© All copyrights belong to StarsAndMoon1447 on Wattpad
*
This one is for you two, basically on your request.
****
Fawad
I was laying my head in Mina's lap as she gently massaged my head. "How long now?" I muttered, sleepily.
"Fawad, you're more impatient than Hania, I'm sure!" She laughed lightly. "I'm sure she's enjoying herself, whereas you and I are both counting the moments until we go and see her."
"So, you're impatient as well, and you're making fun of me?" I sat up, grinning at her. I glanced down towards her stomach. "I'm sure Iman's complaining that nobody's paying attention to her. She's right here, and we're only focused on Hania."
"That's exactly it, though. Iman's right here. Hania's all the way in the other side of Lahore." Suddenly tears filled her eyes. "I hope she's not crying. Fawad, they'll tell us if she's been crying, right?"
I wrapped my arm around her. "She's with her Phupho, not with strangers. Fari will take good care of her, you'll see."
"I don't doubt that." She looked at me, the tear on her eyelash sparkling like a crystal. "Am I being a clingy parent? I just want her around me, or at least one of us, all the time. She's such a shy little sweetheart that I feel extra overprotective of her."
I smiled, leaning against the headboard. "No, Mina, I feel the same. Sach main hamare ghar ki raunak hai woh, Ma Sha Allah."
*"She's truly the life of our family, Ma Sha Allah."
My phone started ringing and I reached for it. It was from an unsaved number, and I frowned as I answered it. "Hello?"
"Dr Fawad Ali?" An unfamiliar female voice asked me.
"Yes, speaking." I was confused. I didn't work here anymore, so I couldn't even say it was someone from the hospital
"Actually, I found a little girl wandering the streets, with a pink bag. We looked through her bag and saw your contact details, as well as your wife's." The lady spoke. "She's been crying nonstop."
I jumped up to my feet. "Hania? Where is she?!"
Mina glanced up, her face turning pale.
"I'll give you the details." The lady replied.
****
I called Fariha as I drove, Mina crying uncontrollably beside me.
"B-Bhai?" Fariha's voice came through the speaker. She sounded like she was crying herself.
"Where's Hania?" My jaw clenched, I drove like a maniac towards the address that the lady had given me. I had entered it into the car GPS, and now the screen at the front was displaying the route.
"Bhai, I'm sorry." Fariha sobbed. "Saad...he...I'm really, really sorry. I've called Zafar, and he's already looking for her."
"Tell him not to. I got a call from a lady who has Hania with her. We're going there to get her right now."
"Bhai, let me expl..."
I ended the call before she could finish.
"Ya Allah, meri Hania ki hifazat karna." Mina kept repeating, tears streaming down her face.
*"Oh Allah, protect my Hania."
"Mina, you need to stay calm for Iman's sake." I muttered, but the image of my baby, my little girl, wandering around the busy streets of old Lahore was killing me from the inside. At one point, my eyes blurred with tears and I barely avoided an accident, but I had to remind myself that not only did I have Mina and our unborn Iman in the car with me, but also that Hania needed us both.
"My Hania... on the streets..." Jasmina seemed to be having difficulty breathing, and I wondered if I should even have told her or not.
"Mina, Hania is safe now. She's with a lady, who lives nearby."
"What do we know about this lady? What if she lives with an abusive husband? Or other cruel people? What if...what if... Hania."
"Mina, stop. You're her mother, and I can understand your fears, but have faith in Allah. We're going there, and we'll get our Hani back safe and sound, In Sha Allah."
The ride felt so long that I felt like I was driving to the other side of the world, rather than within Lahore itself. The traffic was awful, and I couldn't stop pressing the horn of my car.
"Get the f**k out of my way!" Seemed to be my motto during the drive.
Mina was reciting supplications silently, begging to Allah to keep our daughter unharmed. I felt her fear, because our fear was the same. Even if a lady had called me about Hania, we had no idea what kind of family they were, if the lady was alone, or if something had happened to Hania. It was a legit fear of parents that had become a living nightmare for me and Jasmina.
"Little Hania in the Lahori traffic..." Mina muttered suddenly. "All those dangerous, reckless drivers."
"Mina, please, stop!" I snapped at her. "I really need to focus on driving right now, and you're making things worse."
My phone was ringing and I saw Zafar's name pop up on the screen, but I ignored it.
"It's Zafar Bhai. Maybe he got to her already!" Jasmina reached for the phone and answered the call on speaker. "Assalam Alaikum, Zafar Bhai."
"Walaikum Assalam, Bhabi." Zafar sounded, grim. "Please tell Bhai to give me the address for where Hania is. It is important for us to get to her as soon as possible. Hania's safety comes first."
Although I was beyond p***ed at them right now, he was a policeman and he was absolutely right. I needed to set my anger aside for my Hania's sake. "Jasmina, read off the address from the GPS and give it to him. It's right there at the top of the screen."
She gave Zafar the address.
"Don't worry about her. I'll get there soon." Zafar reassured her.
"Don't worry about her." I repeated with a scoff. "Weren't we told that earlier as well?"
Zafar was silent for a few moments. "I'm sorry, Bhai and Bhabi. I cannot even begin to imagine how you both must be feeling right now."
"If you think an apology is enough for this, I'm afraid I'm not that generous of a person." I shook my head, before reaching out and ending the call.
And for once, Mina didn't speak up in defence either.
****
Zafar had called us again and told us that Hania was with him safely, but that lady must have been someone really angelic, because she refused to hand over Hania to him until Jasmina and I got there. She wanted to see my ID and make sure we were the same people as the ones whose details were inside Hania's little bag.
Allah was well and truly looking out for our Hania.
I pulled up outside a house just down the road from Fariha's house, and we glanced at each other before getting out of the car. This area was uneven and the steps leading up to the gate were steep, so I held Mina's hand and helped her up, before banging loudly on the gate.
The door opened and a woman around Ammi's age peered out at us. "Dr Fawad?"
I nodded and pulled my wallet out of my pocket, and showed her my driver's licence. "We're Hania's parents. This is Jasmina, my wife."
The lady led us down the side of the house and inside through a screen door, into a small living area. The ceiling fan was on as it was quite hot in there, despite the season.
And then our eyes found what they were looking for: Hania.
Our daughter was asleep, curled up in a tiny ball on an armchair, like a kitten. There didn't seem to be a scratch on her, Alhumdulillah.
The only one in the room was Zafar, and he stood up as we came in.
Almost on an instinct, I faced away from the others and sank down onto the ground in a sajda (prostration), crying silent tears as I thanked Allah for keeping my daughter safe and reuniting her with us.
****
Jasmina
As Fawad thanked Allah, I quietly walked over to where Hania was asleep, silent sobs raking my body.
I have no words to describe how I was feeling writing now, because no words would be enough.
I was a mother who had just found her almost two-years-old daughter, after the latter had been wandering the streets of Lahore alone. That should be enough to describe how I was feeling, seeing her here safe and sound.
"Hania." I whispered, sitting down on the armchair and pulling my little girl onto my lap as gently as possible. "Hania." Tears were freely running down my cheeks, but the sight of her chest rising up and down as she breathed shattered my final restraints and I started sobbing loudly while holding my daughter tightly against myself. "Hania..."
Fawad got up and walked over to us, his own eyes damp, and he ran a hand over our daughter's head.
I didn't even care that she was asleep. I started kissing her forehead, her cheeks, her hand and the top of her head. My Hania, my baby, my heart, was here and she was okay.
She finally woke up and blinked sleepily. As her mind slowly returned to consciousness, she realised that her parents were here and an adorable smile lit up her face. "Mama. Hani Papa."
I laughed tearfully as Fawad crouched down onto the floor in front of us and held out his arms. Without a second's hesitation, Hania practically leaped into her father's arms. As she tightly wrapped her arms around his neck, he kissed the side of her head again and again.
I looked up at the lady who had called us, a true angel. "Thank you so much! I can not even begin to describe my relief that you're the one who found her, and not someone with evil intentions."
"Thank Allah, beta. He kept this little blessing of yours under His protection." The lady smiled.
Fawad stood up, holding Hania in his arms, and turned to face the lady. "My wife's right. I don't even have words to express how grateful I am. Thank you so much for calling me, for looking after our daughter."
"My Allah must be pleased with me, to give me the opportunity to reunite a lost little girl with her parents. Alhumdulillah." She walked over to a side table and lifted up Hania's pink bag from there, before bringing it forward to hand it over to me. "I believe this belongs to the little angel."
"Thank you." I took the bag and looked at Hania, who was snuggling against her father, clearly shaken by today's events. "Fawad, we should take her home."
He nodded and set down Hania momentarily, before turning back to the lady, while pulling out his wallet. "I don't want to lessen your good deed in anyway by offering you a cash reward, but consider this a gift from very grateful parents. My daughter's life cannot be valued in any amount of money in the world, but if my wife and I can help ease any of your difficulties with this monetary help, please accept it. May Allah reward you greatly for what you have done for us today. Ameen." He handed her a wad of cash. We usually don't keep this much cash on us, but when we visit Pakistan, it's almost a necessity.
"Ameen." I said, grabbing Hania's hand as she reached her arms out towards me. When I didn't pick her up (because I couldn't), she stood up on the sofa and again held out her arms towards me. Instead of picking her up, I wrapped my arm around her waist, holding her close while she still stood on the sofa. She wasn't wearing her shoes, which was nothing new for Hania.
"Beta, this is not necessary. As I said, it is a reward itself to reunite a small little girl with her parents." The lady smiled.
"Please keep it, Aunty." I added.
After much convincing, Aunty accepted it and gave us her blessings. Fawad then picked Hania up, and we headed out.
"Bhai, please come home. We should talk." Zafar Bhai, who had been silent so far, followed us.
"I really don't want to say anything right now, Zafar. Hania's fine. Just go home." Fawad was, not surprisingly, irritated.
"Please, Bhai, just come once. Just hear us out, and then you can make a decision." Zafar Bhai insisted. "For Fariha's sake, just once."
"Zafar, do not argue with me right now. I don't want to talk in this state because I will say something that I will end up regretting." Fawad looked at him, jaw clenched. "We will talk, because I want an explanation as to how my toddler ended up on the streets of Lahore alone, but not right now."
With that we left, leaving Zafar Bhai standing there, looking guilty.
****
Hania's baby talk was the only 'conversation' in the car the entire ride home. I'd never seen Fawad this tensed before. Now that Hania's here, he was probably reliving the entire ordeal in his mind. I was as well, but if I allowed myself to overthink, I was going to burst into tears again.
Strapped in her car seat at the back, Hania seemed to have forgotten what she had just experience and was just happy to be by her parents again.
I was slowly drifting off to sleep as we got stuck in traffic.
"Hani Papa?" Hania's small voice made me open my eyes and turn in my seat.
"Ji, Papa ki jaan?" Fawad's tone was loving and soft as he spoke to his little princess, quickly glancing at her in the rear-view mirror.
*"Yes, Papa's life?"
"I'ceam." Hania requested.
"Lain ji, farmaishain shuru." I managed a weak smile as I glanced at my husband.
*"Here we go, her requests have started."
"I think she deserves it today, don't you?" He glanced my way, smiling back.
"As long as her Mama gets it too." I was trying to relax him a little.
He nodded.
As soon as we were out of the traffic, he drove us to an ice cream shop. It was the same shop that he'd taken me straight from the wedding hall after my rukhsati. I smiled just looking at it. How much had my life changed since then, Alhumdulillah!
In Pakistan, it is quite common for shop workers to come to your car and hand you the menus there, as well as taking orders from there. That's what we did, and in the meantime, I moved to the back seat in order to feed Hania.
For a brief period of time, while it was just me, Fawad and Hania, I felt at peace.
I just had no idea at that time that this incident with Hania had snapped something inside Fawad, and that he needed my support to get back to normalcy.
****
When we got home, my mother-in-law seemed to be waiting for us, because the moment we stepped through the door, she came rushing out into the foyer.
"Hania!" She cried out, tearfully, reaching for my daughter, who was walking besides her Papa.
I frowned, wondering how she knew about the Hania incident.
"Fariha called me and told me that Hania..." Ammi was kissing my daughter's cheeks now. "Hania, my love, go and wait inside the living room." She guided the toddler inside and turned back to face us. "Why didn't you tell me, Fawad? How could you keep such a thing from me?"
"Pareshani se mera dimagh kharab hua wa tha, aur aap ki yeh shikayat hai ke maine aap ko bataya kyun nahin?" Snapping at his mother like he'd never done before, he headed past her and up the stairs.
*"I had lost my mind with worry, and your complaint is that why didn't I tell you?"
For a few seconds, Ammi and stared after him, taken aback, our mouths hanging open. This was definitely not Fawad's usual behaviour. He tended to remain calm and collected in all situations, but clearly the risk on Hania's life had been the limit for his tolerance.
I sighed. "Sorry, Ammi. As you can see, he's too tensed. I'll go and talk to him."
"Don't apologise, beta. I know him, and as a parent, I can understand his worry." She gave me a small smile. "Go and look after him."
I nodded and took Hania upstairs to get her cleaned up as well.
****
Fawad offered shukranay kay nafl first and in the meantime I gave Hania a bath.
After my daughter was cleaned up and in a fresh outfit, I made her sit on the bed and gave her her 'Hani' doll to play with, as I grabbed fresh clothes for myself.
After the nafl, Fawad got up and blew supplications over Hania, and then over me.
"Fawad..." I began.
"Not now, Mina." He shook his head. "I don't want to talk about this right now."
"I'm going for a shower, and then pray the nafl myself, but we will talk about this after I'm done." I headed into the bathroom.
As the warm water of the shower ran over my body, I cried silently. My Hani. Meri bachi.
*Meri bachi: My daughter.
I cried in relief and fear. The images that had come in my mind regarding my toddler daughter on the streets alone were enough to give me a heart attack. I owed a huge apology to my parents for the amount of time that I'd made them worry for me, because now that I was a mother, I'd truly felt the parental fear and worry.
If anything had happened to Hania, I wouldn't have survived it, I knew it. I put my hand over my stomach, over my Iman. For a mother to go through so much to bring a child into this world for nine months and then face even the fear of losing them was intolerable.
Not that a pain of a father was any less. Fawad had an incredible amount of love for Hania, and I'd seen the changes in his personality from the moment he received that call. He was usually the calm one, the one who only thought positive about others, and never spoke to anyone in a harsh tone unless they were seriously wrong. But he and I both watch the news regularly, and I had no doubt that he was equally tortured by the mental images of what could have happened to our baby, our Hani, as I was.
When I composed myself and finally came out of the bathroom, dressed in black leggings and a blue maternity shirt, I saw Fawad sitting on the bed with his legs stretched out, with Hania leaning against him as she showed him her doll.
"Ro rahi thi?" He asked as I sat down on the bed beside them.
*"Were you crying?"
"Jaan nikal gayi thi meri darr se. Ab meri jaan wapis aagayi hai to relief se to rona hi tha na." I ran a hand over Hania's head.
*"I was scared to death. And now that my life is back, I had to cry with relief."
I leaned forward to kiss the side of Hania's head, before getting up to go and brush my hair.
There was a knock on the door and I headed over to answer it.
A maid was standing there. "Bhabi, Fariha Baji has come downstairs and wants to speak to you and Fawad Bhai."
I turned to look at Fawad, whose jaw clenched as he heard those words. "Okay, we'll come in a minute." I said, turning back to the maid.
She nodded and left, and I closed the door again.
He didn't say anything verbally, yet he didn't need to. His expressions said it all.
"Fawad, come on."
"Agar main abhi neeche gaya us se baat karne ke liye, to bohat bada masla ho jayega." He said.
*"If I go downstairs now to talk to her, there will be a huge problem."
"Look, Fawad, I know a mistake has been made, and there was negligence." I walked over to stand beside the bed, by his side. "But remember how I took a coach back to Lahore with a baby Hani, and she got sick? I was a mother and I was negligent, and yet you forgave me. Fariha is her Phupho, and she loves her to bits, you know that. But Fariha has a two-months-old baby and two other children..."
"Why did she offer to take Hania's responsibility then?" He got up, towering over me in an almost intimidating manner. But because Hania was around, and because he was Fawad, he didn't raise his voice, nor was his tone harsh. "No, you know what. This one is on me. I shouldn't have sent my daughter over there."
"You trusted your sister, as you should." I argued. "Look, I was angry as well, initially, and maybe I still am a little bit, but the best way to get through this is to talk it out. Give her a chance to explain, Fawad."
"The best way to get through this is to talk when both sides are calm and cooled down." He corrected me. "I'm beyond furious right now, Jasmina, and I really don't want to do something that will create serious problems between me and my sister."
"She came all the way out here, Fawad. At least hear her out." I pleaded with him.
"Fine, let's see how she explains this." He nodded.
"I'll get Shahista to watch over Hania." I said, referring to a maid, who had often looked after Omar and Saad as well, when Fariha had lived her before her marriage to Zafar Bhai.
Shahista often brought her five-years-old daughter, along when there were childcare issue, and the little girl loved to play with Hania.
Once Hania was in Shahista's care, in my daughter's nursery, Fawad and I headed downstairs.
"Bhai! Bhabi!" Fariha got up immediately as she saw us coming. She had been quietly talking to her mother, seemingly explaining the situation to her. "I'm so sorry. I have no words to even begin to apologise to you both. A mistake had been made and..."
"A mistake?" Fawad repeated.
"Saad left her on the street because he thought that I loved her more." She explained.
"Where were you and Zafar?" Fawad asked, quietly.
"Zafar went to get some gripe water and I was with Zaid, who was crying and..."
"It's not just about Hania then, is it?" He interrupted. "It's about a seven-years-old kid managing to sneak out with a toddler. Two kids were put at risk, but the only difference is that your kid was still old enough to run back home, whereas my Hani didn't even know what was happening. This was negligence on an extreme level."
"I know, Bhai, and I'm accepting our mistake..."
"Mistake?!" He yelled. "Do I need to even list out the things that could have happened to Hania? And you're brushing it off as a mistake?"
His uncharacteristic yelling made us all jump.
"Not to mention that my pregnant wife was going through extreme stress because of this. Your one mistake could have cost me my entire family!"
I hadn't even thought about that, I had been too worried about Hania. But now his rage made even more sense now.
"You know what, Fariha?" He continued. "I would never, ever be able to leave Omar alone in the streets, and he's nine. My two-years-old daughter was left there all alone, so excuse the hell out of me, if I'm not in a forgiving mood right now."
Fariha was sobbing silently, and she nodded. "I know."
"Why the hell am I even blaming you?" He sighed. "I should never have left Hania there."
She looked up at him, startled. "Zaid was crying, and I..."
"There are a million things you could have done to prevent this from happening, even while looking after Zaid. You were responsible for Hania, as was Zafar at that time. Mina and I sent her there because we trusted you, because you have done an excellent job looking after the boys."
"Bhai, I'm apologising to you from the bottom of my heart. Alhumdulillah, Hania is safe and back with you both. I messed up, I know that. Please forgive me."
"Fawad, you're being too much now." Ammi said, softly. "It's enough. As she said, Hania's fine, Alhumdulillah, and Fariha has learned her lesson." She put her hand on Fariha's shoulder. "Be careful next time, Fariha."
"Aur agar yehi ghalti Ahad se hui hoti?" Fawad asked his mother.
*"And if Ahad had made the same mistake?"
Ammi looked at him, sharply.
"Woh to meri aur Mina ki koi naikiyan hongi jo aaj hamari beti hamare paas sahi salaamat waapis aagayi hai, warna..." He couldn't even finished the sentence, looking overwhelmed.
*"Some good deeds of mine and Mina's might be the reason why our daughter came back to us safely, otherwise..."
"Fawad, even parents make mistakes. It happens, it's normal." Ammi was trying to keep the peace between the siblings. "Please forgive her. Forgiveness is easier than to hold a grudge. There's no burden on your soul, and you feel at peace."
"Bhabi..." Fariha looked at me, pleadingly.
I was confused. On one hand, I didn't doubt Fariha's intention or her love for Hania. But on the other hand, Fawad was right: today's incident had risked both of our daughters' lives. And as parents, we can forgive things against ourselves, but not against our children. I usually try to be forgiving, but how can I? Repeatedly, the image of Hania on the street with her little backpack, crying, kept haunting me and shattering my heart all over again.
Fawad and I were beyond lucky that an angelic woman had found her, otherwise the world these days were full of demonic people who don't even spare little girls. Our daughter, our whole world, the kid we'd brought into this world and raised with so much love and affection, had been directly exposed to the dangers of the cruel world today, away from the protection of her parents and the thought itself made me shudder.
"I'm not that good." I shook my head. "I can't forgive this, not when it's about my children. You're a mother yourself, Fariha. If the situation was reversed, would you have forgiven me and Fawad?" I paused. "I know that you love her a lot, Fariha, and that you would never intentionally do something to risk her safety or hurt her, and I also understand that you must have been overwhelmed with your duties towards Zaid and the boys, but I'm not thinking as your Bhabi right now. I'm thinking as Hania's mother, and in that sense, forgiveness is very difficult for me right now."
"You both need to trust me, please. Next time..." My Nand began.
"There won't be a next time." Fawad snapped. "Like hell would I ever send my daughter there on her own again."
"Fawad." I put my hand on his arm as fresh tears escaped Fariha's eyes.
He walked out of the room without another word.
I looked at Fariha. "Don't feel bad about his harsh words, Fariha. He's too tensed right now. We just need some time, okay?"
She nodded. "Mother to mother, I would like to apologise directly to you. I can understand your anger right now, so take your time. Just know that Hania is my heart, and I will die before I intentionally do something to cause her harm."
"I know. I'm a Phupho as well, and I understand completely." I said. "However, there has been negligence, which none of us can deny. But, as I said, give us time."
As I headed upstairs, I was thinking about how to calm Fawad down. This was bound to happen. This man always kept his anger and other negative emotions bottled up, and it was bound to get out sometimes. And I wasn't shocked that it was coming out when his daughter's life was at risk.
I was just walking towards the bedroom, when I heard a glass smash. "Fawad!" I raced inside the room and gasped. He had thrown something at the dressing table mirror, smashing it, and was now standing with his back towards it, with his hands in his hair.
"Yeh kya kiya hai aap ne?" I asked, worriedly, closing the door behind me.
*"What have you done?"
He sank down onto the bed, resting his head in his hands. "I have no idea how to handle all this anger and fear, Mina."
I sat down beside him and rubbed his back. "I know how you feel, Fawad, but smashing things is not the answer." I laughed lightly. "I never thought I'd say that to you, of all people."
"How are you so calm?" He looked at me.
"I guess I pour out my emotions through tears." I whispered, kissing his shoulder. "Mere se baat karein, Fawad. Agar duniya main koi is waqt aapki pareshani samajh sakta hai, woh main hoon."
*"Talk to me, Fawad. If anyone in this world can understand your worry right now, it's me."
"Hania is safe, Alhumdulillah." He shook his head, staring at the shattered mirror, the shards of which reflected the ceiling light in an almost beautiful way. "But I can't stop thinking of the 'what ifs', and that is just fuelling my anger even more, Mina."
"I get it." I said. "I keep thinking those thoughts as well. But we need to remember that Shaiytan might be possibly reminding us of the 'what ifs', to create distances between us and Fariha and Zafar Bhai. I haven't forgiven her right now, either, meri jaan, but I'm willing to start that journey. And the best way to do that is to stop thinking about things that could have happened, and just simply being thankful to Allah that He protected our Hania."
"Yaad hai bachpan main? Main aur Arhaan aksar raat ko apni bicycles per ek doosre ke ghar chale jaate thay, without telling our parents. Apne Maa Baap ki jaan nikaal daitay thay hum jab unhain pata chala hamari harkaton ka. Usi ki sazaa hai shaiyad." He shook his head, with a small smile as he remembered those days.
*"Remember when we were kids? Me and Arhaan often rode to each other's houses on our bicycles, without telling our parents. Our parents used to be scared to death when they found out about this. Maybe I'm being punished for that."
"We finally realise what we've put our parents through when we become parents." I agreed. "But listen, Fawad. Let's focus on Hania right now. She and Iman are both fine, Alhumdulillah. Every time you feel mad at Fariha and Zafar Bhai, recite a dua, and you'll be fine."
He looked at me, eyebrows furrowing. "I think you've already forgiven her and you don't even realise it."
I shrugged. "I am not even sure anymore, Fawad, but there are a number of reasons why I'm not yelling and screaming at her. Firstly, aap ki behan hai aur nature wise woh bilkul aap ki tarhaan hai. I know that she would look after Hania like she was her own, just like you treat Saad and Omar like your own sons. Secondly, all that matters to me is that Hania is safe and unharmed. Thirdly, imagine if I hadn't been forgiven for my mistakes. Where would I be right now?"
*"She's your sister, and nature wise, she's just like you."
I was seriously confused, but all I knew was that I could never genuinely resent Fariha. She had never given me a reason to do so before today, and I wanted to believe that this was just a genuine human error, rather than a serious case of negligence. She had a newborn baby and two other kids, and I know very well how hectic it got even with just one newborn baby, let alone three other kids to manage. Yes, she shouldn't have accepted Hania's responsibility then, but circumstances had just taken an unfortunate turn beyond her control.
"I forgive her." I blurted out as I came to this realisation. "I genuinely forgive Fariha and Zafar Bhai with all my heart, jaan."
****
For once, I wanted to show a slightly different side of Fawad, because he is human after all. His reactions are very natural as a father, as he is acting out of anger and fear of his daughter's safety.
Also, I wanted to show how much Mina has matured since FOL. She acted very irresponsibly and immaturely in the first book, but she has seriously grown up since then.
Would things get worse between Fawad and Fariha, or would Mina's forgiveness cool down her husband's anger?
I know you guys might have wanted some major showdown, but because this is Fawad, I couldn't take it further than this because it would have been uncharacteristic for him. He only knows compassion and kindness, which is why he is unable to handle all this anger.
Thoughts and comments?
Thank you for reading and don't forget to vote.