
Mehar (A Love ❤👱Story That is Incomplete )
to god, asking him to turn the matter in my favour.
‘Come, beta. Why are you standing there?’ Abba asked.
I nodded and smiled as I sat opposite him.
‘When are your exams getting over?’ he asked.
‘Today is my last exam,’ I said, tossing an omelette on my plate. Amma kept an eye on me.
‘Great. Start packing your bags then. We’re going to Islamabad for a week,’ he announced.
I started trembling, and could feel my cheeks flushing.
‘Uh. Isn’t it all of a sudden? When are we leaving?’ I asked, trying not to choke.
‘Tomorrow morning,’ he replied.
Am I left with an option now? No! If Abba has decided something, then it has to be done. I
have no right to object to his decisions.
‘Are you happy with this news?’ Amma asked, breaking my reverie.
‘Amma, if you’re happy, then I’m happy,’ I tried to smile but failed. I was 100 per cent sure that
my disappointment was obvious.
‘No, beta. This is certainly not about our happiness but yours. We’ve planned this trip for you.
Your Khadijah Phupho and her kids, especially Hamza, are eager to see you. We’ll only go if you
want to.’
This is it. This is the best time to talk about what you want, Mehar. This is the best chance
you will ever get. Just say it!
‘Abba . . . if it is about my happiness, then . . . I am ready to go,’ I said. I couldn’t hurt my
parents.
‘Are you sure?’ Abba asked.
‘Yes,’ I replied firmly.
‘I guess we should start packing then,’ Amma said.
I sat there, dazed and confused. I had the chance to speak up, tell them what I wanted. I had the
opportunity to talk to them about the upcoming trip, but I had chosen to remain quiet. Why? For
this question, I had no answer. I could not see my parents getting hurt on my account.
Later that night, I messaged Sidra on WhatsApp.
She wanted to know if I had talked to Amma and Abba about the Swat trip. I told her the truth.
She instantly called after reading my messages.
‘Why didn’t you ask them?’ she asked in an agitated voice. I knew she was quite upset with me.
‘I couldn’t . . . I couldn’t ruin their plan,’ I said. ‘They seemed so excited after a long time.
How could I dampen their enthusiasm, Sidra?’
‘But what about you? You were longing for this trip, weren’t you?’
‘Yes, I wanted to go, but nothing is more important than our parents’ happiness. Right?’
‘Yeah,’ Sidra sighed. ‘Right.’
‘I am going to sleep now. I have not even finished packing.’
‘Okay. Have a nice time with Phupho’s family.’
‘Yeah, right,’ I sighed.
‘Especially Hamza,’ she giggled.
‘Oh god.’ I rolled my eyes. Sidra always teased me about Hamza. ‘I sure will,’ I said with a
smile.
As I was about to flip my pillow, my glance darted to the doorway. I was stunned to find Abba
standing there.
‘Abba?’ I shivered.
‘Why couldn’t you ask for the permission straight away?’ he asked with a heavy voice. Behind
him, Amma’s frail shadow lurked.
‘Abba . . . I . . . I just couldn’t. I didn’t want to hurt you,’ I managed to say, looking down.
‘I would have given you permission if you would have asked for it, meri jaan.’ Abba walked
towards me and then gently placed his hand on my shivering shoulder.
It took me a minute to absorb this.
‘This is your life after all. You’re allowed to enjoy it as much as you want,’ he said.
‘But Abba . . . I thought you would never want me to visit Swat Valley and other nearby areas
alone . . .’
‘Why not? There’s no danger. We have army checkpoints throughout the region. You’ll be safe.
Don’t be scared. You’re a general’s daughter after all. A brave daughter!’ Abba hugged me.
I smiled and then looked down, tears forming in my eyes. I had never thought he would allow
me to go so easily.
‘But you have to promise us one thing, Mehar,’ Amma said, stepping into the room.
I looked at her inquisitively.
‘As soon as you return from the trip, we’ll get you engaged to your Phupho’s elder son,
Hamza.’
And there came another major shock. Despite knowing that my cousin had been fond of me
since childhood, I couldn’t digest the news.
‘Hamza likes you and is keen on getting married to you,’ Amma declared.
‘And we have approved his proposal. I hope we have done the right thing,’ Abba concluded.
My eyes became watery the next instant. It was not that I didn’t want to get married to my
cousin. I liked Hamza. In fact, he was the most respectable and decent fellow in my entire cousin
clan. I just didn’t want to get married so soon.
‘That’s why we wanted to take you to Phupho’s house so you could meet Hamza, and we could
proceed with the engagement ceremony. However, this event can be postponed. We shall await
your return from the trip and then continue the rasam,’ Abba said with delight.
‘Are you happy with our decision?’ Amma asked.
‘Yes, Amma,’ I said with a heavy heart. ‘I have no qualms about this proposal. I’ll do as you
say.’
‘Mashallah. Great news! I’ll go and deliver it to Khadijah right now!’ Abba said cheerfully and
left the room.
Amma glanced back at me.
‘When does your group leave?’ she asked.
‘Tomorrow morning, 5 a.m.,’ I said.
‘Is the group reliable?’
‘Yes, Amma. Totally,’ I assured her.‘
Acha . . . Let me help you pack then. I don’t want you to forget warm clothes and other
important items.’ As Amma continued to speak, I fell into my own dark world.