شرر Sharar

Forty-nine

"Pata hai, Rehnuma keh rahi thi ki ab walima kar lena chahiya, yeh toh sunnat hai. Mujhe lagta hai ki..." At night, when Kaif and Ayla returned to their room, Kaif told her while Ayla was sitting on the vanity table, brushing her hair.

(Do you know, Rehnuma was saying that now we should do walima, as it is Sunnat, and I think...)

"Ayla, kya hua?" When Kaif felt her lack of attention, he asked.

(Ayla, what happened?)

"Huh! Nothing." Startled, she looked at him and shook her head, managing to give him a soft smile.

There was a silence of a few seconds between them, as Ayla stood up from the chair and went to the bed, Kaif extended his hand for her to hold, and she sat beside him.

"Koi baat hui hai kya? Rehnuma bhi keh rahi thi tum aaj disturbed lag rahi thi aur zyada waqt uncle ke yaha thi..." Holding her hand in his both hands, Kaif asked.

(Did something happen? Rehnuma said you looked disturbed and was at uncle's house...)

"Mamma ki tabiyat theek nahi thi. Unhe phir se attack aya tha." Ayla informed him, while recalling Rehnuma's words. How tactlessly she was talking about her mother.

(Mamma was not well. She again got a panic attack.)

"Unki therapy chal rahi haina? Uska koi asar nahi ho raha?" Kaif asked, not really interested in this conversation but only asked this for Ayla's sake.

(She is going for therapy.)

There wasn't any improvement in Ayat's health and neither Rubab's. They all were stuck in loop, everything was same, no changes or improvement was there, not even in their relationship. He didn't find any reason to ask about them anymore. They were same, and now everyone got used to living without Ayat, and with Rubab's sickness. But Ayla was still stuck.

After their marriage, Ayla lived with her parents for a month until Rukhsar and Naziya Begum told her to move here. Even when she came here, she would spend most of her time at her parents' house, when they get some alone time, she would talk about Ayat or Rubab. To Kaif, it seems like their relationship is falling apart. 

Ayla shook her head negatively. "Ayat bohot ladli thi Mamma ki. Bohot bura asar hua hai unpe Ayat ke accident ka. Aisa lagta hai shayad jab Ayat theek hogi tab hi Mamma ki tabiyat theek ho." Ayla's voice was feeble, as she remembered her baby sister.

(Ayat was very dear to mamma, it seems like her accident has affected mamma very badly.)

"Umeed rakho, sab theek ho jayega." Kaif console her, and closed off the light. He returned home early to spend some time with her, but she was busy worrying about her family and it turned his mood off.

(Have faith. Everything will be okay.)

Ayla looked at the back of Kaif's body, not knowing what happened to him out of a sudden. She thought, she could share her grief with him but he was busy with his own things it seems.

•••

Next day

Angrily, Shyra threw her bag on the couch and sat down.

"Shyra, yeh kya tareeqa hai?" Hamna, who was sitting in the lounge room, asked her, sternly.

(Shyra, what kind of behaviour this is?)

"Friend ke ghar jana tha, driver nahi hai. Kaise jau?" Shyra asked her mother, vexed was visible in her voice.

(I wanted to go friend's house but driver is not here.)