Through My Eyes

Chapter# 5

"Yeah I cant come. Some guests are coming over. I'm so sorry that you have to make all the preparations alone now. I didn't have more of a choice you know? Just tell Maira I tried my best but it became impossible." I'm trying hard to convince Shiza, that I can not make it to Maira's birthday today but she doesn't seem to agree with me.

I met both of these girls a few weeks ago at college. They are super fun to be with, both of them are polar opposites of each other.

Shiza with her slim and narrow figure, big, gorgeous eyes is a few out of many who i simply adore. She is that " live in the moment " kind of girl.

Where as Maira is immensely social. She is very beautiful with her large light brown eyes and her hair the same colour, always tied high up in a pony tail. She is the most weight conscious girl i have ever met.

Its 27th of January today, Maira's birth day. She has turned eighteen, a year older than me. I just couldn't come of an excuse to tell Shiza, who has arranged a surprise birthday party for her at college, that I wont be able to make it today. So I told her that a few guests are coming over and I have to help my mother with the arrangements.

"Okay don't worry, ill take care of that too. Be nice to the guests okay? You never know when someone is falling in love with your smile." Shiza advices, making me grin in response as I picture her face in front of my eyes.

I genuinely say thanks to her and get off of the line.

I have befriended the best girls at college, thank God.

Rida still hasn't replied to me yet so I
send her another quick text message telling her that I wont make it to Maira's birthday and head downstairs to have some breakfast.

I make some omelette, toast some bread and take the breakfast tray to my mother's room. We usually have our breakfast together, on days like these when no one is at home and I don't feel like going to college.

My mother makes a light chat on some subjects I'm not even interested in to which I nod and even laugh at some occasions.

Putting the used dishes in the dishwasher, and cleaning the mess I made earlier, I grab my phone from the counter top and make my way out in the garage.

This is where I come when my thinking gets distorted and things get on my nerves. Its so cold today, after all, its January. I take a seat on one of the frozen garage chairs and place my phone on the railing. My cold fingers dig into the arms of my creme sweat shirt, seething for warmth.

My thinking goes back to the awkward situation I am stuck in. I know my head isn't clear right now and I need a break. A lot is going all together.

My phone starts vibrating on the railing. The vibration is continuous so I get up from the chair to retrieve it. The person on the other line doesn't want to wait I guess. There is an unknown number shining on my screen, the country code indicating, where it is from.

Nervousness gets the best of me as I try to ignore the call but my mother's words from earlier today creep in my mind as I swipe my finger to the right and put the phone with my ear.

"Hello? Ruba?" A pleasant middle aged female voice, full of energy, fills my ear.

"Yes, its me."

"Hey honey. Its Amna Auntie speaking. Your mother must have told you about me."

I have never talked to a total stranger on the phone before. Then again, lately, I have been doing a lot of things I have never done before.

"Of course she did. How are you?"

"I'm good. Your voice sounds so beautiful on the phone."

Oops..

"Oh.. Thank you." I don't know what more to say. Its so strange.

"So what were you up to?" Auntie asks, I can sense her smiling through the phone.

"Just had breakfast. I skipped college today, so the day started a bit late for me." I explain pleasantly. I'm actually trying to blending in.

"That is good. We are five hours behind you so I just dropped Omar at school." Omar? Is that Tauseef's nick name? "Omar is my youngest child. He is 12 right now and he is in school yet." She adds, as if sensing my thoughts.

"Oh. I didn't know about him." I reply truthfully, "but I do now."

"That is okay." She quickly says, "I also have a daughter, Mehr-u-Nissa. She is a year younger than Tauseef. Its been two years since she has been married."

She then tells me more about her children and her husband, named Naveed. Auntie tells me that she works every weekend for a few hours just to keep herself busy. We banter about the weather and the discussion trails off to her elder son who only eats healthy food, after which we end our call.

Wow! that was awesome though. I wasn't expecting things to go this smooth. She is way nicer than I thought she would be. And I'm definite that we would be the perfect mother and daughter in law couple around.

My phone shows low battery sign so i head inside to connect it to the charger. I have received a message from Rida, referring to my wedding, telling me that its good. Nothing more.

I save Amna Auntie's number as MIL in my phone contacts and put a heart emoji beside it before running inside and telling my mother how nice I had been.