.:.Manzil.:. Chapter 13 - Page 5! - Page 3

Thanks guys! Glad you like it. The next chapter will be posted within a week.

Originally posted by: .:.Suhana.:.

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.

I'm on the addicts list😉I'll find out, dun worry😉😆

sure rumus! I have added you. My next update will hopefully be this Sunday.

I just read the last part!..it was really sweet!..but shorter than usual..wonder how Simon died & the Faisal secret..& the Hassan secret too😳

Suhana!!!!!!!!! Sunday came and passed

Sorry Madiha! Got a little delayed. Here it is now! Hope you like it.

Chapter 11

Tip-off was only minutes away. The starting lineup of Hopkins Middle School was stretching on one side of the court. Everyone was confident and focused; everyone except Maryam. Maryam's eyes were wandering around the gymnasium. She was clearly distracted and anxious, as if she had a premonition that something would go wrong.

Sitting in the second row of the bleachers, Imraan immediately noticed Maryam's anxiety. He knew exactly what was causing it. After informing his mother, he walked over to Maryam to alleviate her stress.

Imraan: Don't worry Maryam. Woh abhi aate hi honge. Kisi wajah se der ho gayi hogi. Don't worry Maryam. He's probably on his way. He must have been delayed for some reason.

Maryam: Aapko lagta hai woh aayenge? Do you really think he'll come?

Imraan: Jab unhone khud hi kaha hai, to zaroor aayenge. Lekin tum uski fikr mat karo. Focus on the game. Team ko apne best player ki zaroorat hai. He told us that he'll be here, so I'm sure he will. But don't worry about all that. Focus on the game. The team needs their best player.

A faint smiled appeared on Maryam's lips.

Maryam: Theek hai Bhaiyya. Okay, Bhaiyya.

Imraan: Good luck.

Imraan walked back to the bleachers and joined his mother, Samira and Shamyl. From the expression on Samira's face, he was sure that she had the same fears as he did. Imraan tried to push those thoughts away. His father had promised Maryam that he would make it for her biggest game. He wouldn't bail out now, would he?

A whistle blew to signify the beginning of the first half. The jump ball was caught by a tall red-haired girl on the Hopkins team, who ran it down the court and passed it to Maryam. Maryam dribbled the ball through the Walters team defense and scored the first points of the game. Half of the gymnasium erupted in cheers and applause, and Imraan began to feel a little better.

About twenty minutes later, his fears returned. About one-third of the game was over, and his father had not arrived. Maryam had apparently noticed this and began to lose her focus. She had missed her last two shots, both shots that she normally would have made. If this continued for longer, the team would lose their faith in her. Fortunately, for the next five minutes Maryam did not have the opportunity to attempt another shot, and the whistle was blown to call halftime. The score was tied at 23-23.

As the teams returned to the locker rooms, Imraan exchanged glances with Samira. How could their father be this late? Did something happen to him? Shamyl seemed to read his mind.

Shamyl: Mummy, Papa kahaan hain? Mummy, where is Papa?

Najma: Pata nahin beta. Imraan, zara tum unko phone karke dekho. I don't know beta. Imraan, can you please try to call him?

Imraan pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and dialed the speed dial code for his father's cell. The voicemail came up without a single ring. Imraan left a quick message.

Imraan: Lagta hai unka phone band hai. Looks like his phone is turned off.

Samira: Lekin woh aisa kyoon karenge? Unki to aaj char baje chhutti hone waali thi. But why would he do that? He was supposed to leave the hospital at four today.

Nobody had an answer.

The second half of the game started off okay. Maryam was not playing up to her standards, but the rest of the team worked hard to remain a few points ahead of the Walters team.

As the last thirty seconds of the game approached, Hopkins was two points ahead. The ball was in Maryam's hands and she was dribbling it near the three point line. It appeared that she was trying to sneak past the defense, but her defender was not giving her the opportunity. With twelve seconds to go in the game and five seconds left on the shot clock, Maryam launched the ball towards her teammate in the key.

As soon as the ball left Maryam's hand, Imraan knew that it was a bad pass. Maryam had overlooked the much taller defender standing nearby, who reached out and intercepted the ball. She then passed it to one of her teammates, who was already past the half-court line, running in the opposite direction. Upon catching the ball, she stopped just before the three-point line and shot the ball, making the basket just as time ran out on the clock.

The score was 46-47. The three-pointer at the end had won the game for the Walters team.

Imraan couldn't contain his frustration.

Imraan: Maryam isse bahut behtar khel sakti thi, lekin…Maryam could have played much better than that, but…

Samira: I know.

She put his hand on his shoulder and Imraan knew she was trying to calm him down.

Imraan: Samira, Papa kyoon nahin aaye? Samira, why didn't Papa come?

Samira: Pata nahin. Chalo unko phir phone karke dekhte hain. Kahin aisa to nahin hai ke woh hospital se nikle aur raaste mein…I don't know. Let's try calling him again. What if he left the hospital, and then on the way here…

Samira didn't complete her sentence. Imraan took out his cell phone and once again tried his father's number. This time the phone rang. After two rings, his father answered the phone.

Javed: Hi Imraan. Maine abhi abhi phone on kiya tha. Hi Imraan. I just turned on my phone.

Imraan: Papa, aap kahaan hain? Maryam ka game khatam ho gaya aur aap aaye hi nahin. Papa, where are you? Maryam's game just ended, and you never came.

Javed: Meri ek emergency surgery thi. Itni jaldi mein jaana pada ke kisi ko phone bhi nahin kar paaya. There was an emergency surgery. I had to run so quickly that I didn't even have the chance to call anyone.

Imraan stayed quiet. He didn't feel that this was an adequate excuse.

Javed: Game kaisa raha? How was the game?

Imraan: Maryam ki team haar gayi. Maryam's team lost.

Javed: Oh…Maryam zyaada upset to nahin hai? Oh…Maryam isn't too upset, is she?

Imraan: Pata nahin. Woh abhi locker room mein hai. I don't know. She's in the locker room right now.

Javed: Achcha. Main usko samjha loonga. Abhi ghar aa raha hoon. Wahin milte hain. Okay. I'll talk to her. I'm coming home now, so I'll see you guys there.

Imraan: Bye.

Javed: Bye.

Imraan couldn't believe that his father had intentionally missed Maryam's game. Maryam had been so happy when he agreed to come, and now he had broken her heart. Imraan wanted to talk to him and make him realize that his career wasn't everything. But when he told Samira this, she disapproved.

Samira: Let Maryam fight her own battles. She's old enough.

Imraan: Lekin Papa ne uske saath ghalat kiya. But what Papa did was wrong.

Samira: Everyone has their own priorities. Papa ne wohi kiya jo unko sahi laga. Agar Maryam ko yeh ghalat laga hai, to usko khud unse baat karne dijiye. Agar woh nahin chaahti ke is baat ko badhaaya jaaya, to humein nahin badhaana chaahiye. Everyone has their own priorities. Papa did what he thought was right. If Maryam believes he was wrong, then let her talk to him herself. If she doesn't want us to make it a big deal, we shouldn't.

Imraan knew that Samira was right, as usual. After all, she was the most sensible person in the family.

On the way home, Samira explained to Maryam why their father had missed the game. Maryam just nodded and remained deep in thought until they reached home.

When they opened the front door, their father was waiting in the living room. He immediately stood up and stopped Maryam as she tried to walk past him.

Javed: Maryam, I'm sorry. Main tumhaare game dekhna chaahta tha, lekin main majboor tha. Maryam. I'm sorry. I wanted to see your game, but I really couldn't leave the hospital.

Maryam: It's okay. Aapka kaam zyaada zaroori hai. Main bahut thak gayi hoon. Aapse kal baat karoon to theek hai? It's okay. Your work is more important. I'm really tired. Is it okay if I talk to you tomorrow?

Javed: Haan beta. Jaao, aaraam karo. Yes beta. Go and rest.

Imraan didn't want to talk to his father either. He hurried up the stairs to his bedroom. His anger was intensifying every moment, but he wanted to distract himself. He put on some soft music, laid on his bed, and thought about Sabah.

He felt extremely lucky to have the woman of his dreams feel the same way about him, but sometimes he wondered whether Sabah did in fact love him as much as he loved her. Imraan was ready to declare his love to the world, but Sabah wanted to keep it a secret. She spent time with him, but avoided too much physical contact. He hadn't even kissed her yet. But all this didn't mean she didn't love him. Maybe she was just waiting for the right time.

There was a knock on Imraan's door. He turned off the music.

Imraan: Come in.

Shamyl slowly opened the door and came inside. He seemed troubled.

Imraan:Shamyl? Kya baat hai? Idhar aao. Shamyl? What's wrong? Come here.

Shamyl came and sat next to Imraan.

Shamyl: Papa ne Maryam Apa ko kyoon rulaaya? Why did Papa make Maryam Apa cry?

Imraan: Woh royi nahin, bas thodi pareshaan thi. She didn't cry. She was just a little upset.

Shamyl: Nahin, woh abhi ro rahi hain. Maine abhi unke kamre se rone ki awaaz suni. No, she's crying right now. I just heard crying sounds from her room.

Imraan was shocked. He had not seen Maryam cry since she was five years old and fell off a tree she was climbing. She really wasn't the type to cry. If this incident had upset her that much, Imraan would have to do something about it. But he decided to first comfort Shamyl.

Imraan: Don't worry. She'll be fine.

He reached out his hand to pat Shamyl's arm, but upon feeling his skin, he abruptly pulled it back. Shamyl was burning hot!

Imraan: Tumhen bukhaar hai kya? Do you have a fever?

He felt Shamyl's forehead and cheeks, both of which were hot. He definitely had a fever. Imraan ran to call his mother. As he rushed downstairs, he decided to talk to his father some other day. His brother's health was a more pressing issue.

Thanks Sakshi!

Everyone, please give me some constructive criticism. I want to know how I can improve the story. Thanks!

Hey Suhana, awesome part! Wow, I really love the way this story is going! I feel bad for poor Maryam! & I hope Sabah really loves Imraan! Aww poor Shamyl has a fever! Hope he feels better! Continue Soon!

Originally posted by: erier101

Hey Suhana, awesome part! Wow, I really love the way this story is going! I feel bad for poor Maryam! & I hope Sabah really loves Imraan! Aww poor Shamyl has a fever! Hope he feels better! Continue Soon!

Thanks for being a consistent reader! I feel bad for Maryam too...I'll definitely try to make things better for her, but it might take some time. Next chapter will be added next week!

Suhana, there nothing to critisize on!..you just to good of a writer!..

I can totally connect with Maryam!..hehe..that happens alot to me

Can't wait til the next update!