'But Ma!' a young girl protested as her mother sat beside her showing her photos of different men.
'But Ma, what?' the middle-aged woman scolded her daughter.
'I don't want to marry; don't disturb me I am working.' She shooed her mother and continued working on her assignment.
Alisha Malik has just got her dream job in a bank, the pressure is too much. Pressure of being in the rat race like everyone else living in Mumbai.
'Alisha, you are 25-year-old. When will you marry then? When you become your grandmother's age?' her mother further scolded.
Alisha rolled her eyes and continued working on her laptop.
'What is all the screaming, shouting about?' an old woman wheeled herself in a wheelchair towards the mother-daughter duo.
'Dekhiye Na, Ammi. This grand-daughter of yours, she is a headache. She doesn't want to marry. Please handle her.'
The old woman nodded at her daughter-in-law. She gestured her to leave, she quickly obeyed.
'Please, Dadi. Now, you don't start please.' Alisha said annoyed.
'Why don't you want to marry, my dear? Everyone has too. I did, so did your mother.' Her Dadi explained patiently. Alisha looked at her Dadi.
'But there is so much I want to do. I want to work.' Alisha reasoned.
'So? You can do that after marriage as well.' Alisha opened her mouth to speak but her grandmother gestured her not to. Alisha sighed, she in for a lecture.
'I had just passed my Tenth when I married your grand-father. There were so many things I learned after that. So much about life, work, everything. Marriage isn't that bad, especially when you have found the right man. Then, the journey becomes beautiful.'
Alisha simply blinked at her grandmother, so the old woman smiled and said 'Let me tell you something...A real-life story of love. My love story.'
'You love Dadu. You too had love marriage?' Alisha asked interested. The old woman smiled shaking her, 'No! but we fell in love...madly in love.' A dreamy smile appeared on her face. She then looked at Alisha again, 'So? Are you excited to hear my story? Amreen and Faizaan's love story that started with an arranged marriage.' She asked
'Yes, Yes!' Alisha said sitting properly in her seat.
'Okay then....'
Summer, 1950
'Amreen, why are you pacing? Have some water and relax.' Amreen's Chachi spoke to an anxious eighteen-year-old Amreen.
'No, you don't understand Chachi, today is my tenth's result.' Amreen said nervously biting her nails. She took her sit on the kitchen slab, her legs dangling.
'I don't understand all this...'Chachi shook her head and turned her attention back to making Rotis. Amreen rolled her eyes, and looked her long braided hair. Many things going on in her head.
Amreen is youngest of the three sisters, Abiya, Adila and she, Amreen. Also, amongst the two Amreen is the only one who managed to study till tenth, the other got married at the age of 15, 16 respectively. Amreen was very bright academically, her Chacha Afzal Zubair saw potential in Amreen and didn't want her talent to be wasted so he took her to stay with him and his wife to Lucknow from a village where she had lived.
Amreen had lost her mother when she was just 12. A year later, her father had gotten re-married. The girls couldn't bond with her step-mother and after her step-brother Maajid was born the girls became strangers at their own home. Their father more inclined to his other family than them.
Amreen's father, Syed Abdullah Zubair is the most respectable and filthy rich landlord. He is very strict; the three daughters fear him very much.
Abdullah never approved of Amreen studying and so Amreen wanted to excel in her studies and make her father proud of her.
Her Chachi had always called this task impossible but Amreen is confident.
'Amreen! Amreen.' Amreen jumped from the kitchen slab hearing her Chacha's excited voice. Her Chachi quickly adjusted her dupatta over her head as Amreen held her arm and dragged her out of the kitchen and into the living room.
'Amreen beta! You have come first.... First in your school.' Afzal Chacha said.
Amreen gasped covering her mouth with her palms, her Chachi patted her shoulder. As Amreen stared at her name published in the newspaper, she felt emotional, tears clogged her eyes.
'I am so proud of you, beta.' Her Chachi said hugging Amreen who is still in shock. Afzal Chacha nodded in agreement with his wife.
******************
'Amreen Beta. Your parents will be coming in a one hour. Come help me.' Amreen's Chachi called her from the kitchen.
Amreen sighed dropping her magazine on the bed, she had been lying flat on her stomach reading an Urdu Magazine.
She halfheartedly got up from her bed. Amreen hated her step-mother and didn't like Maajid too, he is a spoilt brat.
She adjusted her dupatta and walked into the kitchen. The two women then got to work preparing snacks for the guests.
One hour later,
'Come, Bhaiya!' Afzal led his elder brother and his family inside his home humbly. Abdullah walked in with his chin held high followed closely by his wife and his son who had his nose scrunched, for him compared to the big Haveli he lives in back in the village this bungalow looks like a hut.
Amreen's Chachi handed Amreen a tray of three tea cups, 'Wait!' she stopped Amreen, she rolled her eyes as her Chachi adjusted her dupatta on her head.
'How are you, beta?' Abdullah asked lovingly.
Amreen who stood in the corner with her head lowered nodded. Abdullah is relieved that his daughter is doing well.
'Amreen, go get newspaper, beta.' Afzal said. Amreen looked at her Chacha who smiled assuring her. Amreen is about to leave when her step-mother interrupted
'There is something important we have come here for.' She said. It is unusual for women to interrupt when men talk but Abdullah is in complete trance with his wife and so she always has her way.
'We have come here with a good news. An alliance has come for our Amreen.' She said confidently.
Amreen's head shot up, she looked at her step-mother wide eyed. Alliance? It meant she will get married? then what about her dream to pursue higher education? Amreen had dreamt of doing BA so that she can be a teacher. Does this alliance means, end of her dream? Amreen looked sadly at her father, silently begging him to say this is not true. But her father looked away.
Afzal interrupted stating Amreen has come first in her matric, she can't marry now.
'Girls ultimate aim should be to get married. Look at me, I haven't even gone one day to school. Look at Abiya, Adila. They have done till fourth and fifth and home schooling and then got married...Look at them, aren't they happy. Amreen will be too.' Amreen's mother said sipping tea. Amreen looked at her father with hopeful eyes, but her heart got crushed when her father agreed with her step-mother.
Amreen's vision blurred with tears as her step-mother went on talking about the alliance and how perfect it is.
'My Dadi's second cousin's daughter brought the alliance from Lucknow. Boy is a gem. Tall, handsome and a lawyer. Faizaan is his name. He has just completed his Law degree from Aligarh. They are very rich. His father is a high court Judge and his mother has brought with herself a lot of lands in dowry......'
Amreen couldn't hold her tears and rushed back into her room.
'Arey, I guess she felt shy.' Her step-mother laughed, except her son no one else laughed.
Amreen fell on her bed and held her pillow close to her chest and began to cry. Her Chachi came into the room, she looked at her niece crying badly and felt her heart pain too. She sat next to her and caressed her head.
'Why? Why, she always does this...I want to...study...I don't want to marry...' she cried. Her Chachi looked at her helplessly. One look at her Aunt, Amreen knew her case is hopeless. She hugged her Chachi tightly and cried some more, 'I don't want to marry...I don't want to marry...' she chanted sadly.