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“There is nothing more intimate in life than simply
being understood”
_Brad Meltzer_
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Dry winds blew across the area swaying the long white net curtains with them.
She sat on one of the white marble stairs on the backside of haveli that led to the backside expansive lawn.
Sipping down the glass of mango milkshake, she kept her gaze on the clear light blue sky above as the words escaped her lips,
"Did the matter resolve"?
She asked turning her gaze back towards Zainab who sat beside her.
Zainab nodded giving her a small apologetic smile,
"Yes. I'm sorry that you had to see all this when you just arrived here".
Shanzay smiled back shaking her head lightly as she placed the glass on the step she was sitting on,
"It's alright Zainab, it wasn't your fault. How did it resolve? Did Nana abbu do something"?
Zainab nodded gazing at the clear light blue sky,
"Yes, only he can save a person from the clutches of Sardar Badar Nauraiz Shah. I'm so relieved that Azfar bhai was completely fine, unscratched. Probably the firing was done towards the sky trying to frighten Azfar bhai's men. I think they had some argument with each other. After all it's an age old enmity between the two khandaans ".
Zainab spoke in distaste before drinking her milkshake again.
As if the mere mention of the matter was causing displeasure to course through her being.
Shanzay's brows furrowed in confusion.
She was dressed up in white knee length short frock and blue jeans paired with it. Her hair were tied loosely with a clutcher, from which few honey tendrils escaped touching her cheeks on either sides.
She tucked them behind her ear as she asked,
"Who is Sardar Badar Nauraiz Shah? And what enmity are you talking about"?
It was the thing that hadbeen bothering her since yesterday when she heard the name mentioned for the first time.
She didn't know why but the name itself carried so much intimidation, she felt shivers running down her spine at just the mention of the name.
She wanted to know who he was and why people treated him as if he was some monster who hadbeen let out to create havoc and destruction everywhere.
Zainab placed her glass on the step and turned towards her completely.
She set the lime coloured dupatta that was slipping from her shoulders back on her shoulder before speaking,
"The village beside ours is his. And he has many more lands than Dada jaan owns. He even has ties with not only the police of this area but also of the whole southern punjab. He even owns few factories and mills and even does the export of the fruits from his farms, the orchards you would have seen while coming here. But this is nothing that describes him, he is known as a cold hearted beast. A cruel and merciless person who lacks a heart. His ways are ruthless and scary. That's how he is known here. There would be no one in this area who knows him and isn't afraid of him. Deep inside even Dada jaan is scared because he is his biggest enemy".
Shanzay couldn't breathe. She sat there frozen at her spot with her eyes wide and mouth agape.
A shiver ran down her spine as she felt her body going numb.
She tried to get a grip of herself and turned towards Zainab,
"Kaisi dushmani "?
Zainab replied in a low voice careful to not let any housemaid in the haveli hear it,
"Ziada tou nahi maloom kiyun k is ki details tou sırf haveli k baron ko pata hain. Lekan maazi main koi bohut bara jhagra hua tha dono khandano main. Dada jaan nay apnay chotay bhai ko khoya aur doosri taraf bhi Shahon nay apna beta khoya. Bakhto mayii say aik dafa sun liya k Shahon ki aik beti bhi larayi main mari gayi thi. Bohut khoon kharaba hua tha us waqt. Ab tou pichlay 30 salon say sukoon Hai. Koi bara jhagra nahi hua. Lekan ab Azfar bhai nay ja ker phir bujhi hui aag ko dehka diya. Dada jaan nay aik dafa tou maamla khatam kerwa diya hai magar ziada dair khamooshi nahi rahay gi. Doosri taraf bhi tou Sardar Badar Nauraiz Shah hai. Apas ki baat hai, tumhain Azfar bhai ka nahi pata, Dada jaan k sub say baaghi aur bighray huay potay hain. Apni munmani kertay hain. Ab unki waja say saalon purani dushmani phir shuru. Allah khair karay pata nahi kiya hota hai".
Shanzay listened to all the story with a shocked face. So much was going on with her maternal side family and she knew nothing.
She leaned forward as she spoke in a hushed whisper,
"Kiya ye Sardar bohut khatarnak hai"?
Deep inside she was feeling worried for Azfar bhai and Nana jaan.
What will they have to face now?
Zainab looked at her with widened eyes,
"khatarnaak? He is so dangerous that even Dada jaan fears him deep inside. There are rumors that he had asked his men to murder few people and their bodies weren't even found later. People say he fed those bodies to his dogs. Imagine how much of a heartless cruel cold hearted man he would be"!
Shanzay let out a shaky sigh as she turned her face back towards the lawn.
Small beads of sweat had formed on her forehead and they weren't due to the hot weather, she was sure of it.
"I just hope that the wedding goes fine and he does nothing. We can't predict what that Sardar will do. I know he won't sit silent after all this but let's just hope the wedding goes on fine. Koi tamasha na ho bus".
Zainab whisper prayed before grabbing her glass sipping the milkshake again.
Shanzay took in a soft inhale.
She didn't know the people of haveli were going through this much. There was a past behind them and they were practically in enmity with another lord of the village and that too for nearly three decades.
She prayed for the best to happen that could save both sides from further damage.
One thing she was sure of, the first impression casted on her mind regarding the sardar wasn't good.
She had started disliking him even before she met him.
🥀 🥀 🥀
"Zeenat bibi, aj tou biryani banwa dain".
Daneen spoke propping her chin on her palm as she gazed at the edlerly figure with puppy eyes.
Zeenat apa opened her mouth to speak when a voice echoed from the corner of the room,
"Hargiz nahi, Khurram farmaish ker k gaya hai k aj pulao bunwana hai".
Letting out a helpless sigh, she turned her neck and gazed at the figure seated on the takht.
A small pout marred her featured as she tried to give her puppy eyes,
"Amaw huzoor, please na. There isn't much difference between pulao and biryani. Both are rice.
How about making biryani instead"?
At the end she even raised her brows as if persuading her.
The elderly figure was clad in light brown kameez shalwar with a white shawl wrapped around her shoulders and back, covering her head.
She gave her a glare as she cleaned the thaal of rice placed beside her on the ottoman.
"Phohar larki. There is alot of difference between biryani and pulao. Tum na susral ja ker jhunday garoh gi humari izzat k".
Zeenat apa who was dusting the hall also snickered softly at Razia begum's words as she pulled her dupatta more on her face to hide her laughing face from Daneen's gaze.
Daneen let out a sharp exhale as she turned completely on the oakwood cushioned sofa to face her mother.
Dressed up in orange coloured kameez shalwar with the maroon net dupatta draped over her one shoulder grazing the grey tiled floor below and her dainty feet clad in maroon khussas, she sat there with her nose scrunched up and a complain lying in her gazelle like black orbs as she spoke jerking her french braid back that had slid over her shoulder earlier,
"Haw Haye, Amma huzoor, ab ap apni masoom aur piyari beti ki aisay beizzati karain gi wo bhi Zeenat apa k samnay"?
Razia begum shook her head slightly as she cleaned the rice,
"Aik number ki dramaybaaz ho tum".
Daneen pursed her lips as her big black orbs reflected complain,
"Itni honehar beti bhi qismat walon ko milti hai".
"Itni nalaiq aulad bhi Kisi Kisi k naseeb main ati hai".
Razia begum backfired leaving her mouth agape with her jaw dropping to the ground while Zeenat apa broke into a chuckle.
Daneen huffed softly,
"Haan tou nalaiq hain tou kiya hua. Kiya nalaiq aulad ka haq nahi k wo biryani kha sakay"?
Razia begum only gave her a glare but she continued speaking the other second without taking any notice of it,
"Ab hum masoomon k ander bhi tou dil hai na. Dil ker raha hai biryani khanay ko".
She reasoned tucking the stray strands behind her ear that had escaped her braid.
"Beta g, dil tou mera bhi ker raha hai k jooti uthaun aur demagh durust karun tumhara".
Razia begum spoke as she gestured Zeenat apa to come and take the thaal away.
Daneen silently looked at her with her puppy eyes, the corner of her lips dropping down.
Razia begum gazed at her dramatic expressions which Daneen only accentuated by blinking her orbs again and again forcefully turning them teary presenting a melodramatic picture.
She even sniffed to add a more dramatic effect to her acting.
A soft sigh left Razia begum's lips at her melodramatic acting,
"Alright, Zeenat, make pulao for lunch and biryani for dinner".
Zeenat apa immediately nodded taking the thaal from her.
Daneen squealed rushing towards her mother engulfing her in a bone crushing hug,
"Amma you are the bestttttt"!!!
"Aye paray hat larki".
Razia begum lightly slapped the back of her head making her break into giggles.
🌹🌹🌹
She entered the lounge upstairs in zanan khana, that was specified for the women of the house but the males of the family could also enter.
Entering inside she was greeted with the presence of Nano, Sajjida Mami, Javeria and three new people she was seeing for the first time.
The first one was a middle aged woman, around Sajjida Mami's age. She was healthy and had a beautiful skin tone.
Clad in dark purple kameez shalwar and chiffon white and purple printed dupatta over her shoulders, she sat there on the grand double seater sofa beside Nano.
Her hair were pulled back in a bun, not a single strand out of place giving her a dignified look.
Round, big gold studs adorned her ears and a gold chain with a big gold coin at its end that was resting over her dark purple kameez, adorning her neck.
Her both wrists were adorned by gold bangles and each of her hand had atleast three gold rings.
She raised her gaze towards Shanzay when she entered and Shanzay couldn't help but notice how her expressions became serious all of a sudden.
Her eyes narrowing as she scanned Shanzay from top to bottom under her scrutinizing gaze making Shanzay addled as her cheeks flushed pink in embarrassment.
Shanzay immediately walked towards the sofa beside which Javeria sat on the carpet with a cushion on her lap.
The sofa was occupied by Sajjida Mami.
Shanzay settled beside Javeria on the carpet.
"Oh my beautiful Shanzay, look who is here, Faseeha bhabhi this is our Shanzay, Nadia's daughter. Remember how little she was when she came to the haveli last time? Ma Shaa Allah she has grown so much, and turned more beautiful with time".
Sajjida Mami spoke caressing Shanzay's head affectionately.
Nano also smiled at her words as she spoke,
"Bohut piyari bachi hai humari Shanzay".
Shanzay raised her head to thank Nano and greet Faseeha mami when her gaze went towards one of the daughters of Faseeha Mami.
She seemed mature, maybe in her late twenties.
Her features had very much resemblance with Faseeha Mami's features.
Her curly black hair were shoulder length that were clipped back with a clutcher letting the small gold hoops dangling in her ears visible to the eyes. Her eyes had a deep lining of kajal.
Dressed up in red and blue shalwar kameez suit with similar dupatta held on her one shoulder she sat there glaring at Shanzay.
Shanzay got puzzled at her murderous gaze.
Why was she glaring at her? Did she do anything wrong?
She was meeting her for the first time, how could she have infuriated her?
"Such a mannerless girl she is. She is Nadia's daughter but hasn't gotten a single good quality of Nadia's. Bhai baray bethay hn tou salam kertay hain larki. Aisay mun utha ker beth nahi jatay".
Faseeha Mami spoke in a sharp tone leaving her utterly spellbound.
Everyone in the room was also taken aback at Faseeha Mami's venomous tone.
"S-salam Mami".
She immediately spoke stuttering in the mid, too taken aback.
In all honesty, Shanzay had never encountered such sharp and venom dripping tone in her twenty two years of existence.
The sharpness of it could cut the iron into two.
"No need now. Ab tumhara Salam nahi chahiye. Apnay pass hi rakho larki".
Faseeha mami spoke turning her head towards other side as if the mere sight of Shanzay was too displeasing to her eyes.
Sajjida Mami was the first one to gain her composure back,
"Bhabhi what happened? Kal bachi ayee hai aur ap abhi say dantnay lag gayee. Choti hai abhi ooper say mehman bhi. Kuch tou khayal karain".
Faseeha Mami chuckled sarcastically,
"If she is young than what can I do? Shouldn't she atleast know our culture, our ethics and our traditions? Shouldn't she atleast respect them? Ye dekho mohtarma pant shirt main haveli main phir rahi hain. Zulm khuda ka dupattay ka bhi hosh nahi. Behuda lebaas, Toba Toba"!
She touched her both ears in the end.
Shanzay looked at Faseeha Mami dumbstruck. Speechless.
Her words had hurt her badly as the tone was very insulting.
She saw the earlier one, Faseeha mami's daughter, the one who glared at her earlier, smirk invading her pale face now as if enjoying the way Shanzay was being humiliated by her mother.
Shanzay clutched her white frock tightly, not understanding what to do.
She had never heard anything like this before.
She had never been in such a situation before.
She had never heard such venomous words either.
She looked down at her dress that was pretty decent, covering her whole body completely, even the shirt was pretty loose not making her body shape prominent.
And the frock reached her knees, only the jeans clad legs below her knees showed.
What was wrong with her dress?
How was it vulgar?
Her gaze went back to Faseeha Mami's daughter who was smirking at her earlier.
She didn't know what her name was.
Her dress, even though it was kameez shalwar, but it was in a fitting, sticking to her body like a second skin and making her body shape too prominent. The dupatta which she was carrying was just a formality because it was slipping from her shoulder and the neck of her dress was very deep.
So was this the dress Faseeha Mami called decent?
She wanted to voice her question but held back not wanting to bicker with her or give her another reason to insult her again or give her the label of a misbehaving girl.
Nano's nostrils flared at her words, her voice was thunderous and unforgiving,
"Bus bohut hogaya Faseeha! Kuch tou lehaaz karo masoom bachi hai aur khandaan main sub say choti hai, ooper say Kuch dinon k liye rehnay ayee hai yahaan. Kiyun uska dil apni taraf say mela ker rahi ho? Kiyun beizzat ker rahi ho isay? Aur lebaas ki baat tou tum na hi karo tum tou behtar hai! Wo poori tarha dhanpi hui hai kapron main, tumhari beti Shahana ki tarha gehray galay or chust kapray nahi pehanti k jism ka aik aik hissa numaya ho. Agar riwayaat sikhani hain tou pehlay apni beti ko sikhao. Aur ainda zara soch samajh ker bolna werna chup main bhi nahi rahun gi".
Nano glared at Faseeha Mami who was dumbstruck at Nano's outburst.
Her face reddened in humiliation and she immediately stood up gesturing her daughters to follow her out.
The earlier one, Shahana walked out with a huff but the younger one who she was seeing for the first time stayed.
She was two or three years older than her. She seemed different than her mother and sister.
Clad in pink kameez and white shalwar with a printed dupatta spread over her shoulders and her waist length dark hair left untied on her back she smiled at her apologetically,
"I'm sorry Shanzay. I apologize for my mother's behavior. She was too harsh just now".
Her tone sounded sincere.
Shanzay shook her head lightly, struggling to smile,
"It's alright. I didn't mind".
Such a lie. She did mind . The words hurt her as badly as a knife could.
The girl smiled lightly,
"Thanks. I'm Shabana. I'll get going now or ammi would be angry".
She spoke before walking out of the room.
Everybody's attention had turned back to the TV screen.
Shanzay leaned towards Javeria as she asked in a hushed whisper,
"Is Faseeha Mami always like this"?
Javeria nodded,
"You've no idea. You'll get used to it. Abhi dekha kahaan hai tumnay unko".
Shanzay shivered internally recalling her earlier words.
She hadn't had the honor of hearing such venomous and hurting words before ever in her life and she was in no favor of hearing them again.
🍁🍁🍁
Sitting on the cushioned comfortable wooden chair, he faced the person across him who sat on the revolving cushioned chair with his back comfortably leaned back against the back rest of the chair and right leg placed over left one.
The hair of his silver above his ears and skin wrinkled around his eyes as he gazed back at the young man's frame silently.
IG Punjab, Saqib Hussain gazed at the figure of the young man seated across him clad in the black and khaki uniform similar to his.
A soft sigh left his lips as he raised his palm gesturing towards the light blue file placed on the wooden desk,
"Your two weeks leave pass hasbeen signed. If there will be no emergency here, you'll be able to spend these two weeks in peace at your home ".
The man raised his orbs meeting the aged man's gaze before lowering it and gazing at the light blue file,
"Thank you sir".
The words stated respectfully in an unwavering tone.
"But before you leave, I have a very important issue to discuss with you and I'm pretty sure you're already well aware regarding what it is".
The IG spoke raising his brow slightly causing the man to raise his gaze back towards him .
Even after meeting the gaze he didn't reply which caused the aged man to heave out a soft sigh as he finally removed his right leg from left one before leaning forward placing his arms on the desk as he gazed at the young man with complain dancing in his orbs,
"I told you to not take any extra missions this week and yet you still accompanied ASP Murtaza with a case you weren't even selected to solve. May I ask why"?
Eventhough he was conversing with him seriously, his tone was pretty soft as if an adult trying to make a child understand something.
A soft exhale left the young man's lips as he finally parted his lips and opened his mouth to speak,
"ASP Murtaza was short on men so I volunteered to help".
A frustrated sigh left the aged man's lips as he gazed at the young man pointedly before speaking through gritted teeth,
"If ASP Murtaza really wanted more men, he could have informed the headquarters. But what I've known from my investigation is that you yourself took the mission and led it with the team on your own without consulting other seniors or even me. Can I dare ask what behavior is this ASP Shahmeer"?
The tone at the last sentence became visibly sarcastic.
Shahmeer shrugged before speaking,
"I was free anyways sir and this mission seemed interesting. As much as I got to know from my investigation, it was earlier planned for me to lead it but than you swapped it at the last moment and gave it to Murtaza. How is this fair, sir"?
He tilted his head slightly towards his right shoulder at the end making the IG let out a deep sigh before turning his head towards the other side.
"If I did let Murtaza go on it, the seniors would have most probably put him in a tough spot due to his lack of experience and just newly promotion. They would have not let him attempt this mission fairly and at the end not only do the goods would have reached the hands of undeserving people but the reputation of police would havebeen ruined like always too".
He spoke in a low yet firm tone without removing his gaze from IG's tense frame.
The IG looked like he was barely containing his anger as he gave Shahmeer a disappointed look,
"And why did you take everything in your hands? Why didn't you leave it the way it was going on? Why did you have to come in the eyes of those ruthless ministers"?
A frustrated sigh left Shahmeer's lips as his thick dark brows furrowed softly however his tone remained calm and respectful,
"Sir, how was it fair? It's not like I did anything wrong. Just tell me one thing, what these millionaire and billionaire ministers lack that they are stooping so low to an extent by stealing the stock of flour and rice that was decided to be distributed among the poor and flood affected people earlier?How is doing this not a crime"?
The IG let out a soft sigh utterly ignoring his words as he spoke leaning forward,
"This time you did it Shahmeer. For your sake I'll let it go and I'll make sure Murtaza's and his and your teams' names don't come either. But this would be the last time I'll be doing so. Next time, I'll either not defend you against those minsters or I'll call your grandfather and he'll deal with you. If you adore your job, you'll definitely not do it again, hmm"?
The IG spoke cocking his brow at him in question.
At hearing the last sentence and the mention of his grandfather, he simply gritted his teeth and clenched his jaw before giving a slight nod to the IG.
His expressions had turned grave all of a sudden, brows furrowed, jaw clenched and the orbs that were turning red brimmed by each passing second.
The IG nodded in satisfaction,
"Now that was some satisfactory response. Go and enjoy your days there and do convey my greetings to Chaudhary Sahab. I couldn't come this time. Eventhough I would have loved to since he bestowed the honor of inviting me personally but the work is too much here. Do congratulate your cousin for me".
Shahmeer let out a soft sigh nodding to that,
"Surely I will sir. I'll take my leave now".
The IG nodded scanning his expressions that didn't look happy in the slightest.
With his jaw clenched and orbs turning red brimmed, he stood up from the chair giving a salute to the aged man seated infront of him before grabbing the light blue file and exiting the office room closing the frosted glass doors behind.
Sometimes, even if you are living your life, the strings of it aren't in your hands.
The strings that keep you going forward, the strings that lead you to your destinations. The strings that give you freedom.
Just like that person, Shahmeer Chaudhary's hands were not only tied, but his fate was being brutally decided by others and the fact that he couldn't even complain because it was his own grandfather who was the doer of all this.
Even if he was given freedom, it was limited.
Even if he could enjoy doing what he really wanted to, it was for a short time.
He couldn't defy him, he couldn't break the boundaries, he couldn't enjoy the freedom of making his own decisions.
He was a man, entrapped by the clutches of traditions and family principles.
A man who couldn't even give justice to himself, how was he supposed to give justice to others?
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Word count : 4,150 words
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Poor baby is carrying alot on his shoulders, isn't he?
But atleast he is willing to go as far as he can to provide justice to others.
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Also, how many of you are waiting for the sardar's entry 👀
Guess what, it's in the next chapter 🙌
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Do tell me how you find the chapter
Also, don't forget to drop your votes and comments,
they motivate me to write
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Till next time 🌸🌸🌸