by Sara Naveed
‘Zarish . . . what are you saying?’ he asked in a stern voice.
‘Uh . . . Dad . . .’ she said, looking at her mother, who looked away. She could not find the courage to talk to her father.
‘Are you in love with someone?’ he asked her.
She looked at him in bewilderment.
‘Tell me!’
‘Dad . . . I . . .’ she stammered.
‘Haroon and his parents are downstairs. They have come with a marriage proposal. What am I supposed to tell them?’ he asked in an agitated tone.
‘I can’t marry Haroon, Dad. I can’t marry . . . marry anyone except . . .’ she blurted.
He looked at her with disappointment; his eyes red with anger.
‘I know you will not like it when I tell you the truth but I can’t help it. This is the reality of my life,’ she said, lowering her gaze. ‘I love Ahmar. Ahmar Muraad. And I want to marry him.’
Zia froze with shock.
‘Dad . . .’ Zarish said. ‘Dad . . . please . . . don’t let my feelings get hurt. Try to understand. It is about my happiness. I won’t be happy with anyone except Ahmar,’ she said. ‘Please.’
He looked at her as tears rolled down her cheeks. He wiped them off with his thumb.
‘Stop crying,’ he said. ‘I cannot see you crying. Just stop it.’
She sniffed and looked at him with affection.
‘If this is what you want, then okay. We just want to see you happy.’
‘Really?’ she gasped.
He nodded.
‘Oh! I love you, Dad!’ she said, hugging him. ‘I love you so much!’
‘Ask Ahmar Muraad to come and meet me,’ Zia said.
‘I will, Dad . . .’ she said excitedly. ‘I will.’
Zarina watched them in bewilderment. Zia looked at Zarina and signalled her to keep calm.
Zarish still could not believe that her father had agreed. She could not wait to break the news to Ahmar.
Zia and Zarina went downstairs to attend to their guests. But they didn’t look happy; they had forced smiles on their faces and exchanged worried glances. Haroon guessed something was wrong. He decided to talk to Zarish about their marriage.
‘Hey,’ he said, knocking on Zarish’s bedroom door.
‘Haroon! Please come in,’ she said. ‘There is something I need to tell you,’ she said.
‘What?’ He narrowed his brows. She took a deep breath.
‘What is it, Zarish?’
‘I know I have hidden this from you all this while. You should have been the first person to know.’
He looked at her with curiosity.
‘Haroon. I need to tell you about someone. You already know him. He is loved and respected by everyone at our university. And I love him.’
‘What?’ he murmured his eyes wide with shock; he was caught off guard.
‘Yes, Haroon. I am . . . I am in love with Ahmar. I love him and . . . he loves me too,’ she declared.
Haroon felt as if someone had slapped him hard. He could feel his heart pounding with fury and jealousy. The girl with whom he had spent his entire childhood, his adulthood, now loved someone else. He blamed himself for not understanding Zarish’s feelings.
‘Zarish . . . what are you talking about? You are in love with that stupid professor?’
‘He is not stupid! Mind your words, please!’ she snapped.
‘Then you have lost your mind,’ he retorted.
‘Haroon, please try to understand. I don’t know when I lost my heart to him but it is true. I love him and it is not going to change.’
‘Your parents will never agree.’
‘They have already agreed.’
‘What?’ he asked, shocked.
She nodded happily.
‘I can’t believe this. You’re making a mistake, Zarish.’
‘Haroon . . .’ she said, holding his hand. ‘You are my best friend. I expect you to understand and respect my decision,’ she said, looking into his eyes. ‘I cannot live without him,’ she added.
‘Is that how much you love him?’ he asked, his expression softening.
‘Yes. Even more than that.’
He drew back his hands. It was then he realized that he had lost his childhood sweetheart to someone else.
The next day, after his usual lectures, Ahmar retired to his office and ordered tea. He was thinking of ways to convince Zarish’s parents, when Maleeha walked in.
‘Hey,’ she said, taking a seat.
‘Hi. What’s up?’ he asked, leaning forward.
‘I’ve come here to talk to you,’ she said. ‘Did you meet Amber recently?’
‘No. I did not,’ he replied.
‘Why not? I want you to talk to her, Ahmar. She is our friend. We have to help her in every possible way.’
‘How can we help her? Marrying some guy arranged by her parents was her choice. Not ours,’ he said harshly.
Maleeha seemed shocked by the sudden change in his behaviour.
‘All right.’ He sighed. ‘How can we help her, Maleeha?’ he asked.
‘Ahmar . . . she needs us. She needs you.’
‘Fine. I’ll talk to her,’ he promised.
‘She’s staying with me. You can meet her at my place,’ Maleeha replied.
He decided to put an end to this matter. It was time to dump his past and move on with his life. He drove over to Maleeha’s place. On his way, he bought Amber’s favourite flowers and some presents for Pari.
He walked up to the front door and rang the bell. After a few seconds, Pari opened the door.
‘Hello, princess,’ he said, handing her the present.
‘Hi. Is this for me?’ she asked.
‘Yes. These gifts are for you,’ he said, stroking her cheek.
‘Who is there, Pari?’ Amber called out from the kitchen.
‘Mama. Ahmar got me a new doll,’ Pari said cheerfully.
‘Hello, Amber,’ Ahmar greeted her with a warm smile. ‘I got flowers for you.’
‘Please come in,’ Amber said, taking the bouquet from his hand. Pari got busy with the new toy, and Amber went into the kitchen to make coffee for Ahmar. He soon joined her.
‘So, why are you here, Ahmar?’ Amber asked as she handed him the coffee mug.
‘To catch up with an old friend,’ he replied instantly, smiling.
‘Ahmar. I know why you’re here.’ She sighed. He glanced at her intently.
‘Has Maleeha asked you to talk to me?’ she asked.
Ahmar looked away, avoiding her eyes.
‘She just called me and told me that you wanted to talk to me,’ she said.
‘Yeah but Maleeha has nothing to do with it. I wanted to talk to you.’
‘Okay . . . what do you want to talk about?’ she asked.
‘I am here to confess something.’
She looked at him with a puzzled expression.
‘I used to like you when we were in college together . . .’ he paused, adding, ‘in fact, I was in love with you.’
Amber didn’t know how to respond; she looked away nervously.
‘But I knew you didn’t like me the way I liked you, so I never told you,’ he said.
‘Why are you telling me this now?’
‘I was too shy to say it then. I thought I might ruin our friendship. But when I finally decided to tell you, you broke the news of your wedding,’ he said, smiling.
She looked down.
‘Ahmar. We shouldn’t talk about it now. It’s too late,’ she murmured.
‘I know, but my conscience wouldn’t have allowed me to move on if I hadn’t told you about my feelings.’
‘I understand.’
‘Amber . . . I’m really sorry I said all this . . . I shouldn’t have . . .’ he said, suddenly feeling embarrassed.
‘Ahmar, please! Don’t be sorry about anything. I am happy the way I am. I am a mother. I can manage on my own. I have all of you around me. I don’t need anyone else,’ she said with a smil
e.
‘If you ever need anything, I’ll always be there for you. I promise,’ he said.
She gave him a reassuring smile.
He was on his way back home when Zarish called him. She asked him to meet her at a cafe near the university.
‘Why did you call me here? Is everything okay?’ he asked, taking a seat.
‘Ahmar . . . I spoke to my dad last night.’
‘What?’ He was taken aback. ‘What . . . what did he say?’
‘He wants to meet you.’
Ahmar took some time to absorb the news.
‘He wants you to meet him and ask for my hand in marriage,’ she added.
He leaned back in his chair and looked at her thoughtfully. It was difficult to believe what she was saying.
‘What happened?’ she asked, trying to understand his reaction. ‘Are you nervous?’
‘Nervous? Of course not. I’m . . . I’m just a bit surprised,’ he said.
‘Are you happy?’
‘I’m really happy, Zarish,’ he said, squeezing her hand. ‘I just hope everything works out.’
‘Everything will be fine, trust me,’ she said to which he nodded.
‘When are you meeting Dad?’ she asked, leaning forward.
‘Today,’ he said.
It was late afternoon when Ahmar reached Zarish’s house. She did not accompany him because Zia wanted to meet him alone. It would be wrong to say that Ahmar was not nervous. This was the first time he was going to ask for a girl’s hand in marriage. The fact that he loved this girl made the situation even more difficult. Their fathers had been business rivals, so this was not going to be easy. He recalled how coldly Zia had spoken to Muraad when he had come to their house.
Ignoring the thought, he walked to the door and knocked gently. A servant opened the door and welcomed him inside. Zarish’s house was quite different from his own. It was bigger, more spacious and decorated with expensive knick-knacks. The servant led him to the living room which was done up classily. To his surprise, Zia was already seated on one of the Victorian-style couches, smoking a cigar.
‘Good afternoon, Sir,’ Ahmar said, extending his hand.
‘Good afternoon,’ Zia said as they shook hands. ‘Have a seat.’
‘Thank you,’ Ahmar said.
‘So, Ahmar Muraad, right?’ Zia asked, puffing on his cigar.
‘Yes, Sir.’ Ahmar nodded.
‘We both know why you are here,’ Zia said slowly.
Ahmar looked at him in silence.
‘What made you think I’ll let you marry my daughter?’
‘Sir . . . I . . .’ Ahmar cleared his throat.
‘Wait! Let me complete!’ he ordered.
Ahmar look at him blankly.
‘How could you even think I’d let my daughter marry a person like you? A mere finance professor? Huh! Do you think my daughter deserves a partner like you?’ Zia said, turning red with anger.
Ahmar was on his feet now, completely perplexed. The drastic change in Zia’s behaviour was unexpected. However, Ahmar did not lose his cool.
‘Mr Zia Munawwar, I love your daughter. Isn’t that enough for you?’ Ahmar asked.
‘Love? What nonsense!’ Zia rose from the couch, his face distorted with anger. ‘Don’t you dare say those words in front of me! Don’t you and your father have any self-respect? Do you want me to repeat what I told your father the other day?’
Ahmar’s jawline hardened as he tightly clenched his fists. Had he known Zia’s intentions, he would have never come here.
‘If you’ve any shame or self-respect, then walk out of my daughter’s life and never look back. She’s going to marry Haroon because she has always loved him. You were nothing but a little crush of hers.’
These words hit Ahmar like a thousand bullets. He did not have the strength to hear this crap any more.
‘Mark my words, my daughter can never stay happy with you because you can’t give her what Haroon can.’
‘Mr Zia Munawwar,’ Ahmar folded his arms, ‘I’m really sorry but these threats can’t make me change my mind. I cannot leave Zarish because she’s become an important part of my life. In fact, she is my life and leaving her would mean killing myself. I’m sorry but I will not back out. I can’t.’
‘You probably don’t understand the consequences of your decision.’
‘I pity you, Mr Zia,’ Ahmar said.
‘What?’ Zia hissed.
‘I can see that your plan has failed miserably,’ Ahmar said with a smirk.
Zia cringed.
‘Before telling me anything, ask your daughter to forget me or back out. Can you do that? If she agrees, I’ll never speak to her again,’ Ahmar said.
‘Oh, shut up,’ Zia retorted. ‘She’ll forget you as soon as she gets married to Haroon. Now get the hell out of here, or I’ll be forced to ask my guards to throw you out.’
Ahmar’s heart pounded hard in his chest and his face burnt with rage. His cell phone buzzed as he made his way out. It was Zarish. He did not know what to do. He was still holding the phone in his hand, thinking what to do, when he came face to face with Zarina. She looked at him helplessly. He gave her a weak smile and walked out.
Just outside the front gate, he bumped into Haroon.
‘What are you doing here?’ Haroon asked agitatedly.
‘Nothing,’ Ahmar replied as he opened the car door. He certainly did not want to talk to Haroon at this point.
‘Hey, you! Listen to me,’ Haroon said, grabbing Ahmar’s arm. ‘You don’t deserve Zarish as she is too good for you,’ Haroon said.
Anger clouded Ahmar’s face as he tried to free his arm from Haroon’s grip.
‘Haroon,’ he said, ‘I’m in no mood to argue with you. It’s my private matter so please stay out of it.’
‘Zarish is mine. She’s always been mine. Everyone knows it. How could you remain oblivious to our relationship?’ Haroon asked, flaring up.
Ahmar shot him a cold look.
‘She has always loved me. Always. What she shares with you is momentary and unimportant. So get out of my Zarish’s life.’
‘I said I’m in no mood to talk to you. Get out of my way and let me go,’ Ahmar said, pushing Haroon.
‘You bloody professor!’ Haroon said as he shoved Ahmar against the bonnet.
‘Stop it, Haroon!’ Ahmar screamed.
‘You should be ashamed of yourself for getting involved with a student. You piece of shit!’ Haroon said and punched him in his face. Ahmar lost consciousness and fell flat on his face. Blood oozed out from his nose. Haroon picked him up, put him in his car and asked his driver to take him to the hospital.
Haroon told Zia the whole story of how he had beaten up Ahmar. However, Zia was still not satisfied. He knew Ahmar was stubborn and wouldn’t give up so easily. He discussed his next plan with Haroon.
Zarina didn’t know Zia had invited Ahmar to their house. After Haroon left, she went to talk to her husband in the living room.
‘What happened?’ Zia asked, lighting a cigarette.
‘Why was Ahmar Muraad here? Did you call him?’ she asked.
‘Yes, I did,’ he said, blowing a cloud of smoke.
‘Have you agreed to their relationship?’ she asked.
‘What do you think?’ he asked, looking at her.
‘Zia Sahib, you have given your consent to Zarish.’
‘Are you happy with my decision?’ he asked.
‘I want my daughter to be happy,’ she said. ‘He seems like a fine gentleman. He really loves our daughter. I could see that in his eyes.’
‘Oh, shut up, Zarina! What’s wrong with you? Do you think she will be happy him? His father lost everything to me. They have nothing,’ he said.
Just then, Zarish reached home.
‘Answer me, Zarina?’ Zia asked.
Her father’s urgent and worried voice made Zarish stop. She leaned closer to the door to hear what they were discussing.
‘Ahmar doesn’t d
eserve her. They will do everything to make her life miserable,’ Zia said.
‘You think I want to spoil my own daughter’s life?’ Zia asked again.
Zarish stood near the door, puzzled.
‘What do you mean?’ Zarina inquired.
‘I will never agree to this!’
‘Then why did you lie to her?’ she asked.
‘Just to calm her down for some time.’
Then Zia recounted his meeting with Ahmar, and how he had insulted him and thrown him out of the house. Zarish couldn’t believe her own father had tricked her, betrayed her. She sat down near the door and burst out crying.
‘So, this is the reason why Ahmar was not answering my calls,’ she thought.
‘Oh god, where are you, Ahmar?’
Zia took out his cell phone from his pocket and dialled a number.
‘Hello, Faris Ahmed Sahib! How are you?’ Zia asked. ‘I need a favour from you.’
‘I want you to fire Ahmar Muraad from the university. Make sure he doesn’t get a job anywhere else. Slap a case on him and throw him out. I want his career and life to be ruined!’
‘But Zia Sahib, I cannot fire Ahmar without speaking to Muraad. Also, we were planning to send him to Canada,’ Faris said.
‘Just make sure he leaves the country. I hope you won’t disappoint me,’ Zia said.
‘I’ll see what I can do, Zia Sahib.’
‘Thanks,’ Zia said.
Zarish, who was still standing near the door, let out a blood-curdling scream when she heard her father speaking to Faris.
Zarina ran out to see what had happened. Zarish was about to faint but her mother broke her fall. Zia immediately hung up and came out to see what was wrong.
‘Zarru . . . Zarru beta . . . are you all right?’ Zarina asked with concern, holding her daughter’s arm.
‘What happened to her?’ Zia asked.
‘She has fainted. Please call the doctor!’ Zarina said.
Faris had no choice but to follow Zia’s orders as he donated a lot of money to the university. He called Muraad and told him that Ahmar was being sacked and his Canada posting had also been cancelled.
Muraad tried to ask Faris the reason for the decision but Faris didn’t say much. Muraad was not a fool; he knew Zia was behind this. He didn’t tell Ahmar as he was still in the hospital. Instead he decided to call Zarish.