A wanderer Episode 16

 

Upon reaching Lahore, he headed straight home. Mumtaz Begum had already been informed of his arrival. He had been in his room since morning until late afternoon. He had kept his mobile phone turned off. Mumtaz Begum couldn't go upstairs herself. She didn't want to send anyone other than Badhla. After Badhla returned from medical college, Mumtaz Begum informed her about the entire situation.

Badhla brought food into his room. Morgan was lying on the sofa. The room's door was open. Badhla entered without knocking.

Badhla glanced at the side table of the sofa, where the tray of dry fruits was untouched. The glass lid had not even been moved. Badhla remembered very well; she had placed the dry fruits in the tray the way they were still lying there from the previous night.

Without saying anything, Badhla placed the food on the glass table in front of Morgan. Then she went and opened the fridge, where the fruit chaat was also left as is. She came back to Morgan, bowed her head, and stood. When Morgan returned from his thoughts, he found Badhla standing worried in front of him.

He quickly got up from the sofa and stood in front of Badhla. "Badhla, what's wrong...?" he asked with concern. Badhla remained silent and didn't answer. "Badhla, what's the matter... just tell me..." he shouted worriedly. "I'm very hungry," Badhla said innocently. A smile spread across Morgan's face upon hearing Badhla's words. Though she had already eaten, she still accompanied Morgan to eat.

Aftereating a little salad, Morgan said, "You didn't bring the fruit chaat." "Mom was making it... I'll bring it right now," Badhla quickly got up, took the morning chaat out of the fridge, and returned immediately with freshly prepared chaat.

"Brother!Today is the first wedding anniversary of Bainish Bhai and Basit Bhai. Both of them are very eager for you to cut the cake with them," Badhla said, but Morgan did not respond. Badhla continued, "All the arrangements have been made in the lounge downstairs." "Anything else...?" Morgan asked seriously. Badhla became a little hesitant. "It was their wish," Morgan said with a slightly relaxed tone. Badhla got a bit scared and lowered her gaze.

Morgan immediately said, "Doctor Sahib! Are you scared...?" Badhla looked at Morgan's face, which had a smile. "You scared me," Badhla quickly said, recovering her breath. "If you can feed me under the pretext of something, then I can scare you too... When should we cut the cake?" "Whenever you say..." Badhla replied with a bit more confidence. "I think it would be fine after Maghrib," he said. "Thank you, brother..." Badhla said this and departed the room with the dishes.

When Morgan returned after offering the Maghrib prayer, everyone was waiting for him. Morgan cut the cake with Basit and Bainish. He ate a little cake too. Mumtaz Begum was reassured to see him. As Morgan started to go upstairs, Badhla called out, "Brother!" Morgan stopped.

She walked up to Morgan, holding Basit's son in her lap. Presenting him to Morgan, she said, "This is Basit Junior. He is one and a half months old, Mashallah. You know I gave him the 'ghutti'." Everyone's eyes were focused on Morgan and Badhla, who were standing face to face with Basit Junior in Badhla's hands. "I didn't let anyone name him. I said we will name him after my brother." Badhla's eyes were on Basit Junior, and Morgan's were on Badhla's face. Morgan looked towards his grandmother.

"Go ahead, you can keep it... he is your nephew," Mumtaz Begum insisted. "Muhammad bin Basit... from today his name is Muhammad bin Basit," Morgan announced and walked towards the stairs. "Morgan, dear!" Mumtaz Begum called out in a sweet voice, "Show him to us!" "Show him to you...?" Morgan looked at his grandmother in surprise. "Yes, dear! When a little guest comes home, we show him."

Morgan took a five thousand rupee note from his wallet and placed it by Muhammad bin Basit's tiny hand on the blanket, and quickly climbed the stairs. "Oh Allah, thank you... my child is perfectly fine," Mumtaz Begum said after Morgan left.

"Thank God... now Maham Apa is perfectly fine," Momena replied. Badhla had called Momena. "Is she sleeping...?" Badhla asked in a soft, cheerful tone. "Where is the sleep? She insists on going home," Momena replied affectionately. "The doctors should have discharged her. It's been more than twenty-four hours since the operation." "I told her the same. Apa! Just wait until eight o'clock; the doctors will make rounds, and they will discharge you." "What did Maham Apa say then...?" "Then she scolded me. I fell silent. After a while, Hakim Chacha and Ishal Apa brought food from home. I came out of the room with Hakim Chacha. Ishal Apa explained, and she relaxed. Ishal Apa gives it to her straight, and Maham Apa immediately understands." "Did Maham Apa eat anything...?" Badhla asked with concern.

"Not at all... she has only had a little juice since yesterday. In one day, she looks pale. There are faint circles under her eyes. Now Ishal Apa has been assigned to give her the soup mom sent," Momena informed. "What about you...? What's up with Morgan Bhai?" After detailing Maham Apa's condition, Momena asked. "He is ahead of even Apa... after Asar, he ate a little salad and fruit chaat. Is Hakim Chacha with you?" "He went somewhere for work; he said he would be back shortly." "Who is with Maham Apa now...?" "You are really something, Badhla... you forget questions from the book and forget the conversations too... I told you it's Ishal Apa." "Okay, okay, why are you getting angry?" Badhla laughed. "I've been really angry with you already! Maham Apa says, look how much Badhla studies. Listen to Bainish Bhaji; Badhla has handled the entire house. Ishal Apa saw how wonderfully Badhla decorated on that day, and even my own mother says Badhla is a very nice girl." Momena was showering praises on Badhla, forgetting her own sister. Badhla was smiling at her words on the other end of the phone, cleaning her glasses with a smile.

"Thank God, at least you have a smile on your face," Ishal said after giving Maham some soup and telling a joke. "A round is about to happen. Please tidy up these dishes," the nurse announced. Ishal quickly cleared everything away. The doctors discharged Maham as expected. A junior doctor, after writing all the details in the file, told Maham: "Miss Maham, I have written all the details here; please read it." The doctor waved the file in his left hand and then placed it on the bedside table.

As the doctor started to leave, "Excuse me, doctor! Any dietary restrictions...!" Ishal asked. "Dietary restrictions? Not really... just avoid stairs for a few days," the doctor said, chewing the words. Hearing 'stairs,' Ishal smiled at Maham. As the doctor was leaving, Ishal quickly asked: "Excuse me, doctor! What about food?" The doctor looked at Ishal with a strange expression. He then picked up the file lying on the bedside table and said: "I've written all the details in it... but you missed an important question; when can the stitches be removed?" the doctor said in a tone similar to Ishal's. "Miss Maham! You need to come for a check-up in two days, and we will remove your stitches then," the doctor said politely to Maham compared to Ishal.

After the doctor left, Maham smiled, while Ishal looked at the doctor in anger. "Ishal! Drop the anger... and listen carefully to me... under no circumstances am I going back to my room. I don't care how... that's your problem. Only you know that the doctor has forbidden me from climbing stairs." "Wow, the sister outside is not only crazy but is also becoming a doctor. Your mother isn't so naive that she would believe everything I tell. Impossible... Maham Chaudhry... impossible..."

"This is impossible... Mr. Beg, I said this a year ago, and I'm saying it again today. You have wasted a precious year in the name of love. The time you have invested in love, if you had invested in business, you would have achieved great heights in just a year. Come back now. Maham Chaudhry cannot be yours at any cost," the brain was trying to reason with Mr. Beg. Morgan was sitting on a moving chair, looking at the wall clock. Despite the chair moving, he was still sitting in the same spot he was a year ago. The passage of time could not bring him close to Maham.

"Impossible is only what a human considers impossible." The heart quietly began its dialogue. When the brain heard it, it laughed heartily and said, with laughter, "If you can make the impossible possible, Mr. Heart! Then I will pledge allegiance to you." "Neither the heart nor the brain can do anything unless a person wants to do something," the heart presented its points. "Mr. Heart! Don't lecture me... let me know the solution," the brain taunted the heart. "Morgan Sahib! Pray... pray...!" the heart addressed Morgan instead of the brain. Upon hearing the heart, Morgan remembered he had not even performed Isha prayer yet.

"Momena! Have you prayed...?" Maryam asked sternly. "I've prayed... Ammi Ji...!" Momena replied wearily. "So soon...?" Maryam replied curtly. "Ammi Ji, it’s just a prayer, not Taraweeh." "Momena dear! You take more time for Isha prayer than you do for Fajr." "Ammi Ji! Please don't say that, but Badhla keeps praying Isha from Isha to Fajr." "Stop talking nonsense... since you got admission to medical college, you've become quite bold." Maryam lightly slapped Momena's shoulder. "Ammi Ji! No one has come to inquire about Apa from Taya Ji's side. You had even made me call." "Momena! With Hakim Sahib and Gulab Khan around, your Taya Ji is unnecessary. He had informed them. They later shout accusations about taking their daughter to the hospital with strangers when they have their own around. A little while ago, your Taya Ji called. He is coming tomorrow. He will inquire about Maham and will also ask for the wedding date." "The wedding date...?!" Momena was shocked upon hearing her mother’s words, and she quickly said, "Have you asked Apa about it...?" "Yes... she has said whatever date they ask for, just give it to them," Maryam shared distressingly.

"Ammi Ji! Excuse me, there is a mental hospital right a little beyond my college. I take Apa for check-ups there." "Stop your nonsense," Maryam answered tartly. "Ammi Ji! Let me say something. Their love is not mute or deaf; we are all mute and deaf. The three households have all become mute and deaf." Maryam looked at Momena attentively. "You say yourself that I'm not a child. What do you think, will you tell me and Ishal Apa to leave Maham in her room? Ammi Ji, don't look at me like that. Have you ever thought that if this matter reaches the three hundred households of Miraj, what then...? What will happen...? People will talk. Apa’s honor will be tarnished, she will get defamed, and then who will marry her...?" "Morgan Beg...! Morgan Beg will marry your Apa. Allah knows what is His plan. It's been a year since Bainish’s wedding, and even she has had a baby, yet your Apa has not been defamed."

"Ammi Ji! What are you saying...?" Momena asked in disbelief. "I am saying the truth. My power was only to refuse this relationship. That power has also been taken away by your sister. She doesn't use her power; how will she be freed from that drunkard? Your father always prayed for health and honor. One day, he said to me, Maryam! Both disgrace and illness are bad things. But disgrace is worse than illness. After illness, recovery is possible; after disgrace, there is no recovery. I thought she would get defamed, then your Taya Ji would break the engagement. After that, I would marry her to Morgan Beg. It seems your father's prayers are working. Otherwise, in this era, news spreads throughout the world in minutes."

"I seriously couldn't understand you. Apa has been seeing a boy for a year now. You knew everything from day one, yet you remain silent... why...? That too is wrong." "When did I say that this is right? We are flesh-and-blood humans. There is only His mercy on which we depend. As far as the two of them are concerned, they haven't spoken to one another until now. These days, boys hold hands first and talk later." "Just because they haven’t talked doesn’t make it justified." Momena asked sharply. "Momena! I can't comprehend you either. These piercing questions of yours... I am both a mother and someone’s widow. I just want my daughter to not lose her love and for her father to also win. To tell you the truth, if I were in Maham's place, I would have refused long ago. Sometimes I feel Maham is very wise, and sometimes she seems as foolish as you." "Ammi Ji! I also don’t want Apa to marry Shamoond. From the very first day, I chose Morgan Bhai for her."

"So if you choose, it's all right; if I choose, it's wrong." "I don’t know, Ammi Ji! What is right and what is wrong... May Allah make it possible that Maham Apa marries Morgan Bhai." "Ameen..." Maryam said with a deep breath.