ONISM (rewriting)

Chap 20

At evening I and Kanwal decided to go on a walk after prayer where I told her how much I have started to miss home back in there. I wish I could fly and land into my room from where world wasn't as fierce as it was in real, where I once had a baby kangaroo as a pet.

"One mango, one chocolate and one vanilla scoop please." Kanwal instructed as we bought our ice creams in a local mart.

After grabbing our plastic cups, we even bought strawberries pastries on way back, they looked so appealing lying in refrigerator. We couldn't help.

Sitting cross-legged in ladies-park, i looked around. Today had been windy unlike any other evenings which lightened my mood gracefully. It made my hijab fly off many times but I had extra pins in bag to latch it.

"God! life had been crazy after marriage."

"In what sense." I took a bit of my pastry and its sogginess and sweetness was killing me. It tasted so delicious!

"Like you are so restricted to home after marriage. I will suggest you to not get married anytime soon. Enjoy life being single. Its so beautiful and carefree."

Her advice made me cough as I laughed. "Look who is saying that. The Layla!"

"It isn't funny!" She rolled her eyes. "I really miss going out."

"It hadn't been a week since your wedding and you are already judging your in-laws."

"But you are lucky in this case. I mean you wouldn't have to ask your mother-in-law before going somewhere. Like Yawar doesn't have a mother, father, sister or brother. He lives all alone. So you will get to do whatever you want. Wah! Lucky you."

I shrugged, "never thought of this. Plus isn't that bad that he doesn't have a family? I feel bad for him."

"He has us."

I nodded. "Right. But um patents and siblings are something else. Like no one in this world can fill this gap."

"I know right." She ate a spoonful of her melting ice cream. "Marry him and give him a family then."

Her reply had me wonder as I replied absentmindedly. "I have to complete my university first."

She made a dah face. "There are hundreds of universities in Pakistan. Just say the name and he will get your admission into it no matter how prestigious or costly it is."

"You know what my father will do more than that for me and from where did Yawar even come from into my studies."

"What do you mean by from where did he come? He is right there, standing at your university exit to pick you up and take you home." She pictured the future of me.

"Who said I am getting my admission in Pakistan. I am going back and never returning back in years. Not until I am holding a fine degree."

"Fine with me." She surrendered, sighing. "I was just saying that he will make these years beautiful for you like Raheel did for me."

"I will spend university just how I spent my time in college. I will be fine, no need to depend on a person who I have met just months ago."

"Thats absurd! How can you even say that?" She scoffed but it was what it was. "I thought you two were drooling over each other."

"We are okay, drooling thing is a bit too big to measure our relationship yet."

We sat silently for a while when Kanwal got up to buy us two kids shawarma. I noticed sun had totally set in and now it was dark but this girl was having ideas of eating different kinds of food.

I saw her coming back as she waved two wrapped up shawarmas at me from distance.

"God I have missed this taste soo much." She said munching on her first bite.

When I took one, It dawned on me that they really made good food for kids. Not too spicy not too tasteless either, just fine.

"You don't know how many times I have craved for it in the past week."

"Act like a woman! You have smeared it all over your lips."

"Gosh! Where is the tissue paper?"

I forwarded one to her.

We tied all the wrappers littered around us that we have scattered, in a plastic bag and threw it in nearest dustbin.

"Let's go home." I told her, noticing the amount of women that had decreased noticeably in the park and she nodded in return.

On our way back, we kept mum for some reason.

"So how it's going between you two?"

Great! She stayed quiet and then bombarded a question i had no satisfactory answer to.

"Good Alhamdulillah."

"I don't know but a while back when we talked you looked super pushed away. What made you loose interest in him?"

"It isn't like that. I need time."

She gave me a curt nod. "You know what? Some other guy wants to marry you."

I laughed, shaking my head, "who that ass now?"

"Our -um- distant cousin, Hambal. You might not know him."

"No, I know him. But I didn't expect this low act from him. He clearly knows I am engaged to Yawar."

"Yah. When your father denied, his mother called my mother to encourage and boost the alliance up to your father. Like they are really willing to do it so."

"What the actual hell?" I stopped, "and you are telling me this now? When on Earth did it happen?"

"Like his father called yesterday and his mother called today."

I crossed my hands neatly over my chest, "what sort of shameless guy is this?"

"Riya forget it. Sometimes you need to ignore things."

"What do you mean? It can't be ignored! They need to know i am taken. I am- i am --ugh"

"Like I said, forget it." She said, grabbing my arm and making me start walking again to match her strides.