Zindagi Gulzar hai - Life is a Flower Garden

21 July - Zaroon

Hiii I'm so definitely sorry for being so so so late in writing this chapter but seriously, college just started and I have been busy as hell. Well SORRY again and I'll just stop bothering you and start with the chapter.

I met Asmarah after 5-6 years today. We were at a dinner and I saw her. She is beautiful as always, actually she seems even more glamorous and attractive than before. She was standing beside Kashaf when I went to her and she was extremely shocked when she learned of our relationship. And when Kashaf went away, she said to me, "So she was your choice?! If you loved her and wanted to marry her, then why did you put up that act in college?"

I smiled at her words. "No, it wasn't an act. I fell in love with her, many years after college"

She said in a strange tone, "How was I lacking? Is she more beautiful? Is she richer than me? Is she more intelligent? Why did you reject me?"

"No Asmarah, you don't have any faults and neither did you have them before. You are very beautiful and you have many amazing qualities. Its just that, I don't need those qualities. No doubt, you are more beautiful than her, but because of her, my home and my sons are beautiful."

"Don't try to be philosophical or mellow me with pretty words." She cute me off sharply, I smiled.

"Okay fine, I'll use easier words to make you understand. You have come here with your husband. Tell me, how much time did it take to ready yourself and your husband?"

She spoke a bit awkwardly. "It took me quite some time to get ready but my husband is not  child who I have to help in getting dressed. He can manage everything by himself."

"I'm not a child either, but before coming here, Kashaf knotted my tie with her own hands. She was the one who selected the handkerchief to go with my coat. I have a long line of servants but the shoes I am wearing were polished by my wife. Before coming here, she helped my elder son with his homework and fed the younger one herself even though I have a governess appointed for him. Then she dressed herself, and just look at her, does she even look like she did all that before coming here? And it doesn't finish here. After going home, she will get my night suit out, give me a glass of milk, and prepare everything for me to go to office tomorrow. She will check my briefcase and then she will sleep. And she always wakes up before I do."

"I would have done all of this if you had asked me to." Her tone did not soften at all.

"I never told her to do any of that but she still does all that for me. And if I even had 1% belief that you, or any other girl from my society could do that, I would never have married Kashaf."

"Even if she does all that, what's so great about it? She's  a housewife, she has no social life. If she didn't work, then what would she do?"

 This time I started laughing. "She's not a housewife. Maybe she didn't tell you, but she's an AC, IPS officer. Presently she's working in the Establishment Division."

She fell silent and lowered her gaze. Then she added after a few moments, "I still think there is nothing that special about her which made you marry her."

I thought it useless to say anything more and changed the topic. So I said, "Yaar< we have met after such a long time, so I won't say anything. Lets leave the topic of Kashaf and you can introduce me to your husband."

I can never make her understand that Kashaf is a very special person. She is like a luxury for me. At first, I only loved her and now I'm impressed with her. No other woman can do what she has done for me. Kashaf changed herself for me and if I had married Asmarah, she would have tried to change me. The result? Separation after a few months because I wouldn't listen to her and she wouldn't listen to me. Asmarah is also the diplomat of a wife but looking at her, everyone's hearts beat the same. Kashaf is nothing in front of her, but at least people respect her. They don't look at her with wrong intentions and that's all good because I don't like such things. Because it could have been possible that just as Asmarah asked me such questions even when her husband was present in the dinner, if I had married one of the girls of my society, she would have had such conversations with an old friend with me not knowing at all.

 When we were on the way home, I was continuously thinking about Asmarah. Kashaf asked, "Zaroon, what are you thinking?"

"If I tell you, will you be upset?" She shook her head in the negative.

"Asmarah said to me that there's nothing special in you that I married you and I said she was right. I made a mistake." I teased her, but she smiled.

"I know you wouldn't say anything like that."

"You have that much confidence in me?"

She smiled, "If I didn't, I wouldn't be here today."

At her words, I remembered something she had said to me many years ago. I had asked, "Kashaf, how about I take a second wife?"

She had said with cold indifference, "You won't be the first or the last man in the world to do that. Men do that all the time. And I don't trust you anyway, so I wouldn't care."

She used to say things like that before and now look at her. Kashaf is so strange. Always keeps on surprising me. She always seems like a mystery to me which cannot be solved. Even after so many years I don't know her completely, and maybe I never will. She has many layers and she never comes out fully in the open, maybe its her mystery that has me enthralled. She is so strong. Till today I have never seen her at a weak moment. Maybe she doesn't have a weak point, and if she does, maybe I will never see it just like everyone else. I share everything with her, be it an office-related problem or a personal one.

She remains aware about everything concerning me but never shares any of her problems with me. But I still like her because I am enjoying my life, and maybe, that's what life is. I love this life because God has given me a beautiful home.