It was after Maghrib, sun set, darkness blanketed the haveli when Shah Nawaz entered the hookah bettak in his haveli, taking care in each step like he was walking on a wire. Meh'r-Bano jumped off the prayer mat and onto to her feet when she heard his footsteps in the corridor. For over an hour she listened to the ticking of the clock in rhythm to her heart beat.
Quickly, she adjusted her scarf and swallowed into her dry throat like a shadow in the corner of the room. Her heart pounding wondering what Zaman Ali said, what was the verdict?
Shah Nawaz made no attempt to acknowledge her presence and switched on the stereo player. The sound of a tabla echoed in the dimly lit room; pounding against the wall. He sat in the armchair, his left hand running over his beard.
Did he forget I am here? Meh'r-Bano looked around the room wondering if she was a mirage. The qawaal singer began to raise his voice, mastering the raag notes. Meh'r-Bano edged closer.
"I once read that there are three elements in the world that create empires-" Shah Nawaz stared into the darkness in deep thought.
"Politics, economics and enterprise."
Biting her nails, she stood back and listened to him. They were alone- no maids, no guards.
"The most crucial element people tend to forget."
The singer broke into a song, his voice throaty, deep and profound filling the room with colour. Meh'r-Bano didn't care for games, she wanted to know the verdict. What happened?
"If the final element is not met- it can destroy empires. One mistake- could cost me years of work." He turned towards her finally validating her. His face stern, in contemplative mood. The room was lit from a corner lamp creating shadows of mountains.
"When I walk into a room I find the underdog." His left hand in a fist. "When I find him, I champion him."
"What happened Choudhary Saab?"
Shah Nawaz summoned Zaman Ali into the room of his executive planning team. An illiterate farmer amongst graduates and high earners.
"Tell Zaman Ali- tell me about your land, near the river." Shah Nawaz summoned the nervous old man who held his shawl between his hands.
Zaman Ali didn't dare to look up at his master, he wiped the sweat from his brow.
"What do you want to hear, Choudhary Saab?"
The city workers eyes were upon this feeble man. A weak man who they couldn't understand, only caught a word or two. Shah Nawaz informed him about the plan, and Zaman Ali gasped- his red eyes wide, he finally looked up. He shook his head, informing his master of a monumental disaster if they constructed a power station on his land to supply electricity.
"It's a catastrophe, Choudhary Saab." He slapped his left hand on his head. The land floods, my harvest is wasted- if you build on the land, you will suffer greatly." Zaman Ali warned. "All the land is yours- you can take it, but take my advice, the advice of a little man. It won't be beneficial to build on the land."
Fury spread through Shah Nawaz. He sent Zaman Ali away and turned to the suits sat around the table demanding answers. They shuffled paper, clicking on the laptop, looked at each other but couldn't give an answer. There were no answers. They estimated the land, the costs and did not carry out any field work. Saving time and money.
Meh'r-Bano stood oblivious to the seismic shock that occurred hours before.
"I met my nephew, Jahanzaib today- roaming the fields like a vagabond." Shah Nawaz shared his meeting with Jahanzaib who rejected luxury and wealth for the soil of Jahanpur.
Meh'r-Bano eye's widened on hearing Jahanzaib's return. What would Shah Nawaz to do him?
"He has returned to learn from the land. Now that's a leader, maybe I should take a leaf out of his book. With great power comes great responsibility."
Meh'r-bano was astounded by Shah Nawaz's reflection. Was he in regret? This was a different side to him. What happened in that room? What did Zaman Ali say?
Shah Nawaz finally met Meh'r-bano glimmering eyes, wide and beautiful with a thirst for knowledge.
"Did you ever think, why you were on tea duty?" His voice deep and low like a soft brush against her skin. He was intimidating, she turned away looking at him took her breath away.
"It's your haveli, you're the master."
"But why?" He inched closer, she stepped back.
"To keep an eye on me."
"Try again."
There was more to this conversation, what was he trying to tell her?
"Bulbul perched in a room full of professional city team. Why?"
She shook her head. "I apologise. I wanted to know what they were – what they planned to do with our land and I watched and listened over the past few weeks-" She paused and reflected. He provoked her curiosity and allowed her into the room- serving tea was an excuse.
"You wanted me to do that." She realised.
"Bulbul is trouble. She flies where she is not wanted but learns more than she can chew. This time Bulbul soared. The underdog."
"What happened?" Lips apart, she was on edge.
On learning about the land, Shah Nawaz roared with anger and sacked every single suit in the room.
"Get off my land or else I will set my dogs on you!"
The project manager raised his hand to speak, but Wajahat Ali stepped in. "If you want to live- leave."
Quickly, they collected their papers, their equipment and left the haveli and soon Jahanpur.
"The land is a flood plain. If I invested, I would be ruined."
She gasped with her hand over her mouth. Both standing inches away from the intensity of the near-mistake. As she took in a breath, the strong musk invaded her lungs. He was overwhelming.
"I sacked them. All of them." Shah Nawaz stepped away holding his hands behind his back.
The evening dawned on Meh'r-bano. A relief bounced off her shoulder and her chest widened with pride. Shah Nawaz placed her in the room on purpose. He listened to her. Her opinion mattered. A smile span her face, quickly she disguised it with her left hand. What was this feeling of happiness? Of relief? She wanted to jump for joy.
"Jahanpur is a jewel. I spend years studying how to polish this jewel into a diamond. Now, I am the chief of Jahanpur and I make a stupid mistake?"
"You studied?" She side tracked him.
"Why does that surprise you?" He turned with a smirk on his face. "The women in our family are mighty- they fight with the pen not the sword."
"Where did you study?"
"Anywhere but in Pakistan. My father would have bought the institution and faked my graduation." He chuckled. "So my stubborn mother sent me to London to study Econometrics and Mathematics Economic for three years. My father's hand is not that long to reach King's College in London."
Meh'r-Bano was astounded. Not only was he graduated, but that in London's prestigious institution. For months she thought he was another line of arrogant Choudhary's with no intellect. Shah Nawaz continued to talk about his years in London, but her thoughts were louder than his speech. She looked at him in a different light, a different man with an open mind. She valued his opinion tonight- the fact he invited her into the planning room for her opinion sent her confidence rocketing into the skies. He values my opinion. He's a London graduate in economics.
"Do you know what the fourth element is?" He asked but she was lost in a maze of thoughts. She shook her head.
"Loyalty. Loyalty makes or breaks empires. If you have a loyal circle-the world is your oyster. Tonight, you showed me your loyalty at great risk-"
"I spoke the truth, Choudhary Saab- I would do anything for Jahanpur and the people of Jahanpur."
"Anything?" He smirked and pressed his lips together.
"I'd give my life for the people of Jahanpur- They're good people."
"No need for dramatics, my Bulbul. The people of Jahanpur don't need sacrifices, they need a strong leader who will drive Jahanpur out of poverty."
"You will do that?" She gazed into the depth of his grey eyes, his promises pulling her under.
"If I have loyalty of my people. Do I have your loyalty?"
Her breath choked her. She couldn't speak.
"I am loyal to the soil of Jahanpur." She whispered.
"I asked if you were loyal to the leader of Jahanpur, will you be loyal to me?"
Her mouth dry. "If you do right-"
He placed his fingers on her lips. "I'll ask again- do I have your loyalty, Hoorayn Ghalib?"
Her body shivered to his touch. Her heart beat thudded. She could taste the bitterness of his skin.
"I –" She breathed unable to utter a word, shivering in his presence. "Y---you h---have my loyalty, Choudhary Shah Nawaz."
He removed his fingers from her moist lips. "Not like that, properly...'I Hoorayn Ghalib.." He instructed her to swear allegiance to him. His hand aching to frame her face, to hold her closer. His eyes focused on her full lips, would she give in to him?
"I.....H...Hoorayn Ghalib-" She paused already out of breath. She pressed her right hand on her heart that pounded like a drum
"-Do swear allegiance and my loyalty to Choudhary Shah Nawaz, son of Choudhary Dilawar Baksh of Jahanpur."
Shah Nawaz eyes pinned on her moist lips, he was dangerously close, she gave herself to him and that drove him wild. No more games. No more lies. She was his subject entrusting her life in his hands- to lead her and the people into success. Hundreds of people swore allegiance to him, but when Meh'r-bano uttered it, alone, in the darkness of the room, it rocketed him to another universe. His heart pounded like a firework. Why did she have this effect on him? What did she do to him?
Quickly, he stepped away and turned his back to her.
"Leave!"
Just like that she scurried out of the room and ran for the fresh air to cool her burning cheeks. Bouncing with energy, she ran on the dirt road under her sandals back home with the wind in her hair. She ran until she couldn't breath any longer and gasped for breath. Stopping for breath she pressed against a coarse wall, with a smile on her face. She looked up at the night, with the crescent moon piercing through the velvet back sky.
Tonight, something was different. He was different. There was something in the cool, wispy air that swept her hair over her face, like it was preparing her ear for a sweet whisper. She felt it in her bones, her body and her heart surged with hope. He spoke to me with respect.
'I find the underdog and I champion him.' I was compared to a man, one of his men; his guards? His clan members? Members of his panchayat? Did I hear right. I was part of his inner circle. He valued her presence, her opinion and sacked his executive team. It made her feel like a million dollars! Meh'r-bano's eyes were glimmering with hope. He listened to me. If he valued her, surely he would welcome her ideas to educate the children. Finally, she had made her mark and showed her worth. She could see a path to education for the children- Shah Nawaz was educated, he was open minded. Surely if anyone would value education it was him?
"I swear allegiance to you– Shah Nawaz- Jahanapur will be a better place for the children. Insha'Allah." Shepromised to the night sky, stars and the moon as her witnesses. She found herreason to stay in Jahanpur. Tomorrow was the dawn of her dreams. Her motivationand her drive was on overdrive. How could she sleep tonight?
****
Author's note:
I have decided to change the way I write in a bid to post more regularly. Shorter chapters, with regular updates.
I appreciate your patience a lot! Hence, I'm still here on Wattpad, writing posting. Thank you for your support.