Be-panah

TWENTY

Usko chahne ki wajah kuch bhi nahi,
Ishq ki aadat hai bewajah hona.

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Zaroon stayed home for three days after the wedding, and started going to the office on the fourth day. Parishay was not happy about it, but Qirat calmed her mother-in-law down saying it was fine. Anyway, him staying home served no purpose. He worked from home all day long. He had hardly had one decent conversation with Qirat in the past days, and no matter how much she tried to make herself feel better, it did bother her. So even though she had taken a two week leave from the office to settle down properly, she joined the office a week earlier.

Her life fell into routine. She would wake up to an empty bed as Zaroon would have left for the gym, shower and get dressed, make tea for Mahad and Parishay, have breakfast with them and Zaroon and then leave for office. When she'd come back home in the evening, she'd spend time with Parishay and help around in the kitchen. Zaroon mostly came home late, so Qirat and her in-laws would have their dinner and go to bed. Every night Qirat would lay on bed waiting for her husband, and pretend to be asleep when he finally came home.

Zaroon's ignorance did not only upset her now, it had started to hurt her. And Qirat's misery was not hidden from Parishay. She knew the young girl was suffering in silence, not letting anything show on her face. And she had never been more angry with her son. She talked to Mahad about it, and he suggested giving Zaroon some more time. But Parishay had had enough. She couldn't just sit there and watch him mistreat his wife.

So on a Sunday, when Qirat told Parishay that she was thinking of going out shopping, Parishay saw it as a perfect opportunity. She called Zaroon and asked him to take Qirat himself.

"We have so many drivers. Anyone can take her." He replied.

Parishay kept a hand on her hip. "Did she marry the drivers? No, right. She married you, so you're going to take her."

"But, ammi, I've got work." He tried to reason.

"Zaroon Hussain, I swear to Allah, if I see you sitting with that stupid laptop of yours at home, I'm going to break it with my jutti and throw it away. Just because you've grown up doesn't mean I can't control your screen time. Don't force me to become the mother I was to you when you were a teenager." Parishay scolded Zaroon, and Qirat couldn't help but smile.

Then Parishay turned towards Qirat. "Get ready to go shopping with your husband."

Qirat looked at Zaroon to see any more resistance, but when he expressed none, she jumped up from the couch and ran towards the stairs, mentally deciding on what she should wear. After all, this was the first time she was going out with him. She wanted to look beautiful, for him.

"Ammi, why do you force me for all this?" Zaroon sighed, after Qirat left.

"Force you? Zaroon, what is wrong with you? That woman is your wife, you are supposed to be taking her shopping on your own. You should be ashamed that I have to force you to do these little things for her." Parishay shook her head in disappointment. "Tell me one thing, would you still be unwilling to take her out if it was Adab instead of Qirat?"

Zaroon lowered his eyes. "That is different."

"How is it different? Adab would have been your wife, and Qirat is your wife."

"I loved Adab." Zaroon said, trying his best to not get angry.

"If you are still so hung over that dead relationship, then you shouldn't have married Qirat. I had asked if you're sure about marrying so soon, but you still went ahead and did what you wanted to. So now man up, and take responsibility for your actions. Adab is no one to you anymore, whereas Qirat is your wife. Did you see how excited she was right now, just because you are taking her shopping? Imagine how happy you'd make her when you'd actually start to treat her like your wife." Parishay said, and left the room.

_______________

Qirat finished applying her lipstick and smiled looking at her reflection. She had chosen a pair of blue jeans with black top that had net sleeves. Since she was beaming about going out with Zaroon, she had taken extra effort to get ready. Zaroon walked out of the closet in black jeans and yellow hoodie and looked at Qirat. She took her silver colored clutch and followed him.

Jahangir was standing beside the car as usual, waiting for his boss. Zaroon subtly nodded at him, and walked towards the other side to sit in the back seat. Jahangir opened the door for Qirat to get in.

Qirat had seen Jahangir around the mansion, mostly with Zaroon, so she smiled at him warmly. "Hi, my name is Qirat."

"Assalam alaikum, ma'am. I'm Jahangir Ali Khan, Zaroon sir's personal bodyguard."

"Walaikum assalam." She replied and sat inside.

Jahangir went to sit in the front, and turned his head towards Zaroon. "Where are we headed towards, sir?"

Zaroon looked at Qirat. "South extension." She spoke.

The ride was quiet, except for Zaroon's typings in the phone. South extension was a posh area of the city, where most luxury brands had their exclusive showrooms. When they reached, Jahangir asked Qirat which brand store she wanted to visit. But instead of telling any name, she asked the driver to keep driving saying they've not reached their destination yet. Five minutes and a few turns later, Qirat finally asked the driver to stop. She jumped out of the car in excitement, while Jahangir and Zaroon came out in confusion.

"Is this where you want to shop?" Zaroon asked in shock. Jahangir's expressions were no different.

"Yes, I welcome you to my favorite place to shop in the entire Delhi," She grinned, "Sarojini Nagar."

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We're half way through the book. 20 chapters done, 20 left!

All those who don't know what Sarojini Nagar is, it is a flea market where you get really good and cheap clothes. It is one the best markets in the city, and my most favorite too. If you ever come to Delhi, make sure to visit this place.

Also, don't forget to vote.