Kismat aur Hum

1.

- Haniya Khalid -

*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP*

As I picked up my alarm and checked my alarm, '12.05' I instantly woke up looking at thr time at my phone, "I overslept again" I quickly got up and ran tot the bathroom to get ready I'm just hoping non of my other family members decide to visit today. I went for a white mazi dress and threw on a thin cardigan since my dress had short sleeves(outfit^), I threw my hair into a messy pony tail and ran down stairs.

When I arrived to the kitchen, I saw my siblings having breakfast. "Looks like api is finally up" Taha, my younger brother said, "I think I'm still jet lagged" I replied "api we've been here for 2 weeks now" he responded, "but still, remember before whenever we visited Pakistan for a month, we'd still be jet lagged" "that I do agree with api, we used to wake up at 12 everyday and sleep at 2 in the night" my younger sister Asfa said.

Taha was two years younger than me and Asfa was 5 years younger than me.

We had suddenly moved to Pakistan 2 weeks ago after baba had dropped the news on us. My siblings and I were all born in a little island called Irealnd and grew up there, but all of a sudden baba announced of us moving back and that too permanently. It was all so strange but it got even stranger, when we landed in Pakistan, we were informed by our parents that we would be living in our own home and not with our dads side like we always did whenever we visited.

Now that we've been here for 2 weeks, it's still kind of strange, mama and baba look worried everyday, plus chachu and his family coming over doesn't help. I've tried finding out what happened but mama baba just saty quiet.

I had finished eating cereal and headed back to my room to finish unpacking. I was going through my stuff when I came across so many of my things that brought back memories, I had finished high school and got a scholarship to my dream fashion school but this move to Pakistan canceled my plans. I felt sad but right now I had to figure out why my parents are worried, most the day they would quietly sit and think. I looked at the time, it was almost time for chachu to come over, "ugh let me quickly finish unpacking first"

- time skip -
At around 4 in the evening, Jamal chacho and his daughter Zoya came over. Me being delighted by their arrival decided to go to the kitchen to avoid any interactions with them. When me and Taha were thinking, we came up with a suspicion that our move has something to do with Jamal chacho. Whenever he came over baba would look even more tense and sometimes I would hear them argue, until mama tells him to quiet down since both our parents clearly didn't want us to find out.

I was helping the kitchen by making the roti(flat bread) to est for dinner when little miss Zoya strolled in the kitchen like she owned the place. When I looked over to her for a second she had gotten her haircut in less than 24 hours, I swear yesterday she had long hair. "Zoya what happened to your hair?" I asked, it had look like someone had given her a really horrible haircut. "Oh nothing I got my hair cut today, isn't it pretty?" I decided to be nice and honest, "it really is, but is that- are those layer cut?" "Yea- no, gosh what's your problem?" "Your hair is cut all uneven, who'd cut hair like that" "YOUR SO ANNOYING, I WAS JUST TRYING TO GET A HAIRCUT LIKE YOURS" and saying that she stomped out of the kitchen. She had been trying to copy me since she had sense. First when I had gotten my hair dyed rose pink when I was 15, the next few days, she had also gotten it dyed, a hot oink colour, I would get mad at her, but her trying to copy never worked out.

After I had helped by setting the table for dinner, baba and chacho were still in the study talking, I went over to call them when I overheard something, "bhai, he said he's coming tomorrow, and u said something that I- I shouldn't have" "Jamal what did you say" "I told him your house address" he shuttered, baba let a heavy sigh, that meant he was really trying to keep his cool.

I refrained myself from eavesdropping to much and knocked on the door, that paused their conversation, I had told them dinner was ready ans they nodded and told me they were coming.

We has silently had our dinner, on one talked, even when Taha tried breaking the silence, mama gave him a look to stay quiet, the atmosphere was so tense, it felt hard to even eat.

Once we were done dinner, Jamal chacho and Zoya immediately left saying they had something important to do at home.

While the rest of us cleaned and baba looked even more paler and worried than usual. I told mama we should take him to the doctor, but she just brushed me off telling me to pray that this situation can be resolved, I had asked her about the 'situation' she said, "if the time is right I'll tell you" but I guess the time's never right becuase she hasn't told me a long time.

- next morning -
After Fajr I had fallen asleep again but thankfully I had woken up at 10 today making it a record of waking up the earliest ever since we moved to Pakistan. I went over to get ready for the day, today I had gone for a blue and white platted short dress and paired it with white wide legged pants. Since I wasn't used to the weather I had to wear most my summer themed clothes. (Outfit^)

I was just about done getting ready when I heard shouting downstairs, I threw my hijab on and ran downstairs only to see a couple of men in suits surrounding baba and chacho, I was standing at the corner of the staircase so no one could see me, but I could and hear everything.

"Jamal, this is your brother that has our money?" Jamal chacho nodded quickly, Baba looked at him shocked and betrayed, "listen brother, I don't have any money and the one Jamal toom from you I'll pay it back" "but Jamal said you would give us our money today, do you know how much trouble we are going through because of you, our boss said if we don't get this resolved, he'll personally come and take care of it" Baba tried reasoning with them, "look, tell us how much Jamal has taken and we'll pay back", he smirked "$10,000,000" we were all left shocked and Jamal chacho moved back looking guilty, "Jamal told us he gave all the money to you, and now you owe us money or else" "please, please give us some time, I'll get you your money, just give me time, I have a family please understand and give me some time" "you don't have any time, we even had yoursignatures" "what but I never signed anything" he looked at Jamal chocho and demanded an explanation but the only thing he replied with was, "bhai you did remember" "Stop lying, you put in this stupid situation with these stupid men who don't get I have nothing to do with is"

He had picked up his hand to do something to baba, but without thinking I ran infornt of baba, "please stop, he said he'll get you the money eventually, now go. It isn't even our fault to begin with and we're suffering" I looked at chacho with a disgusted face, he had put baba in such trouble and it was all his fault.

Just then a man got up from the couch, I didn't even realize he was sitting there. He has a dark aura around him, I didn't get a better look at him before baba stood in front of me, "what do you want", the man who was talking early threatened to hurt baba, "be respectful, he's our young boss" the guy signaled to the other men to move back. The guy now took a seat infornt of baba.

The guy finally spoke again"Please sir, have a seat and maybe we can come up with a resolution to your problem" the guy spoke in his dark raspy voice.