The Fallen Widow

5. Hookah Bettak

Uzayr conversed about the poor harvest they had last year due to the drought. Allah Ditta made his way inside carrying a shopping bags. Dilawar-Baksh sat up and opened his arms.
"I have bought something for my favourite granddaughter." Dilawar-Baksh lifted his hand hinting to Allah Ditta to bring the bag of jewellery. Uzayr kept his beady eye on the gifts.
"Out of all my grandchildren, you are my favourite." Dilawar-Baksh confessed to Fiza's excitement. She rubbed her hands in joy. With the shopping bags in his feet, Dilawar-Baksh took out a black velvety covered box for Fiza and revealed a gold Jhumka earing set with two large bracelets. Fiza gasped widely her eye shimmering with the reflection of the gold.
"Is this for me, Baba-jaani?" She looked at her step-grandmother in disbelief.
"Your Baba-Jaani doesn't go shopping with me anymore. But for you-he went to the smoky city especially."
Tears of joy formed in Fiza's wide eyes. Even if her granddad bought her a glass bangle, the gesture would have been enough. Uzayr watched Fiza melt in his feet with disgust, the old man knew how to win his granddaughter's heart. Fiza clung to her grandfather's neck and sniffed back her tears.
"I don't know what to say. It's so beautiful."
Tears pricked Dilawar-Baksh's eyes, but he couldn't allow them to fall and reveal his weakness to his wife. He pulled back and lifted her small face up to look at her.
"Your happiness means the world to me, my lovely girl." He kissed her forehead with his heavy moustache grazing her forehead. "You stay here with me, you make me feel young and happy again. You are the coolness of my eyes."
"I'm not going anywhere, Baba-Jaani." She nestled against his shawl that smelled strongly of smoke from the hookah.
"Now come on, put your jhumke on, I want to see my favourite nawasi."
Quickly, Fiza took of her silver earrings and hooked the new gold earrings into each ear with ease. She lengthened her neck and removed her scarf to show off her new set.
"MashaAllah."  Shahgul smiled. "They suit you."
"Now you look like my granddaughter." Her grandfather boasted.
Fiza scurried to Uzayr and stood in front of him. His opinion mattered greatly. Her smile, her kohl, the jingle of her bangles, the dancing of her anklets were all for him. But he wouldn't look at her.
"What do you think, cousin?" She flicked her earrings.
"Step-cousin." He reminded.
She moved her head to the line of his eyes, but he turned away refusing to comment with his lips pressed firmly.
"Why are you asking him?" Dilawar-Baksh was annoyed with Uzayr's silence.
"He's bitter and cold as his father." Dilawar-Baksh scoffed with laughter shooting an arrow into Uzayr's raw scar.
 "Go, show Malaikah, show your friends. He's stone hearted." Dilawar-Baksh mocked his grandson. Fiza grabbed her gifts and raced out of the room eager to show her presents to the her auntie.
"Come here-" Dilawar-Baksh demeanour transformed to rock hard. Fiza had the ability to soften him, to make him smile and cry at times. But the men in the family only bought anger, frustration and feuds.
"Sit here." Dilawar-Baksh pointed to the chair.
"I've called you to the haveli to take care of the issues before Shah-Nawaz's arrival."
Uzayr pressed his fingers together like a steeple. He still couldn't get Fiza out of his mind with her long chandelier earrings swaying in her ears.
"They've been rumours that a young woman is stealing the children at the quarry and poisoning their mind against the haveli. Find out who she is."
"Jee Baba." Uzayr replied.
"Also, that habees, Azaad, if you find that bastard  send him back here. He's been making trouble with the neighbouring village. That bastard is a mar on my forehead. Find out what happened and call tell him to see me at once." Dilawar-Baksh wrestled with his conscience. Ever since the Mujra dancer Chandni Begum left their illegitimate three-year-old son on his door, he had no choice but to take care of the boy who was conceived in a night of passion. That was many years ago in his youth, when his blood was warm and the women were willing to throw themselves at him for fistfuls of rupees. Now, he was suffering with for his sins. Azaad was not from the pure lineage. He was a disobedient, rude and disparaged the Choudhary name.
"Jee Baba." Uzayr stood up ready to leave when Dilawar-Baksh stopped him. He stood up and placed his feet in his slippers.
"Remember one thing-you're here for your Shah-Nawaz, for his inauguration. I don't want you to fan old flames and bring up thorny subject in my land." Uzayr looked away. He knew what his grandfather was referring to.
"Don't unsettle the people and start investigating your father's death. What's happened, happened. After eighteen months there has finally been peace on the land, don't cause another battle."
He didn't want to be here today, he was forced to help at the haveli and had to obey his mother. His mother was the first born, she doted on her father even though he had no time for her. She sacrificed her children for her father, but the father only cared about his son and this made Uzayr livid. Frustrated with the injustice, Uzayr took it upon himself to search for answers in the cornices of the haveli; Who murdered his father? When he found him, he would burn him alive. Uzayr sat adjacent to his grandfather. The man was brutal, he didn't care for blood or love. Land, property and wealth were his bible. He would destroy anyone and anything for who stood in his way, maybe even Uzayr's father. Could it be Baba?
"I need you to go to the fields. There is commotion about some men trying to poison the cattle. I can't have this so near my son's inauguration."
Uzyar grunted like a bull, with large nostrils flared the mention of his uncle Shah-Nawaz always riled him. The spoilt son. His spoilt uncle. Everyone had to dance around for him to please him.
"Baba, I'm here for few weeks. Then I need to return."
Dilawar-Baksh sat up, his eyes slanted with anger.
"Do you have no sense of responsibility? You are my eldest grandson, everything here is your responsibility. Do you want me to entrust it to strangers? It's your job until Shah-Nawaz arrives! Keep your head down and get on with the work. If I hear anything about you investigating about your sorry excuse of a father's murder I will slit your throat myself and send your body to your mother!"
Uzayr hung his head.
"You hear me, boy! Someone whispered some nonsense in your ear and you've made it your life's mission to go on this wild good chase."
From behind the pillar, Fiza stood holding a tray of refreshments and listening. She felt sorry for Uzayr who was on this hopeless quest since his father passed away.
"You need to look after your family. Get married and settle down. The Choudhary's marry young and many children to inherit the lands. You need to focus on this! Stop this nonsense!" 
At that point Uzayr looked up and Fiza he held her gaze she looked into his eyes and held them for a moment sharing his grief. Uzayr stood up ready to leave, he straightened his kurtha and flung his black shawl over his shoulder and marched off.  The day when his father died eighteen months ago ago was etched into her mind. She could never forget the wailing, the crying, but Uzayr was frozen. His father was found in the field, two shots to his chest and strangled. No one knew who killed him, or why, but Uzayr promised to his mother than he would never rest until he found and avenged his father's murder.
In the hallway, Fiza called out to Uzayr.
"Sunniye-" Fiza called out to him. "I'm prepared your room. Tell me what would you like for dinner. I will have it prepared." She called him with the softness of her voice. She turned and pointed at her.
"I don't want to be here. I will leave on the first chance. Don't make my stay impossible by constantly parading yourself in front of me."
She smiled. "Why are you permanently in a mood?" She circled him. "I'm here to soften those creases on your forehead. I've waited for this day for so long-" She pressed her head against his back closing her eyes recalling the pain of separation yearning to be close to him; here she was and here he was so close to him.
"Just tell me something, Uzayr-" She stepped in front of him and shook her glass bangles in his face. "How do I look to you? Say something nice?"
He looked around scanning to see if anyone was watching surprised by her barefaced comments.
"Don't you have any shame?" He snatched her arm and yanked her towards him. "Looks like you've shed your fat and your shame."
But Fiza couldn't be angry with him, she was elated to be in his presence. She looked at his hand which grabbed her with such promise that it made her heart pound with force. 
"Shame? What shame? In your presence, I am nothing."
"Kamli! (mad girl) He insulted.
"Tumhari kamli. (I'm crazy for you)." She winked with mischief.
Quickly, he let her arm go and walked off nodding his head.