Holding many thoughts and little amount of anger she rang the doorbell and waited exactly 1 minute 7 seconds, in the time being she was typing a text in her mobile it was nothing but her resignation letter. No one opened the door so she lifted her hand to ring the bell again but suddenly the door was opened by a beautiful figure whose long hair was wrapped around the rollers which were dangling from her head.

Both of them looked straight in each other's eyes and glared as if they were about to kill each other.

"What the hell are you doing here? How dare you to come to my home? Just get lost from my home and my life."

She looked at her mobile screen which was showing the half written resignation letter, saved the draft then looked at the girl and the rollers dangling from her hair.

"Aunty kaha hain? Mujhe unse milna hai... Tujhse baat karne ka time nhi hai mere paas na mujhe interest hai tujhse baat karne mein." She pushed her mobile in her sling bag and entered the home forcefully.

(Where is Aunty? I wanna meet her. Neither I've time to talk to you nor I'm interested.)

"Ye mera ghar har hai, agar ek qadam bhi aage badaya to ek thappad maarungi muh par." Removing one roller from her hair strand she almost yelled.

(It's my home, I'll slap you if you dared to take one more step.)

Both of them kept glaring at each other than she smirked and took two steps ahead. "Dare to touch me," it was a clear challenge which was enough to make the owner of the home huffed, taking a step ahead she slapped the left cheek of this uninvited guest and at the same time a voice echoed in the hall.

"Ye kya ho rha hai? Afifa, Shifa tum dono pagal ho gyi ho kya?" Afifa's mother was shocked to see her daughter slapping her best friend.

(What's going on here? Afifa Shifa, are you both gone mad?)

"Mummy is se kahiye mere ghar se chali jaye." Afifa yelled.

(Mummy, tell her to get out of my home.)

"Aunty ise yaad dila dijiye ki ab main iski sasuraal se hu to meri izzat kare." Shifa glared at Afifa.

(Aunty, tell her to respect me as I'm from her in-laws side.)

"Tum dono ye drama andar jaa kar kro, abhi mehmaan aane wale hain." The lady of the house scolded both of them and Shifa walked towards Afifa's room without waiting for her.

(Guests are about to come, you both continue this drama in the room.)

"Shifa just get lost from here." Afifa pointed out towards the door of her room and Shifa picked the pillow from her bed and the very next moment Afifa received a hard kiss from that soft pillow.

"Itni deyr se bardasht kar rhi hu to bole hi jaa rhi hai." Shifa huffed.

(I'm tolerating it's doesn't mean that you'll keep saying rubbish.)

"Shifa ki bachhiiii..." Afifa grit her teeth while lifting the same pillow for hitting her bestie but Shifa chuckled.

(Shifa baby)

"Well abhi pta nhi ki bachhi hai ya bachha." Shifa's statement stopped Afifa in between and she blinked twice.

(Well, don't know if it's a baby or a baba?)

"What? Are you serious?" Afifa locked the door and walked towards Shifa with long steps.

"Yes, of course."

"Shifaaaaaaa.... I'm hating you still I'm so happy yaar. Congratulations. But I still hate you, but I love you baby... Your khala loves you.p" Afifa hugged Shifa and they both just not breaking the hug for next few minutes when Shifa took a step back and glared at her.

"Why are you hating me? You forgot me after getting that Chomu, you didn't bother to know whatever is happening in my life." Shifa complaint

"Oh girl, you don't even know whatever happened with me..." Afifa said at the same time and they both furrowed.

"What?"

What happened?"

Afifa and Shifa asked at the same time and Shifa told Afifa about everything including Aatish's letters, to Adeena's arrival till date and Afifa just held her head.

"I'm sorry Shifa, I was angry with you that you forgot me after getting a happily married life but you were going through so many things. Yaar ye aurat kahi Rani aunty ki dur ki beti to nhi hai na?" Asked Afifa and Shifa couldn't help but laughed.

(Dude, Is there any chance that this lady is Rani phuppo's district daughter?)

"It's alright, don't be sorry but what happened with you?" Shifa asked and Afifa rolled her eyes then jerked her head.

"Let it be! The thing is, Shariq is not that bad yaar... He's so good." Afifa smiled and Shifa pulled a face.

"Your choice is so low. Ewww..."

"Shut up." Afifa hit Shifa's back with a pillow and huffed, now it was difficult for her to listen anything against Shariq.

"You're so mean, Affo. First you slapped me and now this..." Shifa glared at her bestie who just chuckled.

"Don't call it a slap, I just touched the fingers on your cheek."

"Okay, just tell me what your Choomu did?"

"Yaar Raani aunty created a blunder and dad broke our engagement. But Shariq was so mad! He was coming here to dad every next day. A few times Dad literally threw him out, I was in disbelief, how could he bear so much insult and anger but he did! He was literally begging in front of daddy, On the other hand he and Musa uncle started behaving indifferent with Rani aunty due to which she was already tired and frustrated. In the end she was left with no other option. She herself came to meet daddy and said that bhai sahab it was a misunderstanding" Afifa mimicked the last part in Rani's voice and style and Shifa blinked blankly.

"No way... that Chomu can't be so good." Shifa muttered and Afifa lifted the pillow. "I'll hit you hard if you dare to call him chomu again."

"Haa yaar Pehli baar us pagal, jangli, bandar, jaahil, gawaar, namune, insaan ke naam par kalank jese aadmi ko izzat se Shariq Bhai kehne ka dil chah raha hai." Shifa muttered and this time Afifa blinked blankly.

(Dude, he is nothing but a mass of flesh on the name of human, he is such an idiot, mad, wild, monkey, illiterate man but for the first time I want to call Shariq bhai with respect.)

"Yaar ye tu izzat de rahi hai ya beizzati kar rhi hai?" Afifa was trying to conclude but unfortunately couldn't.  Before Shifa could answer a doorbell rang and Afifa gasped loudly "they arrived."

(dude, are you praising with or insulting him?)

"Who?"

"Musa uncle and Phulan Devi." Afifa jumped out from the bed and rushed towards the dresser and started freeing her hair from numerous rollers. "Hamare pyare Chomu Bhai nhi aa rhe?"  Shifa asked but unknowingly she touched her already raw nerve.

(Isn't our Chomu bhai coming?)

"Yaar, Daddy put a ban on us to talk on phone call before getting married, meeting before marriage is an impossible task."

"Aww... sabr my baby sabr! Just two months..." Said Shifa with a smile but Afifa pulled a face.

(Sabr = Patience)

"That's the problem yaar, two months are equal to 60 days which is equal to Approx. 8.57143 weeks which is equal to 1440 hours which is equal to 86400 minutes and...''

"Stop it Afifa just stop it. I knew that love could turn a man blind as well as mad but I didn't know that love can make someone a mathematician too." Shifa laughed but Afifa made a cry face. 

"sure dear, make my fun. You forget your your time when you were dreaming about your Deni." 

"Oh come on... don't be so overdramatic, come to meet me the day after tomorrow, Rani phuppo will be coming to meet Papa, her useless son must be following her like a driver so you can pay a surprise visit to meet your Chomu." Shifa's suggestion brought a big smile to Afifa's face and she just hugged her friend. 

"I love you Shifa, I love you..." she kissed her cheek and Shifa pushed her away. "Ewwwww.... stay away," rubbing her cheek with the back of her palm Shifa pulled a face and both friends laughed aloud.

<><><><>

"Happy birthday to you."

"Happy birthday to you."

"Happy birthday dear Zaryab."

"Happy birthday to you."

"Blow the candles Zaryab," she kissed her son's cheek and smiled at him. "You are the best Mommy, I love you more than everyone." He hugged back her mother and kissed her cheek with a big smile.

"Be brave and strong my little boy." Adeena smiled with tears. 

"I'm not a little boy, I'm a big boy. today I turned four." She laughed and nodded while wiping her tears. 

"Okay, I apologise!" She helped her son in cutting the cake and they both spend some time together until Zaryab's question answer session started one more time.

"When will dad come?" Adeena's smile lost and today she took a deep breath. "Come here." Grabbing Zaryab's hands she made him sit on the couch and lightly hugged him.

"He won't come ever."

"Why?" Zaryab furrowed

"You you what Zaryab, there are some people whom Allah loves so much, so he call them and they people will never come back." Adeena tried to tell the small boy about the big reality of life but he couldn't understand.

"Will dad never come back? Never?" He stressed on the words never and Adeena shook her head, "Never"

"But Mommy you told me that dad will come back soon." Zaryab blinked blankly for a few moments then his expressions shifted towards sadness.

"Yeah, I said. But now you're a big boy so I'm telling you the reality. Mommy will love you till the last breath of her life but Dad can't come back now, so stop asking this question again and again." Adeena tried her best to explain politely and Zaryab furrowed with disappointment and anger. 

"Mommy you're bad, you're a liar... You said that Dad will come back soon but you lied... I hate you, Mommy. I hate you." Pushing Adeena's arms away from himself Zaryab yelled and cried before running to the bedroom. He was always like this, stubborn but now he's becoming more and more rebellious with passing time. Adeena helplessly cried and wiped her eyes.

"Why always with me?" She held her hair in her fists and cried aloud. "Why can't I get love in return?" This time she was yelling like a mad and clenching her teeth. "Why~" she just yelled and cried.

<><><><>

Two months Later:

"All done?" Daniyal asked and Shifa nodded nervously. "Almost."

"Why are you so nervous?" He asked with a smile.

"Deni, David sir is coming for dinner... How could I not be nervous?" She pressed her lower lip in between her teeth but Daniyal chuckled.

"Come on Shifa, he's coming for a family dinner, not for your interview."

"Aapke to bachpan ke dost hain aap to yahi kahenge lekin mujhse puchhiye, unke saamne to saas bhi lena mushkil lagta hai."

(You're saying this because he's your best friend, but my situation is different. My breath stuck in my chest when he's in front of me.)

"Ab itna bhi darawna nhi dikhta Mera dost." Daniyal laughed while picking up a piece of cucumber from the plate of salad that Shifa was making.

(Come on, my friend is not that scary.)

"Khair, kuch kam bhi nhi hain." Shifa muttered and rolled her eyes at the same time the doorbell rang and she gasped.

(Now even less.)

"He's here."

"Come on Shifa, he's not a Davil."

"Yes, but he's David, just an alphabet away from Davil." Daniyal laughed out so loud that she glared at him but the very next moment he looked here and there, "Love you khatoon." Kissing her cheek he rushed out of the kitchen and Shifa didn't smile wholeheartedly but smacked her forehead and huffed too.

"Deniiiiii, don't call me khatoon."

<><>

"Deni, his plate is empty." Shifa muttered in her husband's ear and he gave an innocent smile in return. "So serve him something, he's not only my guest." Daniyal whispered and Shifa gulped but lifted the dish of rice.

"Sir, try this." She muttered.

"Tumne banaya hai?" David asked while grabbing the dish and Shifa shook her head. "Ammi." She managed to muttered only this.

(Have you made this?)

"Tum koi kaam kaaj karti bhi ho ya nhi? Sab kuch aunty ne hi banaya hai! Resign karke to ghar pe aese bethi ho jese pura ghar tumhe hi sambhalna ho," filling his plate with the rice David scolded Shifa who only felt scared.

(So you do any work or not? Aunty has done all the work. You've resigned from your job as if you have to look after your home.)

"Shut up David, she's not an employee anymore." Natalia rolled her eyes and Daniyal also glared at his friend who ignored as he liked the Pulao made by Mrs Kazmi.

"Aunty you're the best cook." Mrs Kazmi smiled "Thank you Beta, but my daughter-in-law is not less too." and she passed the dish to Shifa, her plate was empty for last few minutes but no one noticed as she wasn't a guest.

"Shifa." Instead of holding the dish to fill her plate with rice she suddenly looked up at David's call. "Ji sir?"

"Give me a glass of cold water." David demanded because the water present on the dining table was not too cold and this man liked ice cold water. Shifa nodded without wasting time and rushed towards the kitchen. Daniyal opened his mouth to instruct her to not walk in a hurry but he was late.

"Natalia, is jangli ko bta dena ki ye meri biwi ko dara rha hai." Daniyal glared at his best friend meanwhile Shifa came back and sat down beside Daniyal after pouring water in David's glass.

(Natalia, tell this uncivilized man that he's scaring my wife.)

"Haa bai Shifa main tumhe darata hu?" David asked and Shifa turned pale she looked at David then at Daniyal. How could she be so honest to say a yes so she just gulped and shook her head with a forced and fake smile.

(Shifa, am I scaring you?)

"Ma'am, try this. I'm sure you'll like this." Passing the bowl of a dessert to Natalia, Shifa muttered and Daniyal looked at her with disappointment.

"Ye kya sir aur ma'am laga rakha hai? Bhabi bolo use, bhabi hai aapki..." Daniyal's instructions were useless because Shifa was unable to call Natalia in a friendly way. "Aur haan, tu bhi meri biwi ko izzat se mukhatib kar." The other institution was for David who just jerked his head.

(What's this sir and ma'am, call her bhabi. She's your bhabi.)

(And you also address her respectfully.)

Before David could answer back his mobile rang and he furrowed while receiving the call. He wasn't expecting this man to call him at this time. "Hello, Yeah bhai."

"What?" David almost yelled and stood up from his chair. "I... I... I don't know." He muttered while running his fingers in his hair and everyone just watching his face.

"Okay wait... Maybe I can arrange it. But I can't come... I'm far away right now." And David hungup.

"David, is there any problem?" Mr Kazmi asked in a hushed tone and he faked a smile. "All good uncle, all good. No need to worry." David's words weren't supporting his expressions.

"What's wrong?" Daniyal asked and David tilted his head towards the door, a silent gesture to come out and he nodded.

After only five minutes Daniyal and David came back with the same pale face.

"Deni, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." He shook his head and David gestured his wife to leave right now.

"Sir, dinner." Shifa said in a hushed tone while she was seeing David's half filled plate but Daniyal shook his head. "Let him go." And the very next minute David left Qasr-e-Kazmi along with his wife and son.

<><><>

Everyone noticed the exchange of silence between David and Daniyal but no one knew the reason behind that. Shifa tied her hair in a braid and laid down on the bed, she was unable to sleep when Daniyal wasn't beside her.

"Where were you Deni?" As soon as he entered in the room she asked but Daniyal shook his head before putting his mobile on the nightstand and walked towards the washroom. Shifa's heart skipped a beat because she knew that Daniyal was talking to someone on the call but why was he hiding?

"With whom are you talking on the call?" Daniyal stopped on the door of the bathroom after hearing this voice and he turned to see his wife.

"No one. Switch off the lights and get some sleep. Tomorrow is Afifa's marriage." Faking a smile he stepped in the bathroom and Shifa picked the mobile from nightstand. She checked the call logs, there was only two recent calls, one was made to David and other was received from an unknown number.

"What are you doing?" He asked when found his mobile in Shifa's hand.

"Whose call was that?" She asked and Daniyal switched off the lights before taking the mobile from her hand.

"None of the matters of your concern. Tomorrow is Afifa's marriage, have you done with shopping and everything? Please don't remember anything at the last moment."

"It means you won't tell what's the matter?" This time Shifa was looking angry and Daniyal pulled her in his arms. "There's nothing to say. Don't be angry, and sleep well." He whispered before closing his eyes.

"I know it was Adeena's call. Now say that it wasn't." Shifa just took a shot in the dark but it didn't hit the target. She was furious and her question forced Daniyal to suddenly open his eyes, his already pale face turned more pale when he found tears of disappointment in her eyes.

"Trust me, Shifa... It was not her call, it was my friend's call who needed some help but I already refused to help him because honestly speaking, I'm afraid of being too good with everyone. Now I just want to stop this social service and focus on you and my family." He grabbed Shifa's hand and Shifa somehow trusted him but she wasn't satisfied yet.

"Can't you trust me to share your problems?" Her question was valid and Daniyal sighed.

"Okay, I'll tell you everything but on one condition." He said in a hushed tone and Shifa nodded. "Tell me."

"You won't take stress."

"Why would I?"

"Okay, so I'll tell you tomorrow, but now... Just relax and take some rest. There is nothing serious just sleep now." Again closing his eyes he said in a hushed tone and Shifa also closed her eyes. But both of them were unable to sleep.

<><><>