TereBin 2

Meerub is also a Khan !

Later at night when the wedding was over, and the invited guests had left the event, Maa Begum (MB) asked Murtasim to call Meerub and Anwar Chacha to her chambers.

The house was full of guests who were staying for the wedding, and she didn't want anyone to listen to their conversation. Meerub had already retired to the room to put Meesam to sleep.

It had been a long day for them; first, they flew from Islamabad, then they traveled by road from Karachi to Hyderabad, and now this wedding. Not just Meesam, but Meerub herself was very tired. With Haya's burden lifted from her chest, she felt so relaxed that while putting Meesam to sleep, she also dozed off beside her.

Murtasim entered their room, the sight he witnessed was priceless. Meesam was sleeping in the middle of the bed, and Meerub was sleeping in the same clothes she was wearing at the wedding, next to her. Her head was in a very odd position, her hand was on Meesam, and her body was curled up like she was feeling cold.

Murtasim slowly, without making any sound, walked beside the bed, and stood there, looking at them with teary eyes. He still couldn't believe that not only was Meerub back, but they also had a daughter.

He carefully tried to shift Meerub's head into a more comfortable position, but the slight movement woke Meerub up. Murtasim froze, remembering how she would react seeing him this close to her. But to his astonishment, Meerub looked into his eyes and smiled with groggy eyes.

Meerub could not understand what was happening, whether it was reality or her dream.

The very familiar surroundings that she had always seen in her dreams, Murtasim around her, sometimes watching, sometimes pushing her hair back, and many times she had dreamt of that night of passion they spent on this very bed.

So, as she opened her eyes and saw Murtasim so close to her, she could not understand the situation immediately. But as she regained consciousness, her smile faded, and she got up to sit. Murtasim also moved back but kept standing there, looking at them.

She asked him without looking at him, "Kya hai?" (What is it?)

Murtasim: Maa Begum wants to talk to you, but if you are tired, I will tell her, and we can talk tomorrow.

Meerub: No, it's okay, I will come, but Meesam is sleeping here.

Murtasim: Feena will sit with her.

Meerub agreed, and they both walked together to Maa Begum's chambers. There, MB was sitting with Anwar Chacha, waiting for them. Meerub deliberately took a single sofa facing everyone. She was not the old Meerub who would give in to this family in the name of their customs and Reevaj; she was Advocate Meerub W. Ahmed.

MB: Mujhe nahi pata kyun tum yeh ghar chhod kar gayi thi. Murtasim ne hamesha kaha tha ke yeh tumhara aur uska maamla hai, is liye main aaj bhi nahi poochon gee, magar mujhe ye zaroor jaanna hai ke tum ne humari beti ke bare mein hamein kyun nahi bataya. (I don't know why you left this house. Murtasim always said that it was the matter between you two, and that's why I won't ask today either, but I want to know why you didn't tell us about our daughter.)

There was an uncomfortable silence in the room; Meerub was looking at her hands, and everyone Anwar, MB, and Murtasim were looking at her. (Murtasim's eyes were just absorbing her, he did not care for any questions that MB had to ask Meerub, for him, his Meerub was there)

Meerub looked up, holding her head straight but respectfully avoiding direct eye contact with MB, she replied.

Meerub: I was angry! Everything was taken from me—my dreams, my freedom, and my friends. For the first time in my life, I took a decision on my own, and I wanted to stick to it. If I had told Murtasim that I was expecting his baby, he would have brought me back, and my life would have become the same. It's not that I am not sorry for keeping Meesam away from you all, but honestly, Maa Begum, the way I was treated after Mariam's incident, I was sure I am not a daughter of this house! I am no one, I have no one. No parents, no relatives, no one to say "Mine."