After the hailstorm, the temperature dropped to 7°C

By the time everyone woke up, after a detailed nap, all of them were shivering badly!
Some were searching for leather jackets from the suitcase, some were looking for sweaters, gloves and most importantly ear muffs and beanies!

After wearing all of this, they finally stepped out. Some elders went towards the kitchen and asked the cook whether the fish was ready!

It was already cleaned and marinated so the men started cooking it with the chef.

And finally it turned out to be yummilicious!

The late lunch or maybe, the supper was served in the rooms because enjoying it outside was a great big deal!

Everyone enjoyed the Naran's famous and delicious fish which they caught with their own struggle!
It was finger-lickering good!

After having this meal, ladies wanted to explore the markets.

"Uhhh! You ladies are always upto shopping! Why?" Umar asked with frustration.

"Hahaha! Ok then you stay here and take care of these kids, we will enjoy shopping!" Aiman's Phuppo teased him.

"Ok! Im taking all of them to that nearby park! The one with that pine park hotel!" Umar came up with an idea.

Kids were more than excited!

"You wanna join?" Umar asked Aiman who was laying on the sofa, lazily!

"Uhhhh!!! Okay!" She sluggishly got up.

All of them made their way towards the beautiful park which was really near!

The park was huge, beautiful and really tranquil. Many tourists were enjoying the moment over there.

It was surrounded with gigantic snow capped mountains.

The grass was soft and wet.
The cousins sat down at a peaceful spot and started admiring nature.

"Look ! What I found!!" Hania screamed with excitement.

"So many dandelions!!" She laughed while blowing one.

This surely caught Aiman's attention.
She quickly captured a selfie with them and plucked some to preserve them as a memory.

A memory? Did she really want to preserve her homeland's memories??
Strange!!

Different colours of nature could be seen everywhere.
Flamboyant butterflies and some cute yellow flowers also caught her attention.

She kept on exploring the flowers, ladybirds, bugs and some more cute little things.

Meanwhile Umar brought some pakorays ,samosays, rolls with chatni and tea from a nearby stall to make the evening even more memorable!

"Hey !! C'mon guys!Lets enjoy Aiman's birthday's mini party!" Umar announced.

"Another treat?" Aiman laughed.

"What on Earth happened to you? You were always annoying me, pulling my leg, as well as making me angry since the day I stepped in Lahore!" She questioned him impatiently.

"Thats what you think Otherwise making you angry, annoyed and disturbing you was nothing but .....something else!"
Umar smirked while taking out the snacks and putting them on the mat.

"What else was that?" Aiman got confused.

Umar paused for a while.

"Nothing!! You won't understand!" Umar tried to ignore any further conversation and went away to call the kids who were busy playing!

"Heyy! Wait!  See you are annoying me again! Tell me what won't I understand?" Aiman followed him.

But Umar kept on ignoring!

"You think I am a fool? I can't understand little things? Fine! Don't tell me!" Aiman became really angry that she was about to pour anger on everyone.

"Some things are not meant to be mentioned or discussed again and again! They just demand to be felt! Which you can't! Now no more discussions! Just eat!" Umar forced her to eat spicy pakorays and chatni once more, which were unbearable for her!
They were so spicy for her that tears started to come from her eyes.

Everyone started laughing and no one gave her water.

"You have to learn how to eat spicy food, if you are sitting here, in Pakistan!" Hania teased her.

"Or else you will never become one of us!! The punjabis, The true Pakistani's!!" Hania's elder sister laughed while taunting her.

Aiman hated being forced.

Everyone kept on making fun of her , that how she was reacting to the spicy food!

She couldn't bear the spice and finally bursted out,

"Uhhh! Noway! I am surely not a Pakistani, neither I want to be! I am only a true British! Huh and neither I wanna adjust here nor become one of you! 'Cause you people just love to irritate foreigners! Specially you Umar! You think I'm stupid that whatever you will say , only you can understand? Not me! I am yonger than you, but not a baby who doesn't understamd anything! And yeah! Atleast London's food is way  better, not freaking spicy like this shit!" Aiman said with disgust,as if the idea of being called a Pakistani made her angry!

When she finished wiping her tears which came out due to those spicy snacks, she looked up and saw everyone staring at her with shock, rather disappointment on what she said!

"Aiman Baji? You are born in Pakistan! Still you are saying that?" Her little brother Ali said with astonishment in his eyes.

Hania and other kids were disappointed too.

There was a long and complete silence between them.

"I... I ... I didn't mean that! It just slipped out of my tong___"

"C'mon children, we must leave now, its gonna be Maghrib now!" Umar interrupted Aiman in a rude manner.

"Umar, please wait! I rather said that unintentionally, please listen!" Aiman begged!

But all of them left, ignoring her and leaving her behind.

She was shocked!
She walked all alone towards her hotel with a disappointed face! Memories from different cities, Lahore, Abbottabad, Naran, her birthday surprise, her hospitable relatives, everything started to cross her mind leaving her even more embarassed on what she said!

"What should I do now? I made everyone upset! But I didn't say that intentionally!"
Aiman stopped and sat on a big rock.
She shooked her head with dismay and tears dwelled up in her eyes.
She started weeping!

"What a shame! I hate myself now! How can I still blame Pakistan to be disgusting when I have seen everything with my own eyes!" Aiman cried and kept sitting there for an hour.

She kept observing different people, children and elders, shopkeepers and chefs, tourists and residents.

All of them were happy, enjoying the cold evening, as if there were no worries in life. Children kept on running here and there, elders kept on spending time with their families talking about the peaceful topics of life.
An aroma of tranquility could be smelled easily.

Aiman's eyes were glued on a foreign couple, who were enjoying a hot cup of tea near a Pathan's hotel!

She went towards them and asked with a weak smile,
"Hello! Where are you from?"

"We are from USA! We are here for the first time, enjoying our vaccations!" the couple replied.

"But why Pakistan?" Aiman asked impatiently.

"Haha! Everyone asks us the same question! Why Pakistan! Its a country of terrorism, and violence ?why do you guys want to die so soon? But we both decided to ignore all the questions and pay a visit and figure out whether everyone was right or wrong!" The couple replied.

"And what was your answer?" Aiman asked.

"I hope you are born here? You are a citizen of Pakistan I guess! You should know the answer!" The woman laughed as she judged Aiman at first sight!

"I am not... Ummm... I don't know!" Aiman nodded as she was unable to speak anything further.

"Ofcourse they were wrong! This country turned out to be the most adventurous, beautiful and amazing place for us out of all the countries we visited last year!" They both shouted with excitement.

A shiver of guilt ran through Aiman's spine.
She was still not expecting this answer. Her mouth was left open!

"Are you born over here?" She asked the couple.

"Certainly not, we are born in Washington D.C , but still this country gives us so much comfort! Its been just 20 days since we are here and these hospitable people of Pakistan are offering us remarkable accommodations, brilliant food, selling spectacular dresses, and most importantly , they give us loads of respect as if they are our relatives.
Moreover , they love to guide us and show us the beautiful valleys of their homeland!!

Naran, Kashmir , Hunza, Lahore, Islamabad and Karachi, spectacular places they were. And the food is really spicy but extra ordinary scrumptious. We are feeling over the moon since we stepped in your amazing Pakistan! You are so lucky that you are born over here, you are a Pakistani, you have the opportunity to frequently enjoy each and every blessing granted to Pakistan, these jewels, these gems are really mesmerising ! You are even more fortunate than us to have this precious land!" The American couple finally concluded, paid the shopkeeper, farewelled Aiman and went away.

She stood there! Frozen. Embarassed. Shattered. Ashamed.
She wanted to slap herself! She was feeling disgusted for what type of girl she was!

She locked her hands around her face and shooked her head with complete shock!

She quickly stood up and ran towards her hotel. She wanted to apologise Umar who was angry and the kids who were really sad by the time.

She came in , breathing heavily, and knocked Umar's room's door.

"What took you so long to come? Oh you must be taking the advantage of being alone, and wanted to run away for your dear London!" Umar said angrily, not even looking at her face!

"I am really Sorry Umar! I know what I said was wrong. I accept my fault! It was just that I couldn't control that spice which made me really angry and I started barking!" Aiman begged for apology.

"Thats your favourite work! Barking all the time!" Umar threw a novel, which he was reading ,on the bed with anger!

"Umar please! I'm sorry! Never in my life, I apologised anyone , like I am doing now! Please forgive me! I am really bad-tempered ,you know very well... Please!" Aiman was about to cry now.

"Your bad temper should be limited to yourself, we are not sitting here to get insulted by you whenever you want to! The way you shouted on me is acceptable to me! But the way you humiliated my country, is not acceptable! I thought you were changing! I thought you were enjoying! I thought that ghost of hatred for Pakistan, stopped wandering upon you! But no! I was wrong! People like you are heartless, can't understand the value of their own nation! You shouldn't be born over here! Its certainly a disrespect for my country. I kept on tolerating your ill mannered behaviour before, tried to bridge the gaps between you and us by giving you different surprises but the disgust you held in your eyes today,  when you were abusing Pakistan, was surely not acceptable for me!" Umar got even more angry.

Aiman started weeping infront of him and tried to clarify again but Umar asked her to go out and let him sleep.

The kids kept on watching the whole scenario and got really upset.
They tried to console Aiman and calm down Umar as elders might get angry on knowing what happened, but the situation had already crossed its limits.

Suddenly Aiman's phone rang. It was Emiley, calling from London!

"Hello ! Aimann! A very very happy birthday dear! You totally forgot me right?" Emiley wished Aiman.

"Uh! Emiley how are you! Thanks alot dear ... Nah I was just really busy dear, Im sorry!" Aiman tried to hide her shaky voice.

"No sorrys and no thankyous. Do you even know how angry I was when you were not here on Bronzey's birthday, I wanted to stab you with a dagger! But anyways! Its your birthday! So I forgive you! But won't spare you easily! Now you have to come back within two days, or else our friendship is gonna end forever!" Emiley blackmailed Aiman.

"Emiley! Why don't you understand that I can't come back within two days! But I promise I will be back next month!" Aiman replied.

Suddenly all the kids came out and started listening her conversation silentlt as they feared that Aiman would be leaving soon!

"Noo No No! Now or never! Its the matter of our friendship now! What the hell is making you stay there for so long, between that crap?" Emiley shouted angrily.

"How can I come this much early? The wedding is yet to be attended! Dear please understand!" Aiman replied.

"Now you try to understand I swear I will end my friendship with you just now! Book your tickets and come straight here by tomorow or day after tomorrow! I wanna celebrate your birthday too, tell you so many things , plan some parties with you, and how can you forget that sleepover we planned together, dance competition of college which is gonna held in August, and ofcourse, our trip to Paris we planned with our families for December! You are coming back in two days, and that's final!!!" Emiley kept on warning.

"What? tomorrow? But tomorrow? How? The tickets also take time to be booked!" Aiman panicked.

After listening this even Umar came out of his room as he could easily listen everything from his window!!
The kids got even more panicked as none of them wanted her to leave so soon!

"Dear ! So quickly book 'emergency tickets' Otherwise choose between your stupid Pakistan or me, the one who is your life, your bestie!!" Emiley shouted!

"Emiley! please don't exaggerate the situation , you know you are my only bestie. I can't afford to leave you!" Aiman pleaded.

"Me ? Or your Pakistan??" Emiley said angrily.

"Emiley please don't be silly! You know very well I am also missing you and London too but please understand!" Aiman shouted on her.

"Choose between your bestie or your boring Pakistan!"

"Emmmm___"

"Nowwww! Choose between me or your Pakistan and those boring weddings!" Emiley interrupted.

"Please Emiley ... Don't be a baby!"
"Me Or Pakistan??" Emiley shouted!

The kids got even more tensed on listening Aiman's conversation!!

"Emileyy please!" Aiman pleaded.

"I repeat, Me or Pakistan?" Emiley interrupted again.

Aiman paused for a while! Took a deep breath and finally spoke,

"Pakistan!"

The kids clapped happily and even Umar got relieved!

"Good bye Emiley!" Aiman finally ended the call, turned back , smiled and gave a hi-five to her little cousins.

The kids jumped with joy making her laugh!
Umar kept on watching the scenario from his doorstep, standing with arms folded.

No one expected this aswer from Aiman.

She looked at Umar with guilt and embarrassment in her eyes!

Atlast , he showed a thumbs up to Aiman and smiled at her making her smile back with relief!