Our Paths That Crossed

9

- Romessa -
This morning, after mama's last chrckup with the doctors we had arrived home, mama was impatient and wanted to meet the rest of her children, we were home right before they woke up. Mama was so happy, it made me happy by looking at her and hoping she stays happy like this forever. I was in the kitchen cleaning up the dishes and plates from breakfast when there was a knock on the door, everyone was inside, but I saw one of my younger cousins run downstairs, I asked him to open the door and bring in whoever it is. Just then as the people who were probably brought to the living room now came in, the laughter of my family died down, I wonder who it is. I fixed my dupatta on top of my head and walked out the kitchen, as I was standing in the doorway, I was my dad, phupo, Fahad chacho and Danish bhai. What are they doing here. "Ah here is the disappointment of your family, that has brought shame on your family" Fahad Chacho remarked looking at my direction. "Romessa, what you did was wrong ha, if you liked someone you didn't have to run away, ypu could have asked and told us" phupo added on. "Yout still lucky bhai, if no one marries your shameful daughter, Danish is always here to help" phupo looked sorry saying that to baba. "I don't need the pity favour from neither you nor your son" I said to her. "And I didn't run away with some man, I run away to mama's house" Baba was getting mad "so who is the guy you came with ha? The one Danish saw you in the car with. Where is he, did he abandon you?" "There's no such thing like this, maybe Danish bhai should clean his eyes, he can't see properly." Then baba got up and raised his hand to slap me, I closed my eyes but I never got hit. I opened my eyes to see a hand behind me stop my dad's hand. "Sir, I don't think you have the right to hit her, after saying all those things against her" it was Shehryar, he was standing behind me, but I could recognize his deep voice. To this Danish bhai stood up too, "mamoo that's the guy Romessa ran away with" Baba looked at Danish bhai and then us, then he looked at mama "this is the manners and morals you have taught your daughter" mama was quiet " mama taught me well, you can't question, she was the only one who was there for us our whole childhood." Baba was getting mad. " I can't have a shameless daughter anymore. You are getting married to Danish, you else would marry you otherwise" then Shehryar came infront on me "I will sir, I'm not the type of abandon people," he said looked at baba "or use them for money" this time he looked at Danish bhai. Phupho had also stood up now "so you did have Ana fair with this man, we did you make my son go through this" "I never wanted tarry your son, I had told you they many times" everyone became quiet. "If he really can't abandon Romessa, let's do their nikkah right now, if not then Romessa will have her nikkah with Danish" chacho spoke up, he was always  the owner to put the last pressure. "I have no objections, you can call a imam right now if you want" Shehryar replied with a cold and stern voice, why is he doing. He does t even like me, is he pitying me right now. Questions raised of he is helping me. I was so confused and distracted that I didn't even process that the imam was here and was asked me if I accept this nikkah
"Qabool hai"
"Qabool hai"
"Qabool hai"

There, I'm now married to a man who I barely know, a man who I have troubled so much. As soon I was done signing, I went in to my bedroom.

- Shehryar -
We are married now, I'm married to Romessa, the girl that I have a crush growing for, the girl I wanted to eventually marry, I am married to her now. I was snapped out of my daze when Romessa's baba, and the rest of them left the house. Romessa's mom was crying while her khala tried to console her. I.had kneeled infornt of them. "Aunty please don't cry, I promise you I will never let your daughter go through pain, and will always keep her happy until the day I die" hero smiled a little" she put her hand on my head "may Allah bless you both with happiness, please beta keep her happy, she can be stupi sometimes but she is a kind hearted and emotional person" I nodded. "Beta, maybe you should check up on her" that was her khala telling me. She had guided me outside her room. When her khala left, I knocked on the door, no answer,  I knocked again. "Yes, come in"

I entered her room, it was an average size room with a bed in one corner and infront of it, a dressing table, beside the dressing table was a wardrobe and infront were some suitcases. Romessa was sitting in one of the corners of the room, she wasn't crying though, she stared at the wall infront of her and looked like she was in deep thinking. I decided to quietly go and sit beside her. We were both quietly looking ahead, "I'm sorry Shehryar, I put through so much trouble, and now this burden is on you" she thought she was a burden, "don't say that, it wasn't a burden-" I was really lost I'd didn't really know who to console her. I could hug her, but I don't want her to feel uncomfortable.

" let me make something clear Romessa, I promise to be your protector to shield you from the monsters who reside both inside your head and out, I promise to care for you when in the midst of caring for others you forget to care for yourself, I promise to be strong for you when you get tired of being strong for everyone else"

but above all things, I promise to be yours, this i said in my head. Romessa looked at me, her eyes a little teary but she was smiling at me. "Thank you, I hope I could be a good and understanding partner"
We were both quietly enjoying our moment, a moment of silence, where it's just her and me, and our journey that lies ahead of us.