preference delights

"Thats my girl "

                  Chapter 20

Holding a bag filled with food in one hand, Farid slowly crept inside. Dadi, reciting azkar with prayer beads in her hand, let out a sweet grin, looking at her grandson.
Farid smiled back at his frail, wrinkled-faced grandmother. Dadi, putting her index finger on her lips, signaled him to be quiet and pointed to the bench on the left side of her bed.
Farid shifted his gaze and found Zarmeena sleeping on a hospital bench, pillowing her bag. She covered her eyes with one of her hands to shield them from the light.
In her signature tomboy attire, some of her naughty hair, taking advantage of her sleep, dared to escape from her ponytail and played around her face.
A brotherly grin touched Farid's face. Noticing that Zarmeena had curled her body due to the extra chill in the room, he took the AC remote from the side table and raised the temperature. He also took a spare blanket from the bed and bent to cover her, but she opened her eyes.
"Brother Farid, when did you come?" she muttered, rubbing her eyes, and sat up.
"Just now. Maybe I woke you up," Farid replied, his voice laced with apology.
"No, no, brother Farid. I was waiting for you. I need to go to university. It’s been a week since I’ve been off."
Zarmeena had ignored her studies because of Dadi, which was very unlike her. She was still drowsy but needed to go anyway, so she lazily strolled toward the washroom.
After splashing water on her face several times, she finally managed to open her eyes. In the bathroom mirror, she untied her ponytail and started combing her short hair with her fingers, tying it back again into a ponytail above her head. Rummaging through her bag, she found an almost-drained tube of toothpaste. Without realizing the need for a toothbrush, she used her index finger to brush her teeth.
That was Zarmeena, ignorant when it came to fashion.

She closed the door and gazed at Sajid, who was sitting on the bench, enjoying breakfast.
"Wow, aloo paratha (potato bread) from Majida Aunty!" Zarmeena exclaimed with excitement.
"Brother Farid, how did Aunty Majida spare these parathas?" she asked, a hint of surprise in her voice.
"Actually, she made them for herself. When I found out she was in the washroom, I grabbed and ran," Farid replied with a chuckle, and everyone laughed at his 'grabbed and ran' story.
"Mr. Desperate, don’t eat it all. Leave some for me." She snatched the plate from Sajid’s hands as she sat on the bench.
"Don't worry, there’s plenty. We can even take some for Sajida," Sajid said calmly.
"My God, that's quite a lot! Aunty Majida has quite an appetite." She was dumbfounded, looking at the pile of parathas for what seemed like a one-time meal for a human being. She grabbed one from the top, rolled it, and started eating with a cup of tea. The parathas were really tasty and large in size. She couldn’t even finish the first one. After quickly finishing the tea, she grabbed her bike keys.
"Zaro, you should rest today. You haven’t slept properly these last few days," Dadi said, her concern evident.
"Dadi, don’t worry. I’ll sleep at university during the gaps between classes," Zarmeena replied with a grin to reassure her.

Soon, Sajid and Zarmeena headed toward their university.
Farid perched on the bedside.
"Dadi, please eat something," Farid said, his voice filled with concern.
"I will. Zareena will bring my breakfast. My tummy cannot endure your mother’s oily cooking." Farid grinned at Dadi’s words.
"Farid, can’t you think of Zarmeena as your wife? Majida is persistent about making her daughter-in-law, but I haven’t given her a positive answer because you weren’t ready for it," Dadi said in a convincing tone.
"How can I be convinced of this? I have always treated her like a sister," he reminded her, thinking of small Zarmeena, swaying her ponytail with tears in her eyes.
"Brother Farid, Ahmed broke my pencil," the flashback brought a smile to his face. Zarmeena was always special to him. He loved her, but couldn’t give her any place in his heart other than that of a sister.
"Farid, I don’t like your stubbornness on this matter. Both Zareena and Majida agree on it," Dadi snapped, her frustration evident.
"Okay, okay, we’ll talk about this later," he said, realizing her deteriorating health.
"Promise me you’ll think it over." Farid nodded, though he had already decided he wouldn’t destroy the beautiful brother-sister relationship at any cost.
"I want the best wife for you, and only Zaro matches you perfectly. Don’t forget she’s Zareena’s daughter. Zareena was a perfect wife, a perfect mother, and a perfect daughter-in-law," Dadi’s voice was filled with pride and love for both mother and daughter, but Farid laughed at the comparison between the calm and cool Aunty Zareena and the feisty tomboy Zarmeena.
"But they’re at the furthest ends, Dadi," Farid exclaimed, unable to keep his thoughts to himself. Dadi was inclined to convince Farid, but her pursuit was interrupted by the arrival of Zareena, who brought breakfast for her.

-----------------------

Salaar opened his eyes, finding himself in Dadi's portion. Looking around, his gaze stopped at the corner where Dadi was offering prayers on the prayer mat. Salaar sat back and started searching for his phone, which he couldn't find.

"Sir, your phone is on the shelf," Sarwat exclaimed obediently, bowing her head. Salaar gazed at her with questioning eyes.

"I took it away so nobody disturbs you," Dadi clarified and signaled Sarwat to return the mobile.

"Warda and Zubair visited several times. Even your phone didn't rest for a moment—somebody persistently called you." As he took the cell phone in his hands, the screen shimmered. It was Jawad. He picked up the call.

"Oh God, where were you? I've been calling you since morning. I was about to visit you, but thank God you picked up," Jawad rapidly started, without even taking a break.

Salaar lazily looked at the wall clock, showing 1:00 p.m. He sat back with a jerk.

"The culprit is here, come quickly," Jawad said in a suspicious voice. The next moment, without bothering to get changed, he quickly grabbed his sneakers and tried putting them on. But when it came to tying his shoelaces, Salaar was a newbie. He looked at Dadi in such a desperate way that Dadi couldn't help but laugh.

"Sarwat, tie his shoelaces, or else he'll be squatting until the next morning," Dadi chuckled at his unfruitful efforts.

Sarwat bent down and tied his laces, and the next moment, he was out of sight.

When Salaar arrived, both of his slightly immature love gurus were already waiting in the parking area. He glanced at the side, and the bike was still not there. Salaar fumed at Jawad's lies and gazed at him with deadly eyes.

"Oh brother, control those slaying eyes of yours. Did I say that she is here?" Sensing his eye gestures, Jawad exclaimed.

"Then why did you drain the battery of my mobile calling me since morning?" Salaar’s voice was laced with both fury and sarcasm.

"The queen isn't here, but her maid is... I mean, Sajida is sitting in the canteen. Since Zarmeena isn't here, she’s all prepared, looking for a chance," Jawad explained with a wink.

"So you want me to give her that chance so Zarmeena can kill me before I confess?" Salaar uttered in frustration.

"Who said you’ll give her a chance? There's someone else who badly wants to apologize, and the apology will be granted only on one condition." Both of them looked at Fawad in the way an executioner looks at a prisoner before execution.

"No, please, I can't do it. Zarmeena will kill me. Please, no," Fawad exclaimed in disbelief.

"Choose: friends or denial," Jawad said, pushing the limits of persistence.

After a while, Fawad was sitting in front of Sajida. She had made two oily braids and showed her long teeth, grinning at Fawad. She wore extra makeup to take full advantage of Zarmeena’s absence. All this was intolerable for Fawad, but he had to endure it for the sake of his friends, so he focused on his aim.

"You people weren't seen last week; was everything okay?" Fawad was very careful with his words so she wouldn’t get any false ideas. After a brief discussion, Fawad somehow managed to escape and reached his friends, breathless, who were eagerly waiting for him.

"Thank God, if I'd stayed there a few more moments, you guys would have had to bring me on a stretcher. Alright, Zarmeena was absent from university because her grandmother had a stroke and is still hospitalized. Sajid was also there helping her. I must say, Zarmeena is a very strong girl. She was doing night shifts at the hospital, and during the day, she worked in the fields to help her mother. Sajida told me that she rested very little during all these days."

Fawad finished, and Salaar was dumbfounded at Zarmeena’s resilience. She was definitely extraordinary and deserved to be loved. He also felt jealous of Sajid for helping Zarmeena during her tough times.

"Oh my friend, you did a great job," Jawad's voice brought Salaar back.

"You won't believe it, but I managed to get Zarmeena’s address and even the hospital details," Fawad informed with pride.

"You are truly my lion and our loyal friend," Jawad patted him on the back.

"One more thing—Zarmeena is here at the university, taking a nap in the girls' common room before the next class. And Sajid has gone somewhere on his bike." Salaar’s heart skipped a beat. Sensing her so near made him both relieved and restless at the same time.