Father of the Bride

Chapter 20: Bijli Strikes.

A crushing silence gripped the room. Khizar sank on the sofa with everyone surrounding him waiting for an answers. Mahnoor's abrupt exit left a question on everyone's lips.

"Mum, what happened?" Amirah asked watching her parents pale expression.

"I'm sorry Khizar." Nadiya sat beside him. "Me and my big mouth."

"No." He buried his face in his hands. "I lied. This is my mistake."

Amirah stepped back her stomach twisting in worry. "Oh no dad! Don't tell me auntie found out?" She guessed it. It was the only thing that pricked her conscience.

Khizar picked up his keys ready to follow Mahnoor but Nadiya stopped him. "Are you going after her?"

Khizar wasn't sure what to do. All he knew was he had to explain.

"Don't go after her. There is a reason Mahnoor left without saying a word. Ayaaz. She doesn't want him to know and if you go after her-" Nadiya's words trailed off the moment she met Amirah's narrow eyes engaged with fear. The lie could ultimately threaten the engagement.

"Dad?" Amirah's voice trembled.

"It's okay princess." He kissed her forehead. "This is my mess, I will deal with it." He had to assure Amirah even if he didn't believe it himself.

"Shall I talk to auntie and explain?" Amirah followed her dad to the doorstep.

"Leave it to me." He couldn't meet her eyes and left swiftly.

***

Ayaaz stood in the kitchen watching his mother kneeling on the cold tiled floor frantically scrubbing the inside of the kitchen unit. Beside her with saucepans, bowls, pans piled up in a heap. It was 8:45 p.m and on returning from Amirah's house she was in a sudden cleaning frenzy. He sensed the tension the second she left the house and throughout the journey. He watched helplessly as she sprayed the disinfectant scrubbing wildly with her yellow glove clad hands. In the corner of the kitchen Mahnoor pointed at Ayaaz's muddy football boots.

"How many times have I told you not to leave your muddy football trainers in the kitchen?" She yelled reaching our and throwing them at him. "Go clean them!"

Ayaaz dwarfed into that 7 year old boy watching his mum channel her pain through vigorous housework. Patiently, he would stand by taking everything in, in the off chance she would talk to him. It wasn't her shouting. It was the hurt in her scolding him. He was used to it. Ayaaz recalled the day he sat at the bottom of the steps playing with his toy fire engine listening to his mother's stifled sobs after his dad upset her and walked out. The second she shouted at him to clean his room or pick up his toys, he shot up the stairs to please her and make her happy. Sometimes, she would simply cry without speaking a word. Her eyes were red and puffy, she would hold her arms out to him and squeeze him in a tight hug shuddering with tears.

"Sorry Ammi (mum)" He whispered under his breath and bowed his head making his way upstairs with his muddy football boots.

Mahnoor sat on the cold tiles in the haunting silence. It wasn't Ayaaz's fault, so why was she shouting at him? She felt sick with guilt. Mahnoor stripped off her apron and her yellow gloves and grabbed her handbag and car keys. It was time to face the culprit.

***

Breaking the speed limit, driving through red lights with near misses with other cars, Mahnoor drove dangerously . Her hands shivered with rage, such rage that she never experienced before. She was going to oust him tonight.

When Mahnoor arrived at Raddison Tower, she parked her car diagonally taking two parking spaces in the rush. She slammed the door shut and stormed into the building. With her heart pounding against her rib cage, she punched the buttons on the lift and took a deep breath.