Saliha placed the cups and the saucers in the glass tray and went over to check on the bubbling tea. She waited by the stove for couple of minutes and then poured the milk in it. As the tea was cooked, she put the strainer on the top of tea pot and filled it up.
Putting everything in the tray, including a plate of evening biscuits, she brought it to the living area where Zafar was watching captivating National Geography channel. His attention was all absorbed by the astute lion, hiding in the flaxen plains, waiting for the perfect moment to prance over the poor zebra and hunt him down. The suspenseful background music kept him at the edge of the sofa.
When Saliha put the tray on the coffee table, clinking the dishes, she noticed that Zafar was too into the TV to even notice her. She sat down on the sofa at a tiny distance from him and quietly watched as the lion raced through the field, still invisible to the eye of the zebra, attacked him and knocked his prey down, tearing the skin and the flesh.
"Did you look at the speed," Zafar amazed. "No wonder they are called the King of Jungle."
"What have you been watching lately?" Saliha said. "You are taking interest in geography channel a lot."
"Begum jee, agar kuch acha aaye toh dekhay na. I am not a news person. Political debates bore me."
"If you are done watching, will you help yourself to tea?" Saliha placed the cup in the saucer in front of Zafar.
"Yes indeed." Zafar extended his arm to reach the tea pot. "I had been waiting for the tea all afternoon."
Saliha filled her cup after Zafar was done and spooned two teaspoons of sugar. "If you wanted it badly, I could've told Rumina to make it for you. It doesn't take that long. I usually drink it in the evening after a good nap."
"I didn't want to bother anyone." Zafar picked the spoon that Saliha had used and mixed the sugar in his cup. "This is a good time to drink tea. I can sleep well in the night."
"Have some biscuits," Saliha said. "These are the only ones at home. I have to go for grocery. There are so many things I need." She sipped her tea.
"Where do you do grocery from?"
"Metro. I can find everything there."
Zafar bit the coconut biscuit and sipped some tea over it. "Shehryaar goes with you?"
"Sometimes. He helps me carry bags to the car."
Zafar drank his tea and nibbled on the biscuit. He picked the remote control and flipped through channels. His interest from the National geography was off: there were too many ads. He kept switching until he found what he liked-Pakistani drama. But he wasn't really watching it. It was on to fill in the silence.
Saliha took one biscuit from the plate and put the half cup of tea on the coffee table near the edge.
"I was thinking what we are going to do about the engagement," she said. "You are planning go back and there aren't that many days until your flight."
"I had that in my mind too," Zafar said. "What should we do?"
"This is not like other marriages. Bride and groom both live in the same house. If they are to get married, they should at least be engaged." Saliha paused, seeing if Zafar understood what she meant. "Since you have to go, we should get them engaged."
"What if we get their Nikah done?" Zafar said.
"Nikah? In couple of days?"
"You said that bride and groom live in the same house before marriage. If they are to get married, they should at least be bonded through a strong relationship. Then why not Nikah? It forever secures it," Zafar explained.
YOU ARE READING
The Unspoken Heart
Romance[ Completed ] Zoha's life has been weaved with tragical fate. Her parents died in a tragic car crash, when she was four. Her Dadi, or grandma, raised her with relentless love and care. She bloomed into an ambitious girl, studying to become an archit...
