Note: This is for those who don't know Urdu/ Hindi Bade-abbu = Paternal Uncle (Father's elder brother) Badi-ammi= Paternal Aunt (wife of Bade-abbu) ••••••••••••••• *Rabiya's point of view* I wore a pista-green frock with off-white pants and placed my dupatta on my shoulders. After kajal, mascara, eyeliner, and lipgloss, I looked at myself in the mirror. Not bad. I went to mummy's bedroom. "How do I look, mummy?" I asked her. She looked beautiful as well, in a golden saree. "Ma Sha Allah, you are looking like a doll! But, change your hairstyle," Mummy said as I checked myself in the mirror again. After thinking for a while, I opened my hair which was tied up in a bun, and let it fall on my back. "Perfect," Mummy kissed my forehead. All four of us gathered in the living room when I remembered that I forgot to wear my earrings. "Oh my god!" "What happened?" Mummy, papa, and Shayaan bhai all asked at once. "Actually I forgot to wear my earrings!" I said biting my tongue, and I ran towards my room. I took almost 10 minutes to decide between the green dangling ones and the pearl ones. Eventually picking the pearl ones, I ran downstairs slipping them in my ears. "Rabiya! How much time do you need to get ready?" Shayaan bhai asked in amusement. "Bhai, I'm waiting for your marriage. And you know what, I'll take more time than this to get ready for your wedding," I whispered to bhai and sweetly smiled. "Let's go, we are already late," Papa hurriedly said. "We are late because of your dear daughter," Mummy taunted. Papa and I made a pout showing our offendedness. *** *Third person's point of view* Faiz Ahmed and his family entered the wedding hall. It was a lavish function, and the hall was divided into two sections, for men and women. Faiz and Shayaan went to the men's section and Rabiya followed her mother to the female section. "Assalamualaikum badi-ammi! How are you? " Rabiya politely greeted. "Waalaikum assalam beta, I am fine. You are looking so beautiful!" Asma Waqaar said. "Tabassum, you are from the groom's side. You should be arriving with the Barat," Asma said while showing a little disappointment. "I'm sorry bhabi, but I promise, we will arrive on the time on the Walima," Tabassum said with a smile. "Actually, I'm sorry! we are late because of me," Rabiya said cutely, making Asma smile. "She is really cute. I've always wanted a daughter like her." Asma said after patting her cheek. *** Shayaan and Faiz both were sitting, enjoying the beverages, but they felt something was fishy. "Papa, don't you think bade-abbu is looking tensed?" Shayaan said when he saw Waqaar, whose face showed a deep shade of anger. "He might be tensed about a ritual or something," Faiz replied normally, without paying attention to anything. "It's the time for the Nikah," Shayaan and Faiz heard someone's voice, and they both went to the groom's stage, where he was sitting with an ear-to-ear grin. Faiz Ahmed looked at a man, and suddenly, his eyes widened. He asked another man, "Who is that man? The one in the grey achkan?" "He is the bride's father," the man replied. Faiz gasped. "What happened, papa? You are looking worried," Shayaan asked in concern. "I'm not worried, I'm surprised. He is Ateeq Baig, the nemesis and rival of Waqaar Bhai, they're each other's enemies. How did they agree to marry their children with each other?" Faiz described, and Shayaan got the reason behind Waqaar's anger and tension. "Papa, look there, I think something is wrong," Shayaan said, pointing towards the groom. The groom who was smiling some time back was not looking happy anymore. Raahim was standing in between Waqaar and Ateeq, and it seemed like they were exchanging hot words. Shayaan and Faiz went near to them. "Uncle, please you are insulting my father!" Maaz and Rahim both exclaimed in unison. "Ateeq, we are here for the marriage of our children, and I don't want any problem with it. Please, don't create a scene here." Waqar pleaded with Ateeq. Ateeq came forward to say something too. "Waqaar, I'm already giving you more reputation than you deserve. I wouldn't even agree to this marriage if my daughter didn't want it!" Ateeq ground his teeth in anger. "I wasn't dying to marry my son with your daughter, it's for my son's sake that I got agreed," Waqaar replied in a similar tone. "Uncle, baba, please stop.," Raahim said, trying to control the matter. "Uncle, baba, Please try to understand!" Maaz said. Maaz and Raahim both tried to control Waqaar and Ateeq, but none agreed to understand. The argument started with a tease for Ateeq, and now the marriage function was more like a battlefield, where there were two parties: the bride's side, and the groom's side. "Complete the Nikah and farewell," Waqar said to Ateeq in an angry and loud voice. Hearing the argument, some ladies including Asma and the bride's mother arrived there. "What's the matter?" Asma asked Maaz and Waqaar but they remained silent, not exactly in the situation to tell anything. "Nikah and farewell? Forget about it!" Ateeq said in an egoistic way. "What are you saying? This is the question of our reputation!" Mrs. Ateeq whispered to her husband with a shocked expression on her face. "Not just our reputation be spoilt! All of them will be insulted too!" Ateeq said angrily, pointing out to Waqaar and his family. "Uncle, don't make it a matter of reputation and ego, please complete the Nikah and then farewell. It will be better for everyone," Maaz pleaded. His heart was beating at its full speed. He didn't want to lose the love of his life. As a groom, I have come here to take my bride with me, but there is something else that I am witnessing. I just want her, nothing else, Maaz thought. "It is a matter of our reputation," Waqaar told Maaz, and he witnessed a different determination in his father's eyes, which made him scared. "Baba, uncle, please stop this argument!" Maaz exclaimed aggressively, and they both looked at Maaz. "Ateeq, complete the Nikkah ceremony and send off your daughter with us. I don't want to say anything else." Waqaar tried to control his anger because he knew that his son loves that girl. He stepped away, towards the other side of the hall, as he knew that if they both stayed in the same place, the argument will never get to its end. "I'm not going to marry my daughter with your son, not at any cost." Ateeq's words rang in everyone's ears. Waqaar and Raahim looked at Maaz hearing the shocking announcement by the Ateeq. Waqaar then looked at Ateeq angrily and moved towards the other side of the hall. Maaz's face became colorless. "What are you doing? Our reputation will be spoiled in front of everyone if we don't send off our daughter on her marriage day!" Mrs. Ateeq tried to convince her husband, but Ateeq wasn't ready to listen to anything. "When the Barat goes back with empty hands, without taking the bride with them, their reputation will also be spoilt in front of everyone," Ateeq loudly taunted, surprising everyone with his words. Maaz tried to talk to Ateeq, but as usual, he was not ready to understand a word. Meanwhile, Maaz's gaze went to the other corner of the hall where his parents were talking to Faiz and Tabassum, and Shayaan stood with them. *Shayaan's point of view* Papa and mummy were very tensed due to the argument between both families. Suddenly, bade-abbu and badi-ammi came to papa and asked "Will you marry your daughter with Maaz?" "What!" We exclaimed together. "What are you saying, Waqaar bhai?" Papa asked in confusion. "Will you marry your daughter, Rabiya, with Maaz?" bade-abbu repeated his words with determination. "Waqaar Bhai, this is a marriage, not a drama, in which we can change the character anytime," told papa, and I nodded in agreement. "I've always wanted to make Rabiya my daughter-in-law, and trust me, she will be happy with my Maaz. My maaz is a gem." Badi-ammi convinced mummy while holding her hands, and I witnessed something in mummy's eyes which made me scared for my Rabiya. "Waqaar bhai, Rabiya, and Maaz, it-it seems i-impossible," Papa stammered. "Why not Rabiya and Maaz? Why does it seem impossible?" Bade-abbu asked confidently. I was too confused and astounded by their proposal. I looked at mummy, and she was nodding her head. What mummy is thinking? Why she is nodding her head? "I think, there is no problem with this proposal," Mummy told papa and me. "What are you saying?" Papa asked, and I nodded in disappointment. "Faiz, we will marry Maaz with some other girl after some time, then why not now with Rabiya?" Bade-abbu told Papa, startling me. There was something in his voice which convinced papa, and with his expressions, I realized that he agreed with bade-abbu. "Okay, but before deciding anything I will talk to Rabiya. After all, it's her life," Everyone nodded, confusing me more. "Papa, mummy, what are you going to do?" I said but they didn't bother to answer me. I followed both of them to Rabiya. She was busy enjoying her pani-puri, unknown to her destiny's sudden turn. "Rabiya, come here. We have to talk to you," Papa called Rabiya but she didn't pay attention to him. "No pa, first let me eat my pani-puri!" She showed her childish behavior and refused to leave her chaat but after looking at our serious faces she followed mummy and papa to a corner. I also followed them. "Rabiya, Waqaar bhai, and Asma bhabhi want you to marry Maaz. Do you agree?" She listened attentively, and her face became colorless but after some moments, she started smiling. What is this? Is this girl gone crazy, or what? *Rabiya's point of view* What? I thought about what papa said, and my face became colorless. Oh, now I understand! I think papa is confused between Maaz and Raahim. Today is Maaz's marriage. Why would his parents ask for his proposal? They must be talking about Raahim, and papa heard wrong. I tried my best to get into the dept of matter and a smile played on my face. "Papa, I think you have some confusion, we are here for Maaz's marriage, why would bade-abbu and badi-ammi ask for my hand for him?" I tried to make him understand. "Rabiya, there isn't any confusion! Maaz's marriage is not happening with that girl. Tell me, do you agree to marry Maaz?" I heard papa, but I didn't have an answer. I was shell-shocked by the sudden bomb blast. "We don't have any problem with this proposal, but your decision will be the final decision," Papa added, but I was still shocked. I looked at Shayaan bhai, who was looking angry, unlike mummy and papa. Meantime, bade-abbu and badi-ammi came to us. All of them were looking at me, making my senses go into panic mode. "Rabiya, I'm asking something. Tell me, yes, or no?" papa's voice came to my ears, bringing me back to reality. "Beta, my Maaz is a very good man, and he will be a good husband too," Badi-ammi and bade-abbu politely told me one by one. Badi Ammi held my hands. Rabiya! What is going on with you? "Wait! I know you all are elder than me, I shouldn't interrupt you, but I'm Rabiya's elder brother, and I don't agree with this marriage!" Shayaan bhai came in front of me and I felt my brother shielding me from all the problems. "How you all can even think about it?" He added and held my hand, and I felt protected. "Shayaan, let us talk to Rabiya," Mummy tried to convince Shayaan bhai. "It was a love marriage. I mean, Maaz is in love with that girl. How it is possible to marry Rabiya with him? Try to understand!" Shayaan bhai said in frustration. I was still standing behind him, holding his hand tightly without any answer. "Time is the best healer. Maaz will fall for Rabiya if she becomes his wife," Badi-ammi said to Shayaan bhai, and he was about to say something when bade-abbu came in front of me. "Rabiya, beta it's a question of our reputation, and our Maaz is a very nice man," his words rang in my ears as he pleaded in front of me. "Bade-abbu, I'm sorry to say but it is not a matter of respect or reputation. But it's a matter of your ego. It is the matter of my sister's life," Shayaan bhai argued. "Shayaan! Mind your tongue!" Mummy scolded bhai for his behavior, but he ignored her without any guilt. "Mummy it's her life, not a gameplay," Shayaan bhai said loudly and angrily while pointing towards me. "Rabiya what's your decision, do you agree or not? I'm asking for last time," papa asked. I looked at him in complete shock. ''No, she doesn't agree," Shayaan bhai said on my behalf. I looked at Shayaan bhai who was standing as my shield, alone with his point of view. Then I looked at the mummy, she gestured to me with her eyes to say yes. "As you wish, I don't have any problem," unwillingly these words came out of my mouth. I felt my hand suddenly freed from Shayaan bhai's grip. He was in shock but everyone else was happy. What you have done Rabiya? Are, you out of your mind? I asked myself and mentally smacked my head. Everyone walked towards the other side except Shayaan bhai and I looked at him, his eyes were full of tears. "Rabiya, I was with you! What you have done?" Shayaan bhai, asked while clutching his forehead. "Bhai, it is the question of bade-abbu's reputation," I replied with a shivering voice as I realized what I have done. My heart was racing fast inside my ribcage. "REPUTATION!" Bhai yelled. "Idiot, it's a question of your whole life! Tell me if you do not agree. I'll take all the blame on myself, none of them will say a single word to you," He said and a single tear rolled down my eye. "Bhai is this possible?" I asked and he nodded. "Why not, of course, it is possible," I just looked at him.