Enwrapped

Chapter 01

"Saboor?"

"Hm?"

"Sheema had a baby girl yesterday."

Saboor stopped to look at her sister. If it were some other occasion, she would have first noticed that despite being younger, she had called her out by her name. But this time, her thoughts ran haywire.

"How old is she? 25? No, no, she's 24."

"Only 24. And she has a baby already."

Saboor breathed out aloud in realisation. She couldn't have imagined anyone in her circle being married, let alone be with child until last year, when Sheema had wed. And even after that, she hadn't expected her to become a mother so soon. It just never struck her that the circle of life runs without caring about how old or educated you are.

It felt right, and even then, it felt slightly wrong. Saboor imagined how the twenty-fourth year of her life would be, and in her head, all she could see was herself establishing a few more companies and adding to her list of academic achievements. Surely, she was thinking too high about it all, but that was what she had in mind. Marriage wasn't even in the picture until perhaps 28 or even 30.

Saboor had a high chain of thought. When her mother's sister, her khaala, talked about her future life in terms of marriage and homemaking and raising children, she denied outright. Instead, she told her aunt how she'd never get married until she became financially independent, at least partially. Her mother was fine with the idea, but her words often changed with time.

"Agar achha ladka mil jaaye, to main pakka tumhari shaadi karwa dungi."

Saboor choked on her vomit when girls in her class giggled at the littlest actions boys made. She openly made a face when her niece, the same age as her, winked at the boy in the mall.

Pyaar karnay ka bhi waqt hota hai. Bewaqt pyaar shaayad hi qaayam rahay. Warna wo sirf dard ka zariya bann jaata hai.

~

Seven years later, Saboor hadn't changed, but her status definitely had. With a dual degree in Computer Science Engineering and a Masters in Physics, she was the person that most of her juniors looked up to. Despite her education, she had helped her father build a successful business chain of his own. From the one mere clothing boutique they were experimenting in, they had reached a flurry of branches across multiple states. In fact, they had launched more ventures and invested in businesses they never thought they'd be associated with.

All in all, life was pretty well.

Returning from the office for the day, Saboor waited in front of the institution where she was once crowned valedictorian. She cast a glance at the ticking wristwatch and then looked out of the window. Right then, a frantic hush of air entered from the passenger side of the car.

"Sorry aapi, you know how it is during festivals!" Aynoor chided, hurriedly pushing in all her books on the dashboard and closing the door. She immediately took out her phone and dialed a number.

"Yes, Mama?"

"Kya laana hai? Gulaab Jaamun...kitna? Okay...aadha kilo kaafi hai na? Aur kuch?"

Once the call was cut, Aynoor turned to her sister.

Before she could open her mouth, Saboor began: "Ghar per mehmaan aa rahay hain, aadha kilo mini gulaab jaamun leke aana hai. Shaahi tukday ko decorate karnay ke liye. Aur kuch?"

"Mujhay thoda sa paani poori khila dogi?" Aynoor pleaded, pulling the books into her lap. Multitasking was her forte, and buttering people was something she had a PhD. in.