Mainu Heer Naa Aakho Koyi

III // Proposal

"Kyaa?" Nana abbu interrupts and I stop staring at Haider and look to the side. (What?)

I don't know where to look, I just know I can't show even a bit of lack of confidence.

"Ho kaun tum? Yeh kyaa tareeqa hai kisi ke ghar mein ghussne ka?" Nana abbu continues and I feel awkward having all eyes on me. (Who are you? What way is this of coming to someone's house?)

I see mamu Munsif coming out and nano calls me inside as nana abbu gets aggressive.

I'm walking to her when Haider pulls on my hand so hard, my body thwacks on his.

"Kyaa badtameezi hai!" I shout.
(What is this behavior!)

"Mujhse shaadi karo gi?" He repeats.
(Will you marry me?)

"Nahin!" I push him away, "Kyaa hai yeh? Nana abbu, mujhe nahin paata yeh kaun hai, kal shaadi ke hall mein aa gayaa tha, nano— nano se poochhein. Mujhe nahin pataa yeh kyaa ho rahaa hai. Kar kyaa rahe ho tum yeh paagal toh nahin ho gaye? Kisi ke bhi ghar mein ghuss ke aisi baatein karte hain? Police ko phone karein mamu."

(No! What's this? Grandpa, I don't know who he is, he came to the wedding hall yesterday, grandma— ask grandma. I don't know what's happening. What are you doing have you gone mad? How can you enter anyone's house and say such things? Uncle, call the police.)

I thought he was here to kill me, if anything else, maybe to trade me. What's this proposal?

Is he...?

Mamu Muneeb instead calms nana abbu while mamu Munsif comes to sort things with Haider.

I genuinely don't understand who on earth Haider is.

Why are they talking to him calmly?

"Police bulaaein naa mamu, yeh kyaa hai?"
(Call the police, uncle, what's this?)

Haider laughs a genuine laugh and I quickly take my hand out of his grip.

He ignores every problem-solving effort made by mamu and instead just keeps on staring at me.

"Aap koshish bhi kyun kar rahe hain? Police ko kyun nahin bulaate seedha?"

(Why are you even trying? Why don't you straightup call the police?)

"Alaya chup kar ke jaao andar, tum nahin jaanti yeh kaun hai." Mamu speaks to me in a low tone of voice.

(Quietly go inside Alaya, you don't know who he is.)

I glare at Haider before leaving.

"Police ko bulaao?" Haider mocks me and asks mamu. (Call the police?)

Mamu's face has all color drained off it.

I walk inside the room towards nano and close the door.

"Jaan ke roka hum ne tumhain yahaan," Nano says, "innh hi baaton ki wajaah se,"

(We stopped you here intentionally, because of all this.)

Nano keeps on going. She talks a lot. It's a habit of hers. I lose track and my mind glues down to the way he suddenly pulled me to himself.

It was too gentle for me to not look up in his eyes.

He was so careful to not hurt me yet so deftly quick.

I want that confidence.

There's something about confidence that is just so attractive to me.

For one to know what they are doing, and then do it so skillfully.