Chapter Three
She skipped Mariam's valima, they'd been part of a tightly knit group of friends at school but went separate ways when she chose architecture and Mariam went to medical school and while they'd always kept in touch it wasn't the same anymore after a few years. Besides, Rushna and Nadir had to be at another wedding that night and she didn't want to go without her best friend. And now, it was Monday and she was a hamster on wheels again. An early start followed by helping Faiz get ready for school, sorting his uniform, backpack, lunchbox and making sure he had a proper breakfast which meant she hardly had time for any. And Rushna, bless her for knowing and understanding as she'd brought her friend coffee and muffins yet again. Aaiyla looked at her friend with a quizzical expression when she saw Rushna sit on a chair in her cubicle "aren't you supposed to be working on the bay windows for Subhaani sahab's house this morning?" she asked. Rushna leaned back into the chair, yawned and said "there's time for that, I need a break now". Aaiyla smirked and said, "A break at 9am on a Monday morning? Marriage has ruined you for work Rushna, you should just stay home with Laiba and make nihaari etc. for Nadir all day long"
"Funny! Everyone's not like you Aaiyla. Some of us like to take it easy once in a while. And anyway, I've done most of the work on those windows, just need to clean up the edges on the design and that shouldn't take more than a couple of hours. Did you hear the gossip about Mariam's valima?" said Rushna and continued when Aaiyla shook her head in denial "apparently she refused to wear the outfit her inlaws had picked for the occasion and went in something of her own. Her mother in law saw what had happened at the venue and stormed off in anger… she's such a number!"
Aaiyla looked at her friend in disbelief and said, "don't believe everything the gossipmongers tell you, it can't be as bad as that" although she knew Mariam was capable of all that and more but she really wasn't interested in random gossip so keen to change the topic added "I liked what she was wearing at the baraat though" to which Rushna said "really? I thought you didn't, you barely looked at her when she made the grand entrance to that Saawariya number…" paused and added, "oh wait, weren't you looking at the other chick? Who was that anyway?"
Aaiyla smiled and sipped her coffee to create a deliberate pause before saying "That was Mrs Zaroon Junaid." Rushna looked puzzled, "Mrs who?" Aaiyla raised an eyebrow at that, Rushna never forgot people "I'm surprised you don't remember Zaroon, you know Junaid Khan's son. They're the owners of the construction company that built the block of flats you're in love with… the same Zaroon who…" she was cut of as Rushna exclaimed "THAT Zaroon? Oh My God, where did you get back in touch with him? And after all these years? What was he doing at that wedding anyway? Didn't your parents stop seeing his family?"
"Easy Rush," she said "I think he's friends with Osama and we just met at the wedding".
"Does he still look the same?" asked her friend at which Aaiyla smiled and said "better, if I'm to be honest with you… but what's the point? You're married, he's married so forget about it"
Rushna laughed at her friend, Aaiyla was a clever girl, but she could also be pretty daft at times "Alright, I'd better get going now" and the conversation ended harmlessly. Zaroon Junaid was a special person thought Rushna as she settled into her cubicle, he'd come into her friend's life at a time when Facebook and other forms of social networking weren't around but no reason why she couldn't check him out now. Thinking just that, she opened Facebook and typed Zaroon Junaid into the search panel, of course being friends with Osama helped as he came straight up in the mutual friend's section and Rushna realised her friend was right, Zaroon had gotten better with time and he had a son. She sighed looking at the profile picture he had on and was logged out to concentrate on getting the bay windows right.
He'd looked around for her at Osama's valima and felt a strange sense of disappointment at being unable to spot her. When curiosity got the better of him he went up to Osama and asked "Haven't you invited Salman today?" Osama looked visibly surprised as he asked "you don't mean Salman Ansar do you?" and continued when Zaroon nodded "have you gone off your rocker? We haven't met him in ages, and never got along with him when we were in school. Why would I invite him?"
"So you didn't invite him yesterday?" asked Zaroon. "Like I said, why should I?" answered Osama and added "anyway, I heard he lives in Dubai now, it isn't a difficult trip but I don't see him making it for my wedding. Now please stop asking strange questions and check the situation with the caterers for me." Zaroon shook his head in the affirmative and walked away thinking she must have been invited from the bride's side.
But two days had passed and he'd been unable to get her out of his thoughts. They lived in the same city and had gone to the same school a few years apart, they probably even moved around in the same social circle as their parents had been friends at one point but had somehow managed to avoid each other, maybe it was because she'd moved to Dubai with Salman. But wait, he thought, hadn't she said she was an associate with ASA now? Surely that meant she lived in Karachi? Or did she live between Karachi and Dubai as was common with a lot of people. He wondered if he could ask around, being in the construction business he had a few connections in the practice but then thought against it. The woman was married and he didn't want people to get the wrong impression.
Dinner was a quiet affair in the Junaid household that night, Sarah had come over for a few days and there was never a dull moment with his sister around. The kids were already in bed and he knew the question before his sister asked "so have you decided yet?" He decided to act naïve and said, "decided what?"
Sarah dropped her fork with a clatter and said "oh for pity's sake Zaroon! You can have amma and abba fooled but don't try that on me… you know I'm talking about Rihaana" Zaroon sighed and said "and I've said it a number of times before, but I'll say it again for your benefit. I'm not interested." Fareeda Junaid decided to jump into the conversation then "but you can't go on like this Zaroon, you're thirty-four and you have your life ahead of you, besides there's Nivyaan to think about too. Your son needs a mother."
"And Sarah's idea of a mother is twenty-two year old spinster Maa" answered Zaroon, "what would she know about a six year old's needs? Or the complications of settling down with a widower? She'd want a fresh start and I promise you she wouldn't be in this if I wasn't Junaid Khan's son" he waved his hands in the air and said "she wants a piece of this. This lifestyle, the money and all that comes with it. Nivyaan and a husband twelve years older than her is just a small price she has to pay for it. There are countless girls in this city who'd agree to be part of that deal, I can have anyone if that's the type of woman I want."
Fareeda sighed and answered, "yes but you've got to decide and get married. Never mind Rihaana, find someone else, we just want you settled and happy. Your father and I can't help around with Nivyaan forever and you know that."
Zaroon was angry, his parents were a huge help with Nivyaan but he hadn't asked for any of it so he said out loud "I'm not expecting you to, I'm quite capable of bringing up my son on my own and if its too much of a problem to have us around I'll move out"
Junaid Khan who'd silently been listening to the back and forth between his wife, daughter and son spoke out at that moment "that's not what your mother meant and you know that. Anyway, I think we've talked about this enough for tonight. Why don't you think about it Zaroon and perhaps your mother and sister can continue to look for someone more appropriate in the meantime" he looked pointedly at his daughter at that point and conversation ended as they proceeded to eat the rest of their meal in silence.