Epilogue

I posted Keeping up with the Khandans s03 in Kat Calls, if anyone wants to check that out.

...

As they welcomed a new year, Nargis Khatun took her last breath.

It was deep into the night when the Ahmad residence was jolted awake with the phone call. As they scrambled to make their way out of their bed, Nargis was rolled outside of her home in a stretcher, along with her son Murshid Ahmad and the resident nurse.

Her heart gave out before they reached the hospital.

The family mourned in silence, and together took comfort in the fact that Nargis had a life well-lived.

The death of the eldest brought perspective for other members of the household as well. Junaina Ahmad, Dahlia's mother, realized that life and death, as well as all else in between, laid solely in Allah's Hands. The claims and promises made by fake priests could never be fulfilled by them, as they did not have the power to do so. Praying to Allah, following the Quran and Sunnah, was enough. She finally ceased her associations with Baba Rafique.

Besides, Aryan Malik managed to unearth pictures of the man doing some truly shady things, and then exposed them on his blog.

Rafique Suleiman was now battling multiple lawsuits.

Months passed, Lily Ahmad got engaged. Baby Aisha took her first steps. Dahlia passed her final MBA exam, barely.

Lily reached out to Dahlia one day and said, "Dadimaa was the last of her siblings, so her passing marked the last of her generation." Her sister looked at her with absolute horror. "Dels, do you realize... we are now the aunty generation?"

Dahlia absorbed, and mourned, this revelation in silence too.

Salman and Katrina had a winter wedding.

Katrina placed the request for a simple nikaah at the masjid, and a small get-together for their Walima.

Salman nearly had a heart attack at the prospect.

Katrina had heard of Bridezillas, but for the first time in her life, she witnessed a Groomzilla. He had an opinion about everything, and he wanted to be a part of everything. Starting from the photographers to the bride's attires, Salman's involvement was expected. He got on everyone's nerves, but he simply said he was too excited to get married to Katrina to contain it.

It was a lazy afternoon in the overpopulated city.

The sun was shining pleasantly over the waves lapping over the soft sand. Salman Bashir tilted his head to look up at the high-rise building contrasted against the mountains. He was tanned and jet-lagged. The flight home was exhausting.

He turned to look at his wife. The freckles on her nose were more visible due to high sun exposure. The earlier vexation was still in her eyes. A man in the flight home took a look at their passports, and then kept referring to their Bollywood namesakes the entire way.

Salman took the jokes lightly, Katrina did not; and very little gave Salman as much joy in life as watching Katrina's face twist in annoyance over their Bollywood-esque names.

They were warmly greeted by Malika at the door. She stepped forward and embraced Katrina, enabling the latter girl to relax, then flitted her gaze towards her brother. "I've been waiting for you two," she said. "C'mon, let's meet the others."

"How was Malaysia? I need details," Malika said, as they walked further into the house. "You guys look so bronzed and cute. This is why I love visiting tropical countries."

"Lia, are you sure you want the details of our honeymoon?" Salman asked, throwing a wink at his wife. "There isn't much I can share without parental guid-"

"For God's sake, Salman!" Malika interjected, rolling her eyes.

They reached the hosts of the evening. Dahlia and Kaveh turned around. Upon sighting them, surprise flashed across their faces.

"I didn't know you'd be returning before the party! What a pleasant surprise." Dahlia reached forward and held Katrina's hand politely.

"We were contemplating whether or not to extend our trip. I mean, we could barely get enough of-"

"For God's sake, Salman!"

"...But I couldn't miss my best bud's invitation for the world!" Salman stepped forward, wedging himself between the couple, shooing Dahlia away. "He's the brains to my beauty," he said, pinching Kaveh's cheek roughly. "the sugar to my Daddy..."

"Let go of me," Kaveh cried, swatting the guy's hand away.

Dahlia rolled her eyes at Salman. "I can't with the nerve of this man!

"Just learn to ignore him," Katrina let out a sigh, unfazed, growing more and more desensitized to her husband's inappropriate comments with each passing day. "Thank you for the invitation regardless, Dahlia," Katrina spoke up, attempting to maintain some civility. "I'm glad we made it too."

It was almost an hour later when a familiar pair entered through the front doors.

Salman's eyes met with Farrah's across the room.

A second later, she smiled. Salman let out the breath he was holding, and returned the gesture towards the couple. Last year, he reached out to Rashid Osmani and apologized for any grievances he might have caused. Rashid had been kind and respectful to him growing up, despite how the rest of his family was, and Salman could no longer deny it.

Salman also offered that if Rashid wanted to claim his share of their grandfather's wealth, he would have his support. It was officially the eldest Osmani's birthright, after all.

The man assured Salman he neither cared nor needed any of that. The cousins were able to come to a peaceful ground after that. The years of bad blood between the two brothers were cleared out.

Farrah flitted her gaze away from him, and so did he. Salman was able to make amends with her as well, to some extent.

He apologized for how he and his friends treated her when they were young, then both him and Farrah decided to let their grudges be bygones, and come to a point where they were able to be civil with each other. They moved forward with their respective lives with only good intentions.

"You know, I'm surprised," Katrina's voice drew him out of his thoughts. "He just... looks much younger than you said he would be."

Salman followed his wife's gaze to understand what she was referring to, and found her curious eyes speculating Rashid.

"What?" he asked, shooting Katrina a look. "You want to run away with him now too?"

She clicked her tongue at her husband, "I'm just saying. He's not how I imagined him from your descriptions. You called him old and bald."

"I did? I don't remember. Anyways," Salman quickly changed the subject. "In case you get any ideas, remember that the Osmani men begin to lose their hair in their early thirties. The Bashirs have been known to sport a solid hairline at least well past their forties."

Katrina let out a chuckle at his words. "So I guess it's wiser to stick with you, for the sake of my future sons' hairlines."

"You better." Salman replied. "You're the best thing that ever happened to me, so it's not like I'm letting you go anywhere, anyway," he said, playfully shoving her shoulder with his.

Dahlia's eyes swept across the room.

Her tiny apartment was filled to the brim. The smell of smoked vegetables and meat curled around them. The kids' screams were echoing across the whole building. The pile of dishes were looking more daunting with each passing moment. Hosting parties were exhausting, but Dahlia loved every second of it.

On one corner, her sisters were hunched over their phone, going through the YouTube videos of their distant uncle who had recently created a vlogging channel, laughing their heads off but still leaving supportive comments. Malika, Layla and Farrah were on another end, carrying a intimate conversation, as could be expected from school friends reunited after months.

Her gaze found Ibrahim and Salman across the room, laughing their heads off as they together watched the children of the house practicing the most awkward dance moves anyone had ever witnessed.

Dahlia found Kaveh next, engaged in a polite conversation with Rashid Osmani in their open balcony, as he prepared the grill.

As the leaves changed color and the birds migrated, turning over seasons, they were adapting new traditions too. The Rahmans' party was no longer the hottest dawat of the year, the Ahmads no longer hosted their pre-Ramadan affair.

They were slowly adapting to barbecue nights at Dahlia and Kaveh's, Eid celebrations at Salman and Katrina's, iftaar parties hosted by Ibrahim and Malika, and Brunch at Rani's when Farrah visited the city.

Life passed by, and every soul had a beginning and ending, but what was important was to live a life worth living, with people worth living for. Letting out a deep breath, Dahlia expressed her gratefulness, because she knew she had plenty to be grateful for.

"Where are we going?" Ibrahim whispered harshly under his breath, throwing a cautious glance over his shoulder.

"Just trust me."

Ibrahim looked forward again. He threw the twin boys a suspicious glance. He turned his gaze to Salman next, who was whistling in a carefree manner, not worried at all that they had put two teenagers in charge.

"Goodness, I should have never let you talk me into this," Ibrahim muttered under his breath.

They entered the Fayyads' garage. Jabir lowered the bag he had on his shoulder, zipping it open to reveal a clutter of household items. Tauhid started preparing his phone to film.

"Salman!" Ibrahim cried out loud this time, the expression on his face perplexed. "This is the last time I'll ask you, what are you doing and why on Earth are we here?!"

Salman turned on his feet and feigned a look of disappointment. "For once in your life, shut that damn mouth of yours, Sasquatch."

Ibrahim gritted his teeth. "You insolent fool!"

"Me? No, you!"

"Wow, you're so quick-witted," he snorted. "Not!"

The teenage boys started giggling as they threw something inside one of Kaveh's cars.

"What are they doing?" Ibrahim cried, looking above Salman shoulder,

The next thing they knew, a fizzing sound drowned them. The baking soda and tomato ketchup mixture was bubbling ferociously, expanding inside the car with each passing second.

Salman's eyes had turned into saucers. Ibrahim was calling upon God in every language he knew. By the time Kaveh and the rest barged into the room, the foam was dripping out of the windows.

Malika's jaw dropped. Dahlia let out a gasp. Kaveh's eyes swept the room and landed on Salman.

"SALMAN BASHIR, WHAT DID YOU DO?!" he exploded.