A Truthful Game Of Destiny - I

"Be fast, we have a lot of things to do ..you seem to be so relaxed. Rukhsar Begum chided the persons working in her house. With happiness on her face and sadness in her eyes, she got engrossed in her work. The deep blue dupatta had almost fallen on the ground due to the wind. Her spirited command was no match for the white hairs and wrinkles on her face." 

"Hi, Begum, nice to see you here.We had been searching for you so long."Someone told Rukhsar in a loving voice..

"Everyone wants me today but where to go? Whom should I attend.?" In an anguished tone, Rukhsar replied.

"OK, Even if you do not listen to others, will you not listen to your husband ?", Hamid Saheb told smilingly.

Hamid and Rukhsar were tied up as a loving pair for the last twenty-five years. They maintained a relationship with all tenderness and wished for the same cordial relationship for their only daughter, whose Nikah was to take place tomorrow.

"Fathima was sad, so she wanted to talk to both of us", said Rukhsar.

 "You should have told this to me before.....Today we shall hear her first before doing any other work" said Hamid Saheb."This is the marriage of your daughter Begum, and what you do is not right".

"What have I done?' asked Rukhsar.

  

"If you stand like this in your bridal dress, I may have to decide to do Nikah for the second time," Hamid told jokingly.

 "You are a smart speaker. At this auspicious moment let us not talk like this". Rukhsar told blushingly.

"How does it matter, if only I praise my Begum a bit. It is not a crime."Hamid Saheb clarified.

"Enough is enough. You wanted an excuse to tease me. Probably you have not noticed that we have become old".Rukhsar said, placing her dupatta on her head."Your daughter remembers you. So please go".Saying this Rukhsar left smilingly to attend the guests and Hamid Saheb proceeded to the room of his daughter.

Hamid and Rukhsar had started this relationship twenty-five years ago. It was an arranged marriage but still, their love is discernible from their affectionate words.

"Abbu, please come, "said Fathima covering her head with the dupatta. and asked hesitatingly" Where is Ammi?"

"She is just about to come"replied Abbu and sat on a chair close by. In a shining yellow dress, with henna tattoo in her hands, she sat looking like a bride. " Why did you call us both on this day?" Anything special? asked Hamid.

"Yes, Abbu, let us wait for mother to come" saying this she paused. Her face had some anxiety. She was a bride, no doubt, but had a little sadness. Her eyes depicted a different picture.

 

"Hi Fatima, what happened. You have surprisingly called both of us together" Rukhsar asked as she entered the room.

 "Yes, I just wanted to talk to both of you," Fatima told with a heavy heart. "But what is the matter?" Hamid Saheb asked looking at the face of Rukhsar. The moment Hamid Saheb asked this, tears came into the eyes of Fatima which fell on her dupatta, like dew drops falling on petals of flowers"

 

"Before the marriage, I wanted to spend time talking with you together," Fatima told in a shaking voice. Rukhsar became happy to hears those words of Fathima and thanked Allah. For a long time, Fatima could not get time to talk to Abbu and Ammi. Recollections of the past brought sweet memories making them happy or sad. Old memories are strange as some good ones bring tears while the bad ones bring smile illuminating our faces and gladdening our hearts.

 

"How fast the days have passed, Rukhsar.Our little fairy once walked holding our hands which appears to have happened only recently. Hamid Saheb showed the photographs of the days when Fatima was learning to stand for the first time.

 "Today she is about to leave us and move forward," Rukhsar told with sarcasm.

 " Please don't worry. I shall not leave both of you alone. I shall be with you always". Fathima told with conviction.

 

Frankly speaking had there been no practice of seeing off daughters, after marriage, we could have kept her with us" Hamid Saheb told hiding the tears in his eyes.

 Just then the phone of Hamid Saheb started ringing and he left the place talking. Silence prevailed all around..Fatima lifted her face for a moment and then bowed down hesitatingly. Rukhsar placed her hand on Fatima's head and moved towards the door.

 

"Ammi, did you think that I was about to tell the same thing to Abbu? Fatima asked her in a low tone.

 "Yes, I had a little fear while coming", Rukhsar told in a dry tone.

 " Ammi, you don't worry. I shall try not to do that mistake..Have confidence in me," said Fatima.

 

"I believed so".....said Rukhsar and stopped. Fatima had no other alternative than to keep quiet. Rukhsar remained silence for a while and moved out. Once again she had tears in her eyes but tried to hide them. After Abbu and Ammu had left, Fatima closed her room and took a long breath..She opened her almirah and touched her clothes. Her eyes glittered as if some old treasure had come out of a deep cave. Fatima took out a blue chunari which had a lot of flowers. She embraced that chunari when a few drops of tears fell on it bringing her old dreams back which had faded away yet keeping her hopes in tact. She sat quietly with the chunari, drowning in her thoughts of faded hopes with their sweet fragrance. 

 

" Why so late. Will anyone be so late?" asked Fatima. Ezaz was standing in front. His deep love for Fatima was clearly seen in his dark shining eyes. Being simple he moulded himself in a way to be the cause for the smile and happiness for Fatima".

 "Oh, Fatima how many times did I tell you to keep patience, but still...." Ezaz reiterated his words.. 

 

" When you go out somewhere, I get hit by the fear of loneliness ..after all the mistake is yours."Fatima told in a complaining note." "Where is my mistake? Please tell me madam" said Ezaz. 

 "The mistake is that you go out from the rear without telling me. Don't you know it?"

Ezaz kept his hands on the lips of Fatima and said," If you become upset when I leave, it means that you have not learnt to be alone".

The words of Ezaz soothed the heart of Fatima." But where did you go?"

  

"Come with me" . Ezaz called Fatima, holding her hands and took her to the nearby fountain." Please close your eyes"

 "Why? Do you have any plan to leave me alone and go somewhere."

 " Come on, close your eyes Don't you have faith in me?"

  "More than myself," said Fatima, looking at the eyes of Ezaz. Ezaz gave her a deep blue colored Chunari, and said, "Whenever you think of me, please wrap this Chunari and I will be there before you smiling.

“सच!”

 

"Is It?"

 " Only when you think of me with full faith "

 "But why should I think of you?" Fatima asked teasingly.

 

"So, Don't you think of me?" asked Ezaz with a sad face.

" We think of those whom we have forgotten and I never forget you even for a moment."

 

 Both of them started laughing, looking at each other." I will never forget you Ezaz" She removed the chunari, stood before a mirror gaining confidence and wore the chunari again. She felt as though Ezaz was looking at her.

 

 Life had taken a new turn today. Even after getting something, I have lost it. Alas, I could turn the direction of the wind to smile with you once again.

 

Fatima wiped off her tears and kept the chunari back in its place. Just then Fatima gets a call. She looks at the number and gets a little disturbed. With a little courage, she lifted the phone and said salaam in a mild tone.

"Did you remember me?" the voice of Ezaz came from the other side. Almost six months later she had heard his voice and could not contain her tears.

In a shivering voice, she replied." I am familiar with all your mannerisms."Why did you call me when we had promised not to meet each other. Fatima became calm, " If only my mother had come to know of this."

  

"Fear not. Your family members may not get embarrassed due to me. Even if I call, your Ammi may not come to know of that. She does not know even my name." With these assurances of Ezaz, Fatima lost in her thoughts.

 

"Ammi, please listen to me once" Fatima insisted. 

" No, Neither I want to hear you, nor him," Ammi told Fatima in a scolding voice.

 " But Ammi, he....."

 

"Stop, I do not want to talk any more.....How angry your father may be if he hears about it. Fatima , we gave you freedom so that you may study and progress further. But you have given this in return for granting freedom". said Ammi”

 "Ammi, I like him. You wanted me to inform you if I had a liking for someone".

 "But you did not tell me. Instead, you lied. You were with him for six months. Did you not kept us in dark".

 

"Ammi, I wanted to tell you but did not have the courage. He wanted to get a good job and then....."

 

"I will not like to hear from you anymore. You have delayed in informing us. Your Abbu has fixed up a boy for you. If he comes to know about your affairs, he will lose faith in you."

"But Ammi, You may consider it once .....

 "Fatima, your Abbu has almost given a nod to this relation. If he breaks it may affect our prestige."

 "But Ammi once you talk....."

 

"Neither I want to talk to him nor I would like to know his name. It may be better if you try to forget him. Remember, with time, everything gets changed." Saying this, Rukhsar moved out of that place. Fatima could not be successful in convincing Ammi.

 

"With time everything changes Ammi, but once the like changes to love it becomes difficult." Fatima cried sitting on the floor.

 At last Fatima came to reconcile with the eventuality. She wiped off her tears and prepared to face reality.

"Don't shed tears for whatever has happened. Perhaps some things are not written in our destiny.".Ezaz emboldened her with these words.

 

"Why did you call me? I do not want to talk to you " Fatima said expressing her anger.

 "Why did you lift the phone when you did not want to talk to me"

 Fatima's silence was deeply felt by Ezaz. He asked, " Would you like to meet me for the last time".

  

Fatima gave a blunt reply, "No"

 "OK, I will not force you. But in case your mind changes in the meanwhile, you may consider meeting me at Mazar.

"Why do you say that ?"

 

 "Before starting our new life, I would like to see you once for the last time. Yes, for the last time.........Promise" 

 

Without giving any reply Fatima disconnected the phone. Ezaz had a slight inkling that she would definitely accept his wish. Fatima was clear in her conscience but her mind did not allow. She took out her burqa and called her sister and said, "Please fetch Phuphi ( paternal aunt)"

END OF PART I ( To be continued )

A Truthful Game of Destiny - SANA_KHAN