Meri Musibat [Tere Bin FF]

14. rangeeli murtasimbakri ahmed-khan

A/N: Thank you for all your love and lovely comments for the last chapter, I giggled, I cried, I agreed - it's always so touching to see y'all having full out conversations in the comments about the characters and plot ideas. A little less dukh-dard here, some comic relief, and a peek into Murtasim's dumb head. See y'all on the other side. 

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To say that Murtasimbakri was angry was an understatement. Murtasimbakri, a goat with a heart as large as her appetite, couldn't believe the change in her name. "Rangeeli?" she bleated in disbelief, her voice filled with the disdain only a goat of her stature could muster.

The very idea of being called just "Rangeeli" sent her into a frenzy of irritated bleats and stomps.

Just Rangeeli? She thought indignantly, her goat eyes flashing with a mix of confusion and disdain.

She hated it!

In her mind, she was and always would be Rangeeli Murtasimbakri Ahmed-Khan, preferred name Murtasimbakri, gaddi ki janasheen ki bakri, a title she wore with pride and a touch of goatish arrogance. All of the animals at the farm deferred to Murtasimbakri, they would laugh at Rangeeli.

This new name was an affront to her dignity...it was so pedestrian.

As Murtasimbakri nuzzled her sobbing Human Mom, she tried her best to push away her goatish thoughts and focus entirely on her despite the bomb that had been dropped on her. Human Mom, the center of her universe, the apple of her goat eyes, was in distress, and that was simply unacceptable in Murtasimbakri's world.

Human Mom's eyes were leaking profusely, with water streaming down her face like an unexpected monsoon in the arid season. It was as if her eyes had decided to become miniature waterfalls. Murtasimbakri couldn't help but be fascinated and alarmed at the same time. In her wisdom, she knew humans leaked from their eyes when emotions overflowed, but this was like witnessing a dam burst. How did humans have so much water inside them?

Her little goat heart felt heavy, sinking with each sob that wracked Human Mom's body. The sounds were heartbreaking, even to a goat. She tried to comfort her, nuzzling against her hand, attempting her best goat version of a hug. But what could a simple goat do in the face of such human sorrow?

The longer Human Mom sobbed, the more Murtasimbakri's confusion grew. She had never seen her so sad, so utterly despondent. It was like a cloud had descended over her, darkening her usually bright and cheerful demeanor.

In her mind, Murtasimbakri tried to understand the human world's complexities. She had seen many things in her goat life, including the perplexing behaviors of humans, which often left her scratching her head, if goats could scratch their heads, that is.

Was Human Mom upset about something as trivial as not liking the new brand of grass they had brought home? Murtasimbakri had to admit, even she was a bit finicky about her grass.

But then, as Human Mom spoke, she pieced the puzzle together, a realization hit her like a bolt of lightning.

The divorce, she thought, the word leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. Was it finally happening? Did humans lose half their name in divorces too? Is that why she was being called Rangeeli?

She couldn't believe it. The past summer had been a whirlwind of what humans called flirting and love – at least that's what she gathered from her gossiping siblings, Pari and Badal. Human Mom and Human Dad had been prancing around, making eyes at each other, exchanging what humans called 'flirtatious banter.'