Scrambled Tales

*

August 2014, Lahore.

The sky is filled in the darkest shade. I was standing on our balcony looking around the vast green yard. I knew Raiz was huge but this is beyond my vision.

It's been a week we landed and so far it's beautiful. The Raiz Haweli is full of people. I haven't seen this many people living together, even our wedding was an intimate affair. Irfaan Taya jee, the head is the only person I found a bit off. He doesn't speak more and no one actually tries to hold a conversation with him. Other than him everyone is good. Amma Jee is the sweetest lady of them all but my favourite has to be Ayat Appi. Oh, that woman, she is as pretty as the last time I met her, but there's something odd. Something different in her this time around. And can't really pinpoint out but I know there is.

Kabeer has other cousins here too, all-female cousins. And everyone is just a sweetheart. Imaan Chachu and his wife Rasheeda Chachi has three daughters, two of them Sameeha and Rumaisha are married. Sameeha lives in the south wing of the haveli with her family. Her husband Azhaan works for Raiz only. Rumaisha on the other hand is living here because her husband's family is settled up in Oman. She is going to shift after Sanaya's wedding. I met her husband, Shoaib and damn, that man is insanely in love with her.

"Mysha Bacche?" Ammi's sweet voice brings me back from my trance and I smile at her.

"You look different," I said looking at her as she walks towards me and sits next to me on the couch.

"Different in a good way?" She asks while motioning me to take a seat near her feet. I swiftly shift to the carpeted floor and leans back. Her finger untangles my knots then slowly I feel her massaging my scalp.

"Yes in a good way but it's just I'm not used to seeing you like this you know," I said looking ahead.

"Like?"

"Like this, always covering your head, always wear light colours always in the kitchen," I said and I felt her finger slowing down.

"And that's more of a reason I don't want us to be here." Kabeer's voice makes me startled. This man will be dead in my hand one day.

I sit up straight and pass him the deadliest glare. He takes a seat next to me on the floor by Ammi's feet and continues.

"And I haven't you Mysha like this too. And I am not liking it a bit."

"Like this as in Desi clothes?" I raise a brow, but I know he is not wrong. I never used to wear this type of clothes on a daily basis. Once in a while on Eid or some occasions maybe, but not everyday. But before coming here, Ammi and I decided to wear only desi clothes, and somehow I am glad.

"Mysha we all know it's not only about clothes. Lebaaz ki baat hoti toh shayad main kuch kehta bhi nahi lekin baat yaha soch ki hain, aur yaha log sirf qaid karna jante hai."

"Kabeer aisa nahi hai Bacchey" Ammi started but I cut her off.

"Can you for once just let go of this and enjoy? We are here for a month only, and that's all we will go back to London, to our lives, normal lives. So no need to create unnecessary drama over here Kabeer. Kisi ki soch badalana humara kaam nahi hai, nahi hi unki soch se khud ko takleef dena."

"Mysha sahi keh rahi hai Bacche" Ammi said and Kabeer just shakes his head. He stands up dusting off his pants and leaves a kiss on my forehead then kisses Ammi's and leaves from there. I keep on looking at his fading figure. In the past week, one thing I am sure about, Kabeer doesn't like anyone here, Ayat Appi being an exception.

"He is not wrong though," Ammi says and I know she is right. People here are not like us, they are good but different from us. Maybe that's what they feel about us too.

"Ammi I was thinking about something," I asked her after minutes of silence and she tells me to continue.

"Sanaya is getting married at twenty. Even Rumaisha and Sameeha got married at twenty." I started.

"There's a thing of early marriages in this family. It's not true for everyone but here they made children marry earliest." Ammi says as she continues to massage my head again.

"Then what about Ayat Appi?" I asked and I felt her finger coming to halt.

"Mysha, don't ask this question to anyone else in this haveli"

"But why?"

"Because we aren't supposed to.

"Why Ammi?"

"I don't know the whole thing myself. So I asked Amma Jee about it. Her reaction was not something I imagined of."

"Ammi?"

"She started crying Mysha. Her cries were so painful and that I didn't ask her anything after that."

"Something is not right Ammi"

"I know. There's always something about Ayat that made everyone uneasy. Everyone. When Aneeqa Bhabi, Ayat's mother died I knew it was not just a heart attack but at that time I was busy consoling the twelve-year-old little girl. She became a loner then I took her under my wing. That's more of a reason I ask Irfaan Bhai to allow me to her along to London, surprisingly he agreed."

"How's Taya Jee's relationship with her?"

"He treats her like any other family member sometimes even not that. And Ayat doesn't try to fix it too. It's always been like this but in the past years, it worsened."

"Have you noticed it too?"

"How Ayat doesn't use the Haveli cars or how she doesn't work for the Raiz? I noticed even more, just like yesterday when y'all were choosing jewellery and she didn't even touch ones. How she didn't buy any dress from the designer whom Irfaan Bhai sent. I noticed but I couldn't ask her why"

"But you should Ammi. Ayat Appi surely doesn't deserve to be treated like this. She cares for us so much, she cares for Amma Jee so much."

"Maybe I should."

We didn't talk after that but I know, there's so much more to this.

That night when silence fills the haveli and only crickets were heard, I was walking on the lawn. Kabeer was in a video call in our room and I didn't want to disturb him. So I left asking him to call me as soon as he completes, he protested but when had he won from me? Never.

My eyes catch a certain figure. Someone sitting on the swing with her light brown hair flowing like waves, constantly looking at her phone while playing with the ring on her finger. And that's when I saw it, a ring? Wait, a ring on a particular figure on Ayat Appi's left hand. I choked my breath.

I saw her lips turning into a beautiful smile and at that moment I saw a glimpse of the Ayat I met all these years back in London. A carefree Ayat. I hide behind the pillars and heard her talking. I knew I was doing wrong, but curiosity sucks.

I heard her laugh, so serene laugh.

"I will fucking kill you I swear on that." She was so free while talking to this person.

"WHAT? No please I already had clothes." I heard her stopping then she whispered something I couldn't hear, as I tries to take a step closure she turns her towards me and I knew I was so dead.

Ayat Appi is surely gonna kill me.