Asad's Birthday Short Story Chapter 1

Never Letting Go

Asad's Birthday

Chapter 1 : Birthday morning 
musings

It was 4am on a bright and cheerful summer morning. Everyone in the house was sound asleep except for Zoya. She had 101 things to do before the day ended after all this day was special and it was an event that occurred once a year and she didn't want to miss any part of it at all chiefly because it was the first time she would be celebrating this special day. After all it was Jahaapanah six packs birthday. Her Jahaapnah six packs, the man she loved truly, madly and deeply, with every breath, with every heartbeat, she sighed affectionately. She wanted to celebrate all that he was and is and will be for her and his family.

She called Raabert aka Ayaan yesterday informing him of her plans.

**************** Zoya’s Flashback ****************

"Raabert I need your help, I have a plan?" said Zoya ecstatically.

"Mona, plan? Again? WHY?" said Ayaan astonishingly.

"But first promise me that you will not let anyone come to know of this matter especially your brother. He shouldn’t be made aware or get an inkling of what is going on, okay? Additionally with regards to this matter you will consult either Najma or Ammi and of course yours truly, me and no one else.  So Promise me Raabert?" Zoya whispered over the phone because she didn't want her Akdu Ahmed Khan to overhear any of this.

Well he should be asleep, it's 11pm and its way pass his bedtime. One habit she'll have to change once they are married.  "Don't worry Jahapaanah-6-packs, I'll change your habits - one habit at a time and ever so menacingly & lovingly as I can and that's a promise from Malaika-e-house number 21, Moti Masjid Road, Bhopal" she said to herself smiling.

"Mona, what now? What are you trying to hide from him this time and why would you need a plan to ambush him?  You of all people should know by now that Bhaijaan doesn’t approve of such things, these secrets and plans, it’ll only anger him and you know what he’s like when that happens, right?  So why add fuel to the fire and collide with him, you’ll only arouse the lion in him.  Aap nahin jaanti, wo sher hain?" Ayaan giggled and caressed his cheeks recalling the disastrous plan they made last time when they stopped Asad going to court. Not again Ayaan thought, he certainly didn't want to be on the receiving end of a slap or punch from his Bhaijaan.

"Raabert first things first – all those collisions between your brother and I has allowed the matter to excel to the stage that we are at now, that we both fell in love with each other irrevocably. And you can't deny that okay. And Raabert aap ko kya lagta hai? Mein unse darti hoon?" Zoya shrieked leaping to her feet, worried that her late night phone call and her efforts to undertake what she had planned might have woken Asad from his slumber which she certainly didn’t want.

She lowered her voice realising she was making far too much noise and she continued: "Never. I am not afraid of him, okay. And anyhow my plans aren't all that bad. And if he's a sher  then I am also a sava sher ... I mean sherni. This time around my plan is 100% fail proof. Kuch bhi galaat nahin hoga, nothing will go wrong, so trust me. Your Bhaijaan will be so happy. It's all for him, his happiness. He never asks for anything so I thought kyun naa unki har farmaaish poori ki jaayen, fulfill all of his wishes? And you're his brother, you should know what day it is tomorrow or have you forgotten -  ya aap bhool gaye Mr Ayaan Bhulakaddpan (forgetful) Ahmed Khan?" said Zoya.

"Haan ...  yaad ayaa , I remember Mona, it’s Bhaijaan’s birthday tomorrow. But he doesn't really celebrate it, toh phir kyun time barbaad karna with some stupid plan Mona?  Why bother yourself will all the hard work if he isn’t one who is up for such things. I think a simple ‘Happy Birthday’ will suffice" said Ayaan sleepily. 

"No Ayaan, I want to do something special and I will with or without you. And by the way so what if prior to this he hasn't celebrated his birthday but from now on he will learn to relax on that day and take the back seat while his loved ones will honour and cherish him. I will make him feel special on this day and every other day because he deserves that much from me, from us all. And all I want you to do is execute the following things for me." She explained her plan in vivid detail. "I'll email you the list now and keep me updated. Just remember that it has to be the way I've stated and no other way at all, is that clear my adorable Raabert?" said Zoya.

"Yes Mona, aap ki har baat, har hukoom sar ankhon pe, I will thoroughly follow through with your plan, over and out Mona" chuckled Ayaan.

*************** Flashback over, back to present morning ****************

The rays of the sun poured into her room and with that Zoya decided to put the finishing touches to what she worked on all night. She was busy compiling something special on her laptop; she had been up all night trying to complete it. Well after all she had a degree in computer science so she thought she'd put that to some use and of course Miss Zoya Farooqui can do anything, she smiled.

She took a break from her laptop screen and peered out of her window resting her tired eyes on the view of the greenery of the park and the sky which was cloudless, a perfect and serene blue, and completely opposite to the skyline of New York.  Zoya thoroughly missed her life in New York. Her life there was fast pace and different. She worked for a computer software company and she did freelance writing on the side. There were no rules where she came from, she always got what she wanted but she certainly wasn’t spoilt and she definitely had class and a set of morals that she lived by. Her Aapi and Jeeju ensured they met all her needs because they always feared for her, they didn’t have to but the fire of her past still asserts a certain level of control on her life, attempting to weaken and cripple her with fear which they feared she could not face alone. They feared that she would become silent once again, reticent and anaesthetised, frozen as she was when they first retrieved and adopted her following her mother’s death.  The thought frightened Zoya, the nightmare from her past still consumed her today, and all she could see was fire.

She knew she was adopted but that didn’t sadden her or change the love and respect she had for her Aapi and Jeeju. They were no less than the real deal for her; her parents, her guardians, the people who provided her with all the happiness in the world, yet she felt incomplete and not truly knowing her identity troubled her. Belonging and having an identity were important to her.

As far as Zoya could remember her Aapi didn’t disclose much regarding her childhood or her parents to her. Zoya always sensed a certain fear in her Aapi’s eyes which she never fully understood every time she questioned and interrogated about her childhood which was a muddled montage in her thoughts, a blurred mosaic she could not quite figure out.  But all Zoya knew was that she was born in Bhopal, not New York and that her mother died in Bhopal. Her mother was escaping from Bhopal with a then-three year old Zoya. How her mother died or what became of her corpse, no one really knew.

It was Zoya’s decision to return to Bhopal, which was dull and omnipresent on her arrival or at least that is how she perceived it until she met Asad.  Bhopal was beautiful of course but still it was a stranger to her, a stranger that took her parents away from her, and an alien city that only inflicted and wounded her childhood.  Nonetheless Bhopal was beautiful; it was an equal mix of the old and the new, a carpet of greenery juxtaposed with a bustling metropolis and Zoya felt blessed that the strange city gifted her with Asad, - the man she could not stand a few months ago became the man she fell in love with, the man that healed and began the process of repairing those deep-rooted wounds, filling them with his tender love. She sighed reminiscing about all the memories she made with him pulling her shawl that still had the lingering scent of Asad saturated in its fibres and wrapped it tighter around her slender frame, feeling complete and overwhelmed with a sense of belonging.

He was her rock and with him by her side she could stand up to and face all the struggles in the world and confront her past with determination. She never thought that they could ever be but she was grateful to God for granting her Asad.  His love completed her and reduced the pining sensation she felt every now and then when she thought of New York. Oh yes New York, the land of dreams. How she missed the misty rain of Autumn, the overexcited kids trick or treating at Halloween, the cold and damp blanket of fog that covered Central Park on her morning jogs in the Winter months, the ice skating sessions with friends at the ice rink at Rockefeller Centre at Christmas, adjacent to the magnificent Christmas tree under which they sung many-a-carol and the bidding of the old year at Times Square on New Year’s Eve in preparation of plans, a mind full of hope for the coming year. She sighed recalling all those memories. 

She already made a decision where she wanted to go for their honeymoon, not Paris but New York, to show Mr Khan all aspects of her life before him, not that he ever questioned her about it, okay maybe he was always disappointed in her, disapproved of her ways, her lifestyle back in New York but that has all changed now. He knows her for what she truly is and that thought made her feel at ease, made her feel appreciated and made her complete.

She looked down with tender eyes at the plans she made on her iPad and decided to pour her total attention into his birthday. She smiled on recalling the moment she asked Najma what zodiac sign Asad was to which Najma replied ever so covertly and clandestinely, afraid to speak in front of her then authoritative-figure of a brother ... Najma replied "Leo." Zoya relished those memories.

Of course he was a Leo, what else could he be and it suited him well just like his name Asad. "My ferocious lion" Zoya chuckled to herself peering over at the Lion mask on her bedside table. Leo she thought to herself, independent, a leader, he was energetic and stubborn, loyal, played by the rules, protected his fortress and family, he was domineering recalling all of the times they fought and he fought with her over a myriad of things and at other times he was sensitive. 

Leos are extremely sensitive and Asad was indeed sensitive, very sensitive in fact. Well under that rock of an exterior he was and is sensitive but he hides that very well, Zoya bit her bottom lip and uttered “But not anymore Mr Leo, you’ve shown me how vulnerable you can be and I love you for that and much …  much more.” 

He was a magnet; she could never deny that she was attracted to him for the longest time even before she fell head over heels in love with him. You know the kind of love that consumes your entire being. He was fire and he consumed her with his bittersweet flames.

She continued to read the screen on her iPad she googled earlier: ‘Leos love praise and flattery; their egos demand respect and adoration. Leo is all about pride.’ She remembered how bruised his ego was when she didn’t serve him aloo paratha following the skirt fiasco. He reacted like a child who was denied his favourite candy she giggled to herself. “Well issi baat pe ek sher ho jaaye .. arz kiya hai:

Jahaapanah-6-packs ka birthday aata hai saal mein ek baar

Jahaapanah-6-packs ka birthday aata hai saal mein ek baar

Poori karegi har wish … har iccha … har khwaaish ye Miss-Fix-it-All

Even agar aap ki wishes ho hazaaron mein hazaar. Shukriyaan Shukriyaan.”

On a serious note Zoya said to herself:

“Har lamha aap ke hothon pe muskan rahe,

Har gham se aap anjaan rahen,

Jiske sath mehaak uthe aap ki zindagi,

Hamesha aap ke pass woh insan rahe.

I promise … ye Musibat Farooqui will never ever leave you Mr Khan.”

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

It was almost 5am when Zoya completed her surprise for Asad. She made three copies, one on her laptop, one on her portable hard drive and one on a CD because she knew how clumsy she was and she didn't want to mess anything up this time and definitely not on this day, his special day. She kept it aside well hidden in the confinement of her wardrobe within a lockable compartment. "I won't mess up I promise" said Zoya placing the keys of that compartment in her bag.

She took a quick shower, dried herself and changed into her normal attire, a pair of black skinny jeans, and a white contrast collar top, a necklace and she decided to forgo makeup and opted for a light natural look. She wanted to surprise him later with ... well that's a surprise she blushed thinking to herself.

She decided she would start the day by making him aloo parathas for breakfast, with coffee that too with some sugar and milk; and cinnamon and maple syrup pancakes with smileys, his favourite newspaper and of course her serving him. She laid out the table, breakfast was ready and so was she for the day.

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

Asad was already up and ready to face the day, for him it was like any other day of the year. Asad could smell the sweet aroma of pancakes, the nostalgic scent of aloo parathas and fresh coffee and decided to make his way to the kitchen for breakfast. If Zoya had made breakfast this time, he certainly wasn't going to let her deprive him of her candy, he thought blushing; he certainly wasn't going to let her deprive him of her cuisine, not this time. He wanted his cake and eat it too. 

Asad casually and questionably walked over to the table while glancing at Zoya and then the table back and 
forth. 

End of chapter 1

© Fatima B Lunat 2013

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