Scarred

Chapter 28- Part I

"How are you Komal bibi?" her voice was weak as she took a step forward and wrapped her arms around the woman. After Komal bibi, Daniyah met all the others and then made her way inside the house.

Between her parents she entered the elongated foyer as she felt the lump in her throat forming, she was home, she was home with the people her heart was yearning for, her small steps were welcomed by the warmth the house has been holding for her since the past two decades. Her pastel pink dupatta tracing her steps as its corner danced on the floor. Her eyes wandered like they are here for the first time, as she took in every wall, every corner of the house.

Once settled in the living room, the father and daughter were side by side, and as he asked she answered every question, some which were true others which were dusted with the lies she was bound to remember.

"Was she happy?" was the first.

"Yes," with a smile she learned to fake, was the answer.

"Was she being treated right?"

"They all love me."

"Does he treat you right?"

"Does he?" the mind questioned. "He does!" the tongue said.

***

"Upo tuto (phupo utho)," (Aunt wake up) the soft palm hit her cheeks repeatedly as her eyelids softly flutter, she felt fingers running through her hair as she opened her eyes  completely and the toothy grin which greeted her melted her heart. Turning on her back she looked up to the only pair of eyes in their entire family who were like their grandmother's the same color her niece took after, the one which held unconditional amount of love for her. A grin on the angular face and the raised eyebrows.

"Bhai," she whispered as she pushed herself up and lunged towards him, her fists tightly clutching his cotton shirt as her face buried in his chest, his strong arms around her frame as he kissed the crown of her head.

"Oyai oyai! Kia hogya?" (Hey hey! What happened) the heart of a brother drops a beat as his sister start soaking his chest and Davar in those centuries like seconds felt his heart stopping. "Niya, look at me," soothing yet firm, calm yet worried was his voice and Daniyah gained her control.

His palms settled around her face as he moved it to scan her expressions and before his eyes he saw the bitten lips turning into a smile, a weak smile but a smile nevertheless. He traced his thumbs across her cheeks to wipe the tears, as he gave a small smile himself, one which knows that there is pain and it needs to be healed. Taking her by her shoulder he brought her near and Daniyah rested her head on his chest, the two of them bit back their smile as they saw little Inayah looking at them curiously before crawling her way to her father. Davar quickly took her in his arms and the baby hid her face in the crook of her father's neck.

"She reminds me of you a lot," Daniyah heard his whisper and craned up her neck to look at Davar who was smiling at Inayah kissing her nose. "You know she doesn't let anyone even Nisha come closer to me, she acts totally like you, I remember when you were her age damn! It was used to be a war to get dad's attention and no one ever won but you and then here's the day, when days he tried to get to you but you were too far,"

Daniyah looked at the clean shaved man, a person she grew up with, one who was known to make jokes and play tricks, one who would keep the burning crackers on his hand for the fun of it, one who ran away at the age of ten to scare their mother, who drove car on the busy road when he was twelve. She remembered when she went to meet her sister-in-law in the hospital when Inayah was born, Davar was busy teasing her till the poor girl cried and then ate the pudding of her lunch, 'You are a father Davar act like one!' his mother hissed and the reply which came made the others laughed but no one needed to know how he worked to get his wife to forgive him. He wasn't ready to grow up but the brother talking in front of her was different.