"I don't blame you Yusuf, galti meri hai, I was the selfish one who wanted someone to take care of my husband when I'm not there , for him to have someone who holds him when he grieves, someone who will love him when I'm gone, it's me, my selfishness, why are you sorry. I am sorry, I'm sorry that I took your chance away at love, I'm sorry I took away your chance at happiness." She said, a lone tear rolled down her pale cheeks.
"Someone told me ki kabhi kabhi Allah miya ki marzi aapki marzi nahi hoti, toh shayad meri marzi rabb ki marzi nahi." (Sometimes what you want is not what god wants.)
"Does she know ?" Hooriya asked.
"If she did, she wouldn't ever see my face." Yusuf said with a sad smile.
Hooriya looked at him sorrowfully, she knew the pain he felt, she was well versed with it.
There was a knock on the door and then the door gently opened making the squealing noise yet again
Alia walked in wearing her white coat and her stethoscope around her neck. She looked frazzled, her hair were sticking out in every direction and she looked sleep deprived.
"Assalam Walekum both of you." She greeted with. Bright smile contrary to how she looked.
"You look dead." Yusuf let out chuckle.
"I feel dead." Alia rolled her eyes and took a seat beside Yusuf on another stool.
"How are you feeling Hooriya ?" Alia asked looking at her patient.
"Better than I look." She said with a smile.
"Well that's great, considering you look absolutely gorgeous, then it's good to you know feel top of world." Alia said holding Hooriya's hand.
"Both of you are such idiots." Hooriya let out a small laugh.
"Yusuf, I'm heading home. Can I have a word with you before that?" She said and Yusuf nodded getting up from the stool.
"I'll see you at night when I'm back." Alia smiled at Hooriya and followed Yusuf who was already out of the room.
"Let's talk in my cabin." Alia said guiding Yusuf towards the other end of the floor.
They entered Alia's cabin which was much similar to Yusuf's back in Lahore.
Alia sat behind her desk on her chair and Yusuf occupied one of the chairs kept in front.
"Hi alia." Yusuf said giving her a cheeky smile.
"Yusuf." Alia smiled back.
"Everything okay ?"
"Well I don't know." She said looking her intertwined fingers on the table. "I had a word with the HOD." She said looking up to meet his expectant eyes. "He said that the 3% chance I gave you was a long shot, the cancer has metastasised, it's all inside her everywhere." She said seeing Yusuf's face ashen. "We have corrected her chemo course and the radiation therapy will just add to her limited days."
Yusuf felt his heart break, life was unfair, it was cruelest to the kindest of hearts.
"How.. How long ?" Yusuf asked her.
"A month, two if she is lucky." She replied. "I'm so sorry Yusuf, but it's for the best, you can't imagine the pain she is in right now."
"No I can't." He said and walked out of her cabin.
Yusuf and Arham had a lot of vices as they had always stayed away from home and their mulk (country), when they decided to settle back in Pakistan they had decided to leave their 'western lifestyle' behind.
But today like the charity ball was an exception, Yusuf wanted to vent out his pain and frustration.
YOU ARE READING
Meher •completed•
General Fiction•completed• When I was six, Baba had got me my first doll. I vividly remember her, my best friend. I had named her Sameera, she had huge eyes and wore a red bridal outfit, I would play with her all the time and one day I wed her off, wed her to anot...
