Empowered

23 | Ashar

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BONUS CHAPTER

You asked, and here it is...

Ashar

I walked through the dark corridors of my home, turning on the light of the foyer. "Why is it so dark in here?" 

I walked into the living room, where the sliding glass doors to the back patio were open, the breeze ruffling the white curtains. "Mom?" 

"Stupid dabba!" Mom's irritated voice came from the study, making me smile.

*Dabba: Box.

I headed into the study across the hall from the living room and stood in the doorway. 

Mom sat at the desk, glaring angrily at the desktop PC, while angrily smashing her fingers on the keyboard.

"Assalam Alaikum. Step away from the computer and remain calm." I grinned.

She looked up from behind her half-moon glasses. "Walaikum Assalam. I have no patience with computers. I prefer my typewriter."

Mom was an author, writing captivating stories of the life an an Army wife, using her own life experiences to pour out into words. 

Ever since Dad's Shahadat, Mom felt that writing these stories made her feel closer to him, as it gave her an opportunity to dwell into some of the sweetest memories of her life.

*Shahadat: martyrdom. 

Lieutenant General Faheem Asghar Ali had embraced martyrdom while protecting his country,  leaving behind his beloved wife and four kids: me, Faraz, Azlan and Arshiya.

Faraz and Azlan, identical twins, were turning twenty this year, while Arshiya was just sixteen. 

"Mom, life is much easier with computers." I took a seat opposite her.

She sat back in her seat, taking her glasses off. As always, resting beside her laptop, was a photo of Dad, in full uniform. She missed him tremendously, and the grief was always visible in her eyes, even ten years later. "What is this I'm hearing about you and Shafaq Rafeeque?" 

"Good God, I just had lunch with her, that's all." I sighed, shaking my head. "Who told you?"

"Azlan spotted you in a restaurant with her." Mom frowned. "Ashar, you know I trust my children, but you also have been raised in a conservative environment. If you are interested in a girl, I would appreciate that you tell me about it..."

"Mom, I helped her with computer stuff, and then we ate together. That's all, I promise." I pursed my lips, dropping my gaze. My taste is a little more traditional anyway... An image flashed in my mind: a girl sketching, a dupatta draped over her head as a lock of hair fell over her face, biting her lower lip in concentration. Unwittingly a smile appeared on my face.

"Who is she?" Mom guessed. "If not Shafaq?" 

I looked at her, surprised. "Nobody!" I glanced over my shoulder. "Where are the Terrible Twins and Arshi?" 

"Arshiya is in the annexe with her friends. The twins went to play tennis. And don't call them that, Ashar." She leaned forward, clasping her hands on the table. "Bilquis called me again, Ashar. She has a long list of potential girls. You are intelligent, handsome, and you have a well paid job. Ma Sha Allah. I don't understand this delay."