The strong wind rattled the frail frames of the windows, knocking a few containers down from the counters in process. She silently ran towards the window and shut the rattling window close. Letting a sigh of relief out, she scooped the containers up and kept them in their place. That's when she found herself staring at her own reflection in the frail glass windows, against the silhouette of the dark house.
The electricity had not yet been restored and the storming night made it impossible to be restored for the rest of the night. But she was not scared being all alone for the rest of the night. Scared she was when she decided to elope with him the night before her wedding. A night that was! This night was being just like that same stormy night. The skies were raging so hard that it almost felt as if the heavens would have swallowed the earth in their flurry.
It was a quiet exit, after everyone had slept. She slipped out of the house in the dark raging night to meet him at the decided place. They met and he drove her out of the state on his super-fast motorbike. By dawn they had reached the safer place than what she had called her home to be as one. Promises made and rings exchanged, they decided to rest before they started their journey to the end of the country. She was happy, extremely elated in fact because, her life was no less than a fairy-tale then. She dared to dream and spun an in numerous wishes for her new leash of life. Because she certainly didn't have to get married to an unknown man called as Asad Ahmed Khan.
The buzzing of her phone brought her back to reality. She slowly answered it in the quietest of all voices. " Yes..I will be fine, please app pareshan mat hona...Haan main sone hi ja rahi hoon..Nahi aapke aane ke baad..Thik hai..' She smiled as the call ended. She never felt this loved as much as she did today.
She spun a millions of dream, a little heaven he and she would have made and a little angel would step in their lives to complete it in. She smiled while he joked. Hadn't he the one whom she fell for since high school? He certainly was her dream and that came true. Have a good life Mr. Khan she said as she looked at the smoky soggy greenery. That's when he made her wear a necklace. It had their name engraved on the little butterfly pendent. She felt she was the happiest girl on the earth.
She sighed and gathered a matchbox to light the candle she had in her hands held tightly. She gave a look at everything, which were barely visible apart from their outlines. She smiled and humming her tune she made her way to the bedroom. She lit the candle and placed it on its stand on the shelf and went to the oval shaped window. Looking at the bright maroon sky she remembered the rest that followed.
She was the happiest of all in the whole world. She smiled and looked at him and asked if he would remain by her side forever. He shook his head at her childishness and said that if he wasn't there for her, she surely would have someone with her for her entire life, who she truly deserved. She smiled and laughed at his sense of humor which she said she had not found it ever amusing. They laughed for a while, but the smog and the chilled breeze made her feel scared, with a reason unexplained.
The vendor asked them to park their bike to the other side of the path. He smiled at her and walked towards his bike. And in a blink of an eye everything was all over. She heard herself screaming at the top of her lungs, yelling and shouting for help. Rest she remembered her being dragged into her own house as her mother cradled her while she kept on wailing for him to come back. She thought it was a terrible nightmare. He couldn't have possibly left her and went away for never coming back. But he never came. How could he come back? The truck had killed him on the spot. Her mother, Razia, tried to talk to her, tell her, coax her, shout at her, cried to her, begging her to forget him and move ahead in life.
On the 5th day her father came to meet her. They argued, she cried and fought with him, threatening she would end her life, and he slapped her, told her that she had two options, either to kill them or just get married. She revolted but he was in no mood to hear her pleas. Her one step of childishness cost her, her father's, The Gafoor Ahmed Siddiqui's, hard earned reputation and also her life. Razia tried her best to make her understand the gravity of the situation and how lucky she was. She cried, cried for the whole night as the flashes of her distant fairy tale played in front of her eyes. When it was dawn she came to a conclusion. She said she was ready for the marriage. Next she remembered was of saying a silent Qubool Hai as the Quazi Sahab asked her for her consent and signing the nikaahnama. A small price to fix everything all, she said to herself, chanting it as a mantra. She never felt this scared in life.
The sudden darkness in her illuminated room, made her turn away from her memories. She looked and found that the candle had burned out as the wind from the bathroom ventilator was strong enough to shut it off. She gave a small smile and went and sat near the mirror and stared at her reflection.
She was combing her hair when she found HIM smiling at her, lovingly. It was the third day after their marriage. She was tired; tired of pretending that she was a loving newly wedded wife of one the biggest and the richest businessman in the whole country. All she wanted to do was curl up into a ball and cry her lungs out. But she couldn't. The tears never came. The screams seemed to have stuck up into her throat. On the other hand HE was very much happy with the marriage and gave her adequate space to settle down. The rasams she had to go through all the day frustrated her. She hated his family at first sight. If she was at her home she would have had killed them all, she muttered to herself. She quickly threw the comb away and went near the window. She heard HIS hurried steps rushing towards her.
"Mis-Zoyaa.. are you all right?' Concern laced HIS voice.
"You know what Mr Khan?' She started.
"You. YOU..' She pointed her finger at HIM, flaring her nostrils , fire venting out from her eyes
". . AAP!! Ap bahut khush hai na? BAHUT KHUSH? Haan?'
Asad started at her in confusion. "What are you saying Zoya?" He kindly asked.
"Do not try to act smart Mr Khan! You bloody knew I already loved someone else and still you forced my parents to get me married to you?!'
Asad looked at her, unable to decipher what she was trying to tell him.
"Now that you have successfully got me married to you in this BLOODY WHOLE TRAP, you should better know that I don't give a damm to this so called NIKAAH.. I DO NOT. she snapped out. Ap apne aap ko kya samjhte hai? You got married to me doesn't mean ki apne mujhe hassil kar liya hai. It's all cause of my father's sake I got married to you. But get this thing very clear in your head that I always belonged to Shoaib and will do so till the end of my life. Do you get that? I might be a legally wedded wife to you, but never dare you expect me to behave as yours.' She vented out.
Asad looked at her perplexed with what she had revealed to him. After a while he swallowed and replied in an inaudible voice, " ..Ap please Ammi ko isske bare mein kuch mat kahiyega..' and left the room.
She held the pillow and cried herself to sleep. Her mother came to meet her in the morning and she felt a bit less sad. Razia, as a mother advised her, to forget everything as a bad dream and start afresh. Life was never that a lucky like she had. She felt angered. She rebuked her mother, saying Asad always wanted to have her and could do anything to have her. Razia scolded her for having such thoughts and requested Asad to take care of her as she left.
She kept herself confided in the room for the next couple of days barely going and having meals with her new family. Asad came very late at night and often left before she woke up. Like their first night together, she shared his bed and he, she didn't care to know. But she always found herself tucked well in a warm blanket as she woke up.
- End of Chapter 1 -
Bad News : Oh Yes the updates are gonna be shorter like this 😛,
Good News : Am done with 4 chapters by now, 😳 hence BEAR with me. 😆
Edited : The PAST is in BLACK and The PRESENT in BLUE 😊 Hope that clears all the confusion once again 😳
Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahaani
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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