I felt a sense of acute relief and satisfaction engulf me as our car rolled through the magnificent gates of the Khan Haveli.

I'm home. After four long years, I'm finally home.

Although I'd traveled back for the holidays once or twice during the course of my degree, it had barely been for a span of two weeks or less, during which I'd barely been able to soak in all the comforts of being at home. As much as I liked living independently in London, there were times when I'd inevitably get homesick. I'd made a decent bunch of friends there as well, but I'd be lying if I claimed that I didn't miss my family, almost all year round. It was great for me to step out of my father's shadow and carve out my own identity in these past few years, but there were still moments where I wished for the luxuries and privileges that had always been afforded to me as Khan Shahnawaz Khan's son.

All in all, attending UCL had been a wonderful and eye opening experience for me. Throughout my course, I made sure to keep my grades up and maintain a 4.0 GPA so that Baba had no reason to believe that I was neglecting my studies in any way. I'd studied Political Science, Accounting as well as Business, in addition to taking up a formal course on Photography. I did my best in all my subjects but dedicated far more time and effort when it came to learning about photography. And in hindsight, it was definitely the right decision for me! Interacting with the instructors for the course as well as several like-minded peers made me realize that I did indeed possess some innate talent with respect to the art of photography. In fact, based on my professor's recommendation, I even spent a summer at an outdoor camp at Lake District in order to gain some specific practical know-how on wildlife photography. My time at the camp definitely reaffirmed my faith in my skills and convinced me that going against my father's wishes to fight for my dreams was indeed a risk I was willing to take.

I knew it would be a herculean task to convince him to allow me to follow my passion, but I had to try and deploy every weapon in my arsenal in order to do so. It was now or never. A week before my graduation ceremony, my professor invited me along with a couple more of my classmates to join him on an expedition across the Scottish Highlands to capture certain stills of the flora and fauna in the region. The project had been commissioned by a wealthy British national who was passionate about wildlife, and wished to have an exclusive, limited edition calendar curated especially for him. The pay was decent and it was a golden opportunity for me to gain more experience and recognition. The only hitch was that I'd have to travel again next month, and I wasn't certain if I would be able to obtain Baba's permission by then. In fact, I was skeptical as to whether he would ever give me his blessing at all.

When I tried to analyze the situation from his perspective, I realized that my demand to pursue photography might come across as utterly selfish and thankless to him. After all, who else had he built this legacy for but me? I was his heir apparent and it would be unfair to him to allow all his land and power to be handed over to a mere stranger. That's why I decided that I'd try and reason with him about a compromise. I would spend a couple of months in Pakistan, taking care of my duties as a landlord and a couple of months abroad to take up projects of my liking. My argument would be further supported by the fact that Anwar Chacha was highly capable of managing affairs when I was not around. He was extremely astute and sharp, and was significantly younger than my father in age, meaning that he'd be around to guide me for a very long time, once my father decided to forfeit his duties. I only hoped and prayed that Baba would listen to me. I knew that at his core, he loved me dearly. It was ultimately this fact that I was relying upon for him to accept my unorthodox request.

The car stopped right in front of the towering mahogany doors of our house. I became increasingly restless as I waited for the car door to be opened by one of the househelps. When it finally swung open, I grabbed my backpack and stepped out in a flash, only to realise that it was Bakthu who'd been sent to welcome me.

"Salaam, Chote Maalik." He said, greeting me with a wide smile on his face.

"Salaam Bakhtu. Sab khairiyat?" I asked, gently placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Ji, Chote Maalik. Is ghar mein sirf aap ki maujudgi ki hi kami thi...Chaliye...Khan Sahab kaafi der se aapka intezaar kar rahe hai..." He replied, grinning.

He then gestured to me to follow him as he walked forward and pushed open the door to grant me entry into the house.

I smiled as soon as I saw Ma and Baba Sahab waiting for me right at the center of the drawing room.

"As-salaam alaikum, Baba." I decided to forgo addressing him formally for I knew he wouldn't mind.

"Waalaikum salam, Bete." He responded immediately and pulled me in for a hug, patting me on the back.

The warmth and affection that radiated from him was apparent and I let myself imbibe every small ounce of it as I returned the embrace.

"Toh? Tumhara safar kaisa raha?" He said as he let me go.

"Bilkul theek..." I responded immediately, before turning to Maa Sahab.

"Khushamedeed, Bete...shukar hai ki tum sahi salamat ghar pahunch gaye." She said as she cupped my cheek tenderly.

"Aur ab yeh janaab, kahi nahi jaane wale...toh aap sukoon ki saans le, Salma Begum." Baba said jovially, as he placed his hand on my shoulder.

I laughed rather awkwardly at his attempt at being humorous. Perhaps, he'd just mentioned it as a joke, but his words made me even more conscious of his expectations of me.

"Waise bete, jo ummeedein maine aur tumhari Maa ne tumse ne lagaye the, tum uspe naa sirf khade utre ho, bal ki university mein top karke tumne sab ke saamne hamare sar ko fakhar se buland kar diya hai...Shabaash, bete..." Baba Sahab remarked as he placed his palm on my head, his tone filled with pride and respect.

"Jo bachpan se mujhe sikhaya gaya hai, maine bas unhi unsoolon par amal kiya hai, Baba..." I said, trying my best to mask the guilt in my voice for humility.

"Murtasim bhai? Aap waapas aa gaye?"

I turned around to see Mariam running down the stairs excitedly as she rushed towards me.

I felt my lips break into a smile almost immediately, as she wrapped her arms around me and gave me a tight hug.

"Bhai, maine aapko bahut miss kiya..." She said into my chest as I placed my hand on her head and reciprocated the hug.

"Aur maine, tumhe...waise ek saal mein tumhari height kaafi bad gayi hai...Maa Sahab, aap jo ise khilaa rahi hai, please wahi cheez mere diet mein bhi shaamil kare..." I said in order to tease her.

"Meri baat chhodein bhai, aap kitne alag lag rahe hai. Aapko toh gym jaane se fursat nahi mili hogi...padhai kab karte the aap? Lagta hai aap Gaddi Nasheen banne ke liye ekdum tayyar baithe hai..." Mariam said, making my cheeks flush slightly.

It was true that my appearance had changed a little during my time away from home. I'd always been focussed on maintaining my fitness, but the friends that I'd made in London seemed even more concerned about it than I was. Consequently, I'd ended up accompanying them to the gym every now and then. And before I knew it, any residual lankiness I possessed from my teen years had all but disappeared. I'd also decided to grow out my mustache and beard upon the advice of my hairdresser. I also frequently trimmed and combed it to make sure it didn't get unruly.

"Mariam, tum kuch zyaada hi bolne lagi ho aaj kal..." Maa Sahab shook her head in disapproval, making Mariam go quiet.

"Anwar Chacha kahaan hai?" I asked, trying to divert Maa Sahab's attention so that she wouldn't admonish Mariam anymore.

"Anwar gaon gaya hai...woh rukna chahta tha, lekin koi zaroori kaam aa gaya tha..." Baba Sahab responded.

I nodded my head in acknowledgement, even though I'd hoped to see him here, welcoming me.

"Waise, ek aur shaqs hai jo kaafi betaab hai aapse milne ke liye..." Mariam said, stifling her laughter.

"Kya? Kiski baat kar rahi ho tum?" I asked, confused.

"Haya! Aur Kaun?! Humne toh zabardasti usko college bhej diya kyunki aaj uska paper hai...woh toh jaana hi nahi chahti thi..." She said, as if the answer were glaringly obvious.

"Shukar hai woh college chali gayi..." I said under my breath, nearly inaudible.

I didn't want to deal with Haya fawning over me after such a long and draining flight. It irritated me to no end and I didn't want to be caustic and unpleasant early in the morning.

"Bhai, aap kuch keh rahe the?" Mariam asked.

"Nahi toh." I said convincingly, shaking my head.

"Mariam, fizool ki baatein mat karo. Murtasim, tum pehle fresh ho jao...main naashte ka intezaam dekh leti hoon...aur uske baad thoda rest karlo...shyam ko humne tumhari waapasi ki khushi mein ek dawat rakha hai." Ma Sahab revealed.

"Maa Sahab, iski kya zaroorat thi? Aur waise bhi, main kaafi thak chuka hoon..." I responded instantaneously, trying my best to mask my annoyance at having to attend an event when I knew I'd be jetlagged.

"Tum iss khandan ke sarbarah banne wale ho, bete. Aur hume thakne ki ijazat nahi hai...tumhe iss dawat mein shariq hona padega..." Baba Sahab remarked sternly as he moved forward to face me.

I swallowed as I looked at him. His body language was rigid and authoritative, his spine erect. I understood that protesting against his statement would be of little use. It wasn't my father speaking anymore. This was Khan Shahanawaz Khan ordering his successor to once again abandon his own comfort in order to favour the greater good.

"Theek hai, Baba..." I said rather dejectedly as I looked down in an acquiescent manner.

"Chalo, ab tum kamre mein jaakar muh-haath dho lo aur humein dining table par milo..." Maa Sahab said in a hurried manner, as she ushered me to go inside.

"Ji..." I answered in the affirmative as I started walking towards the staircase.

There were a couple of thoughts revolving in my head as I climbed up the stairs distractedly. Attending an event and interacting with strangers jetlagged was one thing, but if my gut was correct, this event was something else entirely. I had this nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach that it was a mere means to publicize the fact that I was back home and would be succeeding my father in his duties very soon. I, of course, wanted to avoid this altogether until I'd spoken to him about wanting to pursue photography, and possibly reached a mutual understanding with him.

The walls are closing in on me quickly. I have to act fast.

The only problem was that with this party hanging over my head like a noose, I didn't have the slightest idea of when to broach the subject with him.

*****