Mawra: And what do you say, should I consider this a sign from fate that we've met for the third time?
(Mawra was telling Zahra and Amna this during break time.)
Zahra: Wow, friend, all this sounds so romantic to me!
Amna: This is all happening to her, and you are finding it romantic!
(After this, all three of them started laughing...)
Amna: By the way, the boy is cute.
Mawra: You guys be quiet! I absolutely cannot think about him.
Zahra: What's so wrong with talking? If he wants to talk, then just do it once.
Mawra: You know about my family, right? They will kill me.
Amna: Oh, friend, it's not like you're running away with him!
Mawra: Anyway, forget all this.
When college was over, the three of them were walking towards the bus when Mawra suddenly froze in shock. She saw the same boy arrive on a bike and stop it right in front of them...
(The village bus would drop all the students off on one side outside the college, then the students would walk from there to the college gate.)
Before he could step forward and say anything, Mawra herself moved forward a little and said, "Yes? What is it?"
Mawra: Why are you following me?
Umar: I just want to talk to you. (Umar spoke calmly)
Mawra: But I am absolutely not interested in talking to you.
Umar: What harm is there in just talking to me and hearing me out once? After that, you don't have to talk to me, but just once. (Umar spoke very gently)
Saying this, he placed a card in Mawra's hand: "Whenever you feel like it, call me and talk to me just once. I will wait. My number is written on this card."
Just then, Zahra came forward and started saying, "Come on, Mawra, everyone is looking."
Zahra took Mawra's hand and led her towards the bus, and the card remained in Mawra's hand.
The bus started and passed close by his bike. Their eyes met again, and when Mawra looked into his eyes, she felt something strange in her heart, as if they had known each other for a long time.
For an hour that night, Mawra was restless. She couldn't understand what to do. Her heart wanted to talk to him once and listen to what he had to say.
But her mind was not allowing her to do so.
She sat in her room, lost in thought.
She had placed the card in front of her and was repeatedly reading the number.
Finally, she picked up the keypad mobile phone that was kept next to her and started dialing the number.
(Mawra and her mother shared one old keypad mobile phone, which Mawra often kept. She would play games on it to pass the time or occasionally talk to her friends.)
Mawra: Think carefully, Mawra, what are you about to do? Whatever happens, you will be responsible for it yourself. (Mawra said to herself)
And saying this, she made the call.
A little while later, a voice came from the other side, "Hello?"
As soon as she heard the voice, Mawra's heart started beating faster. She couldn't think of what to say.
Umar: Hello, who is this? (The voice from the other side came again)
Mawra: Y-yes, yes, it's me. (Mawra said, trembling)
Umar: Oh, I see. How are you? (Umar spoke from the other side)
Mawra: How did you know it was me? (Mawra asked in surprise)
Umar: Obviously, I recognized your voice. (Umar replied)
Mawra: Okay, tell me what you wanted to talk about. (Mawra asked seriously)
Umar: Why are you so angry? Can't we talk in a normal way?
Mawra: Look, say what you need to quickly, or I'm cutting the call. (Mawra said quickly)
Umar: Actually, the thing is... I had seen you two or three times in the village before we met at the fair, and also outside the college sometimes when I used to come to pick up my sister.
I had feelings for you, but I never had the courage, or maybe I was just never able to gather the courage. Then we met at the fair that day. I talked to you face-to-face for the first time.
Then we met in the bazaar... In this way, my fear started disappearing. And then that day at the wedding, I had seen you even before we bumped into each other, and I just kept looking at you... Then I thought that I must tell you what's in my heart in any situation, lest I become too late.
I finally gathered the courage and gave you my number, and thankfully, you called me. I am not the kind of boy who talks to many girls.
Look, it's not wrong to like someone. We met so many times by chance. Talking to you has only increased the love inside me. Then I told myself, 'Umar, you must talk to her once. You must tell her the state of your heart.'
(Mawra was completely silent, she was just listening.)
Umar: At the wedding, your name was further confirmed to me because your mother was introducing you to someone, saying, 'This is my daughter, Mawra.' I already knew the college timing. That's why I was there at that time.
Mawra: Look, I value your words. You know the conditions of our village well. My parents are very strict, and I can't talk to you. (Mawra said gently)
Umar: Look, somewhere in your heart, you also have a few feelings for me; otherwise, you would have never called me. You could have torn up the card, but you still kept it with you.
(Hearing this, Mawra smiled faintly.)
Mawra: I have already told you that we cannot talk. It is very difficult for me. (Mawra said)
Umar: Mawra, I will fight the whole world for you. I am ready to give my life for you.
Mawra: Okay, okay, that's fine. I will think about this further.
Saying this, Mawra cut the call.
She started thinking, "What happened? What was all this?"
Her heart and mind were in a strange turmoil.
On one side, her heart wanted to talk to him.
On the other side, she was afraid of her parents.
She spent the entire night thinking about whether she should listen to her heart or her mind.
"Mother, do I have to marry him now?"
(Mawra asked her mother innocently).
"Yes, you will have to. It's been four years since the engagement."
"But no one ever asked for my consent."
"In our family and village, consent is not asked for; rather, decisions are conveyed.
And that is the culture here."
"But Mother, I absolutely do not like Dawar."
"What difference does your liking or not liking make? What your father and brother want is what will happen."
"Mother, I am not a thing that you can just hand over to anyone.
I am a human being; I also have feelings...
How can I spend my life with a person I barely know, whose face I don't even like to see...?" (Mawra spoke emotionally).
"Just shut up and go to your room. You know what is going to happen, and it's better if you accept it..." (Her mother said seriously).
Mawra became silent and withdrawn for two days.
She remained lost in thought, and she started eating less.
She was caught in the struggle between her heart and mind.
She couldn't understand what she should do.
Two days passed in this manner. On the third day, as she started walking toward the bus stop, she saw Umar again. He was standing across the street, looking at Mawra.
There was only hope in his eyes.
He didn't try to come closer; he was just watching her from a distance.
Mawra also started thinking about him all night.
"I also have my own life. I can also make my own decisions," (Mawra said to herself).
Then, one day later, Mawra saw Umar again outside the college, where he had come to see her.
That night, Mawra went home. After a lot of thought, she picked up her phone again. She had kept the card. From it, she dialed the number and made the call.
A voice said "Hello" after a little while.
Mawra also said "Hello."
"Mawra," he said, "I had hope, I had hope that you would call," (Umar's voice was emotional).
"Yes, I thought a lot, I thought a lot, and finally, I had to listen to my heart.
I don't know what the outcome will be.
I don't know what will happen to me.
I don't know what I will do in this situation.
I thought a lot, and finally, this was my decision," (Mawra said).
"Look, Mawra, I won't waste your time; we will get married.
I have dreamed of spending my entire life with you.
We will both have a separate world," (Umar said enthusiastically).
"No, Umar, you don't understand; none of this is so easy. Don't you know our parents and the village culture?
No one here will allow a love marriage," (Mawra said).
"Look, Mawra, whatever I have to do, I will do for you. Just support me and stay with me," (Umar said).
(Mawra had concealed the fact of her engagement from Umar.)
Please, never call me first, because my mother also has this mobile."
"We will only talk when I call you," (Mawra said).
"Yes, alright. That's why I waited all these days and didn't call," (Umar replied).
"And what do you do?" (Mawra asked).
"I completed my studies from Lahore. My father has a small business in the city, and currently, I help him out a bit," (Umar said).
"Oh, I see. Tell me something else about yourself," (Mawra said).
"There's nothing much special in my life. I just have one older brother and one older sister. I am the youngest in the house," (Umar said).
"I see," (Mawra replied).
"You tell me something about yourself too," (Umar said).
"What do you want to know about me?" (Mawra replied).
"Whatever you'd like to tell me."
"I have one brother who helps my father with his work. Besides that, I am the only sister; I don't have any sisters," (Mawra said with sadness).
"Oh, I see," (Umar said).
"Okay, let's talk later. It's quite late, and I have to go to college in the morning," (Mawra said).
"Yes, alright," (Umar replied).
Mawra cut the call.
The moment the call ended, a wave of happiness ran through her heart...
She still had fear, but there was also a sense of peace in her heart.
She had listened to her heart.
She was happy and was smiling.
She fell asleep thinking about Umar.
In this way, the two of them started talking every day.
First, they talked for short periods, and then they would talk to each other for hours.
The frankness between them had increased a lot.
Now, they had accepted each other as life partners.
Their hearts felt restless until they had spoken to each other at least once during the day.
"Why don't we go out tomorrow?" (Umar suggested).
"Are you out of your mind? How can we go out?" (Mawra exclaimed).
"We can go if you show a little bit of courage," (Umar said).
"How?"
"Look, Mawra, tomorrow when you get off the bus, I will already be there.
You just get off the bus and come with me. We will go to the market, hang out, eat, and drink.
And I'll drop you back near the bus stop at the time college gets out," (Umar explained).
"No, Umar, no, I can't do that. I don't have that much courage," (Mawra said fearfully).
"Oh, Mawra, what happened? I will be with you. I told you before that I will never leave you alone... no matter how difficult the circumstances become."
"But, Umar," (Mawra said).
"No ,we are just going tomorrow.
I want to meet you and talk face-to-face. How long will we keep talking like this on the mobile?
That's enough. I'll arrive near the bus stop early tomorrow. And you just get off the bus and sit on my bike..."
"Umar, I wish it were that easy," (Mawra said).
"It will be that easy," (Umar replied).
"Come on, Mawra, since you've already taken this much risk, one more won't hurt," (Mawra said to herself).
"Yes, alright, I will come with you," (Mawra agreed).
Now Mawra was lost in thought about what she should do, whether she should do this or not. Should she go alone with Umar like this.
Finally, once again, Mawra listened to her heart and got ready to go with Umar.
(Amna and Zahra had found out about their relationship a long time ago; in fact, Mawra herself had told them.)
"Look, you two handle everything. Tell Mom that she wasn't feeling well, which is why she didn't come to college today," (Mawra was explaining to Zahra and Amna while sitting on the bus).
Amna said, "Mawra, are you doing the right thing?"
Mawra replied, "Look, Amna, I have already thought a lot about this, and finally, this is what felt right to me. I don't want to think about it anymore."
The bus stopped. Mawra first let everyone get off, and she herself got off the bus last. When all the students had gone a little ahead, she quickly looked around.
Across the road, Umar was standing on his bike.
Mawra was very scared, and hesitantly, she crossed the road and went near the bike.
"How are you?" (Mawra said).
"I am fine. We will talk about the rest later," (Umar said).
"Yes, okay."
Mawra sat on the bike, and they left from there.