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Dear Love By Anoosha Aarzoo

(Originally Named Janam In Urdu)

Translated By Inky Whisper (Translated from Urdu-To-English)

Chapter Five

She was standing in her room, rubbing lotion on her hands to soften them, when someone knocked on the door in a specific pattern. The knock alone was enough for her to know who it was, yet she stayed busy in her work.

The door slowly opened and, just as she had expected, he entered the room. For a few moments, he only looked at her back before clearing his throat softly to start the conversation.

“Listen…” he said in a low tone, his eyes softening.

“Hmmm?” she responded in a busy manner, throwing him a sidelong glance.

“I bought these for you… use them if you like.”

Perhaps her busy demeanor had disheartened him. Saying this casually, he placed the packet on the bed before walking out of the room.

The moment he left, Maham quickly turned around and opened the packet. She was literally drowning in surprise. Za’im had gifted her scarves. Her shock knew no bounds.

Three scarves were neatly folded inside. One was light blue, one grey, and the other plain white.

She was stunned by this gesture. Letting out a deep sigh, she stared at them silently.

***************

She went outside to the lawn after dinner. Za’im was already there beforehand. When Maham arrived, he looked up at the sound of her footsteps. For a moment, their eyes met, and then Za’im looked away.

Maham felt a slight ache in her heart. Shaking her head lightly, she sat on the bench, keeping a little distance from him. A few moments passed in silence.

Today, Maham was wearing a simple navy blue suit with the grey scarf he had gifted her neatly draped over her head. It was her way of showing that she liked his gift. Coincidentally, the T-shirt Za’im was wearing was also navy blue. Sitting there together, they looked strangely beautiful. Around them, the greenery stretched peacefully while the colourful flowers swayed with the wind, sharing their fragrance with them.

Then the silence finally broke.

“Can I say something? Sometimes it feels like there’s no one better than you, and sometimes it feels like there’s no one worse. You’re really strange. One moment you make someone fall for you, and the next moment you break their heart,” she said seriously.

“Then whenever you find me good, you should tell me that you do. Because even when you like me, you still pretend as if I’m the worst person to you,” he said innocently. There was neither annoyance in his tone nor the coldness from the morning. He could make his mind understand, but not his heart.

“You know these stupid things you say? Do you know what they call them in Punjabi?” she asked, tilting her head slightly at him.

“I’m not Punjabi,” he said with a shrug.

“Well, neither am I. But I still know what such things are called in Punjabi.”

“Okay then, tell me,” he said, looking at her.

“These are called nonsense talks,” she gritted her teeth and shot him a sharp look.

Za’im burst into loud laughter. Maham had seen him laugh so freely after such a long time, and just like always, she found herself lost in his laughter.

Suddenly, a strange glimpse appeared before her eyes. It was neither a dream nor reality. She was sitting just like this, her neck tilted slightly as if saying something, while a handsome man with a blurred face laughed loudly before her.

She became unaware of her surroundings. Somehow, the reality and that strange glimpse merged together in her mind, and just like in that vision, the word slipped from both her tongue and that shadow at the same time…..

“Janam…(my love)” Za’im went still in shock.

The very next moment, Maham fainted into his arms.

What was happening? And what was about to happen now?

***************

I am unaware of my past,
My present is upset with me,
Please guide me,
Help me meet my own self.

She was lying on her bed, breathing slowly. Doctor Iqra was checking her blood pressure while the entire family stood around the bed, worry visible on every face.

After checking her, the doctor walked outside the room and gestured for everyone to follow her. One by one, they all stepped out. The door shut with a clutching sound, and as soon as the sound reached her ears, Maham slowly opened her eyes.

“Tell me,” the doctor said as she sat down on the sofa.

“When will Maham recover?” Nafisa Begum asked worriedly.

“That depends on all of you…on how well you help Maham remember everything,” the doctor replied professionally.

“She remembers everyone except Za’im,” Rahila Begum spoke up anxiously.

“Then Za’im should help her remember him.” She looked toward Za’im. Za’im glanced at her once before lowering his gaze again.

“And… Za’im called me this morning. I’m sure he must have wanted to discuss something.” Za’im still remained silent.

“I think we should leave,” Sultan Sahab said, understanding the situation. “Za’im probably doesn’t want to speak in front of all of us.” Everyone quietly stood up and walked toward the lawn.

“Tell me, Za’im…”

“How will Maham recover?” His voice sounded as if it were coming from somewhere far away.

“I told you two years ago already… I can’t say anything for sure.” Her tone was filled with pain.

“She thinks only two months have passed since her college days…” His eyes were turning moist, his voice breaking apart.

“We can’t even tell her that two whole years have passed,” she reminded him softly.

Somewhere deep inside a human being, something had shattered quietly… yet no one heard its sound.

“Doctor, please do something…! What does she think I am, and what am I to her… you don’t understand the chaos inside me. What happened yesterday… I can’t….can’t bear it…”

He suddenly broke down into loud sobs. Even the doctor’s eyes turned teary. For the past two years, she had been treating Maham continuously, and somewhere along the way, she had grown deeply attached to her.

“Have patience, Za’im… control your emotions,” she said worriedly.

“How do I do that…? And for how long?” His voice trembled badly. “I… I am her husband, and she thinks I’m a non-mehram. She remembers everything from the past except the fact that I’m her husband…”

He was crying helplessly. It wasn’t the first time he had broken down like this. Ever since that horrifying accident after his and Maham’s marriage, he had changed completely. Sensitive… painfully sensitive… and only when it came to Maham.

“You know, yesterday she gave me the reference to Surah Noor… She was screaming such words that it felt like my heart would burst apart. For the first time… for the first time in my life, I confessed my hatred to her…”

Holding his head in his hands, he cried even harder. Somewhere behind a doorway, someone silently slid down onto the floor, sobbing quietly.

“This is your trial, Za’im. Whenever the matter reaches the Qur’an, understand that you are being tested. Your Lord is testing you… don’t lose your patience.”

“What a long test this is…” he said with difficulty. “It had only been two days… only two days since our marriage… and my patience has been tested for two whole years…”

His breathing was becoming uneven, his face red, and his swollen eyes wet with tears.

“Read إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ (Indeed, Allah is with the patient). He never tests a soul beyond what it can bear,” she comforted him softly.

But neither of them knew that behind a curtain, someone else also needed comfort at that moment… desperately.

To be continued…