AsYa FF: Destiny Comes Calling *CH 20* 11/11/13 Pg 134 - Page 62

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Chapter 16: Zoya's Story

Zoya was crying uncontrollably by the time they had left the village. Asad was at a loss on how to console or comfort her. He had never been in this position before, except when he was struggling with his own loss but then he had his mother and sister to think of and they were able to support each other, be each other's strength.

After a few minutes of crying, she quietened down and pulled up her legs on the car seat. Hugging her knees and resting her head on them, she sat there staring out the window silent tears still finding their way down her now soiled cheeks. Why do women wear makeup? And why is she putting her shoes on the seat?

Asad cringed and tried to ignore the shoes, but could not handle it for more than a couple of minutes.

"Can you please take your shoes off, Ms. Farooqui?" He said, with as much patience as possible and trying not to sound annoyed.

"Huh?" she stared at him.

"Hmm.. your shoes, can you take them off? The car's seat is getting spoilt." He said, looking down at her feet, pointing out what he meant.

"I am not deaf Mr. Khan. I heard you the first time around. I am just shocked. Allah Miyah, what wrong with you Mr. Khan? A girl is sitting next to you crying her heart out and all you can see is that your precious car seats are getting spoilt? How emotionally challenged can a man be? Here you go." She said, taking off her shoes and throwing them dramatically. With a huff, she turned to face the other side and resumed her crying.

"I am really sorry, Ms. Farooqui. I truly tried to ignore it and I was not being insensitive, it's just that I cannot handle dirt and...and... I have no experience in handling such situations." He said, almost mumbled under his breath.

Zoya sensed his embarrassment and stared at him as he tried to look everywhere but at her.

"What situation?" she asked skeptically.

"Hmm...woh...actually... crying women...have never been around them much in my life. It's different with Ammi and Tamatar, they are family...but with you...I..." He paused trying to think how to express his dilemma without sounding crass.

"Oh!" Zoya kind of understood his discomfort, but it also brought fresh bout of tears as it reminded her that she had no one to comfort her, no family to call her own at this time of need.

Asad was unsure why she started crying again, but he was hoping it was not something he said. He replayed his words in his head, but could not fault with anything. Seeing her sniffing and using the sleeve of her top to wipe her tears, he double cringed. He offered his pristine white handkerchief to her, which she quickly grabbed and blew her nose into. Ouch!!! But he did not say a thing, it was hard, but he did not wish to make her cry more. When she tried to return it, he just asked her to keep it.

"Z...Zo... I mean Ms.Farooqui. Please don't lose heart. I know what you just found out was not heartening, but it's not a lost cause yet. For all we know, you father and uncle are still alive somewhere out there. Plus we have your mamujaan's name. There is still hope." Asad tried to pacify her a few minutes later when the crying did not subside. Isn't this how Ammi would respond?

When she did not respond, he moved closer to where she sat, shifting the piles of paper to his other side.

"Ms Farooqui?" he called out to her again. When she did not respond the third time, he gently placed a hand on her arm. This small gesture of his, made Zoya cry all the more, confusing him further. Maybe I should just stay away and not talk.

But before he could, she flung herself at him and continued to cry on his shoulders, her arms wrapped around him. He was extremely uncomfortable with his situation, but maybe this is all that was needed. A shoulder to cry on.

"Why? Mr. Khan why? Why did they give up on finding me so easily? How could they just trust someone's words like that? Did they not feel the need to verify with the police who could have easily guided them to me? All these years I told myself that I have another family out there that is waiting for me, looking for me, but maybe I was wrong all along. I did not matter to them." She asked between sobs.

Not sure if she really was looking for answers from him, he just kept quiet, letting her vent out her frustrations. He held her in place and occasionally patted her head, asking her to relax and let go. Things will get better, eventually, he repeatedly told her.

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They had just entered the outskirts of Bhopal when Asad finally felt Zoya relax in his arms. Her breathing had also evened out indicating that she had fallen asleep. He gently parted her hair that was covering most of her face and tried to wiped away the smudges of the tears mixed with her makeup.

Once they got into the driveway, he started to wake her up. But seeing her bloodshot eyes, he decided to just let her be.

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Najma was about to exit the house, when she encountered her brother entering the house, with a sleeping Zoya in her arms. Her words died out on her mouth when he signaled her to not talk. She followed them to Zoya's room and observed how he carefully placed her on the bed and then tucked her in.

"Are you leaving already?" he asked her once they were outside Zoya's room and the door was closed behind them.

"Yes. I was waiting for you guys, but then it was getting very late so I decided to just leave without Zoya. What happened to her? Is she alright? Should I call the doctor? Stay back with her?" she added worried about her friend.

"She just had a rough day. I think she should be better when she wakes up, at least I hope so. She just got some bad news about her real parents. Did you know Anwar mamu is not her real abbu?"

"Yes." She responded casually. "I knew she was adopted a long time back, even before Humeira, his real daughter, was born. I don't know the complete details, but Ammi had mentioned that she was here to find her biological father." She had added Humeira's relation for good measure.

"Why was I kept in the dark?" Asad asked livid on realizing that he was the only one who knew nothing.

"Maybe Ammi forgot to tell you. Or she did not tell you since you are never interested. She will be able to answer best. But that is not important right now. Do you think I should stay back with her, just in case?"

"Nahi you go. Even I am not going, if we both miss out their feelings will be hurt. I am home and planning to rest anyways. I'll manage and worst case scenario, I can always call you and Ammi back." He smiled as he patted her head and guided her to the exit.

"Bhaijaan, the food is set on the counter, heat it up when you want to eat. And I am taking the driver with me if you don't mind." She left waving goodbye to him.

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Asad was sitting at the dining table, working on his laptop, when a disheveled Zoya made her way out of the room. He instantly went to her aid and helped her sit down on the chair.

"Water" she whispered, her voice hoarse from the crying. Asad offered her a glass of water.

"What time is it? How come I slept in so late? Did you bring me in? Did Phoopi and Najma leave already?" she started with her barrage of questions, her voice still scruffy.

"Najma left just after we got back. Ammi had gone earlier in the day and it's only been a couple hours since we returned. Do you feel better now?" He answered.

"Define better. My head hurts, my eyes hurt and I am extremely upset with my so called blood relatives. But now when I think back, I feel something went very wrong that day. And I am determined to find out what. But otherwise, yes I am feeling better as in I don't think I am going to burst out crying all of a sudden." She smiled at him, but it was obviously pained.

{Maula mere...Maula mere...Maula mere...Maula mere...Ankhein Teri}

The distant sound of the doorbell made them realize that they had been staring at each other, each lost in their own thought. Asad stood up, uncomfortable with the sudden realization, and answered the door.

"Your pizza." He placed a box of pizza and a can of diet coke in front of her, the warm and delicious smell of the pizza wafting up her nose.

"For me?" she looked up at him surprised.

"Yeah, I thought it would help you feel better. Plus I didn't think you would be interested in eating daal rice." He explained as a faint smile appeared on his face when he saw her scrunch her nose in response to the daal rice.

They both had their dinner in comfortable silence, Zoya thanking him every once in a while and he reprimanding her for talking with food in her mouth.

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Zoya had gone back to her room after dinner stating that she needed to talk to her Jeeju and sort her thoughts, plan her next steps and she was exhuasted. This was the first time he actually registered that she had always referred to Anwar as her Jeeju and not Abbu.

Dilshaad had been updated by Najma about Zoya's situation and was worried for the poor dear. As soon as she came back, she went to check on Zoya only to find her sound asleep with her I-Pad in one hand. She straightened her out and tucked her into the bed properly, caressing her hair and face in the process.

"Arrey Asad" she exclaimed when she encountered Asad right outside Zoya's room. She softly closed the door behind her and then gestured him to follow her to the kitchen.

She made them both some tea and coffee and settled down beside her son for a tete-a-tete that she was expecting since she arrived home.

"Bolo, kuch kaam tha?[Tell me, did you have somework?]"

"Ammi, why did you not tell me about Ms.Farooqui before? Even Najma knows." he cut straight to the chase.

"What do you mean?"

"About her adoption and why she was in India or why she needed to go to that village? I have been so wrong about her all along. And had I known, I could have at least tried to be a little courteous to her, even though I have my reasons to not like her."

"And how would it have changed anything Asad? If I had told you, you would have been courteous, but you would still have been yourself. This way is better, at least you now realize how wrong you have been about judging her just based on her outward appearance. I have told you time and again not to judge a book by its cover. But you always ignored my advice. Maybe it's time life taught you some valuable lessons. Sometimes in life, we learn better by experience than advice."

"Hmm" he said, her words sinking in but it was evident he was still skeptical about everything she said.

"But Ammi, if she knew all along she was adopted why did she wait this long? It just doesn't make sense. Why now?" He added after a while.

"Because Anwar would not let her come. I am sure he had his reasons. Now that she has completed her studies, she did not want to wait any more. Also, he felt that it was time for him to let go, let her find out the facts."

"So he knew something was missing? Does he know something that he has not told Zoya? Are they related? She calls him Jeeju, you know?" Asad asked as he processed the information he already had and the new information his mom just supplied.

"Well, I only have the details Anwar and Zoya have shared with me so there are chances of some gaps. They are not related. Anwar's mother-in-law was travelling in the same bus as Zoya and her Ammi on the day of the accident. They were sitting across from each other and had started talking casually about their whereabouts and their destinations, etc. Zoya had quickly formed a bond with her, called her Khala. She was sitting on her lap at the time of the accident, away from her mother. Allah must have wanted to save her that is all I can say about what happened that day. Zainab was sitting very close to the point of impact and when the bus plunged down the bridge, she was further hurt. She did not survive the accident. But Zoya was saved. When Anwar reached there, he noticed the bond between the child and the older lady and his heart did not allow him to leave the girl behind.He took special permission from the senior officer to bring her home with him. But whoever came to collect Zainab's body refused that she was travelling with a child Moreover, his contact details also went missing from the police records. Repeated attempts by Anwar, the cops, everyone resulted into nothing. They even went to Zainab's village but found nothing from there. Anwar and Zeenat were heading to US in a few days' time, so they tried placing newspaper ads, which also got them no response. Zoya moved to Indore with Zeenat's mother. The police gave up after a couple years and permitted Anwar to legally adopt Zoya. Bas, uske baad Zoya US chali gai apni aapi aur jeeju ke paas. [After that, Zoya went to US to live with her Aapi and Jeeju]" Dilshaad had unshed tears in her eyes when she finished narrating Zoya's story to Asad.

Asad too was visibly shaken. He pondered over how difficult it must have been for that little child to suddenly lose both her parents and find herself amidst strangers. Strange are the ways of God, but He never fails to show us the path either.

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Acha quick question - do you think Zoya should continue with her search at this point???

Looking forward to your comments and questions...I think I did answer some questions...and I have added more of your questions to my list

Rivs