میرےدل کے آینۂے میں تیرا عکس
کچھ دھندلا سا دھکتا ہے۔
(Mere dil kay ayenay mein tera Aqs,
Kuch dhunddla sa hai)
KHAN VILLA:
She stared at herself in the mirror while fixing her earring, and realized that she was definitely a carbon copy of her late Ammi. From wavy brown hair to her expressive hazel eyes, long curly eyelashes, pastel white skin, down to her tall and slender built everything was inherited from her mother. While her intense belief in kindness, purity, and strength, like her name FARYAL, was from baba Jan.
Beep..Beep..Beep
"Meesha", the caller's name displayed on the screen of her phone brought her back to the present.
Faryal attended the call but before she can say anything she heard the shriek of angry Meesha.
"I can't believe that Fary, you are late even at my wedding, what kind of a best friend you are. I swear if you didn't reach there in 30 minutes I'll never talk to you ever." The angry Meesha completed her sentence with an emotion-filled voice.
"Aray my drama queen I'm so sorry, don't be angry I'll be there in 30 minutes", Faryal replied with a smile on her.
Meesha is her childhood friend. From sharing lunches in school to facing every thick and thin in life together both have been a pillar of strength for each other.
She glanced one last time towards herself in the mirror, straightened her maroon Anarkali frock and went out of her room, and marched downstairs.
Baba Jan was waiting for her downstairs. As soon as his eyes fell on his Fary he kissed his daughter on the forehead and whispered "Ma'Sha'Allah".
"Ready to go?", baba Jan asked. To which she nodded with a smile.
The whole 20-minute journey completed in a blur, which was mainly comprised of Faryal being telling the funny stories of her exchange semester to the UK, from which she has returned three days ago and her baba kept listening and smiling over her cute antics.
Faryal met Meesha, reconciled with her after apologizing, and were talking and giggling with her other friends when suddenly she heard the cry of a child which was getting louder and louder.
She looked around and saw an elegant lady of her parent's age trying to soothe the baby which was not working, clearly. She went towards the lady, politely asked for permission, and took the baby from her.
After few seconds the baby stopped crying and looked at Faryal with wide eyes, blinking innocently. That was the moment when she looked at the baby and realized that the baby is a girl. A smile crept on her face and she started talking with a baby in a baby voice to which the baby giggled.
The lady asked her about her name and the conversation started. After some time she came to know that the name of the baby is Zahra and her mother died while delivering her and the lady was her paternal grandmother and her husband is the business partner of Meesha's father.
A pinch of sorrow crept in her heart, she looked at the baby Zahra with tears-filled eyes and realized she was the عکس (reflection) of her.
The wedding ended and she went back to her home.
After refreshing and offering her prayer, she laid down on her bed while her mind was still consumed by the thought of her life and Zahra.
Her mother too died while delivering her. Baba Jan has always loved her as a mother and a father, most of the time more than his capabilities but sometimes after looking at her friends mother, she used to feel a void, A VAST VOID! with these thoughts she drifted into sleep unknowingly.
*****