Destiny - مقدر

9 - Keep On Climbing - چڑھنے پر رکھیں

"Every mountain top is within reach if you just keep climbing." -Barry Finlay

We walked onto the platform of our second train and Daniyal opened up his backpack, pulling out two pieces of card and staring at them intently. "The train should be here..." He looked up and around, a confused expression on his face. "There it is!" I pointed forward just as a train pulled up on the platform and a bustling crowd of people jumped on, me and Daniyal included.

We sat next to each other on the closest seats to the door and watched as the train quickly began to fill, like a cup filling with water, gushing and splashing. After a violent jolt, the train began to move before the station was left far behind. I looked out of the window as Galtari became a distant memory. One part of my hectic adventure.

"Wow... Gultari is so beautiful. Look at the mountains!" I nudged Daniyal on the shoulder and pointed to the wonderful sights beyond the window. He laughed and grinned, "Wait till you get to Skardu! There are barely even streets. Everyone just lives in the mountains." 
"No! Where does Aunty Hazeema live?" 
"A lovely little cabin on a snowy mountain, by a river and a large farm. It really is wonderful."

I beamed, filling up with excitement before frowning and letting the excitement leave my body. I felt guilty for being so ecstatic about my new life. Who knew what would happen in the year that I was there? My home, that I've known for so long, it's all I've known. Coming out to places like this, it made me realise that there is a world beyond my own. One that I longed to discover. I just felt so depraved and immoral. How could I be enjoying life right now? How could I? My mother threw her life away so that I didn't have to marry some man and I was out enjoying life in the mountains.

I stared longingly out the window, praying for a million outcomes running through my mind. It had been around an hour at the least. "Can I ask you something?" 
I looked up and nodded, smiling weakly at Daniyal's quizzical expression.
"Why were you so quick to run away from Habib? I mean, what if he was...alright?"

I laughed, softly. "I don't want just 'alright', you know? Marriage is a commitment, it's forever. Some girls, they're just given away like they mean nothing, like their lives don't mean anything. They're just prizes to be won. First come, first serve. I don't want to be given away, simply a burden to my parents. When I get married, I want it to be because I want to. Because I think that I will be happy with who I am with. I didn't see that with him, you know?"

I suddenly flushed a deep red colour. I'd just poured my heart out to Daniyal like I didn't have a care in the world and his question was fairly simple. I'd just read him an essay of my life. I don't think I'd ever told anyone that much, it just felt so easy to talk to him. My cheeks puffed with embarrassment as I fiddled with the end of my kameez. He beamed at me all the same. Probably in shock from what I had just expressed to him. "I'm glad you said that." He grinned.

I huffed with graciousness, the corners of my lips reaching from ear to ear. "Thanks." I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and pulled my dupatta higher on my head, a habit I often did when I was embarrassed. "He was also a bit ugly." I giggled. He chuckled, grinning from ear to ear, "That bad?"

"All scowling, oily, hairy and... ugh." I shuddered. Daniyal smiled his beautiful smile, "Are you describing a man or an ogre?" I burst into laughter, accidentally snorting and flushing red with embarrassment. Daniyal grinned at me, "You have a beautiful laugh." He whispered. I looked up at him, my heart beating at ten miles per hour. "I have a beautiful laugh? I sound like a dying cat!" I giggled. He was still smiling at me. "You have one of those laughs...that makes everyone else in the room want to laugh too. It makes me smile." He said softly. I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and smiled to myself. "Thanks..." I whispered, though in my mind I was thinking of the many, many compliments that I could say to him. I was too shy to say any of it, of course.