Humsafar .

nine

Chapter 9.

It's a whole new world.

"Dekho beta, yahan ke rivaaj tumhare ghar se bauhat mukhtalif hain. Yahan ghar ki aurtein mardon se pehle uth jati hain, tumhari ammi uthti thi na?"

(Listen daughter, traditions of this family might be different from your family. Here, the women of the house wake up before the men. Your mother used to wake up before your dad, right?)

Anaaya could feel an eyeroll trying to make it's way out of her body but instead she chose to keep quiet. She knew saying anything right now would simply make her out to be ill mannered.

"Yes, aunty." She murmured as her mother in law sat down on her bed. Her gaze judging the whole room.

How the door to the walk in closet was open and there were clothes lying around. Anaaya liked to keep her room tidy, it had always been her habit. But she had stayed up all night, writing an article that had to get published the next day.

And Hassan? He was working till late night too. They had hardly talked over the last week. Hassan had been distant after overhearing that conversation and Anaaya hadn't made an effort to mend things. They had hardly gotten any time to talk. With family dinners and relatives visiting the newly weds every day, they couldn't talk much.

"Haan toh ab Hassan ke subah uthne se pehle tumhain uthna hoga. Uskay kaprey waghera tumhe hi sambhalne hain, haan? Ab acha toh nahi lagta na maids ko bedroom ke andar ghusana."

(So now you will have to wake up before, Hassan. His clothes and stuff will be taken care of by you. It doesn't seem right to call the maids inside a newly wed couple's room)

Anaaya knew Hassan got all his clothes dry cleaned and took them out on his own, hung them up on his own.  So it didn't matter what her mother in law said.

She just bobbed her head.

"Jee (yes), aunty."

"Doosri baat yeh hai ke wese to tum upar ho aur hum neeche, hassan humesha se hi alag rehna chahta tha. Magar iska ye matlab nahin hai ke tum har waqt upar hi betho, matlab neeche ayo, dekho safaai waghera hui ya nahin, hassan ke abbu ke paas betho. Sahi hai na?"

(Secondly, even though you're in the upper story of the house and we are in the lower one, it doesn't mean that you have to stay coped up all day. Come downstairs, check whether the maids have cleaned the house or not, sit beside Hassan's dad. Okay?)

It felt like the woman was trying to tell Anaaya that she had to live by certain rules in the family. Her tone was friendly and polite but Anaaya didn't like people dictating her.

"Yes, aunty. I understand." She said again.

"And just because you work doesn't mean that you can neglect the duties you have in this house. As a wife and as a daughter in law." Anaaya knew she had to say something now.

"Aunty, I will try not to. Hassan said that I should just focus on my career, built it right now so.." She told her, Hassan and her had discussed their careers and the work that came with it even before their marriage.

"Hassan is your mother in law? Hmm?" Her tone was playful but Anaaya felt bitter.

"I didn't mean it that way, I just thought that I should tell you. I don't want you to expect more from than what I can give you." She simply replied.

"I like that you are honest, Anaaya. Besides you'll learn more as you live with us." She wanted to roll her eyes again but stopped herself and smiled instead.

"Chalo ab, main chalti hoon. Kamra theek kar dena haan? Hassan ko acha nahin lagta ganda room."

(Any way, I'll leave now. Check the room before Hassan arrives. He's a cleanliness freak)

As if Anaaya cared about that. She was going to make the room look tidy anyway, because she liked to keep it that way but at the same time she just wanted to keep it dirty, just to piss the woman off.

She decided against it, it was an immature and petty thought.

"Okay, aunty."

As the woman left, Anaaya decided to edit the draft that one of her fellow writers had sent her. She added a few more lines to the content and mailed it to her boss.

She changed from her night clothes and took a shower. She knew Hassan had gone to some industrialist's house with his father due to work. Apparently, there were people who wanted him to handle their case here and refusing them wasn't as easy as he had thought.

She changed into a simple embroided kurta and waited for Hassan. The only way she could overcome all this new family and their traditions was to talk to him. To be able to have a decent conversation with him about who she was and what she could and could not do.

But how was that possible when he was being so cold.

She heard the door open and saw him enter their bedroom.

"Hello." She greeted first. He looked at her.

"Hi." He said with a nod and moved towards the closet. He took out his casual clothes while Anaaya stood beside him.

"How was your day?" She questioned, trying to break the ice.

"Fine..." f**k off with that attitude, dude. She wanted to say, instead she sighed.

"Okay well, do you want to talk before we go downstairs?" She asked hoping that they could actually communicate.

"I actually have to video call a client." Anaaya didn't know if he was giving an excuse or was just not interested in talking to her. 

"Okay, I'll wait for you then." She murmured, not in the mood to go downstairs without him.

"Why?" He questioned, annoyed.

"Just, uhh..I thought we could go together." She replied. He wasn't giving her any space and his one word replies were actually annoying her.

She suddenly had the urge to cry. She missed Islamabad. She missed her home.

"I'm not going downstairs before dinner, I met them and now I have work." He stated, declaring that he wasn't going with her anywhere.

"But, I-" What will I do there without you? I hardly know them.

She thought.

"Is there a problem?" With that attitude, she knew she needed to say no. He seemed to be in the mood.

Anaaya wanted to storm out but instead, looked at him blankly.

"Are you really going to be this way? Just because of some stupid thing that doesn't even matter?" She finally questioned, her voice loud. Hassan didn't even flinch.

"Is there a problem that I can actually care about, Anaaya?"

Way to do douchebag! Attitude ki dukaan.

Anaaya scoffed in disbelief. "No, I'll leave you to work." She murmured and left him upstairs.

She switched on the lights of the living room. Out of all the rooms of her portion, she liked her living room the most. It was the perfect combination of classy and cozy.

While the lower story of the house was huge and extravagant, the upper story consisted of a bedroom with a walk in closet, a living room and Hassan's workout room. Azlaan had his room upstairs too but he never lived in it, he lived in the basement. There was a small kitchen as well but it remained closed at all times since the kitchen downstairs was the one operated.

Anaaya looked at herself in the mirror wearing a small pearl set, just to look presentable.

She could hear voices of everyone from downstairs. She peeked from the wooden railing and saw Hiba and her mother in law sitting there.

"Bhabhi, Come, come..sit with us." Hiba noticed her first and so she walked down the stairs with a smile. Her mother in law went towards the kitchen as she sat with Hassan's sister.

She gushed over her necklace.

"Oh, I love your necklace. Are those real pearls?"

"Hmm? Yeah. Umm they are." She replied softly, clearly a little uncomfortable.

"Wow, they look pretty on you. Where's bhai?" At the mention of Hassan's name, Anaaya felt even more distracted.

"He had some work." She hastily answered.

Hiba started talking and Anaaya just listened.

"He just came from work. I mean, you guys should be going out everyday, and here is...such a bore." She whined.

Bore? Anaaya wanted to add more words to his personality but kept quiet instead.

"You don't talk much, do you?" Rania questioned her as she came by and sat by her side.

"I do. I just don't know what to talk about." Anaaya responded making them chuckle. Hiba put a comforting hand on her shoulder, pulling her in a side hug.

"Aww, I know this is a little weird for you but it will be fine in a few days. Don't worry."

"Yeah.."

"Are you missing your parents?" At the mention of her parents, she couldn't contain herself anymore. Her eyes welled up and tears leaked from them, the girls panicked.

"Aww, bhabhi..don't cry. I didn't mean to make you cry," She tried to console Anaaya. At the little commotion, Hassan's mother quickly arrived.

"Kya hua?" (What happened?) She asked, looking at Anaaya and then the girls.

"Ammi dekho na, bhabhi ko apne ammi abbu ki yaad arahi hai." (Mom, bhabhi is missing her parents) The girls told their mother.

She patted Anaaya's head as she tried to wipe the tears.

"Theek hojayega ahista ahista, is main rone ki kya baat hai-" (she'll get habitual to it slowly, what's the point of crying?) Anaaya wanted to reply but before she could, Hassan arrived.

She suddenly wanted to leave.

"hassan, jaldi agaye beta aaj dinner ke liye? Abhi to aziz ne table bhi nahi set kiya." (Hassan, you came early for dinner, son? The table has not been set yet)

"Yeah, mom. Actually-," He got interrupted by his sister.

"Oho bhai, choro ammi ko (oh brother, leave it be), your bride is crying and you're worrying about dinner? Really?" Rania teased. Hassan frowned, looking at her face.

"What happened?" He enquired, looking at Anaaya waiting for an answer.

"Nothing," She responded.

"What nothing? She's missing her parents. Take her somewhere to explore." Rania suggested, standing up and making Hassan sit by Anaaya.

"I'm tired today, Rania. She can go with the driver anywhere she wants." He told his sister.

Yeah because I married the driver, right? God damn Hassan, why are you being this way? 

She thought. Her mother arrived, after getting the dinner table set.

"Come, have dinner." Everyone stood up from their seats, other than Anaaya.

Hassan looked at her with a raised eye.

"Bhabhi, come na." Hiba called her out.

"I'm actually not hungry.." She mumbled. She just wanted to go upstairs and call her mother. She was homesick already.

"Anaaya, if something is wrong, tell me."

She heard the voice of her favourite person in the house. Uncle Shafqat smiled at her affectionately. She smiled back, shaking her head.

Everyone gathered on the dining table.

"Yeah uncle, everything's fine. I'm just tired, I think I'll go to sleep." She told him. He didn't force her. He understood her enough to know she wasn't comfortable right now.

She started to walk away before she heard Hassan's voice. She had already turned around.

"Anaaya. Eat something before you sleep." His voice was clear and audible.

She didn't turn around.

"I'm not hungry, Hassan." She said in the same tone and then walked upstairs, not bothering to spare him a glance.