In Your Love... {Eternal Ishq #1}

Ch-4 The story of a selfish love

“You both aren't engaged to be married, yet you kissed him!” Sufyaan finally exploded, coming dangerously close towards his daughter.

“For God’s sake Dad! It was just a kiss! Why are you making a big deal over it?” Maryam snapped back.

“Just a kiss? Just a kiss! And I guess tomorrow when he leaves you pregnant you would say it is just a child huh?”

“Please don’t be melodramatic and let me go now, I told you I'm dead tired.” She sighed and swayed a little before catching hold of the stair’s banister.

“Maryam, are you drunk?” Sufyaan asked his voice deathly quiet.

Her eyes for the first time refused to meet his as she repeated,

“I want to go to my room, Abba.” She added softly, as an afterthought.

Slap!

Maryam almost fell as her father’s hand hit her cheek hard.

“Don’t you ever call me that!” He said in the same quiet voice, only his eyes betraying his raging anger.

Holding her burning cheek in her palm, Maryam’s black eyes reflected the anger back as she breathed shakily,

“How dare you…hit me?”

“If you call me as Abba, then I have every right to correct you when you do wrong.” Sufyaan spat his words.

“Correct me? By slapping? You are not a man but a beast, I ask again why this sudden display of affection?” She said, her words dripping with sarcastic venom. “You have never cared as to what I do, why don’t you go and lock in that room of yours as you always do? Mom always tried to say what you really were, but I denied it every time and I see now how wrong I was.”

“So she told you about my real face huh? I am pleased to know that you have finally discovered its truth. And I see that you too are just like her. Ungrateful wretches!” Sufyaan said bitterly, turning back from her his huge shoulders drooping in defeat.

“Tomorrow I am leaving you, for always.” She called back to him.

“I don’t care whether you leave or not or when you leave …besides it would be a good riddance too.” He replied in a cold dead voice.

When she came to her room, Maryam closed the door and leaned against it, finally slumping down to the floor.

“…a good riddance too, a good riddance too.” His cold voice continued to echo in her painfully throbbing head. A tear mixed with the mascara trickled down slowly leaving a dark trail on her cheek.

She remembered the time when she had always defended him when her mother spoke against him. For whenever her mom accused him of something, the sacred memory of her childhood always came and made her support her father.

For her childhood had been very happy, Maryam remembered the way her Dad would swing her in his arms while she used to shout in fear mixed with glee. He was like a hero to her; doing everything she asked, fulfilling her every childish wish…then there had been other joyous moments when he would tell all about his homeland.

 Every night after tucking her into bed, he would enchantingly describe its colorful, noise filled streets, its warm-hearted people, their different cultures and customs mingling together as if one and in her childish imagination this beautiful land became vivid… grew, and grew into a most enchanting dreamland. It was then that in her tender heart, the seed finally took firm root and India to her became a wonderland!

Then there was the time when he had patiently taught her his language, Our language…he would say proudly with a smile. That was how she learnt to speak fluently in Urdu. And they used to tease her mom by speaking in it, baffling her while they both laughed talking nonsense.