49| Nawal

Eid was a day away and the excitement of spending my first eid with my husband, the love of my life and the father of my unborn child was drowned by the nerves and anxiety of meeting new people who meant a lot to my in-laws and husband but I did not know anything about them except their names, that also that I repeatedly kept forgetting.

Once we got out of the car in front of my grandparents-in-law's house, I observed my surroundings through sleepy eyes.

The house in front of me was big. A lot bigger than my parents-in-law's house and trust me that was huge too. But, this house wasn't modern. It seemed to be old with the traditional Pakistani look. The walls were all white from outside but the main gate was a reddish-brown color, a huge bolt in front of it that was unlocked right now. Mom rang the bell and a young man opened the door.

"Asalam Alaikum! Kese hain aap log?" We all returned the greeting, though I did not know who he was. He hugged dad and put his head down for mom to run a hand over his head then hugged Ahad.

*Asalam Alaikum, how are you all?

"This is my cousin, Zahid. Asiya phupho's son." Ahad whispered in my ear when I moved closer to him and nodded in understanding. This was harder than I thought.

Ahad and Zahid bhai went towards our car to take out our luggage as I went inside with mom and dad. Everyone in the house seemed to be awake as it was sehri time. All the family members gathered around and greeted us and we all greeted them too. The only familiar face right now was Asiya phupho but I still met everyone with a smile on my face. Mom, being the sweet woman she is, introduced me to everyone and introduced them to me as I tried to get a grasp of their names along with their faces. There were about fifteen people I had to meet and I was told that not everyone was here.

The inside of the house was much more colorful than the outside. Some walls were painted orange or blue while some were left as they were. There was an upper floor and numerous doors were spread around the house, leading to different rooms. The living room was big with brown couches and red cushions. There was Arabic calligraphy hung in frames on different walls in the house as I admire the beauty of the place. Sure, it was a bit old and built in a traditional Pakistani style but it was beautiful nonetheless. I could only see ceiling fans with the absence of air conditioners and that made me worry a little as it was the middle of summer. I, of course, didn't say anything to not seem like a privileged brat.

Ahad took our bags upstairs while Zahid bhai placed mom and dad's bags in a room downstairs. A short while later after my husband joined me downstairs on the couch I was sitting on, a girl I very well recognized as Yashma came downstairs. I instantly stiffened up in my place and looked over at Ahad with concern. He had assured me countless times that I had nothing to worry about and that what happened was a mistake but a small voice in the back of my head kept saying that 'if he had done it once, he could do it again.' I chose to ignore that voice and put all my trust in my husband. She came and sat down on an adjacent couch and my eyes never left hers and she remained eye contact. Ahad must've noticed where I was looking because he suddenly leaned down to my ear, surprising me.

"Mein sirf aap ka hoon, Nawal." I turned to him with a smile, suddenly wanting to hug him but we were sitting between a lot of people and I didn't want to be disrespectful to anyone.

*I'm yours only, Nawal.

"Bhabhi, you should go and meet nani jaan in her room." Ahad's Asif taya's daughter, Afreen told me as she cradled a little girl in her arms who was nibbling at a soft toy. I nodded and got up as Ahad and I went to his grandmother's room. He knocked on the door and we entered after approval from inside.

A frail, old woman sat on the bed placed in the room in pale blue shalwar kameez and the dupatta draped over her mehndi-dyed and grey hair. The ceiling fan was on as the only source of sound in the room.

"Asalam Alaikum, dadi jaan." Ahad respectfully sat down on the bed with her and bent his head to get her blessings and she pulled him into a hug right after, making me smile. My husband was truly happy with his grandmother.

"Aap wahan kyun khari hain, beta? Idhar aayein mere pass." With one arm still wrapped around Ahad, she spread out her other arm and I walked over to her and she hugged me tight as I returned it.

*Why are you standing there, dear? Come here.

"Mujhe to laga hi nahi tha ke aap kabhi shaadi bhi karoge lekin, Masha Allah, bohat pyari biwi laye ho." She teased Ahad and he looked sheepish as she kissed the top of both our heads. "You both look good together, Masha Allah."

*I didn't think you would ever get married but, Masha Allah, you've brought a beautiful wife.

We sat around, talking for a few minutes before Yashma came in and called us out for sehri. Ahad and I helped dadi jaan, as she asked me to call her, out into the living room area.

Instead of a table, there were two mats spread out on the carpet-clad floor with the food placed on it, one for the females and one for the males. Since dadi jaan couldn't sit on the floor, she sat down on the sofa and I gave her a plate with food to eat. Kids of Ahad's various cousins were running around as their respective mothers called them to sit down and eat. I didn't expect even the children to be awake at this hour but it looked like even they were in the spirit of the last roza, though I'm sure they barely understood what it meant.

As I sat down on the ground, my shirt clung to my form, making my small belly visible and I quickly fixed it before anyone noticed. We had decided not to tell anyone about my pregnancy until they found out himself by accident or something. It was Ahad's idea after he discussed it with his parents and I had no issue though I was still trying to figure out how I would eat tomorrow, since it was necessary for mine and my baby's health, without anyone noticing. Yashma seemed to have her eyes glued to me, watching every move of mine with hawk eyes and I just rolled my eyes. I had no respect for a woman who tried to ruin my marriage intentionally.

After we all were done with sehri, the ladies of the house started collecting everything and I helped as I was the bahu of the house as well. The kitchen entrance had a sill that I did not notice, causing me to stumble and nearly fall as my mind went into panic mode with my hand instinctively flying to my stomach. Luckily, Jaweria bhabhi, Zaid bhai's wife was just standing next to me so she steadied me.

"Allah! Be careful please!" She said in concern and I repeatedly thanked her. Unknowingly, she saved me and my baby.

After that, I was extra cautious with everything I did and every step I took. The stairs were of uneven height and I carefully walked up to the room that had been given to me and Ahad for our stay. It wasn't a big room but it was decent enough and the first thing I noticed was the air conditioner attached to the wall and I sighed in relief. It would be hard to stay here without air conditioning when I was so used to it, especially in eid days with all the heavy clothing and everything.

Ahad hadn't come into the room yet and I hung my dupatta on the edge of the wardrobe door before there was a knock on the door and quickly wore my dupatta again before opening the door. It was Ahad's cousin, Idrees, who was at the door and I looked away. There was something unsettling about him from the first moment I saw him. He was unmarried, a little younger than Ahad as I had calculated when Afreen Appi was telling me about everyone. She had to be one of my favorite people I had met so far, alongside Jaweria bhabhi.

"Jee?" I asked, clutching my dupatta tightly with my arm that was hidden behind the door as I didn't open it completely.

*Yes?

"Kuch nahi. Check kar raha tha ke aap kamre mein hain ya nahi. Ahad bhai ne bola tha. Allah hafiz." He smiled at me and turned around and left. I closed the door in confusion. I had told Ahad that I was going to the room because I was tired and I knew him enough to know that he would certainly not send a man up to our room to check up on me.

*Nothing. I was checking if you are in the room or not. Ahad bhai asked. Allah hafiz.

I calmed my racing heart and waited for Ahad to come in so I could securely lock the door before we slept. I silently prayed that our stay here went smoothly without any issues.

–

Thought I would add a little family tree so it was easier to understand the relations, for you all and me.

Asif–Samia (Elder brother of Iftikhar, and his wife)

1. Afreen–Junaid (Asif's older daughter and her husband)
Shayan Junaid, Iqra Junaid (Afreen's children)

2. Amina–Taimoor (Asif's younger daughter and her husband)

Asiya–Ali (Elder sister of Iftikhar, and her husband)

1. Zahid–Jaweria (Asiya's eldest child and his wife)
Sumayya Zahid, Huzaifa Zahid, Hassan Zahid (Zahid's children)

2. Yashma (Asiya's youngest child and divorced wife of Haider)
Nauman Haider (Yashma's son who is in the custody of his father)

Iftikhar–Rehana

1. Ahad–Nawal (Iftikhar's Eldest child and his wife)

2. Zoha–Sameer (Iftikhar's middle child and her husband)
Ibrahim Sameer (Zoha's son)

3. Rumaisa–Rauf (Iftikhar's youngest child and her husband)

Nazia–Hafeez (Younger sister of Iftikhar, and her husband)

1. Idrees (Only child of Nazia, unmarried)

–

(A.N): I don't even want to think about how confusing the family tree might be. These aren't important characters– rather characters that only make a one-time appearance– but I thought I would leave it here in case someone gets confused.

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