Bitter Sweet | ✓ (rewriting)

01 • wafat | وفات

•| death |•

•••
maut se kaisa darr
minto ka khel hai ,
aafat to zindagi hai
barson chala karti hai
•••

Darkness filled the sky as bleak grey clouds loomed above. The warm dusky red and pink hues long forgotten. Several young men cladded in the combat fatigues of their prided country carried out a body wrapped in white and green linen and placed it in the middle of the backyard.

Fidah Mahmoud sat frozen as her limbs lay stiff. The face of the lifeless body sharing uncanny resemblance to her own. The man who raised her was gone. Her Baba was gone. Forever.

The body was soon taken away to commence the namaz e janaza before letting people pay their last respects to the late Chief General Rashid Mahmoud.

A gut wrenching sob bubbled deep within from Fidah's chest as she heaved a deep breath putting her face in between her palms. Her body shook mercilessly, not being able to see her old man go away like this.

Slow murmurs echoed in the background as the ladies peered looking over at the young girl who was now an orphan. Some glanced down with pity while some with wretchedness.

"I tell you, the girl is a curse. First her mother died while giving birth to her and now her poor father has met the same fate."

"Poor girl. Lawaarish hai ab wo. Kya hoga iska."

(She's an orphan now, What will happen of her?)

"Badnaseeb hai wo. Balaa jaisa naseeb. Bus barbaadi hi laati hai aisi ladkiyan."

(She's bad luck. She has the luck of a bad omen. Such girls only bring destruction.)

"Na koi waali, na koi bhai. Tauba hai ye akeli bacchi ka kya hoga?"

(No guardian, no brother. God forbid, what will happen of this lonely girl?)

All the inconsiderate canards were soon repressed when Reem Bakhtiyar finally spoke, coming to her beloved bestfriend's rescue.

"Have you all not got an ounce of shame?! Rashid Uncle hasn't even been buried yet and here you are exploiting and gossiping about his daughter. Kuch to khuda ka khuda ka khauf karlein aap sab." The young woman snarled glaring daggers at everyone present in the room as she grabbed her bestfriend by the shoulders who was now an inconsolable mess.

"Rushna Bee, please escort these ladies out of our premises. We must not entertain such fazool auratein to make a mockery out of a man's funeral who died fighting for our country." Saying this Reem walked out with Fidah clutched in her arms, leaving behind a room full of flabbergasted and embarrassed gossip mongers.

But the damage was already done. The bullet had already been fired and it certainly hadn't missed it's mark. Fidah had heard each and every sordid word that had left their mouths. The harsh truth of her existence hitting every insecure nerve in her body.

A breathless whimper left from within her quivering lips and huge bloated tears dripped down her already tumescent face. Reem wrapped her arms around her bestfriend's wobbling frame protectively and guided her inside, her own eyes brimming with unshed tears.

"Shh, meri jaan." Reem said, her voice filled with pain as she made Fidah sit on her bed, trying to console her.

Fidah made no attempt to calm herself down as she stared into space, mewling at this point. Reem slowly made Fidah lie down in her lap as she looked at her friend in helplessness.