31. The brave of hearts

*****

"Zarman mamu ne jo sea side pe factories develop ki thi, woh amma ki help se ki thi. Kaam ke dauran, mamu ne amma ko 20% shares dene ki baat ki thi aur woh pakki bhi ho gayi thi, lekin jab factories started making more profit than what they had assumed in the start, amma ne mamu se shares badane ki baat ki aur mamu ne mana kar diya."

The voice echoed through the recording in Ziah's phone. Badar felt his blood rampaging against the nerves on hearing his voice and the exact words that he had spoken to her when she had come seeking for answers. Khurshida begum felt her shoulders tensing while her frantic eyes found her son's who had his head hung low and jaw clenched.

"Initially, I didn't know myself ki amma ko tumpe itni daya kyu aa rahi thi but see these-"

There was a pause and rustling of papers was heard before Badar continued,

"These are the contract documents from a decade back. Yaha pe saaf-saaf likha hai ki out of the rest 80%, 10% would go to charity on an annual basis and 15% was for mami aur baki 65% was under your name. The clause also states that when you pass the age of 21, the money that was kept under the factory's name would be transferred to your account based on the shares and their values.

Amma had subtly asked mamu for your hand in marriage when he didn't budge about the share ratio and your father rejected the proposal too. Paisa hai, amma aise hi haath se nahi jane de sakti thi, so in rage and feeling wronged, she hired a few men."

No voice was heard after that because what Badar was trying to imply was crystal clear.

The recording was stopped and taking in a shaky breath, Ziah spoke about how much information she had been able to collect on the case of her parents sudden death and how the file was closed after just 2 months of investigation when clues were found.

"The copy of the contract is in Badar's cupboard- in the hidden locker below the shirt section."

A few constables followed the lead while Badar paled second after second. Khurshida begum had fallen silent half way through the ordeal and remained put in her place.

"As for Badar, here are the proofs that'll be enough to lead him behind the bars for years."

It was Aliya who spoke. She had contacted Major Mathur via her phone and had asked for the needed documents related to the women exploitation case. Ziah's file could be found within it too and it wouldn't be tough for the police to connect the dots of the remaining scenario.

Transferring the data from her phone to the legal authorities email, Aliya took in a sigh of relief when she saw the two being dragged away. The contract had been confiscated, the nameless wedding was stopped, the criminals were punished and justice was served.

It took more than a decade for Ziah to bring justice to her parents death- a murder.

Money often blinded people, erased the line between what was right and wrong and crumbled relations to an extent that even their foundation couldn't be seen.

A day of chaos had been brought to an end and Ziah felt her shoulders drooping in exhaustion. Feeling light headed, she gripped the nearest person's arm to stabilize herself but the touch made her feel wide awake when her soul made love to the aura of serenity that clouded her form.

Quickly pulling away, she looked wide eyed at a worried looking Marwan who had his hands parted, silently asking her to seek her solace in him. The dusk would've fallen to shame at the colour that blossomed on Ziah's cheeks and she hastily created a little distance between him and her.

Madiha cleared her throat at the interaction and with a serious expression, spoke loud enough to gather everyone's attention.

"Nikah se pehle yeh sab nahi chalega. Dur hato."

She shooed her son away and Marwan's crestfallen face was met with rounds of laughter while Ziah tried to hide herself behind Malak with a shy smile playing on her lips and light in her eyes.

The darkness of the night had given way for the sun to share its light with the meek moon who could only offer a hidden devotion to love no one else but him.

*****

After a hectic day, the whole haveli had fallen into a blissful sleep to rejuvenate their spirits apart from Madiha and Marwan who sat in the huge courtyard that was cleaned up not long ago.

"Apne abbu se baat ki is baare mein?"

Madiha placed a hand on her son's shoulder. Her eyes searched his for answers while Marwan sat staring at his hands in daze.

"Kya kahu unse? Ki I want to marry Ziah? What makes you think that the old man would budge to the request."

"The old man is old, not foolish."

Marwan frowned at the familiar gruff voice. Glancing at his mother, he found her trying to control her smile while looking at something behind him. With an alarming pace, Marwan turned around only to find his father standing a few feet away from the haveli's main door with a stern expression on his face. He was carrying a few bags with him and Madiha gave a gentle push to her son who cautiously got up to help him with the things.

"Y-yeh- aap- kab?"

Marwan spoke like a confused child who didn't understand what was happening. Waheed rolled his eyes at his grown son and stuffed the four huge bags in Marwan's arms. Leaving his son to blink in stupidity, Waheed found his wife smiling knowingly at him.

Madiha had rang a bell to her husband when she was on her way to Bareilly. Waheed had declined the trip but on sensing that his wife had subtly pointed that she'd need him there, he had kept the meetings aside for the day and flown to the place as soon as he could with a few things that Madiha had requested.

"Sab kuch laye hai na?"

"Hmm, sirf dimaag dhund raha tha us bewakoof ke liye, but they were nowhere in stock."

"Woh bewakoof yahi hai."

Marwan grumbled with an annoyed expression and placed the heavy bags on the khat. He tried to peek at the contents in them but was met with a smack on the back of his head by his father.

"Kya hai?!"

He groaned in annoyance and rubbed his head while his parents rolled their eyes at the dramatic display. Madiha shook her head at him and pulled the bags away, it was clear that she didn't want her son taking a look at what was inside them.

"Ab main yeh sab saman sahi jagah rakh kar aati hu while you talk to your father, hmm?"

It wasn't a suggestion.

Her eyes clearly threatened Marwan to do so and he gulped, stuck between falling down a hill or drowning in the well.

"Kya baat karni hai?"

Waheed acted oblivious to his son's panic-filled gaze. Madiha had already briefed him about what all had happened here on the phone call and he made sure that the police did their job well.

Waheed Qureshi was short tempered but the morals he had been taught would bend for no one.

Uncuffing his sleeves, Waheed rolled them up while Marwan tried to recite a speech of easily understandable words that would clear his intentions in front of his father without any potential harm befalling on him.

"Ahm, woh, ahh."

"Insano wali bhasha bhi bol lo."

Scowling at the ridicule, Marwan slumped beside his father on the khat and ignored the way Waheed raised an eyebrow at his riled up form.

"Nikah karna hai mujhe."

"Aas paas koi mela laga hai tumhare liye ladki dhundne ke liye?"

His father seemed genuinely curious about the question he asked and Marwan bit his tongue from spewing any nonsense at the way his self-respect was being crumbled to pieces so casually like it were a piece of cake.

"Abbu...."

He finally whined like an annoyed child and Waheed bit back a smile. These moments seemed to have been lost due to the way their ideologies led them to different paths.

Marwan had always had a love for the national uniform. The khaki gave him a sense of pride and peace and belonging while Waheed had tried to stop him from choosing the path that might one day lead to his demise.

Only the brave of hearts could send their kids to a land where they know that their safety wasn't guaranteed and Waheed would happily accept that he was a coward if it meant keeping his son safe.

Years had passed by with rusted memories of jokes and playful banter between the father-son duo. The last time it happened would've been when Marwan had passed his twelfth- the very same day when he said to his father that he'd like to be a soldier in the army.

It was that day from decades ago and today, that Waheed felt the bond they had buried deep under hateful words and ignoring gazes come to life. Mist clouded his vision, a sheath of water he wasn't too fond of came to settle in his eyes and he blinked them away.

Marwan seemed oblivious to the change in his father's posture and was lost in his nervous thoughts of how he'd open up about the tiny wish and the only one he'd ask for it were in his hands.

"Marwan, bol abhi."

Waheed cleared his throat to get rid of the emotional touch that his words had to them. The inner turmoil had not yet calmed down and he took in deep breaths to calm the unwanted feelings and realisations.

"W-woh main- Ahh, aapko pata hai!"

Marwan screeched with an accusing gaze when he found his father trying to suppress a smile at the expense of his self-esteem.

"Hmm, pata toh hai, lekin tumhari aisi halat dekh kar acha bahot laga."

Waheed stated with a satisfied look and Marwan gaped at his father in disbelief. Throwing a quick look at his son, Waheed followed the path Madiha had vanished in and left his son alone to his thoughts but not before saying the words Marwan needed to hear.

"Mere razi hone se kuch nahi hoga. Us ladki se uski raza pucho phir baki sab dekhenge."

*****

Ziah yawned after a nap of 2 or so hours. Her body still felt depleted of energy but not to the extent that she could fall back into a dreamless sleep. Feeling a little replenished, she washed her face and tied her hair in a bun. Now that everything was the way it was supposed to be, she didn't know what to do next.

Sitting at her dressing table, she rolled the cufflink in between her fingers, tossing and turning it while going through her thoughts.

He wasn't engaged.

He didn't have a fiance.

All of it had been a way to keep them away.

So now that the truth was out, what were they supposed to do? What was she supposed to do?

Startled by a knock on her door, Ziah dropped the cufflink and stood straight in alarm. Feeling stupid when the door was opened a little and his head peeked in, she gave Marwan a stink eye for scaring her out of her skin.

"What? Is bar kya kiya maine?"

Marwan frowned adorably at the lady who turned her back to him and picked something from the ground. He tried to get a good look at what it was but Ziah had hid it with ease and then glanced back at him with a raised eyebrow.

"You never do anything. It's all a coincidence."

The word 'coincidence' was said in a sarcastic tone and Marwan couldn't bring himself to care about it. Clearing his throat, he rubbed the back of his neck as his eyes darted around the spacious room in nervousness.

"Kuch kaam tha?"

Ziah asked upon noticing his troubled posture and Marwan felt like a high schooler who was having a sane conversation with his long-time crush.

"Haan, woh, ahm, nikah ka kya khayal hai?"

Seriously?

He had to stop himself from banging his head on the door in utter shame when Ziah blinked a few times at him.

"Kis ka nikah?"

She asked in a confused tone and Marwan bit the insides of his cheek to stop the horrendous blush that was trying to make its presence known.

Why was it so tough?

"Tumhara nikah, aur kis ka."

He mumbled a little hesitantly and Ziah frowned at his words. Placing her hands on her hips, she narrowed her eyes at him, clearly clueless about where he was trying to take all this.

"Mera nikah? Kis ke saath?"

"Mere saath, aur kis ke saath!"

Marwan shrieked like a maiden of the 18s and Ziah froze in her place. Her wide eyes met his that were now blinking in nervousness. The tips of his ears and nose were painted red and before she knew it, the warmth of carmine had splashed itself on her own skin.

Ziah quickly put her hands down and turned away from him. The shift in the air had lured the shyness which made it tough for her to even look at him and all was his fault!

Marwan tried not to let his anxiety show when she turned her back to him. Numerous scenarios that weren't even applicable in their situation made their disastrous appearance in his mind and he had to physically strain his gaze to not fall prey to them.

"Ziah, don't you- I, nahi karna chahti?"

The question was asked with utmost hesitancy. His voice had gone from shrill to shallow and Ziah shook her head but to herself and not him. Marwan took in the gesture in the wrong way and he lost the colour of the brightest dawn from his face.

"K-kyu? D-did I do something wrong? I-I-"

Ziah controlled herself from laughing at his nervous ramble and cleared her throat. Putting on a neutral expression, she turned to look at him and felt a little bad due to the expression on his face.

He looked close to the verge of fainting and she didn't have the heart to let that happen.

Ziah casually threw the small something that she held in her palms at Marwan who caught it on reflex with a confused gaze.

Though the confusion didn't last long when he found his cufflink that he thought had been lost resting in his hands now. Marwan didn't hide the grin that took over his features when he looked back at Ziah who was now blooming like the flowers of spring.

"Nikah se pehle dulha dulhan nahi milte. It's not considered good."

And that simply stupid statement made Marwan the happiest man one could come across.

**********

Mubaraka! Mubaraka!!

Hayee, ain't my babies so cuteee?! I swear the monkey grin is not going from my face. Koi doctor ko bulao!

Ahh, you're all invited to the nikah that would take place really soon! Marwan has clearly stated that if you plan on coming empty handed, please stay at home. Your presence is not needed. Thank you.

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