شرر Sharar

Eighty-One

Behadd khayal rakha karo tum apna,
Meri aam si zindagi mein, bohot khas ho tum

**

Hua hai tujhse bicharhne ke baad yeh maloom
Ki tu nahi tha, tere sath ik duniya thi

•••

Two days- that's how long Hanan stayed away from Ayat. And it was a lot harder than he thought. He thought they weren't allowed to meet, but at least he will see her in the lawn or aangan, but how wrong he was. He can't even catch a glimpse of her in the aangan or lawn. Because she is not allowed to leave her house. His patience has drained off, but what can he do?

Yesterday, Shahzain told him to join office.

"Mummy, mujhe ek baat bataiye?" Khushnuma was in the kitchen when Hanan entered there and asked.

(Mummy, tell me one thing?)

Khushnuma hummed in response. She was frying pakoras, and her attention was solely on it.

"Yeh sara glow kya sirf dulhan ke liye important hota hai? Dulhe ki koi value nahi hoti?" Hanan went to stand beside her, leaning his back on the countertop, he crosses his arms over his chest and asked about their baised behaviour.

(Only bride is supposed to look beautiful on wedding? Groom have no value at all?)

"Kya hogaya?" Khushnuma didn't understand what he is trying to say.

(What happened?)

"Aur nahi toh kya, Ayat ko ek mahine pehle apne mayoon baitha diya ki dulhan hai, bahar jayegi toh nazar lag sakti hai, shadi ke din glow nahi ayega. Lekin mujhe toh papa office le ja rahe hain. Dulhe ka glow important nahi?" He was asking in a very serious tone, but Khushnuma burst into laughing.

(You made Ayat sit in the mayoon ceremony one month before the actual wedding because is she goes out, she can be influence by evil eyes, and she won't glow on the wedding. But papa told me to go office with him from tomorrow. So groom's glow doesn't matter?)

"Toh tumhe bhi mayoon baitha doon?" Feeding him a pakora, Khushnuma teased him.

(Do you want to sit for the mayoon ceremony too?)

"Ayat ke sath?" His eyes gleamed.

(With Ayat?)

"Hato, shareer, Ayat se nahi mil sakte tum samjhe." Laughing, she smacked his arm and told him.

(You impish boy, you can no meet Ayat understood?)

"Haan, agar office nahi jana toh main tumhare papa se baat kar lungi."

(Yes, if you don't want to go to office, I will talk to your father.)

"Nahi, main office mein hi theek hoon." Hanan joined his hands together. At least this way his mind will be too occupied to think about Ayat. This way he won't get impulse of barging into Azlan's house and meet Ayat.

(No, I'll go to office.)

"Marzi tumhari." Khushnuma shrugged her shoulders.

(As you wish.)

•••

Hanan was wrong, even in office, he was mostly lost in Ayat's thoughts. Kabir shook his head in disapproval manners and mutters something about being love sick, and Hanan scowl in return. It was easy for Kabir to say it, when he will return home, his wife would be there to greet him. But Hanan, he isn't even allowed to look at his wife's face.