"We don't know where she is..." Andaleeb's voice floated towards me.
I hugged my knees to my chest. The logical part of my brain knew that I was acting like a child. I would have to face this. I had lied to my father. I had run away with Feroze. I had gotten married to him. He had left me alone in a deserted place. I had disgraced my family.
"I have to check on Aziz. Zaroon, his fever hasn't broken, with the fight and now Begum Sahiba, I don't know what to do"
Zaroon was here? And Aziz had a fever?
"I can't take the car, not without permission and I don't know-how. Maybe you could call a doctor?"
Of course, they could not take the car. They would need permission from one of us. Any doctors that might have come would not make the trip during this storm. Chewing the inside of my cheek, I mulled over my options. I could stay here and wallow in my own sorrow or I could get up and decide to make myself useful. Wiping my eyes to try to look presentable, I walked to the end of the corridor.
They were both standing there, their faces concealed by the darkness.
"Get Aziz Andaleeb, let us take him to the hospital" to their credit, both of them refrained from commenting on why I had suddenly appeared from a darkened corridor. Andaleeb nodded and ran to get her son while Zaroon went to get the car. I ran to my room, thanking my stars that everyone was still in the dining hall, washed my face and grabbed my phone and wallet.
I ran downstairs to see Major Zaroon standing in the foyer with an umbrella in his hands. I nodded my thanks and followed him to the car.
Aziz moaned in the backseat. He was feverish and his eyes were closed. Andaleeb ran her fingers through his hair, muttering reassurances. My phone pinged with a message. It was Rania. I texted her to say I was out and then turned my phone off.
It took us thirty minutes to find the nearest hospital. My legs were cramped from sitting in the front seat for too long. Zaroon helped Aziz to the emergency room where doctors milled about with clipboards in their hands. No one spared us a second glance.
Andaleeb ran towards the receptionist.
"My son, he has a fever. He's not well... he can't talk, he hasn't eaten anything..."
"How long has this been going on?" She asked in a bored voice.
"A day? Since yesterday" the receptionist nodded and tore a receipt. He had been sick for a day?
"That'll be five hundred rupees"Â Andaleeb placed the money on the counter with her shaking hands. "The doctor will be with you in a moment"
I looked around at the hospital. The corridor was lined with people sitting on the benches or lying on them. Some of the people were lying on the floor, having no other place to wait. Old people sat in their chairs, their eyes filled with pain. My blood boiled as I looked at their condition. The floor was dirty and streaked with mud. Some of the tiles were broken and there was paint that was falling off from the sides.
Aziz's head lolled on his mothers' shoulders and my heart ached.
"How long do doctors take?" I asked Zaroon who had chosen to stand next to me.
"It depends" I stared at him in disbelief. A child started to cry in the distance. He stared back at me, his face blank.
Murad was going to get an earful. This was what was happening? Where were the city funds? Where were they going? And to whom? Dirty floors, lack of health professionals, long lines. No wonder the people were pissed. None of the reports detailed any of this. Ten minutes passed by. Then twenty. Still, no doctor showed up. I walked around to ease the pain in my legs and I saw a couple of doctors standing near the emergency ward, laughing and talking about their day.
"Excuse me? I need your help, there's a young boy who needs you to check up on him..."
"Do you have a receipt?", the taller one asked.
"Yes,"
"Then wait"
"He's in pain! Wait for what? We've been waiting for half an hour" my tone was becoming increasingly harsh and I drew a few curious glances my way.
"I'm sorry, who are you?" The other said coming to stand in front of me.
"Just... a concerned person. Sorry doctors, but it's been thirty minutes. Will you please take a look at him? He's in pain..." Zaroon appeared out of nowhere and moved in front of me, gently moving me to the side. I flinched from his touch and glared at the back of his head.
The doctors nodded at his placid tone and moved to check up on Aziz. Zaroon led the way and we followed him to where Aziz was crying on his mothers' lap. My heart broke for the boy. He retched, his body convulsing, but nothing came out of his mouth.
The doctors rushed him on a stretcher and struck an IV into the back of his hand.
"It's probably diarrhoea. It has been hot the past few days" the doctor said giving Andaleeb a reassuring look. She nodded gratefully and I glared at him, my arms crossed. Zaroon thanked him and shook his hand.
"You might have to wait a while... the roads are flooded"Â and now the roads were flooded. Great.
Thunder rumbled in the distance and we all shared a cautious glance. The nurse drew the curtain to give Aziz some privacy. Zaroon and I stepped out of the room to wait.
"Does anyone know that you're here?" he asked. I shook my head. "You should probably head back. I can drop you off" I looked at him.
"The doctor just said that the roads were flooded"
"Not to the castle they're not. He thinks we're from the other part of town"
"Which part of town?" He looked at me his eyes curious.
"Have you ever been to the city?"
" A few times" once. "Never had to"
"Of course," he said, a mocking smile on his face.
"What is that supposed to mean?" I hissed. A few people stared at us but looked away when we lowered our voices.
"Just that you've been so sheltered you don't even know the very city you'll be ruling"
"I will not 'rule'. You know that."
"Do I? Do you not rule? Do you not pull strings whenever you need to?" I could not be having two fights in the space of a few hours. We drew more eyes as our whispering became louder.
"I am not having this argument right now. You're being unreasonable. Stay here, Andaleeb might need you."
He watched me walk away. I could feel the judgement with his eyes on my back. I was going to kill whoever was giving Ammi Jaan those reports. The hospital was so poorly equipped that people had to make their own stretchers and get their own medicines. I saw a doctor trying to make a makeshift sling using a bedsheet. The Emergency Ward was filled with people waiting to get checked. The place reeked of sickness.
"Please, I'll get the money... just, my son"
"I'm sorry, but you have to pay and then the doctors will perform the operation" The receptionist answered. I turned the corner to see a woman pleading, her eyes filled with tears, her child in her arms.
"What's going on?" I asked, placing a comforting hand on the woman's shoulder. She started and turned to look at me.
"He needs to be operated on, soon. His appendix... but they want me to pay, it's raining, where will I find... banks closed" she sobbed. The receptionist looked at me helplessly.
"How much for the operation?" I asked her.
"Fifty thousand" crap, my wallet had only twenty-five.
"Do you accept debit cards?"
"Only under twenty thousand"
"I'll pay for the operation. Just swipe the card twice. Twice for twenty thousand"
"The rest?"
"I'll give the rest to you in cash" The receptionist nodded as I handed her my debit card. She barely looked at the name and I sighed in relief. Taking out ten thousand out of my wallet, I placed them on the counter. The woman sighed in relief and the receptionist walked to find the relevant doctor. I turned towards the mother and placed the rest of the money in her palm. She shook her head to give the money back.
"Keep it. You might need it for something else. The hospital could ask for anything..." She smiled gratefully.
"How could I repay you? I can try to give you the money back in instalments" I shook my head. Little did she know, but the shoes I wore in my house were worth more than this operation.
"I don't need your money. Take it as a gift for little... what's the boy's name?"
"Azlan" I smiled.
"Azlan... that's a lovely name. Well Azlan, good luck, hope your operation..."
"There you are! Where were you? I was looking all over for you!" Zaroon appeared with a very worried Andaleeb behind him. I glared at him, for his interruption.
"Your wife just helped me out..." the woman began.
"I've been here" I answered cutting her off.
"Have I seen you somewhere? I feel like I have seen you before?" Zaroon blanched, his face settling into a blank mask.
"Must be someone else?" he said, looking at me. The woman opened her mouth to say something but the receptionist returned with the doctor. The woman left, thanking me profusely for helping her son. I looked at the floor, embarrassed.
"How's Aziz?"
"Better, he's being discharged. We should head home now Begum Sahiba" Andaleeb muttered giving me a proud look.
The drive back was strangely uneventful. Aziz was conscious now and able to support his weight. Andaleeb led him to the servant quarters and Zaroon and I headed towards the main house.
"Thank you for what you did Begum Sahiba," he said as we reached the foyer.
"It was nothing" I replied touched by the sincerity in his tone.
"You know that's not true" we had reached the staircase. Again with that argumentative tone. The man did not quit.
"Good night Major," I said walking up the staircase, my steps a lot lighter then they had been five hours ago, a smile gracing my lips.
"Good night Begum Sahiba" his soft voice echoed in the darkness.
I walked to my room. My happiness covering me like a cloak. I nodded at the guards standing in front of my room and walked inside.
"Where were you, Elena?"
Izzy was waiting for my answer, his arms crossed. I tried to divert his attention by laughing and moving inside the room.
"It's not funny Elena", uh oh. He was using my full name.
"I had to take Aziz to the hospital"
"Alone?"
"No, with Andaleeb"
"So you drove?" I gave him a strange look.
"No, Zaroon drove. What is going on?"
"It's just, it's not safe and you were upset. You disappeared, your phone was turned off. Rania's with Ammi right now and she kept asking about you"
I sighed. "I was fine. I had to take Aziz to the hospital, Andaleeb was worried"
Izzy sighed and sat on one of the chairs.
"You could have just given them permission. You didn't have to go."
"You've been outside the city, Izzy. You've seen how people live, I haven't. The hospital we went to? It was horrible! We had to wait for a doctor for half an hour! Would we ever do that? The floor was filthy and the hospital reeked!" Izzy stared at me surprised.
"It's just a hospital, Eli..."
"No, it is not just a hospital Izzy. It's where people go when they're sick... they go there to get better. What has Murad been doing? What has anyone been doing?"
"I've never seen you so riled up"
"That's because I have been blind. I believed what was being fed to me. I thought that I was helping people when I was working at a firm in London, but I had no idea things were so bad here"
"You know it's a governance issue. Local bodies versus the provincial government"
"And yet we're the ones getting blamed," I said giving him an earnest look.
"There you are! Where have you been?" Rania said bursting into the room.
"I told you I was out," I said, shrinking at her glare.
"Oh out. How explanatory". Izzy repeated what I had told him as I changed into my pyjamas.
"Did you talk to Hania?" I asked as I braided my hair.
"Yes, she agreed to shift the reception back here... it'll be held behind the castle walls, so less public exposure" I nodded at that. "Also, no more flowers from Dubai, it's a bit costly to cancel but better in the long run"
"So we should be good?"
"We'll be ready to face the wolves. We have local suppliers and we've engaged the local workforce..."
"The wedding is still at the main mosque?" I asked Izzy.
"Yes, it'll be limited to family members only" Izzy answered.
"I'm sorry the reception was moved here. I know you wanted to have it at your parents' house"
"I'd rather have it here, where I grew up" I smiled at his words. We gathered on the bed, our heads on the soft pillows.
"Also Farishta is out for your blood. No one is condoning the way she treated you" I bit my lip and averted my eyes.
"Ugh, why would she bring that story up? After all these years?" Izzy said, his eyes closed as his head rested on the headboard.
"Because her husband is a cheat and she couldn't stand the fact that Elena has a life" Rania answered with conviction. I gave her a grateful smile as Izzy laughed. I snuggled into the blanket, falling asleep to their voices.
"Rania, someone's knocking on the door," I said trying to wake her up.
"It's your room. You get up" she replied her eyes closed and voice thick with sleep. I groaned, got up and tied a robe around myself.
Shuffling to the door, I cracked the door open.
"Begum Sahiba... breakfast" Alia stood there with a breakfast trolley poised to enter the room. I nodded and moved away as she walked in and started placing the food on the table.
"Oh good, breakfast. What time is it?" Rania asked swinging her legs off the bed and rubbing her eyes.
"It's 9 am. Your mother told us to let you sleep. Izzy Sahib is still in bed. She guessed the three of you had stayed up all night"
Rania and I glanced at each other. I got up and started to pick my clothes as Rania sat down to have breakfast.
"Alia, can you have some clothes brought in for me here?" Alia nodded at Rania's request and left the room.
"Would you go in and visit Aziz? I don't know if I would get the time" she nodded and stuffed a mango in her mouth. I smiled at her zeal and got ready for the day.
"We need to fix this... where is Murad, has anyone gotten in contact with him?"
"He said he'd be here at 5, Begum Sahiba" Uncle Azhar answered. I looked at the papers that I was given as Ammi Jaan looked at the pictures I had taken with my phone.
"We need for him to fix this... this is outrageous. There are 14 ministers from this city. There are more than 15 million people who live in this city. We have 8 major public hospitals. All of which, on paper, seems to be working perfectly" I continued.
Both Uncle Azhar and Ammi Jaan gave me surprised looks.
"All of this talk of a revolution when they don't even have the basic necessities"
"They're fundamentalists Begum Sahiba." Uncle Azhar said his voice firm.
"Begum Sahiba," Major Zaroon said, entering the room. He was not wearing his military uniform today either. "I have examined the security footage and we have three suspects"
"Three?" Ammi Jaan said in a surprised voice.
"We think the other two were supposed to target your daughters but they weren't at home" he answered. I stared at him in shock.
"That's quite a leap to make," I said.
"It seems logical"
"That's it, Elena, no more trips to the city, you're staying inside the castle" Ammi Jaan declared.
"What? May I remind you, you were attacked inside this very castle?" I objected. Ammi Jaan stared at me her eyes hard. "What about the guards?"
"We're tracking them down," Zaroon said.
"I would advise you to stay inside the castle... at least till the wedding is over"
"I'll be gone after that" I mumbled with a laugh, shuffling my papers. Silence greeted my words.
"You're not staying? Begum Sahiba?" Uncle Azhar asked. I looked up at their shocked faces.
"I... no. I leave on Sunday"
"But, all of these projects? These ideas?" Ammi Jaan said.
"Begum Sahiba? The designers are here" Alia said poking her head into the room. Saved by the bell.
"We'll talk about this later," I said in a placating tone and left the room.
Choosing three dresses for the wedding seemed like a monumental task but thankfully my sister was more than willing to live up to it.
"How about this... a simple one for the rehearsal dinner, lehnga for the wedding and Sari for the reception?"
Saba, the chosen designer, clapped her hands in agreement.
"Fine, but let's not go too extreme," I said settling into the couch. "What will you be wearing?"
"The same combination, but a different designer" Rania, picking up and examining the cloth that was placed in front of her.
"Let's go for something bright," I said, bored with my black and white wardrobe. Saba clapped her hands like a happy seal and proceeded to unload her goodies.
The whole ordeal lasted for two hours. It was a mind-numbing experience but satisfying. We ended up finalising colours and dresses. I was poked and prodded, my measurements being recorded for my final alterations. Saba and Rania had mutual friends and they ended up talking about the benefits of media engagement. I walked towards the end of the room and looked out the windows.
The castle was being groomed and shaped to host the reception. The lawns were being mowed and the trees were being clipped and pruned. Plantations were being brought in to be placed along the driveway. Hania stood in the driveway, directing the wedding planner on where she wanted the lights. The sun was shining and everything seemed to be going well till I saw a sleek black Mercedes enter the driveway.
The driver rushed out to open the passenger door and a single black Jimmy Choo placed itself on the grey asphalt. Aunt Mamo was here.
****************************************************************************************
It's always better to see things for yourself. People can be manipulative. O.O The ex mother-in-law and distant aunt has arrived.