Wo bhooli dastan

chapter 2

Meerab was frustrated because that new colleague, Hashim Zaman was making it really difficult for her stay sane. He was always ready to point out some flaws in her work. He had a upper hand in her boss, Adv. Waris Hussain's eyes because he had a degree, which Meerab was laking. She had to leave her LLB after Second year because Arham was just two years old and had gotten severely ill. And she couldn't manage her job, studies and motherhood all simultaneously. Because their divorce case was still going and it would make her look like an absent mother. Which make her a less reliable parent for such a little child who could have any number of caretakers at his father's house. And she couldn't afford to leave her job. So her degree had to go.

Adv. Waris Hussain was her father's good friend. He knew about her interest in legal studies he offered her a job as his secretary so that she can have some hand on experience which will help in future and also she can work in flexible hours because at that time she was studying and Arham was also just 6 months old. Her father tried to change her mind but she was adamant that she wanted to make her own money.

But a year later when Arham was just twenty months he got severely ill. And she had to take this tough decision to keep him with herself. Because she was not ready to move back with her parents as she had a feeling that they were not happy with her choice to keep Arham with her. They'd rather she had let Murtasim keep him or not not let him born altogether. She still feels horrified when she remembers her mother telling her to abort her unborn child. They have apologised many time after that but she didn't feel comfortable when they keep shoving a new desirable candidate to start her new life with, every time she visit them.

She had an intuition that Hashim was doing it just to push her to ask him for help so that he can get a better chance to seduce her. Which he's been trying for a year since he joined the firm but failed badly. Why do man think if a woman is divorced or seperated for years she's desperate for a man in her life. When actually it's opposite. She was studying a property document when her phone rang.

"Hello! Mrs. Khan, I am Arham's class teacher. I wish to talk to you personally regarding Arham's behavior and his health. I hope you don't mind coming to school to pick him up a little earlier so that we can discuss about it."

"I can drop you if you're in a hurry." Meerab heard Hashim's voice behind her while she was packing her bag to leave for Arham's school.

"No thanks, I don't need your help for anything." She replied with annoyance.
Sometimes unconsciously she wonders what would Murtasim do to him if he ever got know about Hashim.
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Meerab put Arham to sleep and came back in the kitchen to do the dishes. His teacher told her how he was behaving unlike himself lately. He would either get into fight with other students or he would sit alone in the corner in lunch lost in his thoughts. She was concerned that it might be due to some disturbance in family. She already knows about their seperation and Arham's regular visits to Hyderabad.

Meerab felt guilty for bringing this unpleasantness in his little life. She had no idea how she will tell him that she will never go to Heyderabad and he will have to get used to seeing someone else with his Baba.

But then she became angry with Murtasim for not keeping his affairs hidden from Arham when he knew how sensitive he was.
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Flashback

It had been almost a year to their marriage but she hadn't seen her parents. Murtasim had made sure of it. There were times when she wanted to go back but she couldn't because she was also a Khan and she would never go back on her words.

Lately she wasn't feeling well. Dizziness comes and goes through out the day. She decided it was time see a doctor. But when she think of visiting a clinic alone she felt like crying. She knew it was childish. But she had never went to a doctor alone. Her Mama used to take her there always. It feels like those days she was just looking for an excuse to cry. She was feeling extremely emotional and she didn't like it. Especially when she wanted to keep her emotions out the way to survive in that Haveli. She was taking off her jewelry to get ready for bed when Murtasim walked in. He was looking at her in the mirror. He gave her a little smile when she looked up to him.