Part 17
A cold shower had really calmed Aahil down. And now that he had thought things over in his mind, he felt that he'd been too harsh with Sanam. He came out of the bathroom, towel-drying his hair and found that she was gone. He glanced at the clock and realized that it was too early for Fajr. So where had she gone?
Sanam was walking around in the garden. Tears blinding her vision. Why was it that Aahil started hating her so much? Hadn't he declared his love for her, that night? She kicked a stone in her path. She knew that declaration was too good to be true. That's why she hadn't felt right when he had said it to her. She plopped down on the bench. But what if his love for her had been genuine? Why did he all of a sudden become a monster again? She gasped. Did he know about the deal between her and Begum Sahiba? She wiped her tears and got up, restless and wanting to pace the floor again.
Aahil walked out of his room in a rush. Where was Sanam? Last time going out this late had landed her in the graveyard, buried alive. He shuddered to think if she was in any danger right now. He walked around the pool, searching for her. But she was nowhere to be seen. Badi Ammi's room was locked and her old bedroom door was ajar. He checked in the kitchen, dining, living, and guest room and then headed outside. He was dreading this. But he knew deep down that she wouldn't be in the house. Luckily he did not have to go far, before he spotted her. He let out a breath of relief. She was standing in the middle of the garden, staring at the sky, full of bright stars tonight.
Suddenly he didn't want to walk up to her and remind her of what he'd said. He turned to leave, relieved that she was within the house boundaries, when he heard a sniffle. He cringed, knowing that she was in pain. He turned around and started to walk towards her when he heard a voice.
"Arre Sanam tum yahan kya kar rahi ho?" a concerned Lateef walked up to her.
Sanam quickly wiped her tears and faked a smile, "Kuch nahin."
"Sanam tum ro rahi ho?"
"Nahin...nahin..aank main kuch chala gaya tha," she tried to cover up.
"Jooti! Mujhe sab dikh raha hai. Batao kya hua hai? Kya Aahil baba se larayi hui hai?" Lateef pressed.
"Nahin...aisa kuch bi nahin hua. Aahil mujhe bohut achcheyse rakte hain," she fibbed. Aahil cringed upon hearing this. He knew this was a complete lie. Suddenly he didn't want to hear what Sanam was going to cook up next.
"Mujhe apne Ammi, Abbu ki bohut yaad arahi thi," Sanam continued. That's what made him stop in his tracks. He had never bothered to ask about her parents. His ears stood up, intent on listening to this.
" Badi Ammi ne bataya ke jab main bohut choti thi tho unka ek accident main inteqal ho gaya tha. Lekin woh yaheen Bhopal ke rehne wale thay. Jo bi main unke baare main jaanti hoon, vo Badi Ammi se suna hai. Lekin unki maut ek accident main? Kahin na kahin mera dil nahin maan tha hai. Kher, jab be main unhe yaad karti hoon, main unhe sitaron main dhoond ne aajati hoon."
Lateef patted her back, "Tumhare Ammi Abbu ka sunke bura laga. Allah unhe jannat naseeb kare. Aur ab tum sone jao. Meri to Raziya bi ne neend kharab kardi. Ab mere phool jaise chehre pe baara bajj jayein ge. Main to hui chui mui!" and with that Lateef walked off to bed.
Aahil quickly hid behind a pillar as Sanam wiped another tear and walked right past him, into the house.
He had no idea what pain Sanam must go through. Her parents dead, looking after her deaf and mute cousin and Badi Ammi, who was hospitalized at the moment. Plus his egoistic and moody attitude. His stomach churned uneasily as he thought about the numerous times he had acted harshly with her. He waited a while until he was sure Sanam would be in bed, before making his way back to his room.
Sanam indeed was in bed and she was...fast asleep? Already?
Aahil just looked at her. A crease on her forehead was disrupting her otherwise angelic face.
Aahil watched as her chest moved up and down with the rhythm of her breath. She really needed all her rest. After all, she had slept in an awkward position to ensure his comfort all night. The least he could do was leave her alone so that she could sleep peacefully. He walked over to her side of the bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. She turned over in her sleep.
As he got into bed, the first rays of the morning sun hit his eyes. But he decided that he could catch a few winks before it was time for breakfast.
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Aahil woke up a few hours later to the smell of freshly brewed coffee. He rubbed his eyes and found that it was sitting on his night stand. But he didn't want coffee, he wanted to see Sanam, who again seemed to be out of sight.
Aahil sleepily got out of bed and took a sip of the coffee. He then changed into a white sweater and jeans and walked into the dining area where he saw Khala and Khalu stuffing their faces with Samosas and Jalebi.
"Khala..khala agar aise khao gi to mere jaise size zero figure nahin rahega," Lateef informed her grabbing a bowl of Gulab Jamun from her hand.
Aahil rolled his eyes. "Lateef!"
"Arre Aahil baba aapke liye nashta lagaoon?"
"Nahin..mujhe kuch nahin chaiyye. Woh tumne Sanam ko kahin dekha hai?"
"Haan.. haan woh Begum Sahiba ke saath baazaar gayi hai. Bus abhi abhi hi niklain hain woh dono."
Aahil's face fell with disappointment and he looked at his phone. He really wanted to talk to her about last night. But it wouldn't do over the phone. So he went back into his room and prepared for his conference call for that day.
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Sanam helped Begum Sahiba get into the car as the driver held the door open for her. She walked around to the other side of the car to get in herself, but turned around to glance at the Badi Masjid one last time. Just then someone tapped her on the shoulder.
"Beta tum kya Zoya Ahmed Khan ki beti ho?" the old man asked as he blinked several times, trying to get a good look at her.
"Ji..baba..aap kya meri Ammi Abbu ko jaante thay?"
"Haan..bohut hi nek dil thay tumhare Ammi Abbu. Unke baare main sunke bohut duk hua."
"Ji, bees saal pehle ek accident main unka inteqal hogaya."
"Nahin...nahin beta..unke inteqal accident main nahin hua tha...balke woh to ek saazish ka shikar thay bichare."
"Kya?!" a startled Sanam stood shocked to the core.
"Baba aap aur kya jaante hain unke baare main? Unki maut ke baare main aap kya jaante hain?"
"Main zyada to nahin jaanta..lekin ye maloom hai ke woh bohut he raeez thay aur acha barda khaandaan tha unka. Jab unki maut hui tho unke khaandaan ka koi bi insaan nahin mila. Saare ke saare hi gayab hogaye."
"Baba woh..woh rehte kahan thay?" Sanam asked finally realizing that this old man could give her a clue to her past.
"Woh ...woh.." he scratched his head. "Yaad nahin arahaa...haan yaad aya! Woh jis ghar main rehte thay waahan kuch saalon ke baad Nawab Sahab ne apni haveli banayi thi."
"Nawab Sahab ne?" Sanam asked wide-eyed. "Matlab jahan ab Begum Sahiba rehti hain, wahan mere Ammi Abbu ka ghar tha?"
"Haan ...suna tho yahi tha.." he scratched his head again.
"Baba aur kya jaante hain aap mere Ammi Abbu ke baare main?"
"Beta ab meri umar ho gayi hai aur yadash saath nahin dehti. Tum nazar ayeen to ye sab yaad agaya."
"Shukriya Baba..aap jaante nahin hain apne meri kitni madat kardi hai. Aap apna number dedain taake main apse dobara mil sakoon."
"Beta phone to mere paas nahin hain lekin main har Jumma yaheen ataa hoon aur poora din yaheen guzaar ke jaata hoon."
"Theek hai baba, main dobara apse milne aaoongi. Allah Hafiz."
"Allah Hafiz, beta."
Sanam was shocked to hear all that she did from this man. It was time to ask Begum Sahiba how much she knew about her parents. But now would be too soon. She would give herself some time to mull things over before she began to question Begum Sahiba. She opened the door and got into the car...
Filler Update! But comments are welcome!
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