I slept longer than expected. I woke up in a sudden panic when I heard the doorbell ring. I rushed to open the door and found Suraiya and Zehra Aunty holding bags of food and fruit. I invited them in and cleaned the sofa with a bunch of my clothes that needed a wash. The house was a mess. Things kept piling up and going in and out of the hospital, resulting in me leaving the house unattended. I didn't find the time to clean and maintain the house. With one person gone, suddenly, the house stops functionally. I splashed my face with some cold water and put the stove on to prepare some tea.
'Thank you for this.' My body was aching, my mind was tired, and I felt so angry and sad. I returned to the living room and sat across from them. I had a lot to thank them for. They looked after Ma in my absence and were there for her when I failed to be there for her. Sometimes we have to choose between time and money; in our situation, money was needed to buy more time for Ma.
'You have to take care of yourself, so you can take off her,' Zehra Aunty spoke first, and Suraiya Aunty nodded in agreement. I knew they meant well, but it was harder to expect them to understand my situation. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't take care of myself when the most important person in my life was in the hospital and went through such a tough and painful procedure. Before taking Ma to the operation room, I had to sign a bunch of documents and understand the consequences of risks involving the surgery. There were so many things I didn't know and had to learn on the spot. Taking care of myself was last on the list of priorities.
Instead of giving them a big explanation, I also nodded in agreement.
'When will she be back?' Suraiya Aunty asked.
'In two weeks or so, the surgery went well, but the recovery takes time. She is still under a heavy dose of mediation and under care,' I explained to them and noticed a sense of relief in their eyes. They spent a lot of time together, so I knew they also worried about her.
'Once she is a bit better, I will take you to meet her,' I offered.
'She will recover soon; she is a fighter,' Zehra Aunty said, and I smiled. She was, I had never Ma getting sick, she didn't catch much seasonal flu or cold, she was strong, lifted such heavy things, and worked for hours without complaining. I always looked up to her. Seeing a person who was like made out of iron falling sick so suddenly was humbling.
'It would be nice if there was someone with you in time like this. That's why marriage is important' Suraiya Aunty couldn't help herself. Before I could say anything, Zehra Aunty spoke up and told her to stop.
'I didn't say anything wrong, Zehra. You can tell she is worried about her marriage. I introduced you to such a good man, a doctor, can you believe, and she rejected him' She glanced at me in a complaining way. That's it. It was time for them to go.
'I am getting later. I need to go to the hospital' I got up from the seat and went to the kitchen to turn off the stove before returning back to the living room to find Zehra Aunty telling Suraiya Aunty to watch her mouth and pay attention to what she was saying to me at this time.
'It's okay. I know it's coming from a good place. You all care about me, and Ma wants to see me settled. I actually have someone, and I will introduce him to her soon' I broke the news so they would stop discussing my marriage once and for all.
'Oh, you did, that's wonderful; why didn't you say so? I am so happy to hear that' Suraiya Aunty patted my back like I had done something extraordinary, accomplished an enormous task.
'We should go when she is better. Tell us so we can go see her, okay?' Zehra Aunty asked again as I walked them out.
'I will, and thank you again for the food' I thanked them again and looked at the door after they left.
I ate some food, packed my things, and rushed to the hospital.
'What do you mean you moved her?' I yelled when the receptionist told me that they transferred Ma to another room, a more expensive room. I should have been happy, but it was too expensive. I pulled the phone out of my bag to call Jaan but saw that my phone was dead. I forgot to charge the battery.
I got the new room number and went to find her and see why Jaan did that without asking me. I took the elevator to a different floor, turned to the hallway, and suddenly stopped when I saw Jaan talking to Shahzaib on the other side across from me. He was here.
As I walked toward them, Shahzaib turned to me. When I reached him, he placed an arm around my shoulder and gave me a gentle squeeze pulling me closer to him. I secured my arm around his back and leaned into his chest for a slight hug. Jaan didn't try to hide his smile when he looked at me, and I smiled back.
'Sorry I was late, I slept, and then Suraiya and Zehra Aunty came by,' I told Jaan.
'You needed to rest too,' Shahzaib said, and I looked at him. Darn him for thinking about me and having those expectations from him. He was setting the standard too high.
'I know, but Jaan helped so much, plus he had to put his wedding preparation on hold,' I explained.
'Now I am free,' Jaan said dramatically, making my smile wider.
'You are free to go and start another battle of wedding preparation,' Shahzaib said quickly.
'I asked Mona to do court marriage. Can you imagine how easy that would be?' Jaan called out.
'Actually, we can,' I prompted.
'Absolutely,' Shahzaib added with a superior glance at me.
'You should go, get some rest too,' I said to Jaan.
'Yeah, I should; my back is hurting; these chairs are awful' Jaan grabbed his jacket from the seat.
'Yeah,' I moved my shoulder up and down to release some tension.
'I will visit when I can. I hope you can join the wedding' Jaan was getting a few weeks, and I didn't think I'd be able to make it since I wasn't sure how Ma's situation would be then, but I promised I would try.
'Don't worry about this anymore; I am here, be there for Mona. I am sure she wants you involved in the planning,' Shahzaib advised him before Jaan left, leaving us alone in a quiet hallway. As soon as Jaan was out of sight, I leaped into Shahzaib's arms, he tightened his arms around me and I couldn't help but cry, I didn't want to pretend to be strong. I was okay to feel vulnerable in front of him now.
'Are you alright?' Shahzaib asked first when we parted, and I faced him. He wiped the tears from my face and brushed the hair out of my face.
'I am better now that you are here,' I admitted to him.
'You actually came' I put my stuff down on the ground and held his hands.
'You said you missed me' He smiled as if that was enough. It was; it was more than enough.
'I don't mind you being rich sometimes,' I laughed, and his smile grew.
'Thank you for getting her a better room,' I told him and tightened my grip on his hands.
'You're welcome. I got a glimpse of her' He mentioned to me, and I peeked inside the door to check on her. She was still asleep, this time in a much larger, comfortable, looking bed, in a better-equipped room with an extra bed and chairs and even a small sink.
'Did you eat before coming here?' I asked him once we settled in our seats.
'I went home; first, Nani is also here' He broke the new way too casually.
'She is?' I was surprised, to say the least.
'Did you tell her?' I asked him, and he simply nodded.
'Don't just nod' I squeaked in tension when his face grew serious. She was probably furious at me and never wanted to see me again.
'She wants to meet you,' He declared, and I gasped in panic.
'I can't meet her, I can't stand her being angry at me' I fidgeted with my shirt.
'We both will have to do that at some point, me with your Ma and you with Nani,' He said matter-of-factly. Imagining, preparing, and going into the lion's den were completely different things.
'You'll be fine' He eyed me with an unreadable expression, and my stomach, already tensed and prickly, did a little flip.