"I was on a goddamn vacation in this God-forsaken place. I never meant to get engaged to you. I never meant any of this to happen. You. Me. Us. None of it!"
That was Saira Malik's life in summary. Once a happy-go-lucky girl fantasized about two thin...
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The sound of car horns and motorbike beeps buzzes around me. Faraway in the distance, through the darkness and smoke, I see the traffic light turn green. And yet, the car in front refused to budge.
"Abey, andar so gaya kiya!" I exclaim to myself, eyes falling on the dashboard of the four-wheeler to check the time before focusing on the jam-packed road. It was five past nine at night on a weekday but the traffic said otherwise.
"Tuesday bhi kisi ko chain nahi hai." I muttered, slamming the heel of my palm into the steering wheel. "Shit!" My cellphone rings from the passenger seat. I bend sideways, reaching for the device, and grab it to see Imran's name appear on the screen.
"Where you at, bhaiya?" He inquired the first thing after I swipe right to answer.
"I'm on my way. The road is packed! Bumper-to-bumper jam hai."
"That is why I'd told you to leave the office early." I shut my eyes when Mummy's voice reached my ears.
"Mummy, what could I have--"
"You could have done many things today. Everything was in our control. You could've canceled all your meetings, taken a half-day leave, or even better, not stepped out of the house. You could've done all of this, but you didn't even try."
"Hafsa, araam se, bache ke jaan lete kiya?" I hear daddy coming to my rescue.
"Aap hi Fahad ko itni choot diyea, Maqsood. It's all your fault!"
"What have I done?" He demands.
"It's your workaholic genes he's got. I suffered all these years, and Saira is suffering today." I fall silent when she says the words I was dreading to hear. Growing up, I had very little of my father's role in my life. He was a government servant, devoting all his time to the office. I also saw Mummy spending time on her own almost every day. Sundays included.
Daddy was a hard-working man. Mummy called him a workaholic. As a teenager, I'd decided I won't walk in his footsteps and spend so much time away from family. But, alas, no one can defy their genes.
"Fahad, baba, Saira is not suffering at all. She's fine," Dismissing all of mummy's words, he does a fair job at reassuring me.
"Who says she's fine?! Did you see her face when she asked if Fahad was home or not? Itni choti hogai. God knows what's going on inside her mind."
"Mummy, aap aysa bolke aur zyada guilty feel kara re meko." I say honestly feeling the guilt weigh me down.
"Haan, to bete aapke kaam bhi to ayse hai na. Kiya karu main? Aakhir Ma hoon. Ghalti sudharna humara hi to kaam hai."
I blow a breath after we hang up shortly, resting my head on the headrest. My fingers drummed against my thigh in contemplation.
