REPOST: OS: Make way for baby

"MAHEK!? Honey, can you come downstairs for a moment?" Zoya hollered at her daughter from the living room. Seriously! Ammi needs to lower her voice, she really talks very loudly, thought a disgruntled Mahek.

She stopped reading her book, took the bookmark and placed it between the pages she was reading. Sigh. Mahek hated stopping at a crucial moment. She kept her book neatly at the bedside table, swung her legs off the bed into the slippers and walked out of the room.

Walking down the stairs, she could see Mehtab jumping up and down on the couch and constantly jabbering away at their Dadi, who was trying her best to be responsive towards him. Mahek rolled her eyes at her younger brother. When will he learn to sit still for even a moment?

Mahek looked around the room and found that Zoya was standing near the kitchen getting something from the refrigerator.

"Ammi? You called me?"

"Haan, Mahek. Sit down for a moment; I'll be over in a jiffy!" Zoya sounded very excited, even more than her usual self.

"Okay"

She walked over to where Dilshad and Mehtab were and sat next to them. Immediately, Mehtab climbed over his sister and started talking about Allah-knows-what! Dilshad could be heard taking a sigh of relief, perhaps she could only take so much of a four-year-old's energy. Even Mahek could only tolerate him for a while and then she gently pushed him away. It was like he did not even notice the push and he continued talking about some wrestling action he had seen recently. His sister couldn't be less interested in his wrestling idols. Why do people spend their time and energy watching all that fake drama? I will never understand, she thought.

Speaking of drama, what was their mom up to!? Mahek peered over her shoulder to see that their Abbu had joined her in the kitchen and they were whispering about something. Hmmm, this is weird. What is Abbu doing home so early?

Mahek immediately turned towards her Dadi who had picked up a magazine to read, "Dadi? Do you know what's going on? What is Abbu doing home? Is he alright? Is something wrong?" she fired away.

"Arrey! Nahi, mera bacha! Nothing is wrong. You parents just have a surprise for you. Take a deep breath and relax!" Dilshad tried to reassure her eldest granddaughter.

Zoya and Asad entered the living room holding a thin cardboard box, like one of the cake boxes. Apparently the box had also managed to grab Mehtab's attention.

"CAKE!" he shouted and jumped off the couch and launched himself towards the box. Asad caught him mid jump, before he could hurt himself or destroy the box.

"Sit down, Mehtab. Yes, this is a cake but we need you to listen to us first. You won't get any of the cake if you don't listen to me right now." Asad's stern voice made him slump his shoulders, pout and sit back next to his sister and grandmother.

"Abbu?" Mahek softly called out to him.

"Yes, angel?"

"Is everything okay? I mean what are you doing home? You rarely miss office. I know something has happened. Is Najma Phuppi alright? Did she have her baby already? Or is it Zeenat Khala?! Abbu!"

"Calm down, Mahek!" her Abbu quickly said, "Everything is alright. Your Phuppi and Khala are perfectly fine! You need to relax. Why do you always have to jump to conclusions, huh?"

Zoya snorted at his line, "Oh, really Asad? You need an answer to why she jumps to conclusions?" She raised her eyebrow at him. "I mean, it couldn't have anything to do with her father being the same, could it?" Everyone could practically feel sarcasm dripping from her tone.

Asad and Mahek rolled their eyes at the same time.

Often people say that children are mixtures of their parents. But it wasn't so in the Khan Khandan. Ten-year-old Mahek was a carbon copy of her father and a complete daddy's girl while the four-year-old Mehtab had inherited his mother's loud personality, making him his mom's little guy. No questions of any gene mixture there!

"What your Ammi and I are trying to tell you is good news, or we hope that you'll like the news. So please, calm down. You too buddy!" Asad added the last bit in hopes of calming down Mehtab. Dilshad rolled her eyes - he should know better!

"GOOD? YES! WE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD?" yelled a hyper Mehtab. Who gave him sugar?

Asad sighed, "No, bud, we are not going to Disney World."

"Are we getting a dog?"

"No"

"Bike?"

"No"

Mehtab was visibly deflated, "Then it no good news."

Dilshad chuckled and said, "It most definitely is good news! Why else would your Abbu get you a cake then, huh?"

His eyes grew as he remembered the delicacy. Dilshad had to hold down Mehtab and she tried to make him settle down. He finally sat down (not for long, though. Wanna bet?)

Zoya made a huge deal of opening the lid of the box on the table. Her dramatic act had Mehtab on the edge of his seat. Okay! Even Mahek had gotten really excited now.

"HURRY UP, Mama!!" Mehtab yelled; his eyes all big with obvious anticipation.

"Okay! TADA!" she had finally presented her children with the cake. It looked delicious - all chocolaty with an inscription on it. Congratulations'! Mehtab is going to be a big brother!'

Mahek looked from her Ammi to Abbu and back again, then to her Dadi. All of them had the same expressions - anticipatory with hints of smiles. So, it wasn't joke. Really? A baby?

"Really?" she voiced out her thoughts.

Zoya nodded at her daughter and smiled. Mahek gave her a timid smile in response. Meanwhile, Mehtab was looking from one person to another, having not understood a single thing.

"What does it say, Aapi!? AAPI! Bataooo na! I can't read it. Kaise likha hai! Tedha - medha!!" Mehtab whined and pouted, unable to read the decorative style of writing on the cake.

His aapi laughed at him and told him what was written on the cake.

"Big brother? Matlab?"

"Arrey meri jaan" Dilshad brought him close to her, "Matlab ki aapka aur Mahek Aapi ka ek chotta sa bahi ya chotti si behan aani wali hai! A baby!" she cheered.

"A baby? OH! Nikhat Phuppi ke baby jaisa? Yay! WE ARE GETTING A BABY!" Mehtab jumped and ran around the house. "WE ARE GETTING A BABY!"

While everyone laughed at him, his sister couldn't help but scowl at his craziness and called out to him, "We are not getting a baby, we are going to have a baby! Well, Ammi and Abbu are going to have a baby. It's going to grow in Ammi's belly!"

Mehtab scrunched up his nose in confusion. "In her belly?"

"Ofcourse, Buddy! That's where the baby has to live for a while before it can come meet us all." Asad tried to explain.

Mehtab went over to Ammi and patted her stomach, "A baby in there, Mama?" She nodded at him. He looked up to her and then in a very serious voice, asked her, "Did Aapi and I also live there?"

"Bilkul! You were my little kickboxer, love!" Zoya smiled at her son and replied.

He looked scandalized. "How did I fit in there?" he wondered with wide eyes.

Zoya chuckled at him and then said, "You were not always this big, love! You were also a tiny little baby once. Remember those baby pictures that Dadi showed you!"

He nodded at her, relieved now.

Asad looked at his daughter and said, "Are you alright, angel? You haven't said anything. Are you happy? You are going to be a big sister again!"

She smiled up to him and nodded. "I am very excited Abbu! Ammi, I will help you with the baby, okay? I really wish it's a girl! It'll be so much fun!" Mahek had always wanted a sister who would play nicely with her. Unlike Mehtab who cannot even sit straight for a second.

"NO!" Mehtab said, "I want a little brudder! No sissy!" he looked at his parents.

"Well, you see, buddy. We cannot choose that. It's Allah who decides what he will give us! But we will be happy with whatever we have, right?" Asad looked at his son.

He shrugged his little shoulders, not really bothered, "I guess so." And he was off doing whatever that he did all day without having school. Lucky.

***

Mahek was sitting with Asad on the couch in the living room while Zoya was in the kitchen making dinner. Asad was watching news and his girl was doing her homework. It was nice. Moments of silence like these came few and far between in their home.

"ABBU!!!!!"

And the silence was broken. Here came the terror, his loud voice preceding him.

"We don't yell, Mehtab. What is it?" Asad said, sternly.

"I was thinkin' about the new baby and I thought that ya' know how he is in Mama's tummy?" he looked at Asad for conformation. When Asad nodded at him, he went on, "I was wonderin' that how did the baby get in the tummy?"

Asad's head whipped so fast towards Zoya then towards Mehtab and then towards Zoya again.

"Um, voh, actually, you see buddy, uhh, actually..."

Asad and his explanations. This was going to take a while.