4th March, 2022
Yusra stared at her reflection in the mirror. She was decked up in a traditional blood red dress, her hijab perfectly fixed on her head. Her face was covering her eyebags, with the minimal makeup her friend and cousin had worked upon her. But her eyes were hollow. She tried smiling; once, twice but nothing came from heart. The happiness that she had imagined of feeling on her big day wasn't there. All she felt was anxiety. She feared she might end up having a heart attack, for the enormous time her chest had been paining through the entire morning.
She glanced around the room, her luggage kept at a little distance. She had no idea what was going on, neither her cousin nor her friend. When she had asked Hana to figure out what she meant by leaving in two days, she had replied that it was what her mother had said to her.
Standing up, she walked to her wardrobe opening it, to find it almost empty. There were certain things she had kept in them, for Hana. She pulled out the packet from the drawer, the money she had saved, glancing at it and keeping it back, making it a point to inform her to collect it while leaving. As she closed her wardrobe, she once again glanced took a look around the room, as though memorizing every corner of her safe place.
Her eyes stuck to her washroom room and she was suddenly aware of that one piece of cloth that hung behind. She walked inside, taking it in her hand. It was the same jacket she had received on the day of being thrown out. She neatly folded it, keeping it onto the bed to give it to Fariha to hand it back to him.
As she was looking around, the door of the room opened and in walked Hana and Fariha. She could see the frown lines on Fariha's face, making her furrow her brows. Fariha glanced over to Hana, who was now packing up her makeup kit, making Yusra to nod her head.
"Hana can I have a moment with Yusra, please?" Fariha requested and Hana glanced up at her through the mirror, nodding her head while giving a smile. She dumped all her things into the kit, aimlessly before walking out closing the door behind her.
"Something is wrong," Fariha stated and Yusra instantly stood up, her heartbeat already taking up pace, "What do you mean?" Yusra questioned taking a step forward and looking at her hyperventilating Fariha took hold of her shoulder making her sit before kneeling down.
"I haven't seen Baseer the whole time I have been here," Fariha spoke and Yusra nodded her head, the same thing going on in her mind. From what she knew, Baseer would always come up to her to talk to her even if his mother would warn him not to. "And I don't know, your aunt is giving me vibes that something is definitely up." She expressed making Yusra to flinch a little at the raise in her voice.
"Hana has no idea either," Fariha said before Yusra could open her mouth, that eventually shut her up. She played with her fingers gazing at her friend who now walked around the room before glancing at her bangles in her right hand before her eyes flickered over to her henna filled hands. She opened her palm to see her henna turned the darkest shade making her go down the memory lane which she didn't want to rememeber at the moment.
"Mamma look at your henna colour; it is so dark," Yusra yelled while her mother glanced at her hand before chuckling, "Yeah that's because I love your mother the most." Her father came into the room grinning widely sitting down next to his wife, who elbowed him.
"Does that mean my husband won't love me?" She questioned looking at the orange shade of henna on her hand. She looked up at her parents, her eyes burning with tears. Noticing her mother calling her she walked towards her before taking a seat, leaning into her father for his warmth who eventually circled his arm around her.
"It's orange because you are still a child. Even my henna didn't had this shade before I got married," Her mother shades showing her palm while she listened carefully to her mother, " The day when you will find someone who loves you; from that day your henna will also turn the same shade as your mother or maybe a little more darker because you are more loveable then your mother." Her father said kissing her hair making her giggle. She turned around wrapping her arms around her father, happy about the information, already waiting for the day she would find the love of her life.
A bitter smile appeared on her face when she noticed her henna the brightest shade she had ever had on her hand. The moment she had realised that the colour of the henna had nothing to do with the husband's love, she had teased her father throughout the day for believing in such a thing and making her believe too.
"Yusra!" She was startled, when she heard Fariha calling out to her bringing her out of her thoughts, "Come here and have a look." Fariha called and Yusra walked towards her who stood in front of the huge window. She could see three cars now parked right in front of her house, people getting down making her confused.
"They are here," Hana dashed in and the two girls pulled their gaze away from the strangers to Hana who looked out of breath. Fariha walked towards Hana, Yusra quickly following behind her, "Who are they?" Fariha asked glancing at Yusra who had her eyes stuck on Hana while tapping her feet.
"They are the people from the groom's side," Hana said moving towards the window while the girls exchanged horrified glances, Yusra already feeling herself shiver in fear, "What do you mean-" Fariha was cut off when the door opened revealing Yusra's aunt. She asked for the girls to leave the room as she wanted to talk to Yusra in private.
Hesitating the girls gazed at Yusra who nodded her head before walking out, making it a point that they were just outside the door if she needed them. Yusra waited to let her aunt speak, her mind already coming up with many idea of its own.
"Okay, by now you might have already understood that you are not marring Baseer," Her aunt started and she gulped, fear evident in her eyes. She opened her mouth to question her but nothing came out. She felt her throat dry, her eyes already burning with tears. "Now don't cry and ruin your makeup. The ladies are going to come up and be with you until the nikaah so be good to them." She said and without waiting for her reply, she walked out while Yusra wiped out the tear the left her eye. She blinked her eyes several times, trying to push in the tears that she feared would fall down any second. She was happy that she wasn't marrying Baseer but scared thinking about the people downstairs. She didn't knew who she was getting married to and thinking that her aunt had arranged her marriage to someone rather then Baseer made her stomach drop. Her aunt wouldn't go against her son ever until this marriage brought her some profit.
Fariha walked in a couple of minutes later, making her sit down onto the bed, patting her hands in an attempt to calm Yusra. Yusra closed her eyes, her head lowered playing with her fingers. She could feel the anxiety within her building as she felt her feet shake in fear. She stopped it by keep her hands onto her lap, while reciting Ayat-ul-kursi.
She opened her eyes when she heard noises, before gazing at the feet of the ladies. She counted the pair of feet, before slowing heaving a deep breath. She felt her chin being raised upwards making her panic within but she showed no emotions on her face. She kept her eyes lowered hearing the ladies whisper within themselves.
She suddenly felt the voices being blocked out as her thoughts over cloud her. Several questions ran inside her mind, and with that all she wanted was to run away. She realised that her leg would be shaking in any moment so she kept her hands pressed tightly on it, letting it not move.
A few minutes and she noticed her aunt moving in, while the ladies moved away from where they sat leaving them alone. She noticed a few men feet too, knowing the time was here. The papers were kept in front of her and she glanced at it to only have a pen in front of her. With shivering hands, she caught hold of the papers, her eyes filled with tears. The tears restricted her to know anything on the papers, ready to flow down her eyes in any second. From the tear-filled eyes, she noticed a finger pointed onto a particular spot and with shivering hands, she signed the papers, the tears flowing down her eyes freely.
She could hear the pleasantries being exchanged but she didn't care. She didn't care that she was engulfed in a hug. She cried. She let her tears out at her fate. The fate she had no idea about.
***
Saim looked around the place for nth number of time. He couldn't believe that the place that looked like any other normal house had so much hidden within it. The moment he had entered this house he knew there was no going back. He couldn't believe that after running away from the marriage talk for months, he was now here almost married. He glanced up at his father who walked in with the Imam and Yusra's uncle. He was surprised looking at the hospitality they had provided with to him and his family. He had heard his brother scoffing loudly when her uncle was passing onto the biscuits to the males, that had almost made him laugh at his brother's cocky personality while Hasham had laughed out loud earning glares from their fathers.
His father and the Imam sat down, either of them next to Saim while he listened attentively to now what the Imam spoke. He didn't for one glance up at his brother or cousin who he knew would be whispering things. He wanted to get this done with as soon as possible. He glanced to his right to find the ladies of his house, listening to it patiently, their eyes gleaming with happiness making him guilty. He knew what he was doing was wrong and what he would be doing would be wrong too but he had no choice.
"Do you Saim Khan, take Yusra Shaikh as your lawfully wedded wife?"
He heard the Imam question him and taking one glance at his mother, who smiled at him with tears in her eyes, he turned his head nodding his head before speaking,
"Alhamdulillah, I do."
The same was repeated twice before a quick Dua was made and the two were pronounced as husband and wife. The Imam congratulated him followed by his father and the rest of the male. He glanced at his mother who was wiping her tears. The ladies made their way towards him, his mother to be the first one to embrace him. He rubbed her back, while she congratulated him whispering some Duas making him smile. Next in line was his sister, she grinned at him widely speaking about Yusra being beautiful making him give her an awkward smile.
"Didn't knew you would break your father's record of getting the quickest marriage." Her aunt, Muskan, said grinning widely at him while everyone in the room laughed making him ruffle his hair in embarrassment.
As the time passed on, meeting the groom, Yusra's uncle announced about the lunch that was ready in the backyard. Hasham was the first one to run to the backyard followed by the rest of them. Saim had excused himself to wash his hands, when he noticed a young girl studying him. He looked around before turning to the girl and giving her a small smile but instead she made a move towards him.
"Did my mother pay you to marry Yusra appi?" The girl asked and Saim looked at her startled, glancing around the room to find it empty. He shook his head but the girl still look hesitant, her eyes taking in his feature.
"I am Hana, Yusra appi's cousin." She said and Saim's eyes widen before he gave her a forced smile making her smile, "Don't worry I won't tell anything to my mother." Saim smiled genuinely at her, which she returned.
"I married her from my own will," Saim answered and she looked at him with furrowed eyebrows, "And my mother let you get married to her?" She questioned making Saim to gulp before he nodded his head.
"I don't know about you, but I found your family really sweet and I hope you are just like them." She said and he gave her a small smile nodding his head. She waited for a few seconds before giving him a smile, "My appi has suffered a lot in this house, please don't hurt her more." She said and Saim almost lost his calm. This girl in front of him knew the torture she went through in this house yet did nothing. He wanted to question her about everything but he kept quite. He could clearly see the concern in her eyes for Yusra, so instead of questioning he just nodded his head while the girl walked away.
"Saim!" He heard his mother call out to him making him smile at her, "Meet Yusra before having your lunch and remember to pray 2 rakaah." His mother said and he nodded his head. He looked at his mother whisper to Yusra's aunt, who was pretending to be her sweetest making him narrow his eyes at her.
His mother walked to him, his cousins and siblings following behind her. Just as they had entered the living room, near the stairs, his eyes fell onto a girl moving down with her head turned away from them. He waited for her to get down, thinking it one of Yusra's cousin when he heard his name being yelled. He glanced up to see Fariha gaping at him, a few stairs away.
"What are you doing here?" She questioned and then looked around the crowd that was gathered around him, "He is the groom for your knowledge." Hasham replied to her loud voice waiting for her to get aside.
"No way!" She once again exclaimed taking a step downstairs gaining every attention around the house. The people that were in the backyard were now curious standing behind Saim, while Yusra's aunty and uncle glared at her all the while for creating a scene.
Yusra heard her friend yell making her panic. She asked Hana who was besides her to go and check onto her friend who could end up in a fight if left alone.
"How can you marry Yusra? And what about your wife?" She questioned making everyone to gasp. Saim looked at her horrified before he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Which wife?" He asked in his confused state not bothering about the people around him to only have the girl in front of him gasp loudly.
"How many wives do you have?" She questioned and even though the atmosphere was thick due to the tension, Saad and Hasham couldn't stop their chuckle. Saim turned around to glare at the boys that were not helping him to shut up.
"I don't have any wife nor wives. I have only one wife and that is Yusra the one I married some minutes ago." Saim glared at her throwing the words at her while already yelling at her in his head. "But Yusra-" She stopped midway when she noticed every eye on her making her embarassed. Smiling nervously she stepped down completely moving aside.
"Finally I witnessed someone more dramatic then my mother," Hasham spoke earning a chuckle from his father and a hit from his mother. Fariha glared at him, before smiling at everyone and making a run from the room. Saim shook his head at the girl, before making his way upstairs. Just as he reached a certain room, he was stopped by his mother. She knocked onto the door and the door opened revealing Hana. He smiled at the girl who nodded her head before pushing the door open. Everyone slowly moved down either whispering something or patting his shoulder.
Heaving a deep breath he muttered a Bismillah taking a step in to meet the girl, who was now his wife knowing that there was no turning back now.