𝐀𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐢 ❣︎𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑠❣︎

・

When she came out from her hiding place after a good half an hour, He had gone. Disappointment settled deep in her heart unknowingly.
"Kya Sumbul tu bhi pagal hi hai bilkul, kya jarurat thi unse chupne ki. Shohar ne agar zara sa pyar jta dia toh isme itna nervous hone wali kya baat hai. Pagal!!"
Sumbul cursed herself while cutting the potatoes. She was making aaloo gost,  plain rice and daal for lunch.
Of course she liked his closeness, but was too shy to admit it to him.
"Kahin wo naraz ho gye toh, aaj jab aayein ge toh mai sorry bol dungi, filhal toh lunch ki tayyari kar lu." She nodded at herself and busied herself to make lunch.
"Pupo chaluu mudhe aapke saat khelna hai." Zaim pulled her dupatta.

"Baby abhi toh mai kaam kr rhi hu, aapke saath shaam mein khelungi pakka." She bent to his height and said  lovingly after turning off the gas.

"I want to play nooooowwwww pupo."  Zaim angrily stomped his little feet and sobbed, Sumbul sighed helplessly but before she could said anything else her mother in law made her entry. She lifted him in her arms and kissed his cheek who kicked his legs sniffing and hide his face in his dado's neck.

"Tum akeli kitchen me kyo khana bna rhi ho? Momina aur Rifat kahan hai?"
She asked her bahu, who told her that  a rishta had came for Momina' daughter and Rifat's son is unwell. Albeit her mother in law love to cook herself but she was a busy woman who was involved in many social activities. Momina was a chubby woman in her early fifties and she was their cook while Rifat was a maid who did the cleaning. Sumbul liked to cook sometime but she loved to spend her time with Zaim more. She would play with him, make him eat with her own hands and did all his little work. She had loved him always like her own nephew but when she married Zaahid, she truly became Zaims mother in all sense. Her love for him growing everyday like he was her own.

Zaim sensed their attention diverted so he sobbed loudly making them aware of his presence.
"Sumbul le jao apne bete ko nhi toh tumse shaam tak khafa rahega, she told her who smiled and held her arms for him to come to her. Zaim shook his head stubbornly and eyed Sumbul from the corner of his eyes. His lashes damp from crying.
"Zaim jao apni mama ke paas." This time she coxed him rubbing his back soothingly.
"Pupo meli mama hain?" His voice was uncertain as if he couldn't believe it. Like every kid he also wanted to have his mama with him. Sumbul Pupo was very sweet. She really loved him because she always plays with him and tell him stories. He wanted to live with her always and never let her go. ( Little Zaim's thoughts )

"Haan meri jaan aapki pupo hi aapki mama hai. Ab jao nhi toh aapki mama aapki tarah hi rone shuru kr dengi." She said in a soothingly calm voice.

" Meli Mama" Zaim leaped in her awaiting arms who hugged. her eyes had happy tears as he had called her mama for the first time. How long she had waited for this movement. How long she had waited for someone who could call her mama. She had always felt immense love towards the little angel who had lost his mother in such a small age and now when he called her mama she felt her heart would brust any minute with happiness. Every taunt of her ex mother in law's about her not being able to conceive washed with her tears as she kissed her son's head repeatedly.

She looked at her mother in law with gratitude in her blurry eyes, who acknowledge it with a warm smile and kissed her forehead. Although Mrs Mirza was a stren woman who was little reluctant about Sumbul being Zaims step mother but she was a experienced woman too who could feel Sumbuls genuine love towards her grandchild so she felt it's best if she made him understand that Sumbul is his mama. She felt genuine happiness seeing them attached to eachother. This whole week the saas bahu duo also had bonded with each other over the evening tea where Mrs Mirza would told her about the orphan children and their strength, rape and acid victims struggle for a normal happy life. Sumbul also had gone a couple of times where she had seen their struggle and strength. They were strong enough to face the challenges. She also wanted to make herself strong and confident like before she was married to Mohsin. Her true and chripy self.