A Midsummer Weekend (The Extended Version)

1. Saying Goodbye

"So? Our mothers were 19 and 20, respectively, when they got married"

"She just started medical college..."

"And?", my sister shrugged.

"I am leaving for the US in 3 weeks"

That finally paused her interrogation and she sighed, "Right, I forgot about that"

I knew she hadn't forgotten, she had just been ignoring the sadness that came with her brother, who hadn't left her side for 24 years, moving halfway across the world. Just as I had been ignoring my nervousness about the fact that I had never stepped foot outside the country before, and my first trip abroad was going to be a solo one to a far, far away city known for its rainy days and the gloom that sets in thereafter. I was moving to Seattle, Washington, to pursue a post-graduate degree in computer engineering. Something that I had been very enthusiastic about, despite my reservations about the move itself, till this weekend.

Now all I wished for was a little more time, to say a few more things to a certain woman. I knew she wasn't ready for marriage now, and if I said something it may just turn her off from yet another man who was interfering in her dreams. But maybe I could convince her that this weekend was worth waiting for. Perhaps, it was a start of something even more beautiful.

But alas, time was slipping through my fingers like the sand in a closed fist. The harder I tried to grab on, the faster it passed by.

"Yeah", I sighed too, "There is nothing I can do now. Is there?"

That was a statement as much as a question for my sister, who had always had my back.

"I suppose not", she gave me a sad smile and squeezed my arm, "But if something is meant to happen between you two, it will, however long it takes and wherever in the world you are"

My father called her away, and I stood alone again, trying to not let my eyes wander around that beautiful mountain resort, in search of a beauty that shone from within a shy, soft-spoken exterior.

I felt another slap on my back, yanking me out of my thoughts, and irritating the heck out of me.

"Komal, will you stop assaulting me? You're going to get it from me now", I exclaimed loudly, and swung around to face my sister, but instead found myself eye-to-eye with Farah's father, Asad Uncle.

"Sorry beta", he chuckled, "I didn't mean to startle you. Please don't complain about me to Tanvir bhai"

"Oops, I am so sorry Uncle. I...I thought you were Komal. And usually I am very gentle with her...", I apologized quickly, red in the face but also dreading the kind of impression I had just put on a man I hoped would one day be more than just a distant relative. I would hate to have him think that I didn't know how to treat women the right way.

"No problem, beta. Siblings mein aisa tou chalta rehta hai", he gave me a warm smile, before launching into a verbose description of what it was like to grow up as the 7th sibling in a joint family. (Things like this happen among siblings)

At the end of it he extended his hand to shake mine, "Chalo beta, I have to go load the car. We probably won't see you when we get back because we're staying at my brother's place in Pindi for a night before flying back to Karachi. So good luck with everything in Seattle, and if you're ever in Karachi do stop by"

"So this is the last time we're meeting?", I whispered to myself after he walked away, and I stole another glance at his daughter who was still rooted in the same spot as before, just talking to my sister now.

I sighed for the tenth time that morning, and repeated my sister's words to myself.

If it's meant to happen, it will.