AsYa SS: Going Back Thread 2 link updtd on Pg 1 - Page 49

Chapter 5

It was a Sunday. Humeira was rearranging the furniture in her room when suddenly the bell rang. Irritated at being interrupted she went and opened the door. She stumbled backwards as she saw Ayaan there. His eyes spoke volume to her. It's been one week of that incident and she had totally alienated herself from the gang. She neither called them nor returned their calls. Ayaan called her everywhere and sent voice mails to her professing his feelings towards her but she had totally shut her feelings for him. Even though it was not Ayaan's fault, she couldn't help but to blame him somewhere as he was Asad's best friend. So when all of a sudden she found him at her doorstep she was caught off guard.

"Can we come in Humi?"

His voice broke her trance. We? She looked at him questioningly. He stepped aside letting her see their whole gang there. As she saw Asad the fury in her returned.

Asad didn't miss the change in her expression. He knew if he wanted to know each and every truth of his past, he needs her to open up to him. So he did the only thing he felt to do at that time. He dropped in his knees; his head hung low and his fingers clasped together in pleading.

"Please Humi, please don't shut me out. I need to know that truth about my past. You dropped that bomb on my wedding day and that day I realized that I was being betrayed. What is my fault in all these? i just loved Jenny soo much and i did somethings which i am not proud of. Don't you think I deserved to know about the whole truth? Don't you think I deserved to know where I went wrong? I feel terrible knowing that I insulted and showed the door to a girl who was the real pillar of support all these years. I now realize, I mistreated Zoya. Please Humi, I need to know everything, I need to know about her...Please..."

She took a huge breath and steeped aside indicating them to get in. Everyone happily obliged and got inside.

After an awkward silence of 10 minutes Humeira started,

"If you want to know about the truth of your past and why did I behaved the way I behaved for Zoya, first you need to know about Zoya. Even though she was your friend, no one knows her really, except me. She was selfless and joyful always, but in reality she was a broken doll... Everything started 25 years ago..."

A misty evening, 1990

A loud wail of a new born baby echoed throughout the hospital corridor followed by several gasps and an agony filled scream of a man.

Gafoor Sidhique slumped down the floor watching the love of his life being taken away from him, covered in white cloth.

He realized his world has come to an end. He was jerked back to reality by a nurse who came to him with a white bundle. He looked at the small baby girl sleeping peacefully, unaware of the effects she had brought into his world. The nurse nudged him to take her. One look at her and he could see his wife dying. He averted his gaze from the baby and walked towards his wife's dead body leaving behind a perplexed and worried nurse.

A cloudy evening, June 1995

A 5 year old Zoya stood in the balcony looking at the buzzing crowds in the street. Her soulful doe eyes searched for a person. Her eyes lit up as it found the desired person.

"Abbu..."

She squealed in happiness and went to open the door. As she opened the door, the stench of alcohol came along with Gafoor and she closed her nose in reflex. She looked at his staggering figure heading towards the bedroom. The happiness in her eyes replaced with brimming tears.

As she knew standing there was futile, she closed the door by standing on a chair and headed towards her room. Pulling the quilt over her body she stared at the stars that shone through the window. More tears flown down from her eyes. She clutched her stomach and closed her eyes to shut out the weakness and throbbing pain that refused to move out form her body. Whimpering she murmured,

"Abbu... I am hungry... why didn't you bring anything for your Zoya?"

A rather sunny morning, March 2000

Zoya stood in her house's doorway astounded as she took in the sight before her. There was her father in the living room with another woman. But what caught her attention was a little girl of 5 years sitting in his lap. She felt envious to that unknown baby for getting all the attention from her father which should have been rightfully hers.

With heavy steps she entered the house, alerting every one of her presence. She saw the smile in Gafoor's face replaced with fury. That was the only emotion he had ever reserved for her, thought Zoya.

"Abbu, who are they?"

"That's none of your business, go to your room."

She hesitated for a moment. Seeing her standing there his blood boiled. He was about to snap at her when the lady intervened.

"Gafoor, what is this? She deserves to know."

Zoya saw her father taming a little. The lady bent down in front of her...

"Hi, I am Razia, your Abbu's wife and this is our child, Tanveer"

Zoya looked at Razia as if she just dropped a bomb. Was it because of them that her Abbu had gone out many times at nights & sometimes he never showed up also, thought a horrified Zoya. Having a mom was tempting, but something in Razia's face screamed evil.

And Zoya's intuitions were not wrong. If her life was gloomy before, post Razia and Tanveer's arrival it became miserable.

A gloomy morning, May 2005

Zoya was happy, in fact she was on cloud nine. She looked again at the paper she was holding as she walked towards her home. The paper showed her proud achievement in her 10^th standard.

"I hope Abbu will be happy seeing this"

She sent a silent prayer to God as she knocked on the door. She waited with bated breaths. As soon as Razia opened the door, she ran towards her Abbu who was sitting in the sofa doing something in the laptop.

"Abbu...Abbu..."

She squealed in excitement while Gafoor looked at her irritated.

"What?" he snapped at her.

Her face fell at this, but retained smile soon.

"Abbu, I am first in school for 10^th exams"

"So? What should I do? Should I dance?"

"Abbu..."

"I hate it when I hear that from your filthy mouth. It reminds me of who you are and what you have done to me"

Zoya cringed at the venom in his voice towards her.

"Abbu. What did I do? Why do you hate me this much?"

"Hate? It's an understatement, I despise you. I despise the very presence of you. Only because of you, my Zainab left me. You killed her. You killed your own mother. You are a devil in disguise."

Zoya's sobs grew louder as she heard her own father abusing her. Not able to withstand anymore she ran to her room.

Closing herself in bathroom she opened the tap so that it suppresses the sound of her sobs. She sat near the wall trying to control her breath. As the sobs and hiccups from her body increased, her breathing became irregular. She clutched the bucket for support as she writhed in pain unable to breathe. The crumpled paper fell down from her hand onto the floor wetting the paper thus dissolving it into paper Mache.

A bright morning, June 2007

A hesitant and nervous Zoya stepped into St. Paul's College, Bhopal to open a new chapter of her life. She remembered how her father was against the idea of her going to college as he doesn't wanted to spend money on her education. Since Zoya was really good at studying, she managed to get a full scholarship thus making Gafoor to agree.

Zoya was scared as it was the first time she was staying away from home. She dragged her luggage towards the hostel. It was a residential campus thus having the college, girl's and boy's hostel in same campus.

As she entered the hostel, her eyes fell on the parents bidding adieu to their kids. Some were hugging and some were kissing. She could see the tears in most of their eyes. It brought tears in her eyes as she realized that she was all alone in her life.

Wiping her tears she went to the room allotted to her. It was a two-sharing room. An instant bond of friendship formed between Zoya & Jenny, her roommate. She also got introduced with Humeira and Nikhat who were sharing a room.

In the evening as per schedule all of us reached the venue for ice breaking session. She was nervous as hell. Humeira squeezed her hands giving her the much needed assurance. As per the ice breaking session everybody were teamed into different groups. Some group activities were going on when some person in rush pushed her and she fell. Before she hit the floor she found herself in the arms of a guy. She was mesmerized by his hazel eyes. That was the first time she was being close to any guy. Humeira saw the dreamy look on her face and knew that she was a lost case. Humeira knew the guy as he was one of her friends, Asad.

As the days passed she became more close to Humiera. They became the best friends. Humeira was amazed by her willpower once she heard her story. Even though they were not sharing one room and class, their bond was really strong.

Humeira introduced Zoya to her gang consists of Asad, Imran, Ayaan and Nikhat. Being the shy and soft-spoken girl she was, Zoya's interaction with them was limited to studies. Humeira didn't fail to notice the glow in her face whenever Asad was in sight. She realized, her best friend is in love with him and she was happy.

Zoya walked through the corridor when all of a sudden Asad came near to her,

"Good morning beautiful"

She blushed in reply. He flicked her nose and went away humming a song while she kept her hand on her heart trying to control her heartbeats.

She fell hard for him. To such an extent that she started worrying for his studies and started writing notes and assignments. She always gave that to Jenny telling her to take that to Asad on behalf of her. The everyday flirting and sweets words of Asad were the biggest reward for all the hard work she was doing. She had fallen in love with him irrevocably. The pain in her life was replaced by happiness. His smile made her day. She looked forward for a brighter future with her Asad and Jenny teased her for that.

Then came a blow to her life when she was in third year. Her father wanted her to discontinue her study and marry her off. She pleaded and cried but his father didn't agree. And when she realized that she had no way out she went to confess her feelings to Asad.

That day again her life betrayed her. She came to know that Asad was never in love with her. He was in love with Jenny. And for him Zoya was the bridge to her. Painfully she realized that her roommate cum best friend was cheating her all along. She wanted to scream to him that it was she who had done everything for him, but couldn't as she saw the happiness in his eyes. And she knew it was not just because of that Asad loved Jenny. She just wanted him to be happy. So she fled from the scene not looking back. She cried that night full thinking about her lost love.

The next day her father came and took her. After 2 weeks she sat in the hall adorned in the bridal lehenga. She closed her eyes and imagined Asad as she told Qubool Hai. A lone tear fell from her eyes and she realized that she was not the same anymore.

She sat in the new room in the new house waiting for her husband's arrival. But instead came a letter which disclosed that her husband had run away with his love. Apparently he had to marry Zoya for diverting everyones attention from his eloping plan. As the news spread, the house fell into utter chaos. Her mother in law blamed her for bringing the bad luck while his father refused to take her back. She slept in the corner of the room devastated by how her life turned into a nightmare. Days passed and the society's remarks on her became cruel. She went to her home but had to face humiliation from her father and step mother. She returned to her husband's house but was shocked to find her husband and his lover. Apparently, to save the grace his family agreed to accept him and his lover.

They threw her belongings outside along with her. Bruised and humiliated Zoya walked through the road aimlessly. She chose not to call anyone, even her best friend, and suffered the pain.

Humeira stopped to wipe the tears which were choking her now.

"But I found her after 6 months in an orphanage where my father was donating. That day she hugged me and cried like a child. I talked with my Abbu. He sent Zoya to Italy to study painting. She found solace in painting in Florence Academy of Fine Arts. She never fell in love again even though many guys proposed her. For her, Asad was her first and last love even when she knew he would never become hers..."

Asad was devastated hearing her story. He never in his wildest dreams thought that Zoya had such a horrible past. He was overwhelmed with the love she harbored for him. He was now ashamed of himself for his behavior towards her. How could he do that to her! Tears stared flowing from his eyes in guilty. He let out a wounded scream clutching his hair. Ayaan pulled him to a hug trying to pacify him.

After a minute or so a determination arose in him, a determination to correct his mistake, a determination to give her all the happiness and a determination to make her his.

"Humeira, where is she now? I need to see her"

"No, you can't"

"Please Humi, please. I need to see her. I need to apologize to her. Please..."

"You are too late Asad, too late"

"No, I am not late. We can still start over. She will be angry with me but I have confidence that she will forgive me eventually. I would do anything to get her forgiveness. She loves me too much Humi."

"No she don't."

"Yes she does and I want to see her and you can't stop me"

"No she doesn't and you can't see her."

"Why can't I see her dammit?"

"Because she is dead! She is f**king dead. You got that? The Zoya you and me knew is dead"

Zor ka jhatka hai zoron se laga hai laga... Ab laga na?😉😆