This story takes place in an Indian village and to get you readers in that mood, I have some vocabulary that will be helpful:

*Beti-Child~called with love to daughters. Beta is used for sons, however, close parents especially mothers will use this term for their daughters as well.

*salwar kameez-ordinary traditional clothing for girls in Punjab.

Some pictures to help you visualize what it looks like:

.

and

.com/salwarkameez/ivory_patiala_salwar_kameez_with_beads_and_golden_

some will even wear salwar and instead of kameez, it will be called salwar pajammi which some pictures are as shown:

.com/images/suits_pajami_pg_

and

.com/photo/10939130/Lucknavi_Salwar_Suits_And_

the pants here are tighter and are like leggings, that's the only difference.

These can be fancier in for special occasions or newly weds. They will be brighter colours, more embroidery and shiner fabrics. Some fancy ones look like:

.

Of course, the fashion is always changing, so the top gets tighter, or tighter, and sometimes the pants get too baggy or less baggy. Some good ones to look at are:

.

and

/images/salwar_kameez_

and

.

and

.

my favorite:

.com/catalog/images/IMG_

NOTE: this all has been googled, I do not own any of these. No citations.

*Jatt-highest and richest social class in Punjab.

*Di-Didi is the longer term for older sister. Di is like a nickname.

*Chacha ji-It means father's younger brother, an uncle. In villages, all neighbours are considered to be like family, therefore, all the men of each family treat each other like brothers and their kids are like cousins to each other. Therefore, all neighbours will be like the main character's uncle, aunt, and cousins.

*Chachi ji-Same but for father's younger brother's wife.

*Ji-used for respect. It is used after names or sometimes just like that without names.

*Pra ji-brother, brother-in-law, basically brother of any relation.

Alright, I hope this makes sense to you. I hope you like the story! Please send me any questions, comments, or concerns!

So our story begins…

"Heer, Child!" called her mother from a distance that made Heer jumped so hard making all the nearby pigeons fly away fast.

Since there were so many of them, anyone could tell from a distance where she was hiding again. She sighed very hard and dropped all the seeds she had in her hand from feeding the birds and turned around. She was a beautiful girl at the age of 23 years old, dark huge eyes with an almond coloured skin, and very long hair braided all the way to her back. Hiding in the tall grass, no one could see her day dreaming. She was somewhere lost in the large farmland that her dad, Balraj Mann, owned and worked for all his life. She started walking slowly towards her mother, being an obedient child, she did not want to annoy her mother. As she walked out of the long grass, she smiled at herself. She was an unusual girl, always having a positive attitude, being cheerful, a true friend that you could count on to her friends and especially her younger sister. She was always willing to sacrifice her life to never ruin the family's self respect in the community. Many parents wanted to envy having her as a daughter and quite often scolded their own daughters in following Heer's example. Some neighbors even talked how different she was from other girls in the community.

Heer was an extremely pretty person who never did much to care about her looks. You could expect to see with some eyeliner or longer and fancier earrings replacing her out-of-date studs that she wore. She had such a potential of being like a model, but she did not. She was the "simplest girl" you could find always wearing the same old salwar kameez (long Indian shirt with baggy pants and a long scarf around her neck). She never wore modern clothes like many of the other girls that tried to impress all the young men in the community. All the young men in the community liked Heer, admired her qualities, and always treated her as a sister as they knew Heer never looked at them past the friendship relationship. However, ever since she had turned 23 years old she began to always day dream or hide from her family members and think about her fantasy love. Of course no one knew this, but her mother had a bit of suspicion about it. This is what she was doing right now as she was feeding the pigeons. She couldn't help it but be a perfect idol Indian girl in this village and so she hid and talked to herself so no one could hear her thoughts about how her future husband would be like. Would he care and love her always? What kind of image would he be like? She fantasized herself getting married like a princess and her husband taking her away from this village.

When Heer finally arrived to where she heard her mother's voice, she saw the older identical copy of herself standing by the three cows they owned and giving them a bath. Teji Mann was a lady of inspiration, having bright, cheerful, and motherly eyes with tiny wrinkles on her forehead showing indication of how much she spent her life on her family. She always had her head covered with her red scarf matching her red salwar kameez that she wore that day. Giving all her life to her daughters she most loved and her husband's family, she was the envy of many people as the best and most loyal wife to her husband.

"Yes, ma, you called me?" Heer replied after walking a far distance from where she was.

Her mother stopped scrubbing the backs of the cows and put down the brushes. She came up to Heer and looked closely in her eye,

"Beta, where were you?"

Heer smiled and said,

"I was feeding some pigeons and when you called me-"

"You've been gone for like an hour," her mother smiled mischievously.

Heer blushed because this was one thing she could not tell her mother. Meanwhile, her mother went to the nearest tap and washed her hands. When she returned, she put her hands on Heer's shoulders.

"It's ok beta, I understand. You are 23 years old and I do not understand why your father is taking so long to investigate everything. I know the feeling that you are going through. Please be patient and I know you want to go do something in your life. Bare with me," her mother smiled and continued,

"Thinking about him, aren't you?"

Heer looked away in shyness. Her mother wanted to talk more about the subject but she had other things in mind and this time wasn't the perfect time.

"Now, did you do your chores that I had asked you to do?" her mother stepped back and looked at her contently.

"Yes mother, I can never forget. I did milk the two other cows on the other side of the fence, and I gave them a bath. Pita ji gave me all the wheat and I beat them and made a lot of dough. I put them in the kitchen like you always ask me too. I tidied up the living room and all the bedrooms in the house."

Teji looked at her daughter with such love,

"Beta, I know you do so much work and I am proud of you very much. When you leave the family, what will I do without you? You sister never works hard as you. Speaking of your sister, where is she? It's almost 8 am and I have not seen the sight of her!"

Heer looked at the ground sheepishly,

"Umm.-"

"Did you let her sleep in, honey? Go and wake her! There is much work to do today! Heer, you pamper her too much and please teach her how to be a good daughter of a Jatt's family and fulfill her duties!"

"Ma, do not get angry at her. I did not wake her up on the purpose!"

Then, she ran into the house and up the stairs to the small room her sister and she shared. When she entered the room, she saw an 18 year-old girl deep under her covers on one of the two beds fast asleep. Mehar Mann was different from her sister in physical looks. She was always a little shorter, a little on the heavy side, and with a round face. She was a lot like her father but she acted more social than her older sister. She wasn't the gossip type in their village but if someone was being a bully to someone else, she was always there to get justice. She often got in arguments with her parents about many society issues. Heer knew that Mehar studied very hard in school and her biggest ambition was to be a successful lawyer one day. But she was still very young and had much to learn as a life of a young adult. Their father always wanted one of their daughters to pursue a law dream and he had chosen Mehar to do so, who accepted happily. Mehar always pressured Heer as to why she wasn't thinking about her future and doing something about it. Howevver, Mehar had no idea what was in store for Heer's future. Heer and her parents only knew and they had not told their youngest daughter yet. Heer wanted to tell her sister everything but her parents had said not yet because Mehar was too young to understand.

"Mehar! Wake up, ma is really angry that you are still in bed!" Heer nudged her.

"Mmmm...you honour, I have all the –" Mehar jumped up and flushed her cheeks. She was wide awake.

"Sorry, Di…I just.." she trailed off.

Heer smiled fondly at her younger sister and sat down at the bed with her and joked,

"It's ok, Mehar. You've been having your usual court cases dreams. I think you watch way too much law shows. There is more to life than your law shows, you know."

Mehar began to do her bed while Heer got up and went to sit at the bed opposite of the bed and knew what was coming.

"Well, no offense Di, but I at least show interest and do something about my future! Did you know, last week I met up with Surrinder, our old neighbour and she is applying to the University School of Law and Legal Studies at the Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University in Delhi. She gave me all these information on how to apply for them and all the requirements I need," Mehar talked as she began to get dressed.

"At least I am getting somewhere in life. Unlike you, who just listens to what Ma and Pita ji say and leave it to them to decide your future?!"

Heer frowned to herself because she could not keep any secrets from her sister who was like her best friend and thought that she had to convince her Ma and Pita ji to let Mehar know the truth. Mehar had just turned 18 years old recently and maybe it was time she learned the truth.

"I know that parents are important and they are important to me but I care about you, Di. Please, talk to Pita ji and ask about what to do about you. You've studied a lot and finished school with good grades but you did not find a job. You just work around the house and help the parents all day long. You help me with my school work and I appreciate it," Mehar rambled on and began braiding her hair into two braids in front of the small mirror they had in the room.

"Mehar, do not worry about me. Just focus on your school and I was just joking about you being too ambitious, " Heer got up and walked up to her sister and wiggled her nose.

Mehar let go and just put her hands on her waist showing how much she hated it when Heer did that. There wasn't much difference in their height but Mehar always acted like the youngest one if the career part wasn't included,

"Did you hear what Raji said the other day?" Mehar looked at her sister trying to find some clue. Heer sighed,

"What did that girl say?"

"Well, she lives just two blocks up from us and even she knows."

Heer waited. Mehar continued on,

"Well, she asked how old is your sister? And I said why does it matter to you?"

Heer nodded. This wasn't new to her, she heard it many times.

"So, she said why isn't your sister married yet? How come she just stays at home after finishing school just last year? She rambled on saying have we found a family to arrange your marriage with," Mehar turned away from her sister.

"I am sorry Di, what I almost slapped her and you would not like to hear that but I cannot keep getting in fights with people because they mock you!" Mehar walked to the big window in their room and looked out.

"Even the Chacha jis and Chachi jis have started talking about it and saying that there must be something wrong with you if you have not been married yet!" Mehar sighed and turned back to her sister waiting for a reply.

"Mehar, I know this and our parents know this too," Heer walked to her, "However, Ma and Pita ji are doing something about it, you do not worry. Don't worry about what other people say. They have nothing better to do."

Mehar tried to read the neutral look of her sister's face. She was trying to figure out something. For the last four months when her sister had turned 23 years old, she had noticed that her sister was hiding something.

"What are they planning?" She asked in her most polite voice. She had to get on top of this mystery. Heer did not say anything but looked away from her sister rather a bit too quickly. Mehar pressed on,

"I heard the Randhawa chachi ji talking to the other villagers at the market the other day and said that you are waiting for something."

Heer closed her eyes and did not say anything. Mehar shamelessly continued,

"Or is it someone? I don't know but I keep hearing these rumors around me that you are supposed to get married by now but there's something wrong with the plan."

Heer was about to burst but Mehar added last of all,

"I am sorry Di, but please do not get angry at me. I just hear these things outside our family and the family itself isn't telling people what they are going to do. They just keep listening to it. I can't stand it…please do not get mad."

Heer chuckled to herself quietly. She could not get mad at her little sister. She opened her eyes and smiled at Mehar,

"It's okay, you do not worry Mehar. Just understand one thing that our parents always think the best of us and it's our duty to follow their guide."

"I know what our village is saying and our parents know it too. It's just Pita ji is working on it right now and when it's solved we will tell you."

Heer crossed her arms and looked her sister fondly and continued,

"I know you love me and I love you lots too but I think it's time that you get your butt downstairs and help our mother with the farm work today because you have your summer break from school now, don't you?"

Mehar wasn't giving up but intriguing her sister wasn't the best option at the moment. What is Di hiding from me? She thought and then smiled,

"Ok, Di. I won't bother you about your future anymore. I just hope you got it under control."

"Girls!" her mother called from downstairs, "Please hurry and help me with breakfast! Your father is about to come home any minute now!"

Mehar was extremely hungry and ran downstairs the moment their mother stopped yelling. Heer, however sat down on her bed again and thought about her Pita ji's investigation. She wished she could tell Mehar what the problem was, but she couldn't. How could Mehar understand?

She wanted to tell her sister that she was arranged to marry her dad's best friend's son who moved to Canada exactly 20 years ago and never heard from them again. Her dad had helped his best friend even move to Canada and being childhood friends with their farmlands right next to each other, he provided his best friend so much money to get to Canada safely. Both men had decided that when the best friend would return, he would bring his son to India and get them both married. However, it has been 20 years and not even one phone call came from them since then. Was Heer to marry with their son or had the best friend ditched their father in marriage?

******************

There was a soft knock on the door that made Balraj jump up slightly. He was hard at thought sitting at his desk and looking at old photos. The knock on the door to his quiet study room where he did not like to be disturbed often was a surprise to him. He looked down at the old photos of his childhood memories and then at the nearby clock in the room indicating to him that he had been in here for at least three hours. Going slightly bald from the years on his farm work, he was a hardworking man who spent a lot of time giving the best life to his daughter and his always supporting wife. He exhaled deeply and looked towards the door that had somebody outside standing. He got up and answered trying to be cheerful,

"Who is it?"

The person behind the door did not answer right away but after a silent moment,

"Pita ji, I apologize for bothering you but I was told to make your milk about an hour ago by Ma ji but you have been in your study for awhile. I am sorry, I'll leave and come back later."

Balraj smiled to himself as he knew this voice belonged to his eldest daughter, Heer. He quickly put away his photos in one of his drawers at his desk and walked to the door. He opened it to see his daughter looking a bit worried holding a glass of milk. He patted her shoulder and replied,

"It's ok beti, I apologize for making you wait past your bedtime."

Her father nudged his hand for her to come inside. Heer did as ordered and sat at the second chair of the tiny study room next to her father who sat back down at his chair. She gave him the glass of milk and replied,

"Pita ji, please do not apologize to me. I understand the stress that you are going through. It's my fault because I am the cause of all this."

Balraj took a sip of his warm milk. This is what he needed as he felt the warm milk go down his throat. He then put down his glass and turned to look at his daughter,

"Heer, never say that to me again. I feel like a fool to do this."

He took off his glassed and looked up at the ceiling and continued,

"If I hadn't given you false hopes, we would not go through all these problems that we are facing with the village. If it wasn't for me, you would have been having a job right now and getting a husband probably from any nearby village."

Heer shook her head,

"No Pita ji. Please do not say that. It is not your fault. I know everything and I understand. Whatever you decide for me, I will be happy because I trust both yours and Ma ji's choice."

Balraj smiled to himself and said more to himself,

"Dear, if I asked you to sacrifice yourself, you would never hesitate, would you?"

Heer blushed but Balraj patted her head and thought, Why does she have to be so faithful to Teji and me?

He put his glassed back on, got up, and walked to one of his cupboards. He took out a bunch of files he put them on his desk and declared,

"This is decided that I have no choice but to get this task done for once and all. I called your Balwant chacha ji yesterday and he said he would try to contact him. I will call him later tonight and figure out what is going on."

Heer nodded and decided this was the perfect moment to ask him what was forever on her mind,

"Pita ji, I want to ask you a favour."

Balraj turned to his daughter at the seriousness of her tone,

"You have been so patient for all this and I feel as though I am ruining your reputation. Please, ask anything that I can at least undo the problems that were created to you.''

Heer shook her head and smiled,

"Pita ji, please do not say that. You are no problem creator to me. Whatever you do is always right and I will always follow your decisions."

Heer twisted her hands together and said,

"It's about Mehar."

Balraj raised his eyebrows. His younger daughter. His daughter who quite often worried him. Even though she was very ambitious and almost always mannered, she was different from Heer. He trusted both of his daughters, but he felt that his second daughter was still not mature enough yet for her age. Balraj leaned in his chair and replied hesitantly,

"What about Mehar?"

Heer held her breath and let it out slowly,

"I think she should know about the truth. I want to tell her everything."

Balraj felt a little shocked and almost replied no but continued listening, after all, Heer deserved more than to be listened from what he was doing to her. Heer continued,

"She just turned 18 years old, Pita ji. I want to sit down and tell her everything. Did you know, she hears rumours from everyone in the village? She keeps getting a hint that there is a man involved with my life and she has no idea who he is and I know she is a bit difficult in understanding. She is a little bit immature, but keeping secrets from her isn't going to help her get out of this situation."

Her father pressed his hands together and thought hard. Heer is right. Mehar needs to know the truth. He put his hands down and looked at his daughter,

"Ok, Heer. I give you permission but explain it in the most mature way so that she can understand. She will need to know someday and it would be unfair if she was told."

Heer smiled and jumped from her chair and exclaimed,

"Thank you so much Pita ji!"

Balraj got up too and patted his daughter's head and replied,

"Do not worry about it. You care way too much about her. If something ever happened to me and Teji, I know you would do a good job of being a parent to Mehar."

Heer shook her head,

"No no, do not say that Pita ji. No one is better than you and Ma ji."

Balraj waved his hand in the air to nudge away that comment and continued,

"I'll tell Teji about it so she knows. Now, why don't you go head off to bed. We will talk tomorrow once I have a talk with Balwant, ok?"

Heer nodded happily and turned to leave,

"Ok, Pita ji and good night."

Pita nodded back in response and once her daughter left with the door closed behind her, he sat back down and looked at the old phone he had in his room. How much more happiness can I take away from my daughter? It's now or never.

He knew he should have talked to his best friend at least a few days after his and his family departure to Canada. However, he did not even bother to call him on his birthday. He did not even bother to write a letter. But how could he? His friend left their homeland to Canada to become a better business man in the foreign country. He wanted his kids to have the best education he could provide for his family, especially his oldest son. His oldest son. Prem Junega was supposed to be his oldest son, Balraj thought hard and realized that he should have made at least one phone call to them. He was mad at his friend for leaving this homeland. This homeland that they had grown up together as brothers was important to him. He felt that his friend never understand as much as him about his homeland when he made the decision. However, this mistake of his was causing his daughter's life and happiness. If his friend was fulfilling his promise, he should just try to contact his friend and find out. He could not wait longer than he did already for his friend to call. Enough was enough.

He picked up the phone and dialed.

*******************

Balraj opened the door to the room of his bedroom where Teji was half asleep. The sound of the door awoke her as she was sitting on the bed clearly showing that she was waiting for him. She got up instantly and walked up to him,

"Husband ji, where have you been? It's almost two am in the morning. Heer told me that she just left your study room many hours ago."

Then, she stopped to see her husband who looked like a huge mess. She almost gasped but caught herself in time and it ended up in her throat. Balraj looked like he had been crying for hours and his clothes looked a bit torn indicating that he had been gone outside in the farm in the bushes, but his face was the worst of all. His face looked quite upset and like life had beaten up him way too much. Teji ran to her husband and grasped his face with both of her hands and whispered,

"What is wrong? Why do you look so upset?"

Balraj took her hands off from his face and stepped back and fresh tears fell from his eyes and replied more to himself,

"I am a beaten man, that's all."

Teji shook her head and held the cuffs of his shirt,

"Tell me ji, what happened?!"

Balraj looked up to see his wife with a complete worried look and tears coming from her eyes. He knew he would have to tell her now. He gulped and explained,

"I talked to Balwant who went to the family's business associate and all our banks account people."

Teji looked at him nodding,

"And? Did you find out about Lalit Pra ji?"

Balraj shook his head,

"According to Balwant, Lalit and his family never planned to come to India after all. There has been no letters nor phone calls from Lalit, my childhood friend. All these years, I refused to talk to him because I never agreed to his decision to go to Canada 20 years ago but I figured that he would try to keep in touch with us. He never even bothered a call."

Teji had her mouth opened wide,

"Are you sure, ji? This must be a mistake."

Balraj shook his head,

"Lalit took our money to ditch us and planned to live in Canada to raise his kids. He never had intentions to come back to India. I know this because Balwant has papers indicating all his account money was transferred to Canada that show permanently none of it would come back."

Teji was just too shocked and couldn't keep her mouth closed,

"That means-?"

Balraj nodded,

"Heer has been ditched by this arrange marriage. She will be defamed in our village."

What do you think?

Let me know!....the story will continue!