Chapter Twenty-two
Harris had advised him against this. "He's kicked you out once, Zahid. It's obvious he isn't going to agree."
Yet, Zahid had sensed an aura around Shamoor. He had seen a hint of humanity in his eyes, and thus, Zahid had decided to give it another try.
That morning, he had seen Maryam and Walid out in the park. They were playing around with a young man who introduced himself as Dawood, their uncle. As Zahid had made small-talk with Dawood-finding out that he was a hard working, honest citizen- his gaze had not once left the children.
Thinking of how their father had been snatched from them made Zahid's blood boil, and he clenched his hands, telling himself that he was going to do everything he could to win this case.
Amal's words echoed in Zahid’s mind. He had stumbled upon her article completely by chance. About to close her laptop after he had found her asleep at dawn- the words had caught his eye.
Words are so powerful. In Amal's words, her optimistic view- Zahid had found comfort. His heart had swelled with pride and motivation- and Zahid had decided to work harder than ever. He read the last paragraph again and again, till the words were imprinted in his mind. He had then turned to look at Amal's sleeping form.
She was leaving in a day, and perhaps only now was Zahid beginning to realize how her never-ending support always kept him going. He found it funny, how at one point in his life, he could not have imagined sharing his life with someone, and now- he could not imagine his life without her.
Still, it was dangerous, and Zahid knew that she couldn't stay.
Now, as he stood outside Shamoor's house once again, he prayed to his Lord for success, because while Zahid could only try... everything was in the hands of Allah, and with His help, anything was possible.
The gate opened. Shamoor's eyes clashed with Zahid's and widened. In a flash of movement, Shamoor made to close the door, but Zahid knew what he had to do. "The second murder," he said quickly, "This is the second time Raza has murdered somebody, and he still roams around freely."
Zahid paused, and much to his relief, he found Shamoor listening. "This time, we can actually do something about it!" He took a step forward, "Only if you are willing to stand as a witness-"
"I've told you before," Shamoor's voice was curt, "I am not going to do it-"
"Why? You know that your sentence can be greatly reduced if you do," Zahid tilted his head, his eyes narrowing, "Unless Raza has already promised that he will get you out using his connections. "
One glance at Shamoor's expression and Zahid knew that he was right. If he had any hopes from this visit, they had all disappeared now. "Believe me, sir," Zahid swallowed his disgust, "That won't happen. Raza won't be able to get you out because he himself would be in jail. Insha'Allah."
As Zahid made to turn around, Shamoor spoke up, his voice low and helpless, "I can not stand as a witness against him. He- he knows me too well... the moment he sees me in court, he would kill my family."
Zahid froze. The hope that he was so desperately in need of. Jumping at the opportunity, he swiveled around. "We can do something about that," he said quickly, "I am willing to pay for security... or- or you could send your family away-"
"I told you," Shamoor cut him off, his gaze lowered, "Raza knows me far too well. He knows he can destroy me with a few calls."
Zahid understood Shamoor, he did, but he also knew that this was perhaps the only chance he was going to get to convince him.
As Zahid opened his mouth to say something, Shamoor beat him to it.
"Qamar Furqan. 79 C, Green Housing Colony. The driver. Raza doesn't know him."
With that, the gate slammed close in Zahid's face, who stood blinking at the door for a couple of seconds.
He finally had another lead!
Afraid that he would forget, Zahid took out his mobile and quickly noted down the name and address. Finally, after days of apparent hopelessness, the path was finally beginning to clear up.
As he made his way towards his car, Zahid glanced down at his watch. He still had time. Deciding that he would go visit this Qamar guy right away- Zahid had only just fastened his seatbelt when his phone started to ring.
Seeing Amal's name on the screen made him smile, and Zahid picked up the call. "Assalamualaikum habibti-"
He paused when Amal cut him off, her tone questioning. "Zahid... your- your grandfather is here."
Zahid's eyes widened. "What?"
"Your grandfather is here," Amal repeated, "He's sitting in the lounge and is asking to meet you."
Something dropped in the pit of his stomach. Zahid squeezed his eyes shut, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. "I'll- I'll be right there," he finally found his voice. Ending the call, Zahid started his car.
~~~
She had been packing when the bell rang. Amal wasn't just going to open the door to anybody, but when she heard the name of the person behind the gate, she opened it at once.
Now, as she sat with Jawaid Naveed, Amal found herself observing Zahid's grandfather. Her phone was still in her hands and she thought of how Zahid's voice had changed when she had mentioned the unexpected guest.
Jawaid Naveed looked old, but not as old as he probably was. Almost all of his hair was grey, and while his skin was wrinkled, he still had an aura of dominance about him. He seemed to be looking around the house, and Amal's grip tightened on her phone when she noticed the expression of displeasure on his face.
"Would you like some tea?"
Trying to fight off the tense atmosphere, Amal smiled politely at Jawaid.
"I'm fine."
Amal nodded, looking down at her lap again. Zahid had once mentioned that he did not keep in touch with his paternal family, except for his Phupo. Now, though, Zahid's grandfather was sitting in front of her, and by his cold demeanor, Amal doubted that he was here to make amends.
"Did you call him?" Jawaid asked a bit impatiently, and on cue, they heard the front door opening.
"He's here." Amal could not have been more relieved, and she got to her feet as Zahid appeared in the living room.
His eyes met Amal's first, and Amal sensed the apprehensiveness in his gaze before they traveled to the man sitting on the armchair. Jawaid sat back in his seat, his left leg placed over his right and an unreadable expression on his face.
Amal looked from Zahid to Jawaid, her brows drawing together. For a couple of seconds, neither men said anything, and the atmosphere only grew tenser.
"You look so much like your father."
It was Jawaid who spoke first, and as Amal observed Zahid closely, the amount of loathing in his eyes surprised her. He looked like he was about to respond, but turned towards her when he felt her gaze.
His expression softened, and Amal understood what he was wanted to say. Nodding, she picked up Eddie who was inching a bit too close to the armchair, and made her way towards their room. As the door closed behind her, Amal let out a relieved sigh, shuddering visibly. What was with all that tension?
Leaning against the door, she let go of Eddie, glad that she was out of that tense atmosphere. Amal did not like conflicts, and she hoped that whatever Zahid and his grandfather had to say would be resolved quickly.
The walls, however, weren't too thick, and in spite of herself, Amal heard Zahid when he spoke.
"Why are you here?"
It was taking every bit of his patience to contain himself. Zahid's hands clenched and he tried to keep his voice as formal as possible, taking a seat in front of his so-called grandfather.
"Why?" Jawaid sneered, "You didn't invite me to your wedding, so I thought I would visit myself-"
"You're not here to congratulate me," Zahid said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Let's get to the point already. What do you want?"
Jawaid's brow shot up and he smiled almost jestingly. "You're smart. I'll get to the point, then." He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, "I heard you're fighting against Shahid Raza."
If Zahid hated this man before, he loathed him now. Already aware of what Jawaid was going to say, Zahid got to his feet. "If that is what you are here for-"
"Why?"
Zahid's eyes narrowed and he stared back at his grandfather. "Why not?"
"You're not going to gain anything from this. Raza will obviously win, your name will be destroyed-"
"Perhaps," Zahid cut him off, "Not everyone is obsessed about their name."
If Jawaid understood the meaning behind Zahid's words, he did not let it show. "You're newly married, son. Don't make the same mistake your father did."
"Mistake? My father made a mistake?" Zahid's voice was dangerously low and he stared at Jawaid in disbelief. He looked like there were a lot of things he wanted to say, but Zahid surprisingly managed to hold them in. His nails were digging into his skin but he told himself that he shouldn't waste his emotions on the man in front of him.
"You've said what you wanted to say. Now, please, leave."
"Don't take the case, Zahid. You're not going to get anything from this-"
"Did Raza personally call you and ask you to stop me?"
Jawaid stared unblinkingly at Zahid. "I'm doing it for your sake, son-"
Zahid scoffed. "Get out," he said. He had had enough. "Get out of my house."
Jawaid's jaw locked. Clearly, he wasn't used to being treated like this. "Behave, Zahid. I am your grandfather-"
"You are no grandfather of mine," Zahid hissed, "I only see you as the man who refused to do anything after my parents were murdered-"
"There was nothing I could do!" Jawaid had gotten to his feet as well. "Your father brought it upon himself."
"Khala waited for hours outside your mansion! Hours! But you claimed that Baba wasn't your son." Zahid scoffed, swallowing his disgust as he stared at his grandfather. "I used to hate you. I despised you... but now? Now I only pity you-"
Jawaid raised his hand, but just before his hand could made contact with Zahid's cheek, it froze in mid-air. Both men turned towards Amal, surprised, for neither of them had noticed her presence.
Jawaid pulled his arm out of Amal's grasp and turned back towards Zahid, his face red. "People kiss the ground I walk on, and you-" Jawaid glared at Zahid, shaking with anger. "You'll regret it. Mark my words, Zahid. You'll end up the same way your fool of a father did and then you'll remember my warnings."
With that, he turned around and walked away, the door banging close behind him. His chest heaving up and down, Zahid fell on the sofa. Amal watched him, her heart pounding wildly against her ribs.
"Murdered?" she whispered, staring at him in disbelief, "But- but your parents died in an accident-"
"It wasn't an accident." Zahid's voice was low, and he put his face in his hands.
"But Khala told Mama that-"
"She doesn't know that I know."
Amal dropped down on the sofa next to Zahid, suddenly feeling very weak.
"When you hear a lie often enough, you start to fool yourself into believing that it is the truth." Zahid's tone was sarcastic, and as he spoke, he realized that this was the first time he was vocalizing the very thoughts that haunted him. "To the world, my parents died in an accident, and that is what everyone is expected to believe. It was never proven otherwise anyway."
There are some stories that are acquainted with the inner labyrinth of your mind far too well. They have echoed off the walls of your brain, and your heart is no stranger to them either. There are some stories that get buried into your heart... stories that your tongue is a stranger to.
Except... when you bury something, and water it often enough, it begins to form roots. Roots that spread within your heart and grow into a tree. Then... if your outlook is negative, this very tree can be the source of your destruction. But if- only if your outlook is positive- this tree can be the source of your strength.
"A lawyer." When kids in his class wanted to become professional cricket players and actors, Zahid's answer had surprised his teachers.
When students in law school went out to party or have fun, Zahid remained in the library, bent over his books.
When he had won his first case, Zahid had prayed nafl over nafl, and when he had won the case against a low-grade politician, Zahid had broken down.
Now, as Zahid finally vocalized the story that he knew oh-so-well, he cut off in many places. No, not because he did not know what to say, but beacuse the story was a stranger to his tongue.
"I wasn't supposed to know, perhaps, and Khala tried everything she could to hide it from me. I was mature for my age, though, and I knew something was up whenever she took me to some strange offices and asked me to wait outside. Later, I discovered that she was trying to find a lawyer."
It was getting dark outside, and the light was dimming. "The case didn't even make the news. There was no proof that it wasn't an accident, and if there was any clue, it had already been destroyed."
A lone tear made its way down his cheek, and as Zahid finally turned to look at Amal, he noticed the tears that were flowing down her cheeks. His eyes widened slightly, but before he could say anything, Amal threw her arms around his neck, pulling him into an embrace.
She didn't say anything, but the tears continued to flow down her cheeks and in her embrace, Zahid felt a sudden warmth spread within his heart, lessening the pain.
Wiping at his eyes, Zahid pulled away, Amal's puffy eyes and red nose causing a chuckle to escape his lips. "You cry too much," he whispered, wiping at her tears. A laugh escaped Amal's lips as well, but the very next second, she was crying again.
It was then that Zahid knew the difference between sympathy and empathy. All his life, people had shown him sympathy because he was an orphan. Amal, though, was crying as if she had experienced the pain.
'She is far too innocent,' Usman had said to him once, and now, as Zahid gazed at Amal, he wondered what he had done to deserve her.
He realized, then, of how wrong he had been. Love doesn't make you weak. In his selfish views, Zahid had ignored how Amal had not once left his side ever since he had taken up the case. Perhaps, if it wasn't for her, Zahid would not have been able to reach this point.
As Amal wiped at her tears, her cries finally subduing, Zahid raised his hand. His fingers lightly grazed her cheek.
You, he wanted to say, are the best thing that ever happened to me.
A lump came up to his throat, however, and Zahid could not say anything. He watched as Amal sniffed, taking a hold of his hand.
"We are going to win this fight, Zahid," she whispered, her voice firm, "Allah is with us. With His help, we're going to win this. We- we've been so weak lately, fighting over little things. We lost faith. We- we got hopeless."
The sun was setting outside. As the orange hues of the sunset danced their way in through the window, Zahid squeezed Amal's hand.
"We got hopeless, Zahid," Amal whispered again, her voice shaking, "How could we? When Allah is with us."
Allah is with us.
The orange rays of the sun now penetrated through the window, peeking into the room where two young souls sat together, holding hands.
"He said: Do not fear, for I am with you, All Hearing and All Seeing." [20:46]
Assalamualaykum.
Okay, so in my defense I tried writing a light-hearted chapter, but it seems like I have now become uncapable of doing such a task. This chapter was oof- all I'm going to say is, I most certainly did NOT cry while writing it. (or maybe i did.. not my fault that i've got four times as active tear ducts as any normal human being)
I have constantly been hinting on Zahid's past; that scene with Hafsa's kids, his insecurity and over-protectiveness. I'm certain none of you expected it though. Ah, I had no idea that it would take me twenty-two chapters to reveal it.
Oh, AND- guess who made a cameo in this chapter? To the people who know @puppypuff3, yes, it is Dawood from the wonderful book, 'Heart Echoes.' It is truly an amazing book, so be sure to check it out! Beleive me, you won't regret it!
Never been as nervous while clicking the publish button before. Please let me know what you think, and if you enjoyed the chapter, do consider leaving a vote.
Jazakillah!