The phone was ringing loudly when Aida walked down the stairs, looking around for her mother and sister but nobody was around. Picking up the cordless phone from its cradle, she attended the call.
“Assalam-u-Alaikum.” She greeted the caller.
“Walaikumsalam. How are you Aida beta?” Beta was a desi word for child. It was her aunt Sara from Texas, her mother’s sister. Aida walked into the kitchen looking for her mother, the phone still on her ear.
“I’m fine, Khala. How’s everything at your end?” She asked, calling her Khala which meant aunt in desi language.
“I am superb. Where is your mother? I wanted to talk to her urgently.”
“I’m looking around for her. I don’t know where she and Rameen disappeared to.” As Aida said this, she stood at the door of the kitchen which opened towards the backside of the house and gave ample view of the front lawn. Her mother and Rameen were sitting there with Haashir and his sister, Maheen, who had come to visit them. Pasting a fake smile on her face, she walked towards them. Exchanging greetings with his sister, she turned to her mother and handed her the phone, telling her who was on line.
Haashir’s sister, Maheen, was a soft spoken and sweet girl unlike Haashir. She was in her college and was in her final year to complete her higher secondary studies and then go for her under graduation. Gifted with dark hair and identical hazel eyes like Haashir’s, she had warmth about her that seemed to make everyone comfortable. Rameen and Maheen had sprung up a friendship immediately and Aida saw them chatting happily. Aida felt relieved that Rameen found a girl her age to befriend and she would be pardoned now from her teenage temper tantrums. She looked at Haashir who was regarding her with a confused expression on his face and wondered what might be going on through his brain. He had been distant and quiet, which she had come to know was not Haashir. As she regarded him from beneath her lowered lashes, he wore a white shirt that was open at the throat, blue jeans and loafers. His dressing suited him perfectly and Aida couldn’t help but admire him. Broad shouldered, tall and handsome, he was every girl’s dream and she didn’t disagree. He created a beautiful picture, sitting with his long legs stretched in front of him, completely at ease. She looked up and caught him watching her, his smile telling her that he knew she was up to no good. Aida looked away suddenly but she looked at him again, his smile had turned into a grin and he was looking at her.
“Aida, let’s go for a walk.” He suggested.
“No thank you. I am quite fine here.” Aida said and glared at him.
“I insist. I want to talk to you.” He said and stood up, walking towards her and forcing her to stand up. Rameen and Maheen stared at them in shock but Haashir didn’t even care. Maheen had never seen her brother act like that, he was never the one to force anything on anybody, she knew, so why was he practically compelling Aida. This was interesting news to her and when turned and saw the identical expression on Rameen’s face, she smiled.
“Tell mother I will be back in a while.” Aida said to Rameen. They walked in the street, both of them silent and observing the natural beauty around them.
“You are quite something, don’t you agree?” Haashir grinned at her.
“What do you mean?” Aida asked him, looking at his face.
“I think you were born with a NO sign on your forehead or was it the first word you spoke when you started talking?” he asked, enjoying the look of outrage on her face.
“You think your lame jokes and stupidity will get everything you want, Haashir, then you are in for a shock. I am not the one to change.”
“Oh, but you have changed Aida. You’ve become very bea…” he cut himself in mid-sentence.
