Meri Meerab *Discontinued*

54 - Dhuvan

They were seated on wooden chairs which they had dragged out onto the grass. The evening sky had begun to dull and they were enjoying each other's company, until they heard her father's car roll up. Meerab looked to Murtasim in confusion about her father's presence there.

'Mainay bulaya tha ussey.' He whispered to her as he got up and walked towards Anwar's car.

Well, if he called him, then he can deal with him. Meerab thought that perhaps it was a good time to give the girls a tour of the property as an excuse to get away. That was until Maa Begum told her to welcome her father- after all it was her house now.

'Jee Maa Begum.'

Meerab got up from the chair and began making her way down to the garaged area. Both Murtasim and Meerab stood by her father's car and as his suitcases were unloaded from the back seat's of his jeep. He had 2 men with him- they greeted Murtasim and he nodded back in acknowledgement.

Meerab came to stand besides him and Murtasims arm instincitivley came around her back and she stood in his shade.

'As saalamu alaykum baba.'

'Wa alaykum salaam.'

There was an awkwardness between them- they had avoided each other so long that conversation didn't seem to flow naturally.

So to help them along, Murtasim asked, 'Samaan nahi layaya sath?'

'Diggi mai hai.'

The two men took that as their cue to start unloading the boot- there were some duffle bags and measuing equipment and some long scrolls which then took inside in turns.

Meerab looked to her husband in question as to what that was about.

'Anwar chacha ne naya naksha banwa raha hai.'

At that point another man got out of the smaller car parked behind his- she had never seen him before. The mysterious man came to shake Murtasims hand. He was the architect.

Then Murtasim introduced the owner of the property. 'Yeh meri biwi hai, Meerab.'

The man waved his hand at her. 'Salaam beti, main Mumtaz. Tumhara mahal ka architect.' He had a full head of grey hairs and a comcially large mustache with a curl on either edge.

'Hi Mumtaz. Welcome.'

Anwar showed the architect the way in, excusing themselves as they wandered through the building and got to work.

'Tootay huay hissa ka naksha banwa raha hai.' He elaborated to his wife.

'Kyun?' This much renovation would be sufficient for their wedding in two weeks.

'Tumney he kaha tha ke Saba ka shaadi wala business idea tummay pasand hai.' He tried to jog her memory to that conversation which had taken place a couple months back.

Meerab remembered, but she was surprised that he had- did he always pay this much attention to her words?

He had been thinking about her ideas on ber behalf? This Murtasim was a world away from the one that had dismissed the idea when Meerab had initially presented her findings to him in the guest room at the mahal.

Her heart fluttered at the though of the idea coming into fruitation- she had thought that it would be a gradual process for the funds to accumulate and for the work to be done. 'Woh tou bohat mehnga kaam hoga.' He had already gifted her so much- it would be excessive for him to take this on.

Murtasim shook her head- it wasn't him that would be actioning this. 'Anwar chacha banayga.' He was a wealthy man too- and not much of a spender.

Meerab had a look of bewilderment. Her father had never taken an interest in anything about her before. He had always left her to her own devices to figure everything out on her own, through a process of trial and error.