Maliha watched out of the window. She could see the birds flying out there. The free spirits were flying without any worries and humans were stuck in man made issues.
"Maliha! I want to talk about something very important" Wasif tried to gain her attention.
"That important matter is about me going to Pakistan. Right!" She diverted her attention to him.
"Beta! He is your father" Wasif said helplessly.
"First of all Dad, he isn't my father. Only you are my father. I don't want you to say it ever again. Secondly, he left me and mama. It was his choice. Why is he creating a problem now" She tried to remain calm.
"Yes you are my daughter. Alhamdulillah for it. You know how much you matter to me" He said emotionally,
"But we can't change the reality Maliha. He is your biological father. I know, he didn't take your responsibility, he left you but you are still his blood. Nothing can change this reality. He is regretting his past decisions and wants to meet his daughter" He didn't know how to make her agree.
"Why you and mama are so involved in this matter. Why even mama agreed to send me. He did so wrong to her and she is still...." She stopped talking and covered her face with her both hands.
"One thing Lubna wants you to understand beta. When Lubna took divorce from him. Their relationship ended. Whatever was between them ended right there, but your relationship with him can't be broken ever. Minus Lubna from the equation. She isn't part of anything now. She does want you to go back to Pakistan and meet your father and other relatives. Mateen called her and apologized for everything. He literally begged her to send you Pakistan" Wasif was trying his best to make her understand.
"We don't want you to keep apart from your blood relations. Life is too short beta. We shouldn't have grudges in our hearts for anyone. Everything he did was wrong but forgiving him can bring you and him peace. Then do it"
Maliha heard him but didn't show any reaction.
"Okay I will go" After a few minutes, she announced her decision and left the room.
...
'Kider phassa dia chachu ap ny' He muttered by watching his apple watch.
The flight landed late, he was waiting for her cousin for the past 40 minutes. He had seen her picture, he could recognize her but how would she recognize him.
He was thinking about this matter when she saw him walking through the arrival.
Dressed in a purple top and black pants, she was moving a trolley bag in her one hand. On the other hand she was holding her mobile phone.
She saw something on her mobile and raised her face to see people around her.
Then her eyes fell at a man standing far from her, she saw her mobile once again and walked to him.
"Your name?" She asked standing near him.
"Burak Ahmed" He said confidently. He understood, uncle must have sent her his picture so she could recognize him too.
"I am Maliha Mateen. You must have come here to receive me" She asked watching him from head to toe.
He was dressed in black shalwar qameez, draped a dark brown shawl around his shoulders. From just one look he appeared quite handsome to her.
She was standing in Pakistan, watching a man dressed in traditional clothes, calling him handsome in her mind she had already liked Pakistan a bit.
"Yes. Give me your bag" He asked firmly in his deep voice.
She happily removed her hand from the trolley bag.
"Please this way!" He pointed towards the way.
Walking a foot behind him, she was thinking about his father's family. She agreed to come to Pakistan but deep inside her heart, she wasn't ready to forgive her father.
"Do you need anything?" As they sat into the car, he inquired.
"Water" She answered.
He stopped the car in front of a small and bought a small water bottle for her.
"Thank you" She mumbled.
He nodded at her silently.
After the car entered in the main city she was surprised to see the traffic on the roads, London was busy too but Pakistan looked different.
During the whole journey, he didn't talk to her again neither did she say anything to him. They met were little awkward at their places.
They were cousins.
Who never met.
Had zero understanding between them.
An hour later, he stopped the car in front of a house. The door was opened by a helper. He stopped the car at the porch and removed her bag from the car.
She got out of the car, her eyes found many people standing at the entrance of the house. They all gathered to welcome her.
As she walked towards them with Burak holding her bag, a man rushed towards them.
"My daughter!" Saying those words lovingly, he moved closer to hug her.
"Please, it's fine" She moved a step back.
She knew he was her father. She didn't want anything like this to happen. She had came here but that doesn't mean she forgot everything.
She remembered everything and everything, this man did to her and her mother.
Nothing was forgotten.
"Maliha! Beta I missed you much" He sopke from his heart.
"I know"
"Really?" Mateen asked surprisingly.
Burak shook his head. He wanted to tell his uncle that she was just saying it in a sarcastic way.
He gestured his mother to come forward and meet her before she could say anything hurtful to her father.
It was meant to happen.
But he didn't want it to happen on the very first day of her coming in to their lives as a family member that too at the entrance of the main house.
Everyone moved forward to meet her.
She met everyone nicely with a small smile on her face but had nothing for her father.
"Burak! I want to rest" She asked Burak who was standing with his brother busy in discussion.
He was surprised when she called him. But everyone could understand she had already known him for past hour.
He was not in her strangers list anymore.
"Sure. Ayesha please show her room" He asked his younger sister.
Ayesha happily showed her room and asked if she needed anything,
"I always used to think, what do you look like. I have seen your mother pictures, you are just pretty as her" Ayesha tried to break the ice.
"Thank you for your kind words" She smiled at her.
"I think you should take rest now. We will talk later. My room is the next one, do tell me if you need anything"
"Okay" She nodded.
After Ayesha had gone, she fell on the bed and released a sigh.
It was difficult to meet strangers even if you shared blood with them.
She freshed up, changed into comfy clothes and laid down on the bed. She slept in no time.
When she opened her eyes, the room was covered in darkness, she panicked for a moment and searched for her mobile phone.
With the help of the flashlight of her cell phone, she was able to walk to the switch board and turned on the lights.
Her eyes fell at her mobile screen. She did the calculation. It was past 10 in Pakistan right now.
She had slept for six hours.
She walked out of the guest room just to bump into a man she thought to be handsome.
"Easy" He mumbled, holding her shoulders to not let her fall.
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