.:.Manzil.:. Chapter 13 - Page 5! - Page 2

Chapter 8

It was the longest day ever. Yusuf returned to his apartment in the evening after two lectures, a three hour lab class, and four hours of volunteering at Alta Bates Hospital. He was exhausted and starving. As he entered and closed the front door, his roommate Jason Lam came out from his bedroom.

Jason: Hey.

Yusuf (collapsing onto the sofa): Hi.

Jason: Long day huh?

Yusuf (nodding): You know how my Mondays are.

Jason: I don't know how you do it. Well, you don't have to worry about dinner tonight. I just ordered a pizza ten minutes ago. It should be here soon.

Yusuf: Thanks dude. How much do I owe you?

Jason: Don't worry about it. You can pay next time.

The pizza arrived in a few minutes, and they started eating. Just as Yusuf was finishing his last slice, his cell phone rang. He checked the caller ID and saw that it was his mother. He answered it.

Yusuf: Hi mummy.

Fatima: Hi beta. Kaise ho? Hi beta. How are you?

Yusuf: Not too great.

Fatima: Woh kyoon? Why is that?

Yusuf: Kaise ho sakta hoon? Dedh hafte se aapke haath ka bana hua khaana nahin mila. How can I be? I haven't had your cooking for a week and a half.

Fatima: Ek ghante ki doori pe rehte ho to itne nakhre hain. Agar agle saal east coast mein kahin admission ho gaya, tab kya karoge? You live less than an hour away, and still complain so much. What will you do if you get admission on the east coast next year?

Yusuf: Aap ko apne saath le jaaoonga. I'll just take you with me.

She laughed.

Fatima: Theek hai. Lekin bas ek saal ke liye chaloongi. Sounds good. But I'm only coming with you for one year.

Yusuf: Bas ek? Baaqi ke teen saal main kya karoonga? Just one? What will I do for the other three?

Fatima: Us ke baad tumhaari biwi sab samhaal legi. Your wife will handle everything after that.

Yusuf: Achcha, to aapne meri shaadi ki tareeq bhi pakki karli? Itni jaldi kya hai? Oh, so you've decided when I'm getting married already? What's the rush?

Fatima: Jaldi to hai. Agar der lagaadi to shaayad ladki kisi aur se shaadi karle. We should be in a rush. If we take too long, the girl I have in mind might marry someone else.

Yusuf stopped to think for a second. Did his mother really have a girl in mind? She had never talked to him about marriage before. What was this all about?

Yusuf: Ladki? Girl?

Fatima: Haan, shaadi to ladki se hi hogi na? Yeah, you will be marrying a girl right?

Yusuf: Ji haan, lekin aapne kisi ko pasand kar liya hai? Kaun hai woh? Kya main use jaanta hoon? Yes, but have you chosen someone? Who is she? Do I know her?

Fatima: Itni aasaani se nahin bataaoongi. I won't tell you so easily.

Yusuf: Main bina jaane to haan nahin keh saka. Bata dijiye na. I can't say yes without knowing who she is. Please just tell me.

Fatima: To suno. Main Aisha Rehman ki baat kar rahi hoon. Then listen. I'm talking about Aisha Rehman.

So that's what was going on! No wonder his mother had asked Aisha so many questions the day his family had invited hers over for dinner.

Yusuf: Aisha? But mummy, I don't know her very well.

Fatima: It's okay. Ab jaan lena. Kya pata, woh tumhaare liye perfect ho? It's okay. Get to know her now. Who knows? She might be perfect for you.

Yusuf: Ho bhi sakta hai. Theek hai Mummy. Main soch ke aapko bataaonga. Anything's possible. Fine Mummy. I'll think about it and let you know.

Fatima: Mujhse baat karne ki koyi zaroorat nahin hai. Ab Aisha se hi baat karna. Ab tak to Najma ne use bhi is baare mein bata diya hoga. You don't need to say anything to me. Just talk to Aisha now. Najma must have told her all about this by now.

Yusuf: Najma aunty jaanti hain?! Najma aunty knows about this?!

Fatima: Najma aur Javed kal humaare yahaan aaye the, aur tumhaare daddy ne yeh baat chhed di. Hum chaaron ko lagta hai ke yeh jodi aachchi rahegi. Lekin aakhri faisla to tum donon ke haath mein hai. After all, shaadi to tumhaari hai. Najma and Javed came over to our place last night, and your dad brought up the possibility. All four of us think that you two would make a nice couple, but the decision is up to you. After all, it's your marriage.

Yusuf's mind was racing. He had never really thought about Aisha that way, but maybe he would have to now. It seemed like the parents really wanted this to happen. Yusuf told his mother that he would talk to Aisha soon.

Later that evening, he received a call from a number he didn't recognize.

Yusuf: Hello?

Caller: Hello, Yusuf bhai? Main Samira bol rahi hoon. Hello, Yusuf bhai? This is Samira.

Yusuf: Hi Samira. Mujhe kaise yaad kiya? Hi Samira. I wasn't expecting a call from you.

Samira: Aap busy to nahin hain? You're not busy are you?

Yusuf: Bilkul nahin. Bataao, kya baat hai? Not at all. What's up?

Samira: Mummy ne mujhe bataaya ke woh Aisha apa ki shaadi aap ke saath tey karna chahti hain. Mummy just told me that she wants to arrange Aisha apa's marriage with you.

Yusuf: Haan, lagta hai ke hum donon ke parents yehi chahte hain. Yeah, looks like that's what all of our parents want.

Samira: Main yeh sun ke bahut khush hoon. Apa bhi aapse baat karne ko raazi ho gayi hain, lekin main aapko ek baat bataana chahti hoon, kyoon ke mujhe lagta ke humen aapko andhere mein nahin rakhna chaahiye. I'm very happy about it. Apa has also agreed to talk to you, but there's something I want to tell you, because I don't think we should keep you in the dark.

Yusuf: Aisi kya baat hai? What is it?

Samira: Woh kya ha ke Aisha apa….woh pehle se ab….Its just that Aisha apa….lately she's been….

Yusuf was getting anxious. What was this secret about Aisha? Was she involved with someone else? Did she have an illness of some kind? Several thoughts went through his mind.

Yusuf: Samira, ab bata bhi do. Samira, just tell me.

Samira: Sach kahoon to mujhe khud nahin maloom ke baat kya hai. Lekin kuch to zaroor hua hai. Woh is saal bahut badal gayi hain. Khamosh rehne lagi hain. Lekin jab hum poochte hain ke baat kya hai, to kehti hain ke sab theek hai. To tell you the truth, I don't even know what's wrong, but something has definitely happened. She's changed a lot this year, and is a lot quieter than she used to be. Whenever we ask her what's wrong, she just tells us that she's fine.

Yusuf: Shaayad woh sach keh rahi ho. Kabhi kabhi log khud hi badal jaate hain. Maybe she's telling the truth. Sometimes people just change.

Samira: Nahin, Yusuf bhai. Kuch aur hi hai. Woh pehle khoob baatein kiya karti theen aur humesha sab ko hansaati theen. She was so full of life….kuch kuch aap ki tarah. No, Yusuf bhai. It's something else. She used to talk so much and make us all laugh. She was so full of life…kind of like you.

Yusuf recalled the few instances when he had had talked to Aisha in the past two years. There was definitely very clear evidence of what Samira was claiming. Aisha had changed.

Yusuf: Tumhen lagta hai ke use kuch hua hai? Do you think something happened to her?

Samira: Pata nahin. Main aapse yehi pata lagaane mein madad chaahti hoon. I'm not sure. I was hoping that you would help me figure it out.

Yusuf: Main kya kar sakta hoon? What can I do?

Samira: Please unse baat karne ki koshish karen. Shaayad woh aapko bata den ke baat kya hai. Please just try to talk to her. Maybe she'll tell you what's wrong.

Yusuf: Agar woh apni family ko hi nahin bataana chaahti, to mujhe kyoon bataayegi? If she doesn't even want to tell her own family, why would she tell me?

Samira: Aaj woh aapse shaadi ke silsile mein baat karne ko tayyaar ho gayin, to mujhe aisa laga ke umeed ki kiran chamki hai. Ho sakta hai ke woh aapko pasand karti hon. Aur shaayad….Today, when she agreed to consider the possibility of getting married, I saw it as a ray of hope. It's possible that she likes you. And maybe….

Samira sighed. Yusuf could tell that she really cared about her sister.

Yusuf: I can't promise anything, but I'll try.

Samira: Thanks. Mujhe pata nahin kyoon aisa lagta hai, ke yeh kaam aap hi kar sakte hain. Thanks. I don't know why I feel like only you can do this.

Yusuf didn't know what to say.

Samira: Achcha, main chalti hoon. Okay, I should go now.

Yusuf: Take care, Samira.

Samira: You too. Bye.

Yusuf: Bye.

It had been quite a day. Three hours ago, marriage was the furthest thing from Yusuf's mind, and now he couldn't think about anything else. Maybe it was the right time. He certainly didn't want to wait until after medical school to get married. Aisha seemed like a nice girl, but he sincerely hoped that there wasn't anything seriously wrong with her.

The next morning, Yusuf left his apartment at 7:45 for his first class. It was a nice day. The leaves on the trees were just starting to turn yellow and a light breeze was brushing through his hair.

Just as he arrived on the edge of campus, he saw Aisha at a distance, leaving the campus caf with a large coffee in her hand. This is the first time he had seen her on campus all semester. He called out her name and she waited as he caught up with her.

Yusuf: Good morning.

Aisha: Good morning. Aapki bhi early morning class hai? Good morning. You have an early morning class too?

Yusuf: Kya karen? Biology ki mostly classes subah ko hi hoti hain. What can I do? Most biology classes are early.

Aisha: Econ mein bhi aisa hi hai. Econ is the same way.

Yusuf smiled and looked down at the ground. Then he took a deep breath and asked her the question that he had approached her for.

Yusuf: Main tumse kuch baat karna chaahta tha. Aaj kisi waqt mil sakti ho? I wanted to talk to you. Can you meet me sometime later in the day?

Aisha: Aaj meri ek baje tak class hai aur phir chhe baje tak internship. To din mein bilkul bhi time nahin hai. Today I have class until one and then an internship until six. So I really don't have time during the day.

Yusuf: Then have dinner with me.

Aisha: Dinner?

Yusuf: Ab yeh mat kehna ke tum dinner nahin khaati. Now please don't tell me that you don't eat dinner.

Aisha smiled.

Aisha: Khaati hoon. Aap mujhe apna number de dijiye. Jaise hi internship se nikloongi aapko phone karoongi. I do. Just give me your number. When I get out of my internship, I'll give you a call.

He gave her his number and they both rushed to their classes. Yusuf reached his seat at 8:10, moments before the lecture began. Despite his anxieties about his date with Aisha that night, he pushed it all away and focused on the professor's description of DNA replication.

That evening, Yusuf was at his apartment playing cards with Jason when Aisha called. They decided to eat at a Thai restaurant nearby. As Yusuf walked to the restaurant, he wondered what he should say to Aisha to get her to reveal her problem.

While they ate dinner, Yusuf just started a casual conversation about classes and other interests. Aisha followed his lead, and neither of them mentioned the proposal. It wasn't until they ordered desert that Aisha finally brought it up.

Aisha: Aap mujhse kuch baat karna chaahte the., shaayad shaadi ke rishte ke baare mein? You wanted to talk to me about something, maybe about the marriage proposal.

Yusuf: Karna to chaahta hoon. Yahaan kar sakte hain, ya agar tumhaare paas thoda time ho to hum campus pe jaa sakte hain, taake akele mein baat kar saken. I do want to talk to you. We can talk here, or if you have time, we can take a walk on campus, so we can have some privacy.

Aisha agreed to go on campus. After finishing their desert, Yusuf paid the bill despite Aisha's protests, and they headed out.

As they walked along the creek running through the university, Yusuf finally started the conversation.

Yusuf: Aisha, main bas tumse yehi poochhna chaahta tha, ke tumhen is shaadi se koyi aitraaz to nahin hai? Shaayad kisi aur se shaadi karna chaahti ho? Aisha, I just wanted to ask you if you had any objection to this marriage. Is there anyone else who…you want to marry?

He looked at her apprehensively.

Aisha: Nahin, aisi to koyi baat nahin hai, lekin- No, its nothing like that, but-

Yusuf: To phir shaadi pakki? Then we can finalize the wedding?

Aisha: Huh?

Yusuf: Mazaaq kar raha hoon. Bataao tum kya keh rahi theen? I'm just kidding. What were you saying?

Aisha: Yusuf, main mummy se na nahin kehna chaahti thi lekin main abhi shaadi ke liye tayyaar nahin. Yusuf, I didn't want to say no to mummy, but I don't think I'm ready for marriage.

Yusuf: Koyi jaldi nahin hai, lekin kabhi na kabhi to shaadi karni hai na? There's no hurry, but at some point you do want to get married right?

Aisha shook her head slightly, but didn't say anything. They were approaching a bench.

Yusuf: Ek second Aisha. Yahaan baith jaao. One second Aisha. Sit down here.

They sat down.

Yusuf: Ab bataao, kya baat hai? Now tell me. What's wrong?

Aisha: Kuch nahin. Nothing.

Yusuf: Kuch kaise nahin hai? Mujhe tumhaari aankhon mein dard nazar aa raha hai. Chhupaane se kya faida hai? How can it be nothing? I can see the pain in your eyes. Why are you trying to hide it?

Aisha: Yusuf, main….main nahin bata sakti. Yusuf, I….I can't tell you.

Yusuf: Kabhi to kisi ko bataana hi padega. Shaayad main tumhaare liye kuch kar sakoon. Main kisi ko nahin bataaoonga. I promise. You'll have to tell someone at some point. Maybe I can do something for you. I won't tell anyone anything. I promise.

Aisha stayed quiet for a few minutes. Her eyes filled with tears.

Aisha: Maine kisise pyaar kiya tha. I was in love with someone.

A single tear rolled down her cheek.

Yusuf: Aur usne tumhen dhoka diya? Mujhe bataao woh kaun hai. Main usse baat karoonga. And he betrayed you? Tell me who he is. I'll talk to him.

Aisha: Ab aap kahaan se dhoond ke laaenge use? Woh to... Where will you find him now? He's…

The flow of tears was steady now.

Yusuf: Kya hua use? What happened to him?

Aisha: Agar main uska naam bata doon aap khud hi samajh jaayenge. If I tell you his name, you will understand.

Yusuf: To bataado. Then tell me.

Aisha (after a deep breath): Hasan Khan.

She had now buried her face in her hands. Yusuf was shocked. Hasan was a classmate and acquaintance of his who had died in a car accident in May, only four days after they had finished their third year at Berkeley.

Aisha looked up at him.

Aisha: Woh ghar jaake apne parents se humaari shaadi ki baat karne waale the. Lekin us se pehli hi….He was about to go home and talk to his parents about our marriage. But before that…

Yusuf put his hand on Aisha's shoulder.

Yusuf: I'm sorry Aisha. Mujhe iska zara bhi ehsaas nahin tha. Main samajhta hoon ke is waqt shaadi ke baare mein sochna tumhaare liya kitna mushkil hoga, is liye main us baare mein ab tumse koyi baat nahin karoonga. Lekin agar tumhen kabhi bhi ek dost ki zaroorat ho, I'm here for you. I'm sorry Aisha. I had no idea about you and Hasan. I understand how difficult it must be to think about marriage at this time, so I won't bring it up again. But if you ever need a friend, I want you to know that I'm here for you.

Aisha: Thanks.

They talked for a few more minutes, and then Yusuf walked Aisha back to her apartment. It appeared that this story was over before it could even begin.

Chapter 9

It was lunchtime on Friday, and Samira was stuck in her U.S. History teacher's classroom. Apparently, Mrs. Miller was surprised by some of the controversial issues that she had discussed in her latest essay and wanted to question her about her sources. Samira knew that Mrs. Miller was a fair teacher and would not penalize her for her views as long as they were well-supported. Still, she now wished that she had chosen a less contentious essay topic. It wasn't that she didn't like talking to Mrs. Miller, but the last thing she wanted was to miss the Desi Club meeting.

Fortunately, Mrs. Miller assumed that Samira's restlessness was due to hunger and let her leave in five minutes. Samira grabbed her lunch from her locker and ran down the hall to room 211. Rehan and Sabah were seated near the door and had saved a seat for her. The meeting began just as Samira sank into her chair.

Most of the club officers were members of Samira's group of friends. Rahul was Vice President, Imraan was Treasurer, and Nisha was Secretary. The only one that Samira could not see eye to eye with was the President, Jyoti Sinha. There was no actual conflict between the two of them. Samira just believed Jyoti to be arrogant and bossy, so she stayed away from her as much as possible.

That afternoon, the first item on the agenda (written on the chalkboard in Nisha's perfect handwriting) was the third annual Asian Culture Show, which would occur in January.

Jyoti: We've been given a 15 minute timeslot at the end of the show. Since we'll be performing last, I want it to be memorable. If we get started now, I'm sure we can put on our best performance yet.

Whispers erupted throughout the room as everyone became excited about the show.

Rahul: Hold on guys! Let Jyoti finish telling you the details.

The room became silent.

Jyoti: As I was saying, we have just over three months to prepare, so I think we should begin immediately. We'll have just enough time for two dances. I've already started the choreography. By next week, we'll have sign up sheets ready for dancers who would like—

Jyoti noticed Sabah raising her hand.

Jyoti: Yes?

Sabah: Don't you think it would be more reasonable to hold auditions to select the choreographer?

Jyoti: Well, we have done that in the past, but I was the only person interested. I guess I can just ask everyone right now. Is anyone else interested in choreographing the dances?

No hands came up. Sabah looked at Rehan.

Sabah: Don't miss this chance, Rehan.

Rehan slowly raised his hand.

Rehan: I am.

Jyoti seemed disgruntled.

Jyoti: In that case…you can choreograph one of the dances and I'll do the other.

Everyone seemed satisfied. The club officers discussed a couple more of the agenda items, and soon the bell rang to end lunch.

Samira didn't think about the show again until after dinner that night. Lying on her bed, she wondered if she should take part in Rehan's dance. It would be nice to spend more time with Rehan, but she certainly didn't want to embarrass herself in front of him. Samira wasn't a bad dancer but she wasn't sure what Rehan had in mind. Sabah had told her that he liked to come up with moves that were both original and challenging.

The sound of her cell phone startled Samira. The caller ID told her that Carissa was calling, and she quickly answered it.

Samira: Hey Carissa.

Carissa (sounding upset): Samira, I need your help.

Samira: What's wrong?

Carissa: I think…David just broke up with me.

Her voice cracked, and Samira could tell that she was fighting back tears.

Samira: What?! Why? What happened?

Carissa: Last weekend, Jen and Mike were going to San Francisco, and I wanted to tag along with them. You know how David feels about Mike, so he told me not to go. But…I ended up going anyway.

Samira: Carissa! Why did you do that? You and I both know that David's intuition about Mike is true.

Carissa: But Samira, I can't always let him tell me what to do. Why doesn't he trust me?

Samira: I think he does trust you. He just doesn't trust Mike. Well, anyway, what happened after that?

Carissa: He found out about it on Monday, but didn't say anything all week. Maybe because he knew I was having a stressful week anyway. He just called me an hour ago and asked me about it. We argued for a few minutes, then he told me that if I don't care about him, we shouldn't be together.

Samira: Wow.

Carissa: Samira, I want to work things out between us, but he won't answer his phone now. Can you help me out? Maybe if you talk to him, he'll listen.

Samira: I'll do what I can, but I think I should talk to him face to face on Monday. And remember, Carissa, he's my friend too, so I'll have to listen to his side of the story.

Carissa: That's fine. I know what I did was wrong and I'll admit it, but I honestly don't believe that I'm the only one to blame.

Samira: Okay, I'll keep that in mind.

Carissa: Oh, by the way, I think David takes Rehan's advice seriously, so…if you can get Rehan to talk to him too, maybe it will help.

Samira: I can ask him.

Carissa: Thanks Samira. I don't know what I'd do without you.

Samira: Don't get too hopeful. I can only try.

Carissa: That's more than I deserve. Thanks so much.

Samira: No problem. See you on Monday.

Carissa: Bye.

Samira: Bye.

This was unbelievable! Carissa and David had been together for almost three years, and Samira could not imagine them without each other. Judging from what Carissa had said, however, they were not the perfect couple that Samira had imagined them to be.

As she wondered how to solve this problem, her eyes went to a blank space on the wall above her desk. This was her poetry wall. Every month, Samira put up a new poem on her wall, usually in Urdu, sometimes in English and occasionally in a foreign language with the translation underneath. Being a poet herself, she loved finding interesting rhyming patterns, hidden meanings and unique metaphors. That morning, she had taken down "Miles to Go Before I Sleep" by Robert Frost, but had not had time to replace it. She knew exactly which one she wanted for October: Ghalib's "Dil-e-Nadaan Tujhe Hua Kya Hai."

She decided to delay coming up with a plan for Carissa until later in the night. Stretching, she rose from her bed and sat at her computer to find the ghazal online. She found it within minutes but when she tried to print it, her printer wouldn't turn on.

Determined not to leave her poetry wall blank for too long, Samira walked next door to Imraan's room.

Samira: Bhaiyya, main aapke computer se kuch print kar loon? Mere printer mein koyi problem hai. Bhaiyya, can I print something from your computer? My printer's not working.

Imraan was sitting on his bed watching TV.

Imraan: Sure, yaar. No need to ask.

Samira sat in front of Imraan's laptop and moved the mouse to clear the screensaver. In the center of the screen was an instant message conversation. Before she could open an internet browser, the last two lines of the conversation caught her eye.

Samira: Yeh aap kis se baat kar rahe the? Who were you talking to?

Imraan looked at the computer screen in confusion, but within seconds his expression was replaced by one of panic.

Imraan: Woh to kuch bhi nahin hai…band kardo use. That's nothing…just close it.

Samira looked at the instant message again.

Imraan89: I love you

zindagi2011: love you too

Where had she seen that screenname before? Someone had given it to Samira on a slip of paper last week but she had forgotten to add it to her buddy list. The person who gave it to her was…

Samira (spinning around): Sabah! Aap unhi se baat kar rahe the na? Is ka matlab aap aur Sabah… Sabah! You were talking to her, right? That means, you and Sabah…

Samira couldn't believe it took her that long to figure it out. Of course it was Sabah! Who else was Imraan completely infatuated with?

Imraan: Samira! Zara dheeme bolo. Koyi sun lega. Samira! Don't talk so loud. Someone will hear you.

Samira walked to Imraan's bed and sat next to him. He turned off the TV.

Samira: Mujhse bhi chhupaaya? You never told me.

Imraan: Kya karta? Sabah ne hi mujhse kaha tha ke kuch din tak kisi to na bataaoon. What could I do? Sabah told me not to tell anyone for now.

Samira: Aisa kyoon? Why is that?

Imraan: Mujhe kya pata? Lekin koyi to baat hogi. Is liye, please kisi se kuch mat kehna. No clue. But there must be a good reason, so please don't say anything to anyone.

Samira: Theek hai, nahin kahoongi. Lekin mujhe yeh to bataaiye ke yeh sab shuru kaise hua? Fine, I won't. But at least tell me how all this started.

Imraan told her how Sabah had talked him into confessing his love for her. Since then, they were a couple.

Samira was glad that everything had worked out well for Imraan. She was still smiling and thinking about it as she left Imraan's room with the ghazal in her hand.

In the hall, she saw Maryam walking upstairs looking exhausted. Ever since she had been selected as the point guard in the starting lineup, Maryam was playing for at least 30 minutes per basketball game.

Samira: Did you win?

Maryam nodded but her expression remained solemn.

Samira: To phir itni udaas kyoon ho? Tumhen to khush hona chaahiye. Then why are you so down? You should be happy.

Maryam: Bas aise hi. It's nothing.

Samira: Kya baat hai? Tell me what's wrong.

Maryam hesitated for a moment.

Maryam: Woh, bas…Apa, main to ek saal se basketball khel rahi hoon, lekin Papa ne abhi tak mera ek game bhi nahin dekha. It's just…Apa, I've been playing basketball for a whole year, but Papa hasn't even been to one of my games.

Samira: Bas itni si baat? Is that all?

Maryam: Yeh koyi chhoti baat nahin hai. Main jaanti hoon ke mere har game mein aap, Bhaiyya ya Mummy humesha aate hain, aur mujhe is baat ki khushi hai. Lekin kya Papa ek baar bhi nahin aa sakte? I'm serious. I realize that at every one of my games, I always have the support of you, Bhaiyya or Mummy, and I'm really grateful for that. But can't Papa come just once?

Samira: Maryam, he's a brain surgeon! Unke paas itna time hi nahin hai. Maryam, he's a brain surgeon! He doesn't have that much time.

Maryam: Main kuch nahin jaanti. Aur sab ke papa aate hain. I don't care. All the other dads come.

Samira sighed. Why did Maryam have to act so immature sometimes?

Samira: Aisa karte hain. Agle hafte tumhaara season ka sabse important game hai na? Main kal Papa se baat karoongi. Mujhe yaqin hai woh us game mein zaroor aayenge. Theek hai? How about this? Next week is your most important game of the season, right? I'll talk to Papa tomorrow. I'm sure he'll definitely come to that game. Okay?

Maryam nodded and smiled faintly.

Once Samira was back in her room, she began to worry. There was a good chance that her father might have a surgery to perform next Friday. And if he did, Maryam would be very upset.

Here's what I've written so far! Chapter 10 will be posted within a couple days. Thanks for reading!

omg..u are a really talented writer...
awww poor aisha..hope she gets happiness in her life again.. 👏 👏 👏
but continue sooon!! 👏

Awesome!..yesterday, i think i forgot to mention the shock i got when i found out Shamyl could already read even though he's only 3!..hehe, i don't i even started reading til i was 6!..

Wonder what Rehan saw!..

can't wait for the next part!

awesome parttttttss!! i love the concept and characters, its all so unique!! your doing a wonderful job on this, do continue soon!!

Thanks everyone for the wonderful feedback! Here's the next chapter. I've also added more stuff to the first post. There are new character pics and one of the pics has been changed. There is also a PM list. Let me know if you would like to be added. Please check it out. Looking forward to feedback on this new chapter. Thanks for reading.

Chapter 10

The auditorium was large and circular with enough seats for at least 500 audience members, but at that time, all the seats were empty. Rehan was standing at the edge of the stage watching as the twenty dancers on stage repeated the moves he had just taught them. Abruptly, the Hindi music changed into a piano symphony and the dancers were twirling on the stage wearing ballet costumes. Before Rehan had time to react, one of the dancers spun out of control towards the edge of the stage. Rehan grabbed her arm, and she stopped spinning. He realized that it was Samira. She stared at him for a second, and then began crying uncontrollably.

Rehan: Kya hua Samira? Tum ro kyoon rahi ho? What happened, Samira? Why are you crying?

Samira: Woh mujhe maarna chaahta hai! Woh mujhe maar daalega. Mujhe bachaalo Rehan! Please! He wants to kill me! He's going to kill me. Please save me, Rehan! Please!

Rehan: Yeh tum kya keh rahi ho. Kaun maarna chaahta hai tumhen? I don't understand. Who wants to kill you?

Suddenly there was a scream in the first row of the audience. Rehan turned around and saw Sabah and Amaan sitting there.

Sabah: Samira, Rehan tumhen nahin bacha sakta. Woh to Simon ko bhi nahin bacha paaya tha! Samira, Rehan can't save you. He wasn't even able to save Simon!

Amaan (pointing at Rehan): Aap ki wajah se Simon ki jaan gayi hai! It was your fault that Simon died!

Rehan stood there, shocked at this allegation. A black shadow crept across the stage and before Rehan knew it, Samira was being sucked into it. He reached out his hand to grab hers, but before he could, the floor beneath him had melted away. Rehan was falling faster and faster down a spiral until…he hit something soft and fuzzy.

He opened his eyes and found himself lying in his bed out of breath with his fleece blanket in a tangled mess under his arm. It had only been a dream.

It was nine o'clock on Sunday morning and the sun was beaming brightly at him from the open window. Soni was purring at the foot of his bed. He had slept in, but still felt tired, as if someone had drained all the energy out of him.

Rehan sat up in his bed and began thinking about his dream. He knew exactly why he was having these nightmares. Somewhere deep inside, he still considered himself partially responsible for Simon's death. But that was ridiculous! Rehan had tried his best to save Simon. Still, he couldn't help thinking that maybe…maybe he could have done something differently.

His thoughts were disrupted by a knock on the door.

Rehan: Come in.

His father walked into the room.

Zaheer: Arre Rehan, tum abhi tak nahin uthe? Naashta tayyar hai. Jaldi se neeche aa jaao. Rehan, you're still not up? Breakfast is ready. Come down soon.

Rehan: Okay, Daddy.

When his father left, Rehan pulled himself out of bed and into the shower. Twenty minutes later, the Akhtar family was seated around the dining table eating stuffed parathas with yogurt.

Sabah: Mummy, Yusuf Bhai ne aapse kuch baat ki? Mummy, did you talk to Yusuf Bhai?

The whole family was anxiously waiting for Yusuf and Aisha to agree to the marriage so that everyone could start planning the wedding.

Fatima: Abhi nahin. Give them some time. Akhir woh apni zindagi ka faisla karne jaa rahe hain. Not yet. Give them some time. After all, this decision will affect their lives.

Rehan smiled. He wondered if everyone would be as excited when he got married or was it just a first time thing. Whatever it was, Rehan really hoped that things would work out between Yusuf and Aisha.

Sabah and Rehan spent most of that morning and afternoon testing each other on vocabulary words likely to appear on the SAT exam. There was only a month left until the test, and neither of them felt very confident about the verbal section.

Around 11 AM, Rehan looked outside the window and noticed Amaan practicing soccer techniques with another guy around his age. Rehan was sure that he had never seen him before but was very impressed with his skills. In fact, he was one of the best soccer players Rehan had ever seen. He wanted to watch them play for longer, but Sabah insisted that they continue studying.

When Rehan and Sabah came downstairs to eat lunch around 2 PM, Amaan and his friend were eating leftover parathas at the table. Amaan introduced his friend as "Faisal, the Fremont High soccer superstar."

They all ate, and Rehan asked Faisal some questions about his soccer history. At 2:15, Faisal noticed the time and jumped out of his seat.

Faisal: It's 2:15 already! I'm sorry, I have to leave. I'm late for something.

Amaan: Where do you have to go at this time on a Sunday?

Faisal: I have something to do.

Sabah: I can give you a ride.

Faisal: No!...um…no thanks. I have my bike. Thanks for lunch Amaan. See you next week.

And with that, he was out the door before anyone could ask him anything.

Sabah: What's up with him?

Amaan: No idea. Yehi to main pata lagaane ki koshish kar raha hoon. No idea. That's what I'm trying to figure out.

Rehan: Kuch to chhupa raha hai. He's definitely hiding something.

Amaan: Haan, mujhe lagta hai iski life mein koyi badi problem hai, and I want to help him. Lekin jab tak woh mujhe kuch bataayega nahin, main kya kar sakta hoon? Yeah, I think there's some major problem in his life, and I want to help him. But until he tells me what's wrong, what can I do?

The phone rang in the living room and Sabah went to answer it.

Rehan: Don't worry, Amaan. Ek baar woh tum pe poori tarah se bharosa karne lage, to tumhen sab kuch bata dega. Don't worry Amaan. Once he trusts you completely, he'll reveal everything.

Amaan: Haan, bharosa to bahut zaroori hota hai. Waise lagta hai meri family ko mujh pe bharosa nahin hai. Is liye kuch aise raaz hain jo mere alaava sab jaante hain. Yes, trust is very important. You know, it seems like my own family doesn't trust me. That's why there are some secrets that everyone knows except me.

Amaan quickly left the room leaving Rehan shocked and confused. What was Amaan talking about? Was it possible that he had found out the truth about Simon's death? Rehan felt guilty for hiding something so important from his brother, but he had a good reason.

When Sabah returned, Rehan decided to forget about the issue for the time being. Very soon, he would tell Amaan the whole truth.

The next morning, as soon as they arrived as school, Rehan and Samira looked for David in order to try to resolve things between him and Carissa. They found him sitting alone in the main quad. There were still ten minutes until the bell, so they decided to talk to him then.

Samira: Hey, can we sit here?

David: Sure.

Samira and Rehan sat next to him.

Samira: Carissa told me a little about what happened between you too. She really wants to work things out.

David: I'm not sure things can be worked out.

Samira: David, you guys have been together for years. Carissa made a mistake, and she acknowledges that. Is it really worth throwing away your relationship?

David: I don't know. I just didn't expect her to ignore my feelings like that.

Rehan: Maybe you're expecting too much. She has the right to make her own decisions.

David: Rehan, things are not that simple. You've never been in a relationship, so I don't think you understand.

Rehan: I may not have been a relationship, but I understand what they require. My parents have been a perfect example. I've always wondered what makes their marriage so successful, and ultimately decided that it's the mutual respect. My dad treats my mom as an equal, and they always make decisions together. Maybe if you had talked to Carissa about your feelings openly instead of commanding her not to go, she would have been more understanding.

David thought about this for a minute.

David: You do have a point, but Carissa knows how Mike is. Shouldn't she have just accepted that I was trying to protect her?

Samira: She does accept that, and that's why she regrets what she did. She just got angry because she doesn't want to be told what to do. Can't you at least give her a chance to explain it herself?

David: I'll think about it.

Rehan: I guess that's the best we can do, Samira. Let's go. The bell's about to ring.

Samira: See you at lunch, David.

David: Yea…thanks for the advice guys.

As Rehan walked to class with Samira, he hoped that their advice would lead David to give the relationship a second chance.

awesome part, rehan and samira are really very sweet!! wonder how simon died... i love the relationships, and esp how everything is set up!! cont soon?

P.S-- blonde moment, whats the PM list for? 😳

Thanks Madiha! Glad you like the story.

The PM list is for updates. If you tell me to add your name, then I will send you a PM everytime I post a new chapter. If you're on FF all the time, then you might not need it.

your ff is great iam a fan of your ff.
contineu soon 😛