One
Reward. That's what her name meant. According to her parents, she was a reward given to them by the Almighty. Throughout her childhood she teased her brother's saying that she was the reward and they were not. She was the apple of everyone's eyes and no one said anything. Except for one person. Her grandmother. As much as love she got from everyone else, the same amount of hatred she received from her grandmother. Even when she was a child she would get bullied badly by her grandmother. But, she didn't take it to heart.
She was sitting on the swing in her backyard looking at the lake infront of her and painting. Her father was one of the well known businessmen of the locality and he owned one of the Lakeview houses.
She was busy painting the sides of the trees when someone smacked her head.
"It's not okay to smack someone in the head, bhai" she said.
She had two brother's, both older than her by 5 years and a 3 year old sister. It was bit of a shock to the three of them when their parents told them that they were expecting another sister. She was 19 then and her brother's 24.
"How did you know that it was me, dah?" Areez bhai she thought.
"I didn't know it was you, I just said bhai." She replied finishing the painting.
"Right, right. Come on in. The food's ready and mind you, mum is pissed" Areez replied.
" Wait, why? What happened?"
Their mother was a very gentle woman who didn't usually get angry. Only two things made her mad. When her husband acts like a three year old and when its something with her in-laws. As in her mother in law.
"Nothing. Was just messing with you." Areez said and walked back in.
Something definitely happened. She thought.
She walked in and sat on one of the high chairs and grabbed a plate.
"What's the menu today, mum?" She asked.
" Your favourites." Her mother replied while feeding her 3 year old ssiter, Sama. "Aa'eedah, please pass me the salt."
She did as she was told.
Her mother looked like she was deep in thought when Aa'eedah called her, trying to grab her attention.
"Mum?" She enquired.
No reply.
"Mum?" She called once more. Again, no reply.
This time the three older children screamed and successfully grabbed their mother's attention.
"Huh? What?"
"You looked deep in thought. What were you thinking mum?" Aa'eedah asked.
"Nothing." She replied.
"Are you sure? You know you can tell us. Is it something grandma said?" Aa'eedah asked and watched her mother's face fall.
"No, Aa'eedah. Finish your food and stop asking questions."
Her mother was acting weird.
"Okay, why don't you go take rest? I'll feed Sama and then clean up. You look like rest would do you some good." Aa'eedah said and her mother didn't protest.
Weird.
Their mother left them and went to her room to lie down.
"What do you think happened, bhai?" Aa'eedah asked looking at her brother's and both of them shrugged.
Aa'eedah finished feeding Sama, cleaned everything and went up to lie down herself. All of her family members, except for Sama were acting weird.
Soon, she fell asleep.
She woke up to her phone dinging indicating that there was a text.
It was her cousin Mahdoo.
Mahdoo was her paternal cousin whom she was extremely close with. He was her best friend even though he was older than her by 2 years.
Mahdoo bhai: All of us are at the park. Wanna join?
Sure.
Bring Sama.
Fine.
She got up and went straight into her walk-in closet. She brought out her signature black jeans and a loose blue top.
She then got downstairs and made Sama wear a frock that was the same print as hers.
"I'm going to the park, mum!" She said and placed Sama on her lap.
"Where we going?" Sama asked as she laid her head on her sister's shoulder.
"To the park." Aa'eedah replied.
They reached the park and saw all of her friends sitting in a circle with snacks in the middle.
"Heyyy" Aa'eedah said sitting beside one of her friends, Elora.
Everyone said hi back as Sama climbed on top of Mahdoo and sat on his shoulder.
"We've decided to play truth or dare." Jax, another one of Aa'eedah's friend's said.
After two hours of playing random games all of them decided to go home.
"Are you coming with me, bhai?" Aa'eedah asked Mahdoo to which he replied with, "Is chachi(paternal uncle's wife) making fritters?"
" She will if you ask her to" Aa'eedah said smiling.
" Fine I'm coming."
Both of them walked home and from the entrance she could see her family in deep conversation.
Mahdoo noticed it too and tried to take Aa'eedah away from there.
"Let's go get ice cream, dah." Mahdoo said trying to divert her attention.
Aa'eedah didn't pay any heed and walked straight in just to see that the conversation stopped.
"Oh so you're home now? Do you even know what time it is? You're going to bring shame to the family name like your mother did!" Aa'eedah's grandmother sneered.
"Dadi!" Areez and Azeer exclaimed with anger together.
"Amma, that's enough." Aa'eedah's father said in a calm voice.
"No, it's not enough. Let her know about the thing we just talked about right now, Nisab." Her grandmother sneered once again.
" Aa'eedah let's go upstairs." Mahdoo said trying to drag her to her room. Aa'eedah didn't budge.
"What did you just talk about right now,dad?" Aa'eedah asked.
"It's nothing love-" her father couldn't finish as her grandmother interrupted.
"Its not nothing! If you guys don't want to tell her, then fine. I will."
" You're going to get engaged in the span of two months with someone of my choice." Her grandmother said.
She was only 22. She couldn't get married to anyone right now.
"No" she said disbelief lacing her voice.
"No?" Her grandmother said, "then forget the empire of your dreams. If you don't get married, you won't get the position of CEO in the company."
" You can't do that! It's dad's company. You're not the owner, he is!" Aa'eedah screamed.
" I might not be the owner, Aa'eedah. I am his mother. He'll do whatever I say." She said and Aa'eedah swore if evil had a face, it would be her grandmother.
Aa'eedah helplessly looked around when she realized everyone knew about this. This is why Mahdoo told her to meet outside and when he saw that the conversation wasn't over, he wanted to get ice cream.
"All of you knew, didn't you?" She said looking at Mahdoo, Areez and Azeer and none of them replied.
She laughed a bitter laugh and stormed upstair shutting the door loudly and fell down on her bed.
What a great fucking day. Aa'eedah thought as she cried herself to sleep.
