Truly Madly Deeply

Chapter 2

The moment I entered my house, I was welcomed with my mother's warm embrace. I hugged her back smiling. This was our daily ritual. My nose was greeted with the delicious food she had made. It smelled like Chicken Biryani and something sweet.

"Asalaam o Aleikum, Ammi Jaan (mother dearest)." I hugged back. "What is this aroma?"

"Walaikum Asalaam, I made vanilla custard since you have been wanting it for so long." I kissed her on her cheek as I hopped to the dining table. I was starving. The moment I sat down, my second eldest brother, Qasim, ruffled my hair as he sat down beside me on the table.

"And how was your day, little one? Did anyone bother you? A guy, I mean." He asked seriously and I rolled my eyes at him.

"How can a guy bother me in an all-girls school, bhai? (Brother)" I reasoned and he made a face that stated that realization had dawned on him. For some reason, my mind drifted to the man I had met today but I decided not to think too much of it as I went back to eating.

"Still one of the best decisions of our lives." Saleem, my eldest brother who was 27 added as he sat down opposite me on the table.

"Asalam o Aleikum, Saleem Bhai." I gave him a toothy grin as he smiled back. "Where is sister in law?" I looked around not seeing brother, Saleem's wife anywhere.

"Walaikum Asalaam, Mish, she is at her mother's place. It's her brother's graduation today so she went to attend it along with mother in law and father in law." Saleem answered as he handed me a plate and a spoon which I took graciously.

Saleem was the oldest of us four siblings, he was a doctor and was currently specializing in pediatrics because he absolutely adored children. He had gotten married to Hina, who he had fallen in love with during his third year in medicine. Hina was his classmate during med school and once brother had confessed to liking her, she had said that he could ask for her hand in marriage after graduating from med school and that is exactly what brother did two years ago and then they got married. Hina was specializing in gynecology, however, she was currently on a break because she was pregnant.

I looked around the table to see that father and my third eldest brother were not around. As if, Qasim could tell what I was about to ask, he answered for me.

"Father is running late cause of a meeting he has with the shareholders and as for Humayun, he has a cricket match going on so he is not going to be back until evening." I nodded my head in understanding as mother took a seat at one of the head seats of the table.

"And what did you get in the chemistry assessment? You told me you would be getting your result card back today." I choked on my rice at mother's question. I wheezed as Qasim handed me a glass of water and patted my back.

"Oh, um, about that..." I averted my gaze and my family knew exactly what that meant. Saleem laughed as he looked at me dead in the eye with a mischievous smile.

"What were the total marks?" Qasim asked, joining the game they were about to play.

"Seventy..." I dragged on as I looked down at my plate ready for the roasting to begin.

"What did you get? I am betting it's below thirty five." Qasim laughed and my face turned beet red. This was about to get more embarrassing. When I remained silent, Saleem let out a surprised laugh as he added. "Don't tell me, it's in the twenties? Mish, aren't you becoming brave?"

I nodded my head as I silently sipped on my water until my eyes met with mother who was looking at me with a partial amused and partial serious expression if that even makes sense. She put down her spoon and looked at me and I gulped.

"Misha, we know we don't pressurize you into getting amazing grades but my dear child, at least get passing grades. If you don't understand anything, we can get you an academy so you can strengthen your concepts." My mother put her hand over my hand and squeezed and I smiled back at her.

"No, mom, it's cool I will just try to study more now." There was no way I wanted academy, as if school wasn't already very miserable, taking an academy in the evening would be torture.

"Alright, love, you do that. And what about you Qasim?" This time it was Qasim's turn to choke and I stifled a laugh.

"What about me, ammi?" Qasim acted innocent and me and Saleem shared a brief look with purely satanic smiles.

"Yeah, brother Qasim, I have heard your semester GPA was going to be sent home via a report card in this week. What did you get?" Qasim shot me daggers for blowing up his cover while mother looked at him eagerly. Qasim was studying to become a Chemical engineer, he was 22 and in his second year in university. He was the prodigal child of the family, acing his O and A levels with straight A's and getting into the University of his First Choice. But right now, I could tell that engineering was becoming very challenging for Qasim. Qasim was about to say something but heaved a sigh of relief when father walked in greeting us all, I got up and ran to father, enveloping him in a bear hug.

"Asalam o Aleikum, Abbu Jaan (Father Dearest)." I said while hugging him and he hugged back, patting my head as a form of paternal affection.

"And how was my beautiful daughter's day?" He said as he let go and handed me chocolate bars which he knew I loved.

"It was great, come on, let's eat." I walked behind him as he took a seat opposite mother, on the head seat but not before giving mother a side hug and shaking hands with Saleem and Qasim.

"I see, Humayun is out playing again." Father sighed as he sat down and Saleem put rice in his plate while I poured him a glass of water. "What shall we do about that child, begum? (Missus)" He asked mother who simply shrugged her shoulders.

"You have already spoiled him too much. I have decided to let him pursue whatever career he wants." Mother sighed defeated and we all laughed.

Humayun was my third brother and the youngest of the brothers. He was 19 and in college doing F.A (a degree in the faculty of arts). He wasn't a fan of studying and loved sports with every fiber in his body. Mother and father had long given up on him pursuing a degree in engineering and medicine and had left it to him to decide what he wants to do with his life. He had said he wanted to become a cricket player and we all supported him.

I was the youngest of my siblings at 16, in the last year of high school. After studying science in O levels, I realized that medicine and engineering are hardly my kind of things while I was more on the art and design side. I found architecture and fashion designing my kind of things and fortunately being an only daughter and the youngest one had its perks. I had declared that I would do an art degree after school and my family hardly refused as Saleem had said 'she doesn't have the heart to do medicine that requires an immense amount of patience and studying which she doesn't have.' As for engineering, it was ruled out as I was quite literally pathetic in math's, chemistry and physics so there was no pressure on that side either because I probably couldn't even pass the entry test hence art became my thing.

This was my family and life in a nutshell. Peaceful and calm.