The excited chatter of children and the noise of pots and pans being shifted around filled the air. An endless stream of relatives milled in and out of the house. The noonday sun beat upon the women of the house as they sang and danced in the courtyard with great gusto.
Noor was exhausted. She had been on her toes for the previous day, helping the servants move the family's belongings into the house. She had managed to convince a very reluctant Atif into coming with them to Anantnag. He had surprisingly yielded without much coaxing or cajoling and had even lended a hand with the unpacking. She wondered what had gotten into him. She had even contemplated asking him about Megha, but in the end her common sense had prevailed; and she had decided to let sleeping dogs lie. Maybe that kafir is finally off his mind, she thought. Heaving a sigh of relief, she paused work for a short break, convinced that her brother had finally started to see some sense. Now the engagement ceremony will go smoothly, she told herself. Preparation for Atif's engagement were underway, with the house bustling with relatives from both sides. Noor wondered where her brother was.
"Salaam aleikum, Noor aapa, is it you?", a soft voice said from above, breaking her reverie. A petite girl of about seventeen, clad in a lavender headscarf and an offwhite burqa looked on. She had an unnaturally fair complexion, fairer for most girls in the region. The girl's disarmingly beautiful features struck Noor at once.
"Yes, that is me, but aapki tareef? I'm sorry, I haven't seen you before."
"Aapajan, my name is Aalia. Khala must have mentioned....", the girl shyly broke off, suddenly very conscious of herself.
"Oh, it's you, is it?" cried Noor, in a flash of realisation. "Ghulam Rasool's daughter, am I right? Mashallah, come here, what a chaand ka tukda you are", she said, telling the girl to come closer so she could have a better look at her. "My brother is truly blessed, I say. How are you, child? You should not be running around like this," she gently admonished, "there are other people to take care of things. What is it that you want?"
"Nothing aapajan, khala wants you to look at some new shawl pieces that have come in. She's asked you to come the main room when you are done with your work."
"Tell her I'll be with her in some time. You run along now, and get some rest. You have a long week ahead of you, don't you?" Noor chuckled. Aalia nodded and went away, smiling to herself all the while. Looking at her receding figure, Noor thought, there's no way Atif will want to even look at any other woman after setting eyes on this one. What a catch, she mused.
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Back in her room, Aalia lay on her bed, still smiling to herself. Suddenly she buried her face in her hands, her head spinning with thoughts of her husband-to-be. She had not even seen him yet.
Atif and Aalia. According to her, there couldn't be a more perfect combination.
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In the adjoining room, Atif sat, stone faced, feeling ashamed for agreeing to this engagement in the first place. Memories of the night gone by played havoc in his head; taking his mind off anything else. Megha's tear stained face, full of fear and hope, flashed before him again and again. He yearned to see her, to take her in his arms and tell her that they would be together soon. He just had to wait for the right moment, he told himself. To break it to the families; and break off the engagement. He was sure they would understand. And they were the groom's side after all, he could pull this off. He had heard his sisters waxing eloquent about the girl's beauty, she would easily find another suitor in the blink of an eye. Then he would board the nearest bus to Srinagar and go to Megha. For ever. Inshallah, they would have a life together at last.
Out in the courtyard, the singing and dancing was well underway. Smiling at the playful lyrics of the song the women were singing, he instinctively thought of Megha and looked up, out of the window. Memories they had once shared came flooding back and he felt a sense of helplessness take over him. Suddenly he heard a girl's laughter. Surrounded by a gaggle of her friends, was a girl of the utmost beauty, clad in an offwhite burqa, dancing to the music. A thick swathe of dark brown hair cascaded down her back. Atif was reminded of Megha for a minute.
Just then one of her friends pointed at Atif and screamed excitedly, "Look, Aalia, it's him!" She turned to see who it was; and went a deep red in the face. She smiled shyly and then scurried away, followed by the other girls. Even Atif could not suppress a smile listening to their giggling.
Like a stroke of sheer genius, a thought struck him. He decided to leave the families out of this and tell the girl everything. He was sure Aalia would understand, that Allah must have blessed her with an equally beautiful mind, that she would have the courage to help him make this work. That way, no one need know anything and she would not be blamed too.
At the evening namaz that day, two people prayed the hardest. Aalia, for Atif to be hers.
Atif, for Aalia to have the courage to face what was about to come her way.
