Tabah hokar tabahi nahi dikhti,
Yeh ishq hai hazoor iski koi davaai nahi bikti
A year later
Yumna folded her prayer mat as she was done with her Fajr prayer. The window of her bedroom was open as she looked out. The sky was still dark and the whole world was sleeping in peace. Except for her.
Keeping back the mat in the cupboard, she laid back on the bed. The photo of her and Yawar from their honeymoon was still there on the bedside table near her and today she had managed to not look at it.
Because if she looked at it, she would cry to sleep again. She looked down at her small baby lying on the bed, protected by the pillows. Her hands caressed the tip of her son's head. He was the only one that was keeping her sane.
He was the only one that was giving her the reason to live. After all, their child was the symbol of their love.
Even though she was going through a rough patch, her faith had not moved from her Allah. She could not feel anymore thankful to him for this nemat, her baby, Hamza, still trying to believe that it was destiny. It was destiny that he provided her with a life again when he took one.
Her back ached, so she laid back more comfortably, pulling the comforter over her.
Looking towards the open window, she could still see the stars and feel the cool breeze that made her cold. It's been four months and three days with you, she wanted to say.
She closed her eyes and memories of Yawar came like a slideshow. She had teared up, again.
She cried herself to sleep, yet again.
~ * ~
Empty.
That's what Zaviyar Ahmed Khan felt all the time. There was no comfort left inside of him. It was as if life had sucked all the emotions out of him. He had become wretched and cold after all that happened.
For hours he would have no emotion, only an urge to move fast; then all at once he would be on the floor, shaking with a grief that bled from his bones.
He glanced at their picture that they had taken on their wedding day. The day she died. He couldn't do anything but blame himself for it.
If only he hadn't booked their honeymoon right away.
His alarm rang, indicating it was the time for Fajr. But, he did not pray. For he had lost his faith in the almighty. He tried to sleep but that did not help as it only brought haunting memories all.
The incident was still fresh in his memory.
He still remembered that they had the rukhsati earlier than the decided time for they had a flight to catch. He still remembered that he wanted to take his wife on their first drive after their marriage. Only if it meant going to the airport. He still remembered how hard it rained that day. He still remembered that he was responsible for taking another life as well.
He could still remember her last words.
In some other world, Inshallah.
As sleep deprived as he was, he didn't wish to lie down anymore. Grabbing his phone from the bedside table, he made his way towards his study across his room.
Yet again, the horrors of that night didn't leave his mind.
Yet again, he was all alone.
~ * ~
"Good morning Bhai and Bhabhi," Yumna greeted as she carefully got herself seated at the dining table. A chorus of good mornings were repeated by her brother and sister-in-law, who were at the table waiting for her. Rayyan, her brother, passed on some parathas to her which she transferred on to her plate.
"Yumna?" Mushk, her sister-in-law called her out.
"Yes Bhabhi?"
"Are you going somewhere?" She asked as she noticed her all dressed to go somewhere.
Yumna braced herself as she prepared to break the news out to them. "Yes," she answered. "I am going for a job interview."
Both Rayyan and Mushk were shocked hearing what she had said.
"But you have Hamza now," Mushk calmly reasoned so as to not offend her.
"I know Bhabhi," she reached out for her hand, squeezing it lightly. "But I can't sit anymore at home. I need to have a stable job so that I can support my child and myself."
"Lekin abhi kaam karne ki kya zarurat hai? Hum toh hai na tumhare paas tumhari madad karne ke liye?" Mushk said, glancing at her husband, who had still kept quiet.
(What's the need to work when we are there to help you out?)
"I have things planned out for Hamza," she said, "I have to get out and work for my child, for his future. I have to be financially independent for my child."
"And are we so financially incapable of raising your child? You know we love you right?" Mushk asked her, trying to make her understand.
Yumna maintained her stance, not budging away from her decision. "No, Bhabhi, it's not like that and you know it. I love you both. But, this is something I wanted to do for myself, for my child and," she paused, "for Yawar." She breathed. "I want my child to have all the love and care in the world. When Yawar's family refused to support me, you guys took me in without any second thought. I am so grateful that my child will have such amazing Mamu and Mumani. But in the long run, I want my child to see me as a strong and independent woman. I want myself to grow and be strong. I have lost Yawar already, Bhabhi. I don't want to lose myself in my grief."
"Kya yeh tumhara aakhri faisla hai?" Rayyan asked her, looking straight into her. Keeping her confident posture, she mumbled a yes, her eyes not leaving his.
(Is this your final decision?)
"I want to do it, Bhai. I can't let my degree and my life go in waste." She affirmed.
"Then go for it, Yumi. We are with you," Rayyan said and then looked at his wife who nodded, understanding the situation.
"Allah tumhay humesha khush rakhe," Mushk prayed, to which Yumna just nodded, with no emotions on her face.
(May Allah bless you always)
~ * ~
As the morning finally arrived, Zaviyar who was ready for office, rushed to the dining area, without sparing any glance to his family members sitting there. Grabbing a banana from the table, he turned around to head towards his office when his mother stopped him.
"Zavi ruko!" Fardeen, his mother, called out. Zaviyar halted on his steps listening to her voice. Turning around he faced his mother, who looked at him with the same softness and love. Her love for him hadn't changed for a bit.
(Zavi wait!)
It's just that he didn't feel capable of her love.
"Ji Ammi?"
(Yes Ammi?)
"Naashta toh theek se karke jao," she said, approaching him.
(Have your breakfast properly)
"Nahi, Ammi. Kisi aur din kar lunga." The finality in his tone was evident as he turned around and rushed out of the house.
(No, Ammi. Some other day)
There were tears in Fardeen's eyes as she heard the engine rev and speed out of their house. Wiping the tears off from the corner of her eyes, she looked up in despair.
Pehle mera beta sirf akela tha aur ab jab uski humsafar ne bhi saath chod diya, usne apne aap ko iss jahan se hi alag kar diya. Ya mere khudaya, uske dil pe phir se kisi ki dastak hojaye. Iss jahan ko phir se woh apna le, she mumbled, praying for the umpteenth time.
(First my son was only lonely. But now when his better half is also gone, he has cut himself from this world. Ya Allah, please bring someone to his life)
~ * ~
"Call me after you're done," Rayyan instructed as Yumna was about to get out of the car.
"Yes, bhai," as she opened the door of the car and was about to get out, he stopped her again.
"And Yumi," he spoke
She looked back at him. "Hmm?"
"If you don't feel like it, just call me up." Yumna looked at her brother who was tense at her new beginning. First time always makes you nervous, Yawar had once said.
Taking a deep breath, she spoke, "This is it, Bhai." Understanding, Rayyan didn't say anything further.
After bidding farewell to her brother, she entered the premises of the Khan Industries. Everything about that place screamed extravagant. No wonder why it was one of the top companies in the country.
Sighing, she headed straight to the reception and approached the lady sitting behind the desk.
"Hello," she greeted the lady, "I am Yumna Yawar. I have come for a job interview for the Project Manager position." she said, slipping the call letter to her.
Taking a glance at the call letter she said, "Yes Mrs. Yawar. Your interview is scheduled in the next twenty minutes which will be taken by our CEO since he will be following the project closely. Please proceed to the waiting room on the first floor. You will be called shortly." Muttering a brief thanks, Yumna proceeded to the waiting room.
She followed the directions to the waiting room and sat there. Three more girls were there, who looked like fresh graduates. Her heart was beating a bit too fast, and her hands were clammed up in sweat. This was not her first job interview but it felt like one since it was a long time that she had given an interview.
The lavender scent of the waiting room brought her a sense of ease.
One by one, the girls were called in and Yumna's anxiousness had increased. "Mrs. Yumna Yawar, you're next." a lady called out. Taking the almighty's name, she knocked twice and then entered the interview room. She had walked in with the soul of a kitten, no matter how many times she had chimed herself to be the sher. The CEO was sitting on the chair with his back faced towards her.
"Good Morning Sir!" she gracefully greeted and waited for him to respond.
When the chair swiveled, Yumna finally saw him, shock taking over her. It was the man from that night!
Zaviyar, the name was. A name she couldn't forget. The person who shared the same pain as her. The one who lost his newly wedded wife that day. They were together the whole night in the hospital, with no words exchanged, but still together enough to give each other comfort even in the moments of tragedy until their family arrived.
Zaviyar too was shocked when he looked at Yumna. He couldn't forget those lifeless eyes he had seen in the hospital. He still remembered her from that day when the doctor declared their spouses to be dead on arrival. He still remembered how her hands protectively wrapped around her stomach when she was given the news first. He still remembered the nurses telling her that she and her baby were alright. She was pregnant!
Taking a small glance at her, he noticed that there was no bump in her stomach, something that made him wonder what happened to her child.
"You?" His question came out with an element of surprise, not out of guilt.
Giving an awkward smile, she mumbled, "I wasn't aware that you were the CEO," since we hadn't met in normal circumstances, she wanted to say. "I was in need of a job and I applied since LinkedIn showed a vacancy for the Project Head position." she added.
"No, I was asking in general. Since I thought you must be having—" he awkwardly trailed off.
"Since I must be having a child by now? That's not something to worry about. I have arranged a part time nanny for him. It's time to resume back to my old life. For me and my child." she said, giving a small smile. Even though it was unprofessional, there was a strange sense of comfort that radiated out of him which compelled her to share this detail with him.
Nodding, he switched back to his professional mode. He was impressed by the fact that she stepped up to do something that barely any other woman would have chosen to do. She was going to be a strong mother and even a stronger personality, he thought to himself.
"So let's start with the interview," he picked up her resume from the table and started turning through the pages.
"You were previously the Project Manager at IT Insight. What was the reason behind leaving the job?" he asked her.
Taking a deep breath, she answered, "Sir, the project that I was leading did not give me the margin to put in my ideas. Whenever I laid out a plan, it was rejected claiming that it wasn't upto the mark but later it was used by my seniors and they took the credit for it, claiming the authenticity of the idea. So, I left the job."
Zaviyar nodded, seemingly satisfied with her answer. "You are a MBA Graduate with a Major in Finance with Marketing as your minor. What skill sets can you provide us with which will help us in the project?"
"Sir, knowing from my previous job experience, I can say for a fact that I have good analytical and reasoning skills. I can analyse the finances required for the job and sort them accordingly and let you know when and where to use it. With my reasoning skills, I weigh all the pros and cons for a particular subject and come with creative ideas accordingly. I can create strategies and goals according to that idea and present it to you."
"Would you go for work related trips when required?" He asked the last question for the interview.
"When there is a requirement, of course, Sir," she answered.
Zaviyar was impressed by her confidence and of course, her answers. Her answers reflected her experience and intelligence. Also, he thought it would be a better option to take an experienced person on board for this project, which was very important for his company.
She would be a great asset for the company.
"Congratulations Mrs. Yumna, you are selected." He declared, with a small smile on his face.
Yumna's brows squinted in confusion. "But sir," she interjected, "how? I mean you decided to declare this soon?"
"I understand where you are coming from," he said, "the previous applicants who gave the interview were fresh MBA graduates. For this project, I need someone who has the skill and experience to lead this project. So you were our first priority already." He explained to her.
Yumna nodded, satisfied with the answer.
"Your joining letter will be emailed to you by my secretary and you can join from next week." He added.
"Thank you Sir!" She gave a polite smile and got up from the seat and headed out of the door.
Looking at her retreating figure, Zaviyar knew that his decision of keeping her in his company had two reasons; the first being her amazing job experience and skill sets and the second was to ease his guilty conscience.
~Akii
𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚊𝚊𝚊𝚊𝚊𝚊..!𝙰𝚂𝚂𝙰𝙻𝙰𝙼𝚄𝙰𝙻𝙰𝙸𝙺𝚄𝙼 𝙱𝙴𝙷𝙽𝙾 𝙰𝚄𝚁 𝚄𝙽𝙺𝙴 𝙱𝙷𝙰𝙸𝚈𝙾....;)𝚃𝙷𝙴𝚂𝙴 𝙰𝚄𝚃𝙷𝙾𝚁𝚂 𝙰𝚁𝙴 𝚆𝙾𝚁𝙺𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙷𝙰𝚁𝙳 𝚃𝙾 𝙱𝚁𝙸𝙽𝙶 𝙹𝙾𝚈 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙴𝙽𝚃𝙴𝚁𝚃𝙰𝙸𝙽𝙼𝙴𝙽𝚃 𝚃𝙾 𝚈𝙾𝚄 𝙶𝚄𝚈𝚂.𝚂𝙾 𝙼𝙰𝙺𝙴 𝚂𝚄𝚁𝙴 𝚈𝙾𝚄 𝚂𝙿𝙰𝙼 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝙽𝙾𝚃𝙸𝙵𝙸𝙲𝙰𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂 𝚆𝙸𝚃𝙷 𝚅𝙾𝚃𝙴𝚂 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝙲𝙾𝙼𝙼𝙴𝙽𝚃𝚂. ~𝙽𝚄𝙶𝙶𝙴𝚃