Irtaqaaii • ارتقائی • Evolution

Solar Eruption

It was the way her father called her at the house. The way he sat down and said that he wanted to talk about something with the family. It was the way he looked so worn out that made Dua turn serious. 

"Both of you are going to go with your mother today," her father said to her brothers, looking very sombre. It was a look that let everyone in the Farooqi family know that this was not a debatable conversation. It was to be done. 

"There is a train leaving a little after midnight, your mother has already packed all your stuff. All three of you will go to India, to your mother's village. You three can leave today and I and Dua will follow in a few days," her father said and the meeting was over after that. It was an order, and her father rarely gave orders. 

Everyone followed the order, but still, it was the way he just did not even discuss with Aisha, that Dua was totally convinced that something will go wrong. Or rather something had given him a clear picture of what will be happening in the coming days. 

So she stayed behind to talk to him. 

"What is going on Abba? " she questioned her father.

He was quiet but then motioned her to sit down. He paced around the room, in some sort of stress or dilemma, she wasn't sure. But by the way, he was moving around the room searching for things- which he knew well were kept at their certain places- made her certain that something was weighing on his mind. 

"I want to ask something of you, I know you will not like it. It was, or rather, it is a strange proposal but I can not deny that it is a good one, it isn't what I envisioned for you, and yet perfect in a sense," Mir Farooqi was tumbling over his words.

"Rehana and Idress came to the college today. Rehana asked for your hand in marriage, for Zaroon," Mir said and Dua visibly lost her thoughts for a second. 

She looked at her father with a completely blanked-out mind. 

"I know, as I said strange, but I can see it, Dua. He is a good man, a man of morals, and of good character. A man who would treat you as I do, with respect and grant you the liberties which no one else would," her father had certainly lost his mind.

"How could he even think of this," Dua asked a little disgusted at the idea, and a little heartbroken. She truly did like Zaroon, admired him. 'Did he really think that, about her ?' she thought, doubting her admiration and her faith in the man? 

"No, he did not think of it, Rehana did," Mir cleared out her doubt in one sentence but then again, he created more doubts.

"She wants to see him married before she dies, and Zaroon is against even the notion of a second marriage," Mir went on Dua listened wanting to understand both Rehana and Zaroon. 

"Rehana thinks you would be the perfect partner for Zaroon, someone who could be his equal, and since Rehana is not sure how long she will be here, she wants this done now," Mir said clearly seeing logic where Dua could see none.

 'Why would she want to get the love of her life married to someone else?' Dus thought it was an absurd notion. 

"I want your consent though, if you don't want this then no one will ever talk about this again," her father made it clear her word would be final. 

"But Dua, meri Jaan think very well, think practically and emotionally, think it thoroughly," he rather added making her wonder why he was so for this proposal. 

As the sunset on the horizon, the study started to be drenched in slight darkness, while there was light yet, the darkness was going to take over soon. 

Mir patted her head as he always did, and left to talk to her mother probably about tonight's journey. 

But he left Dua in conflict. Why she thought 'Why should I marry him? He clearly loved his wife. And Rehana also was devoted to him, so why?'