Ishq | (complete)

36 | maa

❝Zakhm poshida, dard be-hadd, la-ilaaj maraz!
Bade gehre utartey hain ye khanjar alfaazon ke❞

"Shaadi hai ek hafte mein tumhari. Yeh kya papers lei kar baith gayi. Maine aag laga deni hai in sab ko. In sab ke illawa kuch nazar he nahi aata." Malka closed the laptop Laila was working on. Laila sat between the sprawled sheets of paper, plans, and the project file that held years of her hard work. She looked bride from nowhere with her hair pile in a nest on her head, simple pink and black lawn suit let her work easily, and her eyes held excitement for the grand opening of the hospital.

"Bus thora sa reh gaya. Kuch mahino mein hospital ki grand opening hai. Yeh din bohat crucial hai. Aur ab mein chuti pr ja rahi hoon. Kahin kuch garbar na ho jaye." Laila snatched the laptop from Malka and reopened it. Staring at the screen for a while as she typed, she glanced at Malka. "Mein na sirf weekend ki chuti leti hoon. Agle hafte ki cancel kar deti hoon. Yeh important hai. Chuti mein grand opening ke baad lei loon gi." Laila nodded at her own bright idea, but Malka was having none of it. 

"Aaram se baitho. Shaadi ho rahi hai tumhari. Koi picnic pe nahi jaa rahi ke cancel kardo." Malka shook her head. "Shaadi mein sirf pei jaa ke nahi baithna hota. Aage peeche bhi chaar masle hote hai. Tumhei kuch khabar ho to na. Shaadi sar pe aagyi aur madam ka duppatta nahi aaya abhi tak. Nange sar jao gi."

"Haan yahi karoon gi. New fashion. Nanga sar. Slit in the lehenga. Strapless." Laila wiggled her eyebrows, Malka smacked her then touched her own ear chanting her prayers. "Oww. Mazak kar rahi hoon. Tauba.  Yeh choro, Iss ko kya ho gaya?" Laila glanced at Inaaya who was staring off in the space with her eyebrows furrowed in anger. Her head tilted to side, she seemed she was having her own conversation in her head. "Oye!" Laila threw a pillow at her face. Inaaya squinted at her, two steps away from murdering her.

"Kuch nahi. Bus mein soch rahi hoon. Malka se baara duniya mein aesa kon mahan hoga. Yeh to Khirad se bhi do haath aage nikal gayi." Inaaya crossed her arms, honoring them with another one of her vague snappy replies. 

"Kya?" Laila shifted her gaze between Malka and Inaaya. Malka and Inaaya were busy in their own glaring duel. "Tum dono ki larayi huwi hai?"

"Iss Qurbani ke Bakre ke saath kon larayi karega?" Inaaya rolled her eyes then narrowed it on Malka again. Between the glaring and snapping, Laila hardly understood what caused the tension.

"Bohat batameez ho gayi ho. Do lagaoon gi seedha gaal pr." Malka gritted, replying to equally agitated Inaaya. 

"Hua kya hai?" Laila closed her laptop, confused as ever as Malka and Inaaya bikered.

"Kuch nahi. Batao duppate ka kya karna hai?" Malka changed the topic before Laila got whiffed of the actual tiff between Inaaya and Malka.

"Woh jo tumne red walla sambhal ke rakha hai. Meine ussi se match dress banwaya hai." Laila smiled, the ends of her eyes crinkling... utter happiness.  She expected Malka to return the smile but instead she met with wide shook eyes.

"Pagal ho gayi ho. Us ko pehen ke dance kya karti thi. Dimagh to nahi kharab ho gaya. Kuch bhi bol deti ho. Thora to socha karo." Malka paced near the end of the bed. Laila's unconventional love for her sometimes flew over her head. Did Laila not understand the implications of what that duppatta symbolized?

"To???" Laila shrugged her shoulders, still confused at why Malka got mad.

"Pagal woh nahi tum ho. Qurbani ki Murat." Inaaya spouted,  her eyes  flaring at Malka. "Log kya kahenge. Tauba mein to duniya ki bohat bari bad qismat hoon. Allah yeh kya zulm hai." Inaaya mimicked Malka with flare of drama. Laila wasn't sure to laugh or still stick to the seriousness of situation.