Chapter No 3

It was the fourth day of her grandmother's funeral. She was feeling empty.

Eliza hugged her and was mollifying her.

Imran was looking around, poker-faced. He spent his whole life in this house. Mehtaab has always treated him as her own son. A tear fell from his eye.

“Pack your things,” he said in a whisper. She looked up at him. “But uncle.” she tried to say something, but he was abrupt.

“There is no reason now to live here, Saliha,” he said. He could sense the greed of members of this house.

Eliza helped her with packing.

She looked at her room for the last time.

“I know it is hurting,” said Eliza, and she hugged her. They went out of the room.

“Where are you going?” asked Junaid.

“She is going to her in-laws,” said Imran, expressionlessly.

“Are you serious? We have not performed any proper rituals,” said Junaid.

“Well, the main ritual we need for the wedding was already done four years ago,” said Imran.

“Junaid, let them take her, we cannot take responsibility for a young girl in our house, you know her mother’s background.” Rukhsana was about to complete her sentence when Imran growled.

“Don’t you dare bad mouth about her, no words for her” he screamed angrily.

Even Junaid was quiet. Eliza walked ahead and placed her hand on his shoulder.

He looked at her and then at Saliha, who was looking at them confused.

He bit his lower lip.

“Come on,” said Eliza.

They walked ahead with Saliha.

“Huh, now who will believe, if her mother was this chaste, she would not have trapped two men at the same time,” said Rukhsana, annoyed.

Saliha stops while Eliza pushes her to move. There was an evil smile on Rukhsana’s face.

Imran turned and walked towards her.

“Imran,” Eliza had called his name, but he did not stop.

She walked towards him and stood between him and Rukhsana.

“Imran, please, she is listening, she is here,” Eliza said, while pointing at Saliha, who was looking at them confused.

“Enough, Rukhsana,” she said and turned towards Saliha and took her out to the car.

*************

After two hours, it was the first time she had been out of her village. She looked out of the window, it was already evening.

“You are going to like this city,” said Imran while driving. She smiled. “Of course, she will, we will do a lot of things,” said Eliza.

“Let me guess already, shopping. Oh, thank God, now I don’t have to spend hours walking in a shopping mall,” said Imran, smiling.

Eliza gave him a sigh.

“Fine, I will take her instead, we will have fun without you,” said Eliza. He chuckled.

Saliha was listening to them, but she was feeling anxious. Her heart was beating a bit fast. A very unknown kind of fear was hitting her. Wait, fear? Not exactly, it was nervousness.

Eliza’s phone rang. She answered the call. She looked slightly annoyed.

“What? Where the hell are you going? No, come back home, you are not going anywhere today,” she said.

Imran has starched his head. The environment suddenly turned slightly tense. Someone was speaking from the other side of the phone and hung up instantly. She stared at the phone angrily.

“No, where is he going? Let me guess something new. I have told you we have to keep an eye on him,” said Imran, annoyed.

She was looking at them confused. Eliza had felt her uneasiness.

“Hey, Saliha, do you want to eat something? Tell me, I will cook something you love,” said Eliza, in order to change the topic.

Saliha smiled.

“Anyway, I will eat anything,” she said.

“There will be something you love, my dear,” said Imran.

“When I was home, I never told anyone to make something I love to eat because it would have created a drama,” said Saliha. He felt pain in her voice.

“Don’t worry, now, you will,” said Eliza, smiling. She smiled in return.

***********

They reached home. It was the longest journey of her life. She looked around the house. It was a wonderful house and even bigger than her previous house. Her previous one was not small either. It was a huge mansion, but it was slightly bigger than that one with a lot of new decorations.

“Have you liked your house?” asked Eliza, smiling. “It is beautiful,” she said.

“Thank God, you liked it or else I thought you were going to be so choosy just like Roman. You know, when we came here after my official transfer, he created a tantrum,” said Imran.

She felt her heart rush at his name.

“Eliza, show her room, she needs to get fresh,” said Imran. Eliza nods and takes her upstairs.

************

She was staying there for a week and for one week, Eliza had not left her alone. She took her to the mall where she had never been before. It was all new to her. She was enjoying it.

It was dinner time. Eliza had made kheer and chicken Kari. She made something new daily and here Saliha discovered that she liked kheer. In her previous house, her aunt never let her eat kheer. She always eats something that her grandma eats and her grandma can not eat sweets because of her diabetes.

“How is it?” asked Eliza while she took a spoon. “It’s delicious,” she said.

Imran took a deep breath.

“Lucky you or else she used to pour salt on a sweet dish,” he said, mischievously.

“Oh come on, I was a beginner,” she said, angrily.

“Yeah, you used to pamper the daughter of General Hamad, you never learned how to cook,” he said while winking at her.

“Then how did you learn?” asked Saliha.

“Your uncle taught me,” she said, smiling.

Saliha looked at him instantly as if she was really asking? He smiled.

“Where did you learn it from?” she asked.

“Your mother, you taught me,” he said. For a second he had got lost. “I have also eaten your mother’s infamous potato Kari,” said Eliza, but

She knew her husband had lost it.

“I have never met her,” said Saliha, sadly.

“Oh, my dear, don’t be sad, I have a lot of photographs from our marriage,” said Eliza.

“Well, I was thinking…” said Imran. Both looked at him instantly.

“You should continue your studies,” said Imran. “Yeah, that’s a great idea,” said Eliza, happily.

“I finished my intermediate 1st year two months ago,” said Saliha.

“So what was your major?” asked Imran, interestingly. “Medical,” she said, both exchanging looks.

“So what career do you want to pursue?” asked Eliza, but in a manner as if she already knew.

“I wanted to become a doctor,” said Saliha, sadly. “But due to some circumstances…” She left her sentence incomplete.

“No, you will become a doctor. Be prepared, I will bring take form for your second year,” said Imran.

“But…” She tries to say something, but Eliza cuts her sentence in the middle.

“No buts, be ready in the morning, we have to bring a lot of stuff for your college,” she said.

*************

He was drinking beer, it was cold outside. He was on the hilltop of Hunza. He got up and walked towards the window. The snow was falling from the sky. His 6 abs were so appealing and visible that they could melt down every girl.

He took another sip of beer from the brown bottle he was holding. He was expressionless. A girl was sleeping in bed peacefully, but he was not feeling peace at all.

Roman Ali Gardezi, gets everything he wants. Girls, grades, popularity, this was all his life. He was staring at a mountain across the window. The white mountains were looking as cold as he was inside. He looked at the girl he had made out with an hour ago.

His phone beeped. He grabbed it from the table. It was a text from his mother. He rolled his eyes and threw the phone on the couch.

************