Kashmakash

Part 9

Mobeen handed the bottle of oil to his mother and settled on the floor in front of her. Inayat smiled at her son and began massaging his head.

'Ammi, main kuch soch raha tha. Agar aapko theek naa lage to bol dena' Mobeen spoke, and his tone carried a sense of seriousness.

Inayat sensed the gravity in his voice and asked, 'Kuch hua hai kya Mobeen? Pareshan lag rahe ho'

'Nahi aami koi pareshani nahi hai; main bas Naaziya ke baare mein soch raha tha. Ab uska college khatm ho gaya hai, uska nikkah ho jayega kuch din mein'

'Tu kyu soch raha hai ye sab; behen ke jaane ka darr hai'

'Haan wo bhi hai aur ye bhi darr hai pata nahi kaisa ladka hoga'

In response, she chuckled and said, 'Itna pareshan mat ho abhi to kuch dhunda bhi nahi aur tum ghabra rahe ho; Yakeen mano tumhare Abbu sahi khandaan hi dhundenge'

'Ammi, hum bahar kyu dhunde; ghar mein nahi kar sakte?'

Inayat's hands stopped for a moment, and a faint frown appeared on her face, 'Kehna kya chah rahe ho. Saaf saaf bolo. Kuch hai kya jo Naaz ne chupaya hai?'

Mobeen looked at his mother with a start, 'Nahi, kuch nahi hai. But mujhe lagta hai Hayder bhai aache rahenge Naaz ke liye'

Mobeen grew tense as Inayat stared back at him with an expressionless face. "Ammi," he called out anxiously. She jerked slightly, appearing confused, but then smiled; making him take sigh of relief. 'Mujhe to aacha laga tera khayal. Naaziya ka kya; usko pasand hai?' Mobeen nodded his head vehemently 'Wo dono ek doosre ko pasand karte hai?' she asked shocked.

'Arey nahi, bas Naaz pasand karti hai. Bhai ka pata nahi' Mobeen said with bright smile. Inayat affectionately patted his cheek 'Chalo, main aaj tumhare Abbu se baat karti hu'

*****

In Agha Jaan's room, all the elders were seated when Hyder entered.

'Apne bulaya, Agha Jaan?', he said, glancing questioningly at his mother, Salma.

'Hyder, hum ghuma phira ke baat nahi karenge. Hum chahte hai ki aap nikkah kar le, humne aapke liye koi pasand hai aur uske liye aapki rai janna chahte hai' Agha Jaan declared.

Hyder was shocked to the core. He had struggled to convince his family years ago about his decision never to marry. He looked at his mother in horror and stammered, 'Par Agha Jaan, mujhe nikkah nahi karna. Main tayar nahi hu'

'Koi wajah to hogi?'

'Main ready nahi hu' He replied looking down.

'Hum to aapko sabse bada samjhte hai; aapse aisi nasamjhi ki Umeed nahi hai. Humne ye ladki bahut pasand hai aur humko yakeen hai aap bhi mana nahi karenge'

'Par Agha Ja...'

'Humne apke liye Naaziya pasand hai'

'Naaziya...NAAZ. Aap log kaisi baatein kar rahe hai. I don't think I can remain sane here.'

In a fit of anger, he stormed away, disregarding the pleas of both his mother and grandparent. Unbeknownst to him, Naaziya and the gang had sought refuge behind a nearby pillar, eavesdropping on the elders' conversation. As Hayder's words reached Naaziya's ears, her heart sank, and she found herself unable to bear the weight of his reply. Silently, she turned away, her emotions in turmoil, and retreated to her room.

Zain, concerned for Naaziya, attempted to intervene, and offer consolation. However, Mobeen placed a gentle hand on Zain's shoulder, signalling him to hold back. He understood that Naaziya needed time alone to gather her thoughts before confronting others about what had transpired.

Closing the door behind her, she slumped to the floor, drawing her knees close to her chest. Resting her head on her knees, tears streamed down her cheeks. The image of his angry face as he stormed out of Agha Jaan's room kept haunting her. She had always believed there was love in his eyes, but now she questioned if it had all been her delusion or if he had been pretending all along. She was hurt, angry and somewhere ashamed too; how will she face him now. Exhausted by the heartache, she sought refuge in sleep, hoping to escape the nightmarish reality even if only for a while.