Life Goes On...
People come and join us on our way, make a deep mark and again leave us to traverse the rest of our journey, alone. And sometimes, we send them away from us deliberately... But life still goes on!
Life is all about the choices. The choices we make today are the reflection of our past and for the well being of our future. It depends on us what we choose.
Life is about disappointments and success, hardships and hurdles, love and trust, life is about never stopping. Life is about living when we have the least hope for it. It is about caring for the people we love, keeping aside the fact that our heart aches to be loved back by somebody.
Dear Diary,
It is the last day of the 25th year of my life. Tomorrow I will be stepping on to a new year, with new hopes and resolutions. In all these years, Life has been my biggest teacher. It has taught me to build an unbreakable wall around my Sand Castle to save it from an enormous wave.
Life is not a Fairy Tale and I am no princess either. Neither do I own any magic wand nor do I need any. I have molded myself the way I wanted to.
Life has made me The Zoya Farooqui that I always wanted to be. I am the Zoya Farooqui that my father always wanted me to be. I am stronger, brighter, and more confident now. Circumstances often bend me, but I don't let it break me. Even if I fall, I strengthen my resolve to stand up and face the consequences. I don't give up. I will never give up.
It's my birthday tomorrow and I will only ask the Almighty to give me what is the best for me.
"Zoya..."
Zoya heard her mother calling her. She quickly closed her diary and packed it inside her leather hand bag. She checked herself in the mirror once again. She looked elegant in a pink sari, her hair bunched up together with a hair clip; her beautiful eyes were lined with kohl. She had no makeup on her face and her bracelet jingled whenever her right hand made any movements. Her simple and sober look added much to her amiable yet reserved personality.
She reminded herself about her day's plans in her mind and prayed to Almighty to save her from the usual discussion that must have been going on downstairs at the table between the two most important people in her life. She took a deep breath and left her room for the day.
"This one is not good at all Aunty... I don't like him!!", Atif said, rejecting yet another prospective groom for his sister Zoya.
"Then check him out.. He is Doctor by profession. And you will also have a good rapport with him then...", Zeenat suggested him showing him another picture.
"I am sure Aapi will not like him. Just look at him. He looks much older than her."
This was their usual morning discussion. Zeenat, like any other mother, was worried for Zoya's marriage. It was not her growing age that bothered her; in fact, she was worried about the growing responsibilities that Zoya was burdened with. Though she never showed it, but a mother's eyes never failed to notice her daughter's tired and gloomy face. It was now the time when she needed a companion, someone who would not only be by her side at the time of crisis, but also love her the way she deserved to be loved.
"Aunty... Why do you keep searching for grooms when you know that Api will not even have a look at these photos. It is all going to be a waste again.", said Atif dejectedly which brought back Zeenat from her thoughts.
"This time she will have to agree. I will not listen to her this time..."
"So you are planning to get me married off against my wish Ammi?" Zeenat was stopped mid way by Zoya who was now climbing down the stairs, all ready to go for work. After completing her graduation, Zoya decided to pursue a Master's degree and become a professor, like her mother.
"Ammi...Atif... I am telling this to both of you for the last time... Stop Doing All This! I don't want to get married now!!", Zoya said angrily while getting down the last few steps.
"But Zoya...", Zeenat tried to explain her. Zoya glared her and she stopped immediately.
"Atif... Are you done with breakfast? Then I will drop you to college before I go for work", Zoya asked him in a stern voice. At that very instant, Atif focused back on his food keeping the rest of the photos aside. Though he was a medical student, just like Humeira, he was still a small kid to Zoya. He respected her and loved her like his own sister and sometimes also got worried for her like an elder brother.
"Atif, just ask your sister to come home early today. I have to go shopping with her today. She might have forgotten that it's her birthday tomorrow, but I didn't.", she kept her eyes on Atif but her words were directed to Zoya.
"Oh...C'mon Ammi!! Not again!!" Zoya's irritation was now evident in her tone.
"Okay.. I won't say anything! I will never say anything!", Zeenat huffed around showing her annoyance.
It was one of the regular scenarios at Zoya's house since a year. She was now used to her mother's continuous efforts of convincing her to get married.
"Can we please talk about this later? Please Ammi?", she asked Zeenat after taking enough time to calm herself.
"Fine...", Zeenat replied while giving her a little smile, which meant that the matter was now dropped for the day. Zoya took her bag and left the house with Atif for another hectic day at work.
Zoya loved her work. Never did she know that teaching would fascinate her so much, till the time when she indulged herself in preparing Atif for his board exams. Zoya belonged to a family where knowledge was highly respected, and her mother's constant support made the decision making easier for her. She found solace whenever she found herself surrounded with books. She strongly believed that books don't change like people when we turn over the pages. They don't betray us ever, they can be our best friends and we can love them without any fear or trepidation.
She switched on her laptop and decided to check her mails before it was time for her class. There weren't any unread mails. She hoped there was one.
Did He forget? I don't think so... He never forgets! she thought as her heart awaited a mail from him and her eyes longed to see his name flashing in her Inbox. She scrolled down several more pages to reach to the mail that he had sent her a year back on her birthday. She made up her mind to re-read them, but again disposed her thoughts as it would only bring back some raw and hurtful memories that were better off when stowed affectionately in one corner of her heart. She closed her mail box and switched off her laptop before striding across the corridor to her classroom.
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Flashback starts
"Asad...", Dilshad called him when he was busy packing for his journey the day after. He turned back and stopped for a while to look into his mother's intense eyes.
"Are you sure?", Dilshad asked him.
"Ammi!! Please!" Asad let out a heavy sigh as this was the umpteenth time that his mother was asking him that.
"Can't you please give it a second thought?", Dilshad asked him again, hopefully. Asad held her by her shoulders and made him sit on the bed, beside his backpack.
"You know I can't... Why are you still forcing me Ammi?", he asked her while kneeling down on the floor.
"I have no one here Asad. I need my only son to be with me. And Zoya?? Did you ask her about it again? I am sure she will not be able to see you going away. Let me talk to her once...", she said while reaching for his phone.
"Zoya and I have had the necessary talks. Please don't make this more difficult for us.", he said, taking away his phone from her hand.
"And what about me? Can't you just wait for some more time? I know I am being selfish, but I want you with me now. I am not against your higher education. But the way you are leaving keeping everything here so much unsorted is what I can't support."
"What do you want from me?", Asad asked her, giving up to his mother's pleas. Dilshad smiled and answered, "Go and talk to Rashid once, for me... Please..."
"Okay...", he said in the very next second.
"You will?? You really will talk to your father?? ", she asked him shockingly as she did not anticipate Asad to agree to it so easily.
"Yes Ammi... I will. But before that, I need to tell you something. Then you will decide what I should do.."Asad's voice was stern and emotionless.
"What do you want to tell me?" Asad's sudden agreement and next his condition had left her a little befuddled.
"That day, I heard you and Abbu talking", said Asad, his eyes not meeting his mother's.
"Which day?", Dilshad questioned him, not quite registering what he was talking about.
"That day, when you were talking to him about my queries regarding your ex-secretary Shireen, I overheard you both."
This little information came as a shock to Dilshad as she didn't want Asad to hear the conversation that she had with Rashid regarding her sacrifices for Asad's sake.
"It was just a small fight that we were having. It keeps happening between us, between any husband and wife. That's very natural Asad.. You don't need to worry about that... You..."
"I had seen Abbu and Shireen together. So stop lying Ammi!" Dilshad was interrupted by Asad. She looked at him with questioning eyes and Asad nodded his head in affirmation to clear her doubt.
"Yes Ammi...I did see them together, here, in our own home. I know all about this since many years." Asad's eyes were now also wet due to unshed tears.
"But how? I mean when? Rashid told me that there was no one at home at that time. Then how did you...", Dilshad's anxiety was taking over her. She was confused as well as hurt to know that Asad had kept all this buried in his heart for so many years.
Asad shared with her every little thing that he was bothered with. He told her about the times when his hatred for his father used to take bigger dimensions. He told her about his thoughts of not joining the family business and also about his reasons supporting it. He filled her in about Zoya's advice to him and also their decision which they had taken almost a couple of months back.
"If you still want me to stay here, then I will..I will also meet him once... It will all depend on you Ammi...I will never..."
"Promise me that you will call me everyday...", Dilshad cut in between his words.
"Huh?", he asked her confusedly.
"Promise me that you will call me everyday...Only then you will have my permission to go..."
Dilshad's sudden declaration almost left him baffled. He hugged her tight and kept his head on her lap to extract all her love and care before leaving his house and country for unascertained time.
Flashback Ends
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"Ammi! How many times have I told you not to buy so many things at a time?", Zoya said getting irritated after standing in the long queue at the billing counter.
"Uff!! You are so impatient Zoya!! Your poor husband!!", Zeenat exclaimed dramatically.
"Ammi!!", she growled at her mother to stop her silly antics.
"What?? I didn't say anything!!", Zeenat responded surprisingly. Zoya knew very well that there was no point in arguing with her now, so she started walking towards her car in the parking area. She was busy keeping all the goods in the backseat of her car when she felt a soft hand touch her shoulder.
The touch was known to her, she had felt it before. Her instincts inclined towards only one person. She took her own leisured time to turn around and see the person standing right in front of her with arms opened to embrace her in a hug.
A/N: This is it!! Tell me how it was...😳
Some of you wanted me to take the leap in this update, and some wanted to see how Zoya and Asad managed to live without each other...
I personally feel that reading about Zoya and Asad in separate frames might be a little boring, so it will be better if i add it in between as flashbacks...Hope that will go fine with you. 😛
In the last update, I got 120+ likes...Thank You so much for that 🤗
Can I once again ask for those 120 likes?? 😳😉
Will be waiting eagerly for your likes and comments...😃
Kumkum Bhagya
Tu Dhadkan Main Dil
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
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