Important:
There is a lot going on in this chapter. Things that set stage for the plot ahead, and others that have been revealed. If you get confused with the relations, scroll down to the A/N for clarifications.
Secondly, Please vote and comment. Your comments means the world to me. I look forward to your reactions more than you look forward to an update.
Salma's P.O.V.
With a heavy heart, Salma peeped through the curtains in Asim's room as three men and a lady got out of the sleek black car.
She saw Asim greet the guests. Fahad's father, Zaryab Gul, shook his hand and clapped his back with mock enthusiasm, while his vile wife, Gul Naar, eyed him condescendingly. Her crimson painted nails and lips smeared red made her look like a blood thirsty beast ready to tear her brother to bits. Making sure her heavy gold rings, bangles, necklace and ear rings were all on display, Gul Naar moved towards the house arrogantly, disgust clear on her features.
Trying to play it cool with her rude behaviour, Asim moved towards her step-son. As Asim and Fahad exchanged pleasantries, Salma prayed Asim would get a chance to do what she had asked him to do.
Ghamey stepped out of the house just then. Nodding at his younger half-brother, he walked up to his parents. His father hugged him and his mother smeared his face red by repeatedly kissing him. Salma rolled her eyes when she patted Ghamey's cheeks, probably baby talking him. Like a snake that he was, he looked up, straight towards Asim's window. Salma gasped, almost jumping away from the curtains. She doubted he could see her but from the evil smirk on his face, she could tell he knew she was watching. Letting his mother go, Ghamey headed straight for the car as his grandfather got out.
The moment the old man came into view, Salma's heart sank.
Ghamey's grandfather, known as Agha Gul to all, was tall thin man with sharp grey eyes and a white pointed beard on his chin. He was dressed in his traditional robes and a white turban with a golden patch. Salma had never seen a man emanate a more dictatorial and authoritative aura than Fahad and Ghamey's grandfather. He seemed ruthless and intolerant. Salma had lost all liking for the man, the day he refused to acknowledge her salams when she was only six. She hated it that people treated him with such high regard and absolute respect while he was so arrogant.
Salma watched with bated breath as Ghamey stood in front of him, his head bowed and body submissive. The old man patted his shoulder appreciatively. Asim stepped forward, offering the old man his hand for support, but as was expected, he ignored him and reached for Ghamey's shoulder instead.
Salma's blood boiled over. She was already upset and now she had to see her brother getting treated like scum. Gritting her teeth, Salma moved away from the window scared that she would hurl something at the new arrivals.
An overwhelming wave of anxiety over took her. She was dreading the day ahead and the proposal that was bound to come under discussion sometime that day.
Was she really going to let these people decide her fate for her?
Was she really just a pawn on the chessboard for these men?
Is that it?
Sitting on the edge of her bed, Salma closed her eyes, gripping the sheets in her fists. She curled her toes in angst, rubbing them sore on the carpet in the process. She kept praying things work out without her having to expose herself to their wrath directly. Scared, vulnerable and cornered, she started praying to Allah to at least calm her nerves down so she would have courage to fight whatever monster was thrown her way.
Salma was startled by the shrill tone of her phone. She picked it up.
"Sallabae!" James screamed his usual greeting.
Without warning, Salma's throat constricted when she heard his familiar, cheerful voice. She swallowed.
"Hi, James!" Salma smiled.
James stayed silent. She heard nothing but the static down the line.
"Is everything alright?" he asked after a brief pause.
"Yeah," Salma replied with an awkward laugh. "Of course!"
"Don't lie to me!" James snapped, making her wince and pull the phone away.
"Dude!" Salma complained. "I -"
"What going on?" She heard Dean ask down the line followed by some shuffling.
"Wait Cameron!" James whispered- screamed at his brother. "You what?" he asked Salma.
"I nothing." Salma laughed again, rolling her eyes. "I'm just sitting in Asim's room, doing nothing."
"I didn't ask what you were doing," James replied, having figured out she was trying to dodge him. "I asked you if you were okay?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" Salma sighed.
"Because you greeted me like a normal person!" James said. "That only happens when you're not --"
"Turn it on speaker, James!" She heard Dean interfere again.
"Nose out, Cameron!"
Despite herself, Salma could not help her smile. The pair of them started fighting like kids.
"I want to hear her reply too -
"Fine, you pest! Here, it's on speaker!" James shouted at Dean.
"Oh shut up! Stop acting like a girl who is PM --"
"Watch your Mouth! Sally's on the line!" James yelled at him, and Salma heard the distinct sound of something hitting flesh.
Something being James's fist, Salma guessed.
"Oof!"
A lot of disturbance followed the first punch. Completely engaged in their unseen brawl, Salma forgot about the danger that had just arrived at her place. Laughing at fight she could not see, she waited for the brothers to get back to her. It took them sometime to remember she was still on the phone.
"Sally, you still there?" James asked, breathing heavily.
"Yes, I am," she replied, amused.
"Sorry for the moronic interference," James said. "He's way too nosey."
"I'm not!" Dean protested.
"You are so."
"Am not!"
"He is so."
"He's not," Salma added.
"I am – Oh wait, no! No, no, no! I am not! I'm not! I'm NOT."
Laughing, Salma fell back onto the bed at Dean's slip up. Judging from James's booming laughter, she was sure he was no different.
"Oh – oh my – God!" James laughed, slapping some wooden surface repeatedly.
"Shut up! I'm NOT NOSEY!"
"You – Youhahahahahaha!'
"Sally, tell him to shut up!"
Salma covered her mouth with her hand to stifle her laughter.
"SALLY!"
"You- you're n-not," Salma attempted, "S –sorry! I'm just -"
"L-laughing at your – st-stupidity," James guffawed.
"You two are so impossible!" Dean groaned in annoyance before leaving.
***
Salma decided to head downstairs to help her mother in the kitchen. Hearing voices in the hallway made her pause. She hoped it was not Ghamey's mother, Gul Naar, as she pressed an ear to the door. She had not yet met the guests because of the men present downstairs and she knew Gulnar would be eager to pass a couple of snide comments about her insolence.
"So what the hell are you trying to say?!"
Salma stilled upon hearing a heated masculine voice.
"All I'm saying is that my sister is in no position to do that," Asim reasoned.
"Your sister has nothing to lose!" the voice, that she recognized as Fahad's replied rudely. "I don't want a religious drag getting plastered to me for the rest of my life! She better reject this proposal, or --"
"Do not talk about my sister like that!" Asim replied angrily. "She isn't exactly thrilled by spending her life with you either!"
"And that explains why she's quietly letting things flow?!" Fahad countered sarcastically.
"No, that explains how helpless she is in this situation!"
"Helpless," Fahad snorted his disbelief.
There was a brief silence. Salma could hear nothing but the drumming of her heart that was pounding against her rib cage at an abnormal pace.
"Listen Fahad . . . You don't want this marriage and neither does Salma," Asim began calmly. "It's best if this forced union is stopped before it's too late. You are the only one to --"
"Are you insane!" Fahad raised his voice. "You do look the part but I had no idea you were actually this stupid."
"Will you please --"
"Do you have any idea what my mum will go through if I even dare question the proposal?" Fahad continued harshly.
"Fahad, think about it, if you and aunt Farhiya are helpless in this situation, there is no way Salma can stand up to them without putting her life and honor on the line!"
"She got nothing to lose!" Fahad repeated himself through gritted teeth, "My mum and I are people of respect!
He spit the word out.
"She barely has any standing in our social gatherings! So what has she to lose?"
"What I am saying is," Asim continued in a controlled voice, "with the patriarchal society that your elders live in, there is no way my sister can make a difference by rejecting the proposal. If anyone can do it. It's you!"
"It's me, you say? Do you think I would stand by, letting them chain me to someone who covers from head to toe in rags, if I had a choice?" Fahad returned. "Why the hell would I be standing here, telling you to make your stubborn sister reject the proposal if I could just speak my heart out on the matter? I love another girl, and let me be clear, I intend to marry her with or without getting stuck with a drag!"
"Stop. Insulting. My. Sister!"
"I will insult whoever I want!" Fahad replied hotly. "She is destroying my life!"
"Your elders are destroying her life! She is not to blame!"
"Yes, she is to blame! She should stop playing victim!" Fahad shot back, "It's because she wants the money and status that comes with my name that she –"
"Enough!" Asim bellowed.
Salma stepped outside in alarm to see the two boys inches away from each other. Fahad had his back to her, giving her a chance to quickly cover her face. Having heard the door open, the two boys turned to see her watching them wide eyed. Still breathing hard and looking murderous, Fahad stepped away from Asim, his glare fixed on her.
With the amount of contempt in his eyes, Salma could tell how much he blamed her for the whole mess. The three of them heard someone coming up the stairs.
"You better do what I asked!" Fahad muttered angrily at Asim before pushing past him.
Without sparing Salma another glance, he went down the stairs.
"What's going on?" Alley, who has just rushed upstairs, asked Fahad.
"Nothing, Alley," he replied in a tired voice. "Just those two bickering over something."
Asim glared at his cousin, but Salma was somewhat grateful that he lied to her mother. If Alley were to find out about Fahad's argument, things would have gotten so much messier.
"Unbelievable!" Alley scolded the pair, "Will you two grow up? Could you at least behave when we have guests over?! Thank God Agha Gul was out in the yard! Talk about embarrassment!"
Angered, Asim stormed into his room and slammed the door shut. This agitated their mother even more. Annoyed at him, she started scolding Salma for not greeting the guests and causing her embarrassment. Salma tried to stomach the insults, but it was getting increasing impossible given her own annoyance. She had a feeling she would either slam the door on her mother like Asim did, or throw a fit. Fortunately enough, her aunt called her mother downstairs before Salma would pull the plug on either of these unpleasant reactions. Still grumbling, Alley followed Fahad down the stairs.
Salma sighed heavily and rested her head against the door frame. With the threat lurking closer, everyone was getting more and more tensed. Tempers were rising and patience wearing thin.
***
Salma silently moved a step down to get a better view. Her stomach was churning in the most sickening manner. She felt jittery and too antsy to stay in one place.
In the sitting room below, everyone was gathered around Agha Gul. Just a few minutes earlier, while Salma was trying to convince Asim not to do anything irrational, Gul Sanga called. She said Agha Gul wanted Asim downstairs. Salma had a very good feeling what that meant.
Since she was not considered important enough to be invited – and quite frankly if she were, she would have stayed upstairs because of Fahad, Ghamey and their father, and raise a bigger hell for disobeying Agha Gul – Salma took a seat on the steps to hear what was being discussed. Had it been any other matter, she would not have bothered, but knowing what Agha Gul was about to announce, Salma was worried sick to the point that she was feeling nauseous.
"Fahad!" Agha Gul called him in his stern, foreboding voice. "Get your mother."
"Yes, Agha Gul."
Salma caught a glimpse of Fahad and Aunt Farhiya when they walked by a minute later. Her aunt was looking pale and gaunt. Salma's heart went out to her. She was too innocent to get stuck with such predators. Perhaps aunt Farhiya knew about her son's displeasure and was worried about him raising his voice against it.
How horrible would aunt Farhiya's life get if Fahad actually announced his rejection? How harsh would be her suffering as a consequence of such an action? Was there really no other way than for Salma to just walk right up to the old, brutal aristocrat and raise her voice against it? What if it made no difference and she ended up at the mercy of a man she had challenged unnecessarily?
Salma had a thousand questions and no answers.
All the uncertainty caused her gut to twist with frustration. Her nails dug deep into the flesh of her palms without her even realizing it.
"Ya Allah!" The whisper escaped Salma lips on its own. "Help us!"
Agha Gul cleared his throat. The room drowned in an absolute silence. It was the kind of silence that presses against ones eardrums, making them want to scream.
"As some of you might be aware," Agha Gul began, "I have made a decision."
More silence followed. Salma saw her mother biting her quivering lip, dreading his next words.
"Atif Rahman," he addressed her father by his full name.
"Yes, Agha Gul?"
"I have decided that to give your daughters hand in marriage to Zaryab Gul's youngest son, Fahad,"
A stunned silence followed. Barely registering anything but the searing pain in her chest that threatened to rip her apart, Salma felt like the axe had dropped on her already. She clasped her hands over her mouth, scared that she may cry in anguish and it would reach their ears. She felt suffocated. She felt shattered. Choked by her own tears, Salma's vision blurred as she tried to silence her sobs.
"I want the marriage to be held within three weeks time,"
A stab of pain shot through her heart. Feeling vulnerable, helpless and anguished, Salma desperately turned towards her father; her only shield against the old maniac, her protector and her strength.
She was not surprised to see him white as a sheet. He was clearly shocked by the sudden revelation. Taken aback, her father turned to his wife, searching her for answers. Pale and looking straight ahead, Salma could see her mother blinking back tears.
"But . . . but Agha Gul," Mr. Rahman said, bewildered. "So suddenly?"
There was a slight shift in Agha Gul's expression. His features hardened further. Salma saw aunt Farhiya and her mother getting more tensed. Zaryab Gul scowled at Salma's father while a shadow of smugness crossed Gul Naar's face. It was clear why she was so giddy.
No one dares question Agha Gul.
Salma swallowed uneasily, scared for her father.
"I don't think we should make such rushed decision," Mr. Rahman continued, unfazed by everyone else's reaction.
"You question the wisdom behind Agha Gul's decision?" Ghamey's Father said, incredulous.
"I am in no position to question the wisdom behind Agha Gul's decision, but it's my daughter we're talking about," Mr. Rahman argued. "I am bound to --"
"Agha Gul doesn't make hasty decisions," Ghamey's mother interrupted Salma's father. "He thinks long and hard before anything he does. He is not like you and me. He . . ."
Gul Naar's list of Agha Gul's praises became a bit too long. Mr. Rahman's expression changed from shocked to irritated and from irritated to angered in a matter of seconds. For once, Salma was looking forward to his nuclear outburst instead of being scared of it.
"He knows what is best for all of us. Agha Gul, in his wisdom --"
"With all due respect to Agha Gul!" Mr. Rahman snapped, raising his voice a couple of notches. "I think I am familiar with him and I don't need lectures on who he is and what his qualities are, so if irrelevant people would shut up, I have matters of concern to discuss with my elders!"
The room was stunned to a silence after Mr. Rahman's outburst.
"H- how dare . . . " Ghamey's mother sputtered in protest. "Agha Gul! He --"
"Quiet!"
Salma jumped at the sharp command from Agha Gul. Gul Naar mother looked like her voice box was suddenly snatched away from her. Her lips moved wordlessly and her eyes seemed to pop out of their sockets. She clearly did not expect Agha Gul to shut her up like that.
Without another word, Agha Gul turned to Salma's father. With a barely noticeable nod, he asked him to continue.
"Agha Gul I'm honored by your decision, and that you considered my daughter as your daughter in law," Mr. Rahman began. "But I request at least enough time to talk to my girl. I have to know that she is fine with this marriage."
Salma curled her toes with anxiety as Agha Gul raised a brow slowly. The way he was looking at her father with his cold, scrutinizing grey eyes, made shivers run down her spine.
"You need to ask your daughter?" Agha Gul asked.
"Yes," Mr. Rahman replied simply.
"Atif! Think over what you're saying!" Ghamey's father spoke out, confounded. "Who asks a woman when the head and the pride of the tribe and family has announced his decision? This is blasphemous against Agha Gul!"
"And it is a blasphemy against Allah and His messenger that I call myself a muslim and deny my daughter her God gifted rights!" Mr. Rahman raised his voice again, annoyed by the unnecessary interruption and praise of Agha Gul.
"So you need your daughter word over mine," Agha Gul asked, his voiced chillingly leveled and eyes not moving an inch from Mr. Rahman.
"Yes," he replied firmly, not averting his eyes either. "As my religion obligates me."
Zaryab Gul attempted to interrupt again, but Agha Gul raised his hand to silence him.
"So be it."
He lowered his hand slowly, still keeping his deathly stare on Salma's father.
"How much time do you need to get a word of acceptance out of your daughter?"
"Depends." Mr. Rahman shrugged nonchalantly. "From a minute to forever."
Salma's mouth fell open. Everyone exchanged surprised glances. Did her father really just say that?
"She may not accept it," her father explained, as if they were stupid to gape at him and not get it.
"True." Agha Gul averted his eyes away from him for the first time. He started inspecting his staff. "Thing is Atif, the matter is already decided. Let your daughter know about it. Our girls do as they are told. So will she."
While Ghamey's parents exchanged a triumphant glance, Salma saw her father's chill expressions change to one of anger again.
"I think you'll just have to decide on the date and dress, and whatever you women discuss," Agha Gul concluded.
All breath was knocked out of Salma as his last words. Mr. Rahman's features turned to stone as his eyes narrowed at Agha Gul.
"Thing is Agha Gul, I'm no woman that you talk of," he said, barley controlling his anger. "I decide more than the date and the dress for my daughter's wedding. As her Wali, her Guardian, I make decisions to ensure her safety and happiness! And I will not be dictated on these matters!"
With that, he shot to his feet to leave, but quite unexpectedly, Agha Gul placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him.
"Sit, Atif."
Mr. Rahman paused, desperately wrestling his anger to control it. The occupants of the room exchanged confused glances. Agha Gul was not known for giving second chances to those who disrespected him.
"You're a man of honor, Atif," Agha Gul said. "A desirable quality . . ."
With his jaw still set into a grim line, Mr. Rahman slowly sank into the seat beside his wife.
"Time will be given to you," Gul Agha continued, "We will wait. After all, a daughter of such importance and eminence does not come cheap. I hope you will come to us with good news,"
Mr. Rahman nodded curtly.
"I'm grateful."
Gul Agha clapped his back before sitting back in his seat.
"I hope it would not be a matter of concern for you if we take your wife away for a few days?" Gul Agha asked.
Alley's face drained of the little color it had left. Horrified, she turned to look at the old man.
"She hasn't been to her mother's grave in ages," the old man continued, slowly rolling a heavy ruby ring on his index finger as he spoke. "Do you mind?"
Salma noticed her father clench his jaws.
"It's up to her," he said, then got up. "Excuse me, please."
With his evil eyes still following Mr. Rahman as he left without waiting for his permission, the old man addressed Alley.
"You don't dare mind, do you?"
"O-of course not, Gul Agha," Alley whispered.
Still rolling the ring on his finger, his wicked face carved into a sinister smile. Bile rose to Salma's stomach seeing the look on his wrinkled face. Disgusted, she made a run towards her room.
Author's Note:
Relations:
Fahad is Salma's cousin. His Father (Zaryab Gul's) has two wives. One is Farhiya, who is Salma mother's sister. Her son is Fahad. The second wife is the other vile woman, Gul Naar, who is Ghamey's and Gul Sanga's mother. These two are Fahad's steps siblings. Hope it's clear now?
I have a feeling I'm forgetting something, so if I'm reminded of it and it's important, this chapter may undergo some changes. Also, I'm prone to forgetting names, so if you see any weird ones that were different before, please point them out. (I know it's embarrassing to forget my own character's name but deal with it lol)
Anyway, Fahad has finally been introduced. What do you think of him? Anymore thoughts on Salma's mum's problem after Agha Gul's introduction :P? What happens next?
A bit of good news, in a chapter or two - oh well, let's just keep it a surprise x'D
Oh and one last thing: Thank you all those who vote and comment. I apologize but due to time constraints I may not be able to reply to your comments. Trust me I read them. I force my self to write on time for these comments lol. Of course I read them. So hopefully, you'll overlook my absence (if I am able to stay away lol)
Vote, comment and share!
Lots of Love!
J.