Chapter Eight

Thursday.

The sun woke up, peaking through the mountains- perhaps aware that somewhere, in the capital of Pakistan and the hilly region of Islamabad, a young woman was still sitting on her prayer mat- a thousand thoughts in her mind and a heart that was ill at ease, and a young man was tossing and turning in bed, his thoughts too, occupied.

The sky that day knew that something was up because the clouds hung low- heavy and wet. It was, as if, at the last moment- the previously sunny weather had decided to go on a vacation, demanding the rain clouds to take over. Even by noon, when the sun should have been shining with all its might- the sky was dark and gloomy, the heavy clouds veiling the sun.

It was an hour after noon when the rain finally came. In dribbles first... as if it had been preparing to come down all this time but was being cautious, and then- viciously- the drops drumming harshly against the roofs of the houses- as if demanding an entrance.

As the wind howled and bellowed- crying to those who paid it any attention, people shut their windows and doors. Zahid sat in his room- watching from his window as the rain dribbled down. Odd weather, he thought to himself, finding the clattering of the raindrops strangely peaceful as he rested his head against the headdress- a hundred thoughts cluttering his brain, as he ignored the growing unease in his heart.

A block away, Amal sat in her room- as she too, watched the raindrops streak down the window. In front of her, her diary lay, the words carelessly written:

Oh, dear sky, why do you weep so? What is it that has made you cry? Is it again- some act of corruption, injustice, tyranny? Or... perhaps your tears are tears of joy? Though I feel that it is the former that is true.

Amal was right there. The sky was weeping- for, it had seen a devilish act down on earth. In the bustling city of Karachi, a man whose face was no stranger to newspapers and television screens- sat back on his sofa in his luxury apartment. He had just had a call- the payments were done with and the lawyer had been bought. Shahid Raza was going to win this case yet again.

~~~

By late afternoon, the rain had finally died down and the gloomy atmosphere evaporated. The people were finally getting out of their houses again, making plans with their friends to get some 'chai and pakora'- for who doesn't enjoy a warm snack during such weather?

Amal... however, was dying a little. The butterflies in her stomach felt more like bees and she tried distracting herself by helping her mother with the dishes. Sana had invited the guests over after Maghrib, and once the adhan could be heard, Amal retreated to her room. After prayer, she quickly got dressed in an off-white sweater-blouse and a navy blue skirt. Pairing it off with her navy blue hijab, Amal did some light-make up.

As she stood in front of a mirror, a wheatish face blinked back at her. Amal told her reflection that she was confident and would go through this awkward night just fine. 'Own your awkwardness', Usman had said and as Amal nodded firmly, she told herself that. Her mirror-therapies always seemed to help her and pushing off Eddie for he was inching a bit too close to her, Amal apologized. "You'll get your fur on me, dearie. I love this dress way too much." Winking at Eddie and feeling a lot more confident, Amal left her room, ready to take on the world.

Zahid, as he drove back home after Maghrib, felt a bit ill at ease. He rarely ever got nervous jitters. When he had been in law school, he had struggled with them but with the passage of time and constant practice, he had gotten over them completely. Now, though- Zahid felt aware of his heart-beat. No, he told himself, he wasn't nervous... wary, perhaps, for despite what his aunt said, this meeting was a huge deal and might change his life forever.

The next hour or so went by too quickly, both, for Amal and for Zahid. Amal helped her mother, tried to ignore Usman's heedless jokes, or just- sat, feeling a little weak. Zahid returned home, got dressed, and after what seemed like mere seconds, found himself in his car with his aunt.

The two houses were not too far apart, but Zahid found himself wishing that they had been, for, in mere minutes, his aunt was pointing out the house and Zahid was parking his car. This is it, he thought.

As the bell rang outside, Amal too, straightened up. This is it, she thought, subconsciously fiddling with her bracelet. She was sitting in the lounge and after hearing the bell, Usman got up- winking at her. Amal could not bring herself to even roll her eyes as he went to open the door, and soon, Amal could hear the greetings in the hallway. She recognized Mrs. Ahmed's voice almost immediately, then, there was Usman's voice- and another man's voice. It was him.

Amal shook her head, forcing herself to stop paying so much attention to details as she saw her father make his way towards the drawing-room as well. She was contemplating whether she should go in and greet them now, or wait for a while when she saw her mother exit the kitchen.

Deciding that it would be way easier to go with her mother than going alone, Amal rushed after her, trying to ignore the way her heart was pounding wildly against her chest. As Sana entered the room, Amal waited for a second, inhaling sharply and gathering up her courage before she too, walked inside.

Zahid saw her first.

He had only just seated himself after greeting Mr. Hussain and Usman - when Sana arrived, and as his aunt embraced her friend, Zahid too got up in greeting. He was waiting patiently when she entered.

Zahid recognized her immediately. It was her. For some strange reason he couldn't place, Zahid almost felt pleased. He did not know why but perhaps he had been hoping that it would be her, and he felt slightly smug, even- the kind of feeling you get when you make a guess on a test and get it right.

Just then- she looked at him as well and as their gazes locked, Zahid saw the recognition dawn on her face, her eyes widening in shock. In spite of himself, Zahid felt the corner of his lips twist upwards, and he lowered his gaze- trying to wipe that extraneous smile off his face.

Amal stared at Zahid, appalled, recognizing him almost instantly. As she tried to register the fact that the guy standing in front of her, now greeting her mother was the one whose car she had scratched, she had not realized that she was staring. She wasn't staring at him per se- more so, she was struggling to get over her shock.

If she had been paying attention to his face, though, she would have taken note of his ear-length brown hair, the good-natured smile on his face, and his short, well-groomed beard. She would have noticed that he was dressed neatly in a blue sweater, and grey pants.

Amal, however, noticed none of these things and if she were to be asked later what Zahid looked like, she would tilt her head and shrug, not even certain if he had a beard or not.

It was when Mrs. Ahmed greeted her that Amal finally snapped out of her daze, flushing slightly as she embraced her neighbor- Amal was vaguely aware of herself answering her salam. "How are you?" Mrs. Ahmed asked and Amal nodded, muttering a 'Fine' as she forced a smile on her face.

The only thing her mind could contemplate at the moment was that this was the guy whose car she had scratched. The worst part was, he recognized her as well. Oh Allah, could life get any more embarrassing?

She was embarrassed. Zahid sensed that almost at once and it made sense too. It was his fault too... well, kind of his fault. Clearing his throat- for everyone was standing awkwardly now, perhaps looking at both Amal and himself, Zahid nodded at her. "Assalamualaikum."

For a minute there, Amal wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole. This was too mortifying for her to handle- but the very next minute, her mirror therapies and self-talk hit her and Amal realized that she had no reason to be embarrassed! Sure she had scratched his car but it wasn't as if she had run away or anything. She had taken responsibility for it as well. Her head raised, Amal's confidence rushed back. "Waalaikumassalam," she said, her gaze lowered but the confidence in her voice surprising even herself.

This meeting was quite certainly going to be a long one.

Assalamualaykum!

Honestly, this chapter was one of the hardest for me to write. I wrote so many drafts, deleted them, and then re-wrote, till I was finally satisfied. 

Hope you guys like it too? Let me know what you think!

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