R U S H I N G to get ready before the guests arrived, Hoor had made a mess of her bedroom. The worn out chest of drawers had been pulled open and clothes off all shades were strewn about carelessly. Hoor sighed to herself every few minutes. Feeling defeated at the fact that she had not been able to select an outfit for the night. She still needed to set the table for dinner and iron her outfit of the night. Which would of course happen after she had decided on something. At times she seriously felt that jinns [ghosts] were around her, anytime she wanted something, it would disappear.

"Hoor beta ab aajao neechay!"
[Hoor come downstairs]
Her ammi shouted.
"Ammi abhi tak kapray hi nahi badlay,"
[Mama I haven't changed my clothes yet]
Hoor answered sheepishly, standing on the edge of the stairs.
"Acha chalo, jaldi sai ajao phir".
[Oh okay then come fast]
Her precious mother laughed at her behaviour before urging her to change her outfit as fast as she could.

Finally she decided on a pale blue printed shirt, which had white embroidered flowers on it as well as a white lace at the ends of the sleeves which she had added herself to give it a bit of style. It had a white cotton, fitted trouser with it as well as a white chiffon dupatta. Rubbing a light lipstick of pink colour that she had stolen from her mother's vanity, Hoor began to make her hair.

Hoor was brushing the thick wavy mess on her head when she heard it. The screeching of the metal door and her parents greeting a man who had a thick voice.
"Hoor neechay aao,"
[Hoor come down]
Ali knocked on her bedroom door, continuing "mehman aa gai hain".
[The guests are here]
Not even waiting for a reply he ran downstairs to see if his help was needed or not.
"Ji bhai aarahi hun,"
[Coming brother]
she replied from behind the door. Pulling her hair into an updo, using a simple clip to hold it in place.

Hoor ran downstairs, skipping a step or two on her way to the little courtyard. She on arrival saw the emptiness of the daybed, which indicated that they were all probably sitting inside her parents or brother's bedroom. This gave her the perfect chance to set up the dining table without any confrontation from the guests. As the wind continued to blow, Hoor busied herself with taking out the dishes, smiling at the occasional laughter that erupted from the bedroom causing her to smile. Her parents worked very hard and deserved much more than they had.

"Hoor beta andar aajao!"
[Hoor come inside]
She heard the warm and comforting voice of her father.
"Aai abbu jaan,"
[Coming dad]
she replied, spreading her veil on her shoulders, Hoor entered her parent's bedroom.
"Assalamualikum," Hoor entered with a tray of soft drinks.
And she was glad she had done so seeing as no one had previously served their mehmaan [guests] which was hilarious considering the fact that Pakistani people were proud of their hospitality skills, regardless of the social standing they had.

"Waalikumassalam," an elderly man of about her father's age replied.
"Rehman bhai yeh meri beti Hoor hai. Hoor yeh Rehman sahab hai. Baray sahab keh azeez housekeeper huwa karte thay,"
[Rehman this is my daughter Hoor. Hoor this is Rehman. He used to he the most beloved housekeeper of sir]
her father introduced them to each other.
"MashAllah bohat hi piyaari beti hai!"
[Allah has willed, you have such a pretty daughter]
Rehman sahab placed her hand full of love on her head. His eyes full of love and kindness.

Hoor kept the tray in front of him before excusing herself to go and set the table with the food. Taking out a large flat dish and layering the orange-yellow coloured rice into it she placed it on the centre of their large dining table. Next she added the dahi bharay [refined flour balls fried and served in yougurt] in a glass bowl, keeping all the sauces and crackers that went along with it in a separate plate. She cleaned the cutlery with a dish rag, gently working on each fork and plate. It was her mother's beloved china set that she had brought along with her on time of marriage.

Keeping it all on the table, she next took out the glasses that were only used in the presence of guests. The intricate glasses were a vision to see and the quality was something that one would now see in super high end markets.
"Ammi khana lag gaya hai,"
[Mom I have served dinner]
Hoor whispered into her mother's ears.
"Acha,"
[Okay]
turning to the guests, Jahan-ara smiled, "ji bhai sahab khana lag gaya hai. Aap aaye pehlay kha lein, baatein tou hoti rehein gi!"
[Oh brother dinner is served. Eat first you can talk later]
She enthusiastically spoke, shoving Jamal out of the room to lead the way.

Outside the three men immediately dove into the scrumptious food. The smells were tickling their senses making them feel as if they needed to add more and more into their plate.
"Bhai khana bohat lazeez hai!"
[Brother the food was delicious]
Rehman complimented.
"Ji shukriya. Hoor nai banai hai. MashAllah uske haath mein bohat zaiqa hai,"
[Thank you. Hoor made it. Her hand has a lot of flavour]
Jamal spoke proudly.
"Jamal bhai bura na manye ga magar abhi tak apnay apnay dono bachun mein sai kisi ki shaadi nahi ki?"
[Jamal brother please don't feel bad but you haven't married any of your kids yet?]
He eyed Ali who was busy eating the plate clean.

"Kia bataun aap ko bhai!"
[What should I tell you brother!]
Jamal huffed, glaring at his son.
In his heart he was fully furious, both his children were suffering due to the ignorance of one. He wondered why people always boasted the fact that they had sons when he had seen that in their neighbourhood it was mostly the daughters that earned to feed their families while the sons developed seriously disgusting habits.
"Dost nahi tou kamazkam bhai samajh kar hi problem share kar lo!"
[If not a friend then atleast think of me as a brother to share your problems!]
Rehman looked at the man who had been his colleague for most of his life.

"Bas bhai, karzay par karza hai sar par. Upar sai Ali ki nokri bhi nahin hai. Ab jo bhi rishta Hoor keh liye aata hai woh jahez na milnay ka sun kar chala jata hai,"
[Just brother, there is debt upon debt. Plus Ali does not have a job. Whatever proposal comes for Hoor, they leave after realizing there is no dowry,]
Jamal painted a relatively kinder picture infront of his dearest friend, hiding the part where the reason for all their debts was in-fact Ali's gambling addiction.
"Meri beti nahin hai isliye tumhara dukh nahi baant sakta. Magar eik beta hai. Tum tou Rizwan ko bohat achi tarah jantay ho. Kaho tou mein uss sai Hoor keh silsilay mein baat karun?"
[I don't have a daughter that is why I can not share your heartache. However, I have a son. You know Rizwan very well. If you say should I talk to him in regards with Hoor?]
Rehman causally mentioned his son as a potential suitor.

Rehman had been looking for a good bride for his son. Who would be kind and help his son out. He did not care about dowry, his son earned well enough to ensure they had a comfortable life.

"A-arey Rehman bhai aap nai tou dil khush kar diya,"
[O-oh Rehman brother you have made my heart happy]
Jamal's cheeks had an almost immediate glow. The prospect of such a good suitor had seemed almost impossible.
"Bhai bhi kehtay ho aur apnay kaam bhi nahin anay detay? Bhala yeh kaisi bhai chari?"
[You call me a brother and yet don't even let he help you out? What kind of brotherhood is this?]
Rehman's eyes twinkled with mischief as he slapped the back of Ali in a humorous manner.
"Aur bhai sahabzade aap bhi noukri dhond kar jaldi sai shenai bajwain,"
[And you son find a job and then get married soon]
he advised the young man who was silently eating his dinner.

"Pehlay isse sanjeeda ho lenay dein. Kisi ki beti ki zindagi thodi na kharab karni hai,"
[First let him get serious. We don't want to destroy the life of someone's daughter]
Jamal's tone put and end to all the dreamy images that were being painted in his mind.
"Ji uncle baba sahi keh rahay hain,"
[Yes uncle father is saying it right]
he murmured sheepishly.

It was after Rehman had left and Hoor alongside Jahan-ara was enjoying her dinner that Jamal broke the news.
"Rehman bhai nai Hoor ka haath manga hai apnay betay Rizwan keh liye!"
[Rehman brother has asked for Hoor'a hand for his son Rizwan!]
Jamal's face sporting a huge grin.
"Waqai?" [Really?] Jahan-ara still unable to wrap her head around the news.
"Han. Unhun nai kaha hai woh Rizwan sai baat karein gai," [Yes. He said he will talk with Rizwan] Jamal's eyes held a feeling of content.
He could finally imagine his daughter, his jigar ka tukda [piece of his liver — someone cherished] getting married to a man who was as perfect as a human could get.

"Par baba -" [But father —] Hoor tried to raise her concern for the abrupt decision of her father's dearest friend.
"Par war kuch nahi. Hoor meri jaan aisay rishtay baar baar nahin miltay. Agar eik heera khud chal kar aya hai tou usko pehnk nahi saktay!"
[But nothing. Hoor my life these kind of proposals aren't found again and again. If a diamond comes walking to you you don't throw it away!]
Her beloved ammi tried to reason with her.
"Han magar-" [Yes but - ]
"Magar wagar kuch nahin. Dekho beta Rehman sahab ko jahez bhi nahi chahiye phir tumharay baba bhi ladkay ko jantay hain. Isliye fikr mat karo. Jao ja kar so jao. Bartan subah utha lein gai!"
[But nothing. Listen Rehman sir won't even ask for dowry plus your father knows the guy as well. So don't worry. Go sleep. We'll pick the dishes in the morning!]
Jamal dismissed the worries of his daughter and waved her concerns away.

Hoor walked into her bedroom, sitting on the thin bed she rubbed her temples. Something did not feel right. Everything was perfect. The guy, Rizwan was perfect. His father not demanding anything was perfect. And yet no one seemed to be paying attention to the storm of emotions in heart. When she should have been completely content, her heart held nothing but dread for the coming days.

"Hoor fikr mat karo. Abhi kuch paka thodi huwa hai!"
[Hoor don't worry nothing is set in stone yet!]
Hoor tried to calm down her rapidly pumping heart.
She sighed and ran to the rooftop to do her wudu for the Isha prayers.

Her hands lay flat against her chest as she stood with her head bowed infront of her Creator. Her lips moved slowly, dropping the Arabic words that she had learnt by heart at the tender age of seven smoothly. As she went into a sajda her heart trembled. The weight of all her emotions piling up, leading to her crying a river of tears. In the moment that her head bowed and her forehead touched the thin prayer mat, all her worries came out. The frustration flowing without a stop.

"Allah mein itni mazboot nahin hun. Mujhe itna tou mat azma. Ab agar kismat mein khushi likhi hai tou de de warna dukh mat dena. Meray ammi aur baba bardasht nahin kar pain gai. Agar unko beti di hai tou phir in sab musibatun sai bhi bacha. Allah tala teray siwa koi bhi meri parishany jannay ko tiyaar nahin. Dekhnay mein tou sab theek hai magar mera dil man hi nahin raha. Pata nahi eik ajeeb si kafait ho gai hai. Allah meray dil ko sukoon de!"
[Allah I am not so strong. Please don't test me so much. If you have now written happiness for me then give it but don't give hurt. My parents will not withstand it. If you have given a daughter then save them from such troubles. Allah other than you no one knows my troubles. To the eye everything is alright but my heart does not agree. There is a weird kind of unease inside of me!]
Hoor cried as she prayed for peace.

That night as her sobs subsided into little whimpers, Hoor lay her body on the mat, falling asleep. Leaving all her troubles for another day. Whilst the dark starless sky looked at her pain as a gaurdian.

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