4 years later:
"Hurry up Sidra, we're gonna get late.", I yelled out, while I tossed the last bits of the scrambled eggs into the plates and poured the orange juice in the glass.
"Sidra's here.", she came out of the room, and stood in front of me, smiling like she always did.
"C'mon hurry up. Breakfast's ready. We gotta eat and leave in five minutes. Okay?",I said, as I pulled out the chair and sat her down on it.
"Here's my plate...", I placed my plate on the table, "an here's yours!", I said.
She looked at the plate, and then at me.
"Sidra doesn't like egg. Sidra doesn't wanna eat.", she pushed the plate away from her and folded her arms across her chest as she turned her face around the other way.
"Buri baat. Aise nahi karte. What did I tell you? Eggs are good for you.", I spoke as a tried to chew my food as fast as I could in my mouth. "C'mon eat it quickly."
"Haww! Bad manners. You're talking while chewing.", she giggled, as her tiny hands covered her mouth. "Sidra doesn't talk when she chews."
"Oh really now?", I raised my eyebrow. "How would I know that until I saw Sidra chew her food without talking?"
"Sidra will show right now baba.", she said and quickly pulled her plate towards her and took a spoonful of the scrambled egg into her tiny mouth.
She nodded her head while chewing, and after she was done she spoke again, "See, Sidra is a good girl."
"That's my jaan.", I kissed her on the cheek, "Chalo jaldi karo so we can leave. You don't wanna be late today.
She nodded her head and finished her breakfast as fast she could and the gulped down her orange juice. "Sidra's done!"
"Good girl.", I said taking her down from the chair.
We headed out of the door and into the car. I placed her on the seat and then fastened her seatbelt before sitting down myself.
"Ready to see Mama?", I asked her, as I started the car.
"Yeah. I want to show her my new shoes.", she said cheekily, but frowned soon after, "How will I know if she'll like it though?"
"You will.", I smiled, rubbing my hand on her head.
We drove off to see my wife.
'Forest Lawn Cemetery', I saw the words written on the front gate as we entered.
Those words pierce my heart every single day. It just feels like they come stabbing at my heart on purpose, reminding me that awful day, when I had just stated thinking that the things were getting better, but my life took a sharp turn and my world turned upside down. It was the day when my wife Sidra left me.
But it was also the day when my daughter Sidra came into my life like a small ray of hope.
"Baba?", Sidra shook my arm, "What happened?"
I nodded my head brushing away the thoughts only to realize that my eyes were already a little tear-ed up.
"Why are you crying? You told me Mama doesn't like it when you or I cry."
"Yeah, she doesn't like it. I'm not crying.", I wiped my tears, "See.", I gave her big smile.
She smiled back.
"Lets go."
We walked to my wife's grave.
Sidra Shehryaar Asif
1994-2016
I prayed, and made dua while Sidra stood there talking to her mom.
"See mama, Sidra's new shoes. Today's the first day of my class. I'm even wearing a new thsirt. Do you like it?", she continued, "You know, Baba was talking while chewing his food today. And then Sidra had to show him how not to talk while chewing. Sidra is a good girl. She knows her manners.", she boasted.
I smiled at her innocence.
After I was done, I placed a fresh rose on the top of the grave and grabbed Sidra's hand, "Shall we leave?"
She nodded, "Yeah."
I then dropped her off to school and went to work.
Later that day:
I went to pick Sidra up from her school. I waited outside her school because I had reached a little bit early.
After waiting for about 15 minutes, the school got over and all the kids ran outside towards their busses.
I saw my Sidra, as she came out of the building and ran across the playground towards me.
"Babaaaa!", she hugged me. I picked her up in my arms and walked to my car.
"How was school?", I asked her.
"Good! Sidra made lots of new friends today!", she told me all excited and everything.
"Nice! Wanna go to the mall?", I questioned and I already knew her answer.
"Yaaaasssss"
We headed to the mall and the first thing we did as soon as we got in was to go to our favorite ice cream place 'Coldstone'.
Sidra loved that place and she got her favorite strawberry cheesecake ice cream.
"Can we go to the playstore?", she asked as she took a bite of her icecream.
"Lets go!", I said and grabbed her tiny hand and walked to the playstore.
As we were looking around the playstore for some toys, Sidra ran upto a little boy and started talking to him.
I followed her upto the boy and realized he was her new friend from school.
"Look Baba, this is my friend.
"Helllooo there! Whats his name?"
She scratched the back of her head, "I don't know. I never asked him", she stuck her tongue out.
"I chuckled, "Well ask him now."
"Whats your name?", she turned towards him.
"Cherry!"
"Cherry? What kid of a name is that?", she laughed, "My name's Sidra."
I stood there loking at how funny little kids could be when I heard someone call out my name.
"Shehry!"
It was almost after so many years that I had heard someone call me that. After Sidra was gone, there was no one else that called me by that name. Everyone used Shehryaar mostly.
But now that someone called my that name, I knew it had to be someone I knew from long ago. And that voice....that voice just seemed so familiar.
I turned around...
What I saw, sent a chill up my spine, and froze me in that moment. I swear she felt the same way because she just stood there, as if she almost too dead to move.
"Mamaaa!", the little boy ran upto her, as I watched him hug her.
"A-Amna!", was all that came out of my mouth.
"Shehryaar!"
Her face hadn't changed since the last time I had seen her. She was exactly the same. I mean EXACTLY! Not a single wrinkle, and as fit as a fiddle.
And It was kinda annoying and I reflexively patted the extra flesh under my chin.
I watched her as she peered at me. And that's when I realized I still love her. Not in a way that would affect my life at this moment, but it was just love for someone whom I had know at some point in my life. It was for someone who had left a deep imprint in my life, and I was the recipient of her generous heart at once.
She smiled at me and my heart jumped. I felt all those feelings all over again. It was intense moment.
But then I controlled my heart but I couldn't stop staring her in the eyes.
"How are you?"
She didn't reply. She looked at me as if she was lost in my eyes.
"Amna.."
"I'm okay..", she replied, while her eyes were still glued onto mine. Rather lost into mine.
"How are you?", she asked.
"I'm okay as well...hanging on to life I guess."
"So I'm guessing this is your son..", I said looking at the little boy that held onto her hand.
She looked at him, and rubbed her hand across his hair, "Yeah..Shehryaar or Shehry as I call him."
"Yeah that's me, Cherry!", he smiled.
Her words hit her me right in the chest. She had named him Shehryaar. She had named her after me, after her first love!
Right then I felt a little hand intertwine into mine and I looked down at my little daughter.
"Your daughter?", she asked.
"Yeah..", I smiled, "
After about a minute of silence, she spoke up all of a sudden, "I am so sorry."
It was a very unusual and an emotionally charged situation. I felt a flood of feelings from my old love for her. I started thinking rapidly about all the good times we had. The day I first saw her, our engagement day, the day she left me at the airport, and then seeing her again in Pakistan, the day we went to the beach, and then finally the last time I had seen her at the hospital. That reminded me of how much pain she had given me.
"You don't have to be. Kis kis cheez ke liye sorry bologi?", I said
"You haven't forgiven me, have you?", she asked.
"I don't think it matters anymore..."
"It does..", she spoke, "At least to me it does."
I looked away and tried to change the topic. "Husband se nahi milwaogi?"
"He's out of town." She spoke in a soft tone.
"I see. I'm sure you found someone better than me.", I smiled.
"That...only you can tell."
I smiled sarcastically.
"Whats her name?", she asked.
"Sidra. Sidra Shehryaar Asif."
She looked at me and burrowed her eyebrows in confusion.
I knew exactly why she was confused.
"Sidra...", but before she could say anything interrupted. "Sidra, my wife, passed away about 4 years ago. She named our daughter after herself."
Her hand reflexively went upto her chest, "What?"
I nodded.
"Sidra has been gone for almost four years now. She left me all alone in this world and I hate her for doing so. But then she knew I wouldn't survive on my own, and that's is why left me this little angel here. My little Sidra! She came like a tiny ray of hope in my life. She taught me how to live all over again. She taught me how to love all over again. I live every single day looking at my little girl. And you know what the best part is? I'm not alone. My wife is always with me. She is always around me. She lives within me. She lives within my daughter. Whenever I miss her I look at my little girl. She may have been gone for others, but for me she is still right here, with me. In the form of my little girl.....my jaan. And as long as I have my jaan with me, I don't need anything or anyone else in this world."
And with that, the impatient tear rolled down my cheek.
Wiping it away, I told her bye for the last time, and turned around to walk away.
******Author's Note******
OH MY GOD!!!!!!!! I KNOW!!!!!!!!
Don't kill me please. I know a lot of you guys wanted Amna to come back...to Shehry! But...this is what i had originally planned. I wanted to change it looking at how many of you guys wanted the other ending BUT BUT BUT.....it would be too common and I just didn't want that. SORRYYY!!!!
Now I know this is sad...but hey... stories like these do exist in real life. Not everyones story is a happy one. Right? PLUS...its not a sad ending if you really look at it. I mean he's happy...what more do you want?
Okay...so this story has finally come to an end! AND, WOW! It was a pretty long journey for me. DAMN!!! I hope i kept y'all entertained throughout! I know i kinda got side tracked in the middle and towards the end...and took forever to update...and blah blah blah....and I'm really sorry for that.
But I hope i did justice to the book and to its characters, and didn't let any of you down.
WAIT!! BEFORE YOU GO...ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS FOR ME PLEASE? :D
Lemme know what you think about this story and particularly its ending.
Favorite scenes or parts throughout?
Did you expect this ending?
Had an alternate ending in mind? What was it? What or how did you expect this would end?
How can I improve my writing?
Do your read my other books?
If yes, which ones do you read and which ones do you like out of them?
Any other suggestions or comments?
Anddddd...finally....I WANNA THANK EACH AND EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU FOR STICKING BY ME AND THIS STORY FOR THE LONGEST TIME EVER.... EVEN THOUGH I WAS A BIT BEHIND ON UPDATING CHAPTERS ALWAYS!
THIS WOULD'NT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT YOU GUYS! I FREAKIN' LOVE YOU ALL!
p.s. Now go read my other books if you don't already! :P Thanks :*