His mother let out a smile, a smile that didn't reach her eyes but a smile nonetheless.
"And what will I do there? I'll be all alone in the house." She answered, shaking her head.
"The kids will be there and we can go out at nights, we can show you the city-" Hassan tried to show her what he had to offer, desperately.
But his mother wasn't a woman who would leave everything just for someone she deemed important. How could she expect her son to do the same?
"Hassan, this house has memories of your dead father. I can't leave this place."
"And I can't leave you." Hassan replied.
Anaaya stayed silent. Speaking in between their conversation seemed like intruding. She only spoke when she was spoken to.
Aunty Shagufta sighed out loud and sat on the sofa for a while, quiet, then she stood up again.
"I'm asking you to. Hiba is married and settled in her life, Feriha and her family are moving in the house next to ours, Rania is still here, we'll find a husband for her in a year or two, Azlaan is here, Surraiya has decided to stay here instead of going to Gujrat."
She kept on talking.
"Your grandparents are moving back in. Your dada is sick and your dadi is persistent that they should shift back here instead of living with Amjad bhai."
Hassan's grandparents lived with his uncle, Uncle Shafqat's older brother in Karachi.
After losing their son, they had decided to stay in Lahore now. Hassan's grandfather was sick, he wasn't able to travel to Uncle Shafqat's funeral too, it was his grandmother who had made the decision to stay here, in Lahore, once and for all.
"Amjad uncle didn't bother coming to his dead brother's funeral. If he takes a step inside this house now, I will kill him."
Hassan grumbled, still mad at his father's only brother choosing to keep a years old grudge.
His mother pressed her hand on his shoulder.
"You're my least violent child, don't let anger consume your heart. Your mind is enough to take anyone down."
She advised, Anaaya looked at Hassan's sudden anger and then whispered to him.
"Aunty's right, Hassan."
Hassan, however stared at his mother again.
"I don't want to go without you." He admitted.
"I won't be alone here." His mother promised.
"I know you, mama. I know you don't want me to go." He argued.
"I don't, but I also do. I can't bear to look at my grandson's sad eyes anymore, neither can I see you two fighting."
Anaaya held her mother in law's hand.
"Aunty, come with us. Really, we can get a bigger house there, we can shop and go places, it'll be great." She tried to sound cheerful but she couldn't.
Aunty Shagufta still passed her a smile.
"I will, some day. But not right now."
"I can't go, mama. I don't care about anything, I can't afford to lose you."
Anaaya wanted to tell Hassan to give up. To stop arguing. But he might take it in the wrong way, so she let it be.
"You can go. All you need to do is promise me one thing."
"Yeah?"
"Promise me that you'll visit every year, you'll call me twice a day and you'll share every problem you have."
She made him promise and this time Hassan's eyes filled with tears too, both son and mother crying.
"And stay happy, okay? Stay as happy as you can be." Hassan simply engulfed her into a hug.
Not a hug where he wanted to comfort her, but a hug where he wanted comfort.
"I'm sorry, mama. I couldn't be a good son to you."
Anaaya knew he was crying, she knew he was missing his father, cursing all the bad things that had happened, breaking down in front of his mother.
His tears made her cry too.
"You have been my most favourite child, don't tell it to the others."
She said, jokingly.
"You are my jaan, we both love you."
Aunty Shagufta pulled away from the hug and talked to his son with all the love she had in her heart.
"Your father and I have always been proud of you, Hassan. Don't ever feel like you weren't a good son."
She finally pulled away from the hug and embraced her daughter in law now.
That was enough for Anaaya to sob out loud. Her guilt shaking her from inside.
"I'm sorry, aunty. I'm so sorry." She apologised over and over again.
"I am not trying to take your son away from you, I know you need him right now, I'm so conflicted myself."
She cried, her mother in law rubbed soothing circles all over her back.
"I don't want to hurt you, I don't want Uncle Shafqat to be angry at me, I don't want all of this, I'm really sorry, Aunty."
She said her apologies out loud but Aunty Shagufta shook her head, telling her to stop it.
"The only thing you should feel sorry about is still calling me aunty." She reminded her.
Not in all these years, had Anaaya heard her say something like this. She felt speechless.
Hassan, however gave her a dazzling smile.
He had never been more thankful to God, he had never felt so grateful in his entire life.
He had been so stressed about everything, worried about what might happen, who to choose.
"Aunty, I-" Anaaya tried to say something but her mother in law shook her head, clicking her tongue.
"No, Call me mama."
"I already have a mama." Anaaya argued, pouting.
But she knew that after today's sacrifice by her mother in law, just for the sake of their happiness, she had actually transformed into a mother for Anaaya.
"How about mummy?" Anaaya cracked a smile, suggesting mummy instead of mama.
She could have two mothers, there was nothing more special than a mother's love, right?
Who was she to deny that?
"Okay..okay."
"I'm sorry, mummy." Anaaya hugged her again, her mother in law simply hugged back, she later on pulled in Hassan too.
Her left hand holding Hassan and her right hand holding Anaaya.
"Sshh, it's alright. We're all fine."
Anaaya might have lost a father figure like Uncle Shafqat but she was so glad that she had gained a mother.
And Hassan?
He might have lost alot but he was happy that he hadn't lost the two most important women in his life.
So his heart now beat at a normal place, and all was right in his world.
__
Epilogue and Anaaya's Instagram and then we're done.
I'm gonna finish this by Sunday :)))
Hope you enjoyed.
Make sure to tell me what you though of the chap!!
Bubyeee!!
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