitantly. Zoya nervously fidgeted with the corner of her dupatta, waiting for Rashid to say something.
"Zoya beta. I...I don't know how to put it into words...actually...beta, you have to promise me that you'll be strong...as strong as possible." Rashid was fumbling for words. Zoya's anxiety was slowly transforming into fear. She looked into Rashid's eyes, her lips quivering with unspoken words.
"Zoya, something bad had happened. Abhi abhi Dilshad ka call aya tha...Asad's flight have crashed." Rashid buried his face in his hands. "As per the news report, nobody on board has survived."
Rashid rubbed the tears off his eyes, only to find a dumbstruck Zoya staring incredulously at him. The expression on her face scared Rashid. It seemed as if she was no longer aware of her surroundings, she no longer belonged to the mortal world. Her mind had left her body and was roaming in some faraway land.
"Kuch nahi hoga Mr.Khan ko." Suddenly she spoke, as if waking up from a dream. "Suna apne Abbu, kuch nahi hoga unnhe." She was talking more to herself than to Rashid. "Par Phoophi, who ghar pe akeli hai. Unnhe meri zaroorat hai. Jab tak Mr.Khan wapas nahi aa jate, I have to take care of her." Zoya clutched Rashid's hands.
"Abbu, please mujhe jaane dijiye. Main kabhi aapse kuch nahi mangungi. Khuda ke waste mujhe phoophi ke paas ek bar jane dijiye." Zoya's face had turned a deep shade of crimson. She was struggling to breathe properly. Rashid held her shoulders firmly to prevent her from collapsing to ground.
"Zoya beta, meri taraf dekho. Main ek baap ho kar bhi kissi se kuch nahi keh paya. Agar Nikhat ko iss halat mein yeh sab pata chal gaya...toh main apne bete ke sath sath apni beti ko bhi kho dunga." Rashid pleaded. "Buss aur kuch der ke liye humein yeh baat sab se chupani hogi. You have to help me through this. Please beta, abhi kissi se kuch mat kehna."
"Abbu, unhe kuch nahi ho sakta. Allah aisa kabhi nahi kar sakte. Woh zinda hai, Abbu. Mera dil jaanta hai ke woh zinda hai." Zoya stubbornly shook her head as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks.
**************
It was about 9 o'clock at night. The ceremony had almost come to a closure. Only a handful of guests were still lingering around in the Siddiqui Mansion.
Zoya was collecting the used paper cups left by guests on a tray. For the past three hours, her mind had not registered a single thing that was going around her. Only her hands moved mechanically, tirelessly; she was no longer sure of what she was doing or why she was doing it.
"Asad bhai jaan!" Nuzhat's shriek jolted her back to reality.
Zoya stopped dead on her path. Slowly, very slowly she turned round, as if afraid to move a muscle lest the dream shatters; and for a fleeting moment she thought she was hallucinating.
Her phoophi was standing at the threshold, holding a large packet wrapped in bright golden paper. Her swollen red eyes were proof enough that she'd been crying for long. Beside her, clad in a black sherwani and white dhoti, stood the six feet tall frame of Asad Ahmed Khan. His otherwise handsome face was looking a bit pale and weary at the moment.
"Maaf kijiyega humein aane mein zara der ho gayi...woh...actually...an unfortunate incident delayed our arrival." Asad's gaze was fixed on the floor. He took the packet from Dilshad's hands and took a step forward. "Nikhat ke liye ek chota sa taufa laya tha. Kya ek baar hum Nikhat se mil sakte hai?"
Everyone stared in amazement as Rashid rushed to his son and locked him in a tight embrace. For a few moments, he couldn't utter a single word, his body shaking with silent sobs.
"Yeh...aap...please samhaliye apne aap ko." Asad pulled himself away from the hug.
"Asad beta, tum thik ho? Allah ka lakh lakh shukar hai" Rashid still couldn't believe his eyes "...par tumhara flight..."
"Actually I missed the flight I previously booked due to heavy rain and traffic jam. When I reached the airport, the flight had already left. Baad mein maine dusri flight se Bhopal aaya. Yahaan aane ke baad pata chala ke the flight I was supposed to board ...have met with an acciddent." Asad glanced at Dilshad, who had clearly not recovered from the trauma yet "Yeh toh meri ammi ki duaon ka asar hai, warna aaj main shayad aap logon ke saamne, yahan nehi hota. I could have died..."
"Buss kijiye" Zoya's piercing voice silenced everyone in the room. "Khuda ke waaste iss ke aage aur kuch mat kahiye Mr.Khan."
In front of everyone's disbelieving eyes, Zoya Farooqui, the eldest daughter-in-law of Siddiqui Family, staggered towards the long estranged son of the family. Her entire body was shaking like a leaf in the autumn wind. The dupatta had slipped down her head and was dangling limply from her shoulders. It looked as if at any moment her frail body would collapse on the floor. Yet, somehow miraculously, she managed to cross the distance between them and stood face to face with him.
"Maine kahan tha na abbu...kahan tha na ke kuch nahi ho sakta inhe." Zoya's breath was coming in short and painful gasps. Her eyes were brimming with tears. She clutched Asad's shoulders and shook him with all her might "Kahan chale gaye the aap...kyon...aap ki himmat kaise hui humein chhod kar jaane ki." Her claws dug deep into his cloth, tearing off a part of the sleeve. Asad stood there like a statue, completely at a loss for words.
A terrible feeling of emptiness sneaking up Zoya's chest made her lightheaded and nauseated. She swayed back and forth, her hands fumbling in air for a support. The last thing she felt before passing out was a pair of strong hands wrapping around her and the pulling her into a warm hug. Then everything went black.
P.S I admit my writing has gone the QH way' 😆. I can't explain what prompted me to come up with a melodramatic cr*p like this. However, I decided to go ahead and take my chances. Now it's your turn to describe exactly what you feel about it.
More High voltage drama' and twist' to follow soon.😆
Teddy ❤️
NEXT PART 2: PAGE-8
PART 3: PAGE-16
PART 4: PAGE-28
comment:
p_commentcount