It was a beautiful, quiet morning in Khan Haveli. The sun streamed through the tall windows, casting a warm glow over the breakfast table. Meerab sat in her usual spot, sipping tea, looking out of the window as if she hadn’t heard a word spoken since she’d come downstairs. Murtasim, looking calm and collected in his crisp white kurta, sat next to her, casually reading the newspaper. Everything seemed perfect.
Except for one thing.
Meesam, their usually lively and talkative daughter, sat with a deep scowl on her face, rubbing her eyes tiredly as she poked at her paratha.
Maa Begum was quick to notice the unusual behavior and leaned forward, her face lined with concern. “Meesam, my jaan, why do you look so tired today? Didn’t you sleep well last night?”
Murtasim’s hands froze mid-turn of the newspaper page. Meerab’s tea cup rattled slightly on its saucer. They exchanged a fleeting, panicked look but said nothing, hoping this line of questioning would end before it began.
Meesam pouted, her small face scrunched in frustration. “No, Daadi. I didn’t sleep at all.”
Maa Begum gasped. “Why, beta? What happened?”
With the blunt honesty only a child could muster, Meesam blurted out, “Mama and Baba were moving furniture all night! There was so much noise, and they kept yelling and screaming at each other. I couldn’t sleep!”
For a solid five seconds, the entire room plunged into stunned silence.
Murtasim’s hand trembled slightly as he set down the newspaper, his eyes wide in disbelief. Meerab’s heart dropped to her stomach as her face turned white as a sheet. Oh God, she heard us.
Murtasim, who always prided himself on staying calm in the most stressful situations, now looked like he might faint. His face drained of color as he realized the implications of what their daughter had just said. Meerab, on the other hand, wished the earth would open up and swallow her whole.
Maa Begum’s confusion deepened, and she sat up straighter. “Moving furniture? What were you two doing at such a late hour?”
Meerab’s mouth opened, but no words came out. Her eyes darted to Murtasim, pleading for him to handle this. Murtasim, sensing the panic in his wife’s gaze, cleared his throat awkwardly, trying to summon his usual calm.
“Well, uh… Maa, you see… we were just, um, rearranging the room… It needed a little… adjustment,” he stammered, clearly floundering.
Meerab shot him a look that screamed, Really? That’s your explanation?!
Maa Begum raised an eyebrow, clearly not satisfied. “At that hour? And what was all the shouting about? Meesam said there was screaming.”
Meerab, utterly mortified, jumped in, hoping to salvage the situation. “Oh, that—uh… well, you know, Murtasim wasn’t following directions properly, and I… got frustrated,” she muttered, her voice barely audible.
Murtasim, desperate to back her up, nodded a little too eagerly. “Yes, exactly! Meerab was, um, very particular about where things should go. You know how she is.”
Meesam, still rubbing her sleepy eyes, suddenly piped up again, completely oblivious to the growing tension at the table. “But Mama, you kept saying ‘No, stop!’ and Baba was saying ‘Just a little more, Meerab, almost there!’ And the bed kept making loud noises like this—” she squeaked, mimicking the sound of creaking wood.
The air left the room.
Murtasim felt his entire world collapse into a singular point of sheer mortification. He shot Meerab a horrified look, his face now a deep shade of crimson, mirroring hers. Meerab’s grip on her tea cup tightened so hard she feared it might shatter. She prayed desperately for someone to distract Meesam, to stop her from talking, but the damage was already done.
Maa Begum’s face remained calm, but there was a dawning realization in her eyes. Slowly, very slowly, she turned her gaze from Meesam to Murtasim and Meerab. “Oh…” she said, her tone suddenly dripping with suspicion and amusement. “I see. It seems you two were… very busy last night.”
Meerab’s head shot up, eyes wide with panic. “N-no! It’s not like that, Maa. We were just—”
But before she could finish, Murtasim—never one to miss an opportunity—gave in to the embarrassment with a lopsided grin. “Well, Maa… things happen. It was… a bit of a workout.”
Meerab whipped her head toward him, eyes flashing in pure outrage. Workout?! She kicked him under the table, hard enough that he winced, but he was too amused to care.
Maa Begum sighed, shaking her head, her lips twitching into an almost-smile. “Workout, huh? Well, beta, next time, try to keep the… exercise a little quieter. Poor Meesam couldn’t sleep.”
Murtasim grinned sheepishly, rubbing his sore shin from Meerab’s kick. “Of course, Maa. We’ll… keep that in mind.”
Meerab was too horrified to speak. Her face was a furious shade of red, and all she could do was stare at her plate, wishing she could disappear. Murtasim, on the other hand, was thoroughly enjoying himself now, though he was smart enough to keep a tight grip on Meerab’s hand under the table, preventing any further kicks.
As Maa Begum shook her head with a knowing smile and returned to her tea, Meesam, still blissfully unaware of the deeper meaning of her words, yawned dramatically. “I hope you guys don’t move furniture again tonight. I need to sleep!”
Murtasim chuckled under his breath, and Meerab, completely mortified, nudged him hard in the ribs. “Stop laughing,” she hissed, her voice barely audible.
Murtasim leaned closer, his voice teasing as he whispered into her ear, “Next time, I’ll move the furniture a little quieter… or not.”
Meerab shot him a deadly glare. “You’re not moving anything for a while, Murtasim Khan.”
He smirked, squeezing her hand. “We’ll see about that.”
As the awkward breakfast continued, it was clear that Meesam’s innocent words would be the talk of Khan Haveli for days to come—and Meerab would never live it down.
