2nd August, 2016

A quick update but a short chapter because I wasn't supposed to write today, but then I came online, read all your comments on the last chap, interacted with some beautiful readers and decided, I'd surprise you all. Enjoy and let me know what you think of this (Sh)amazz-ing chapter! xD

"Truly man is in loss - except for those who believe, do right actions, urge each other to the truth, and urge each other to steadfastness. "

[Surat al-Asr, 1-3]

Chapter 9:

Infinite Possibilities

"I have three children of different ages, but I'd dare say they are all but whining toddlers!"

"Mamma, I turned 11 last week! That's not right!" Aafia sulked.

"And I'm eight and I agree it isn't right!" Hussain added.

"I think you're absolutely right, Mamma. But shouldn't you be happy that we're all so young at heart?" Shamaaz grinned in all his glory.

"Grow up, Shamaaz, grow up," Tanzila replied wearily, eyeing her eldest child.

"Not if that means you want me to behave like a boring old man who talks about the amount of time he wasted being boring!"

"The stuff you call boring is what you need to do in life," Tanzila replied. "You're 24 Shamaaz, 24! What are you waiting for?"

Shamaaz looked at his mother, raking his mind for ideas to help her snap out of this mood. While she was a happy go lucky person, God save the world when she landed into the mother mode.

He walked up to her, placing both his hands on her shoulder and looking into her eyes, he said, "Remember when a friend of yours said she thought you were looking old? I think she was right!"

"Shamaaz!" Tanzila yelled, grabbing the roti's rolling pin from the counter and whacking her son's arm.

There were only two rules in this house. One, you weren't allowed to be sad for more than five hours without venting it out and two, no one was allowed to call Tanzila old.

"If I'm growing old, then it's all your fault. Look at this grey hair, look," she pointed out, annoyed of her son's antics.

"Oh so now I'm being blamed for the natural process of aging?"

As Tanzila attempted to raise her bangles from her wrist upwards, an action that showed she was getting ready to free her hands to whack someone, Shamaaz sighed and said, "Fine, I won't skip the exam."

"Promise?"

He hummed his response and Tanzila continued, "A degree is the minimum qualification a boy must possess. You graduated from college last year and you still have back logs. Clear them and then focus on cricket as much as you like. When four people asks what my son is doing, I can't tell them he has half a degree which he plans to finish soon."

Shamaaz blew a breath in impatience and said, "You always keep saying when four people ask me this when four people ask me that, who are these four people and what do they have to do with my life?"

"We live in a society where we are concerned about our surroundings."

"More like we live in a society where everyone wants to gossip about the other."

"Shamaaz," Tanzila called, chiding her son.

"Mom, I truly believe one must do something that makes them happy. Life is too short to fulfil the never ending expectations of those around you. Set your own standards, chase your dreams and don't let the world dictate your life. Because a hundred years down the lane when I look back, whether I've won or lost, I want to think of my life as a journey I've lived on my own terms, not worried about what people think of me," he ended his rant with a questioning look and it was Tanzila's turn to sigh.

"I don't remember feeding you sunshine and daisies for food, how did you turn up to be this positive in life?"

To this, Shamaaz gave her his infamous mischievous grin and shrugged, "Just one of my many attributes."

"Now that we've sorted this out and I've promised you to clear the remaining papers sometime this year, have you calmed down, old lady?"

"Old lady?" Tanzila asked, narrowing her eyes at her son, ready to launch at him with the desi mom thappad (slap) and Shamaaz hurried to his room, not before teasing, "I know old women have a short temper, but you gotta calm down or you'll look older."

As he chugged down half a tetra pack of orange juice and hopped on his bed, ready to socialise with the virtual world, he made a face looking at his textbooks.

For as long as he could remember, he was a cricket freak. He spent more time in the field than in class rooms, and he'd rather sneak into someone's house to retrieve the ball than solve those horrible questions given for homework.

He was the sports captain in his school, and while his report cards showed he wasn't academically great, his trophies and medals were a stark contrast that were proof we all had varied talents. We could be the best in one field, didn't need to be jack of all trades and master of none.

He was the captain of the under 18 state team but now, it was time to be launched in the national team and he was doing all that he could and more. Right now the team was on a two week break before they'd start their practice sessions again, and the coach would be strict as ever to prepare them for an entry in IPL, mastering which, you'd receive the blue jersey that'd make you a member of the country's cricket team.

While Shamaaz had big dreams, every Desi guy playing cricket in the streets dreamt of the same.

And only time would say who'd wear the country's jersey as a supporter in the stadium, and who'd wear it as a respectable player.

It was a long road but he was so focused on the destination, he'd stand the storms and face all tides.

As Shamaaz looked down on his phone, he ignored the daunting pile of books and relaxed while typing a reply to a text message.

Leeza: We're planning for a trip to Spain. Wanna join?

Shamaaz: And the we stands for?

Leeza: Rohit, Imran, Natasha, you and I.

Shamaaz: As tempting as that sounds, I can't make it. Coach is starting practice soon, IPL is approaching, and I gotta clear those back logs.

Leeza: Ughhhh Shamaaz, you never come with us on international trips! And ahem, did I hear it right? Need help in studying, I could come over? :p

Shamaaz: Yeah, I'm an important person. xD Yes I need to study and no I don't need help. Especially not from you. Because I assure you, if you come over, you won't even let me open those books.

Leeza: I'm not THAT bad.

Shamaaz: You so totally are.

Leeza: Jerk.

Shamaaz: Yeah I know I'm lovable.

Leeza: All my girlfriends think so too.

Shamaaz: And you? :p

Leeza: Smooth.

Shamaaz: That was an innocent question.

Leeza: Cool it. You ain't that great.

Shamaaz: I'm sure your friends would have a better reply.

Leeza: They're all blind to the devil that exists behind the charming face. Shallow people.

Shamaaz: I believe you just insulted me.

Leeza: I believe you turned down Reena's relationship offer.

Shamaaz's fingers stilled over the keypad and he rolled his eyes. Why couldn't girls just limit to being friends without wanting to get closer?

Did they really not know the meaning of space? They could be girls and friends but boy please not girlfriends. He got no time for complicated stuff like love. Fine, maybe he was a ladies man, a little too cheeky but that was it.

Nothing more.

Shamaaz: I believe I did.

Leeza: Waiting for the day a girl can make you fall on your knees.

Shamaaz: Wait forever.

Leeza: It's beautiful to fall in love.

Shamaaz: I'm not having this conversation with you. You'll probably start going into dreamland and say how you wish for a guy who will take you on dates and recite sappy love notes. Like what the heck is that?
Leeza: Whatever man. Meet us in the evening. The other plan is on.

Shamaaz: Cool babe. See you!

As Shamaaz carelessly placed the phone under his pillow and attempted to grab some sleep, a squeaky noise startled him.

Knowing all too well who it was, he walked to the balcony to find Hussain's friend looking up, his baseball cap protecting him from the sun.

"Shamaazai, come down let's play cricket!"

"It's three in the afternoon and it's pretty hot. We'll start the game after an hour."

"Pakka?"

"Yeah!"

As Shamaaz proceeded to head inside, he stopped in his tracks as a ghost of a smile shadowed on his lips.

Clad in an olive green hijab over her Abaya, Anabya stood beside her bike as a guy from the service center probably recited the hundred something issues that needed to be sorted in her two wheeler.

He stared at her, smiling at the expression on her face as she tried to understand all that the guy conveyed.

From the time Shamaaz had met her, he'd admit that he found her attractive. But it was not in the usual sense.

He was used to meeting a lot of girls in cricket, and probably they were some of the best in the entire city for cricket was a glamorous sport.

And Anabya wasn't like them at all. She was far too plain, far too serious in life. He probably hadn't seen her smile even once, except when she was with her nephew Sulaiman.

She always had the stay away look on her face, and eyes that were a door to her inner thoughts, probably why she never looked directly at him.

She was a chaos of thoughts and a puzzle of mindless art.

In a world so complex, she was simple. In a time where everyone publicised their life, she was a hidden secret.

He honestly didn't know who she was. Except that she was different.

As he looked at her, trying and failing to analyze her, he thought back to their previous conversation.

It was mean of him but he got a kick out of riling her up. She looked nice when she was mad, probably trying her hardest to not slap him. Her walls were too high and right now, although he was tempted to peek inside, he decided it was best to leave her that way if he didn't want to crash on those hard bricks.

He would attempt to break them, alright, but he probably didn't need to push it. She'd go all barbaric on him.

He laughed as the service man took her bike and when she walked towards the apartment, she almost tripped on that long Abaya. Why she'd torture herself in that attire, he had no clue.

As she picked the hem and instinctively looked up, he caught her eye. While he smiled at her, she looked away as if he didn't exist.

And quite ironically, Shamaaz found it amusing to find someone who could barely be affected by his presence. He found it quite interesting.

Truly, she was quite a mystery.

***

"Tam bam! You going home?" Anabya asked, and Tammara was taken aback by her sister's tone. She couldn't remember the last time she was so cheerful.

"Staying here was not in the plan but the other day when I came to visit, Raiyyan suggested I could stay over for a couple of days. But today he's taking me to the gyno and I'm going home directly from that."

"Hmm good," Anabya mumbled and Tammara stared at her sister.

Once upon a time, more than a year back, Anabya had confessed to her that she really really like Fadil, crying her heart out as she said but he liked her friend. From the time she found that he got married recently, Tam was meaning to ask Anabya on how she was doing but even after being her own sister, she didn't know how to go about it.

Anabya hated sympathy, and she'd rather fight her battles single handedly. Tam didn't know her inner thoughts but being the big sis, she had to watch out for her.

And had she been doubting her capabilities, Tam also had to show Bee that she was worth all the treasures of the world put together for her heart weighed heavier than all of it.

And so, she started, "Bee, can you imagine me without Raiyyan?"

"I can't imagine metal without a magnet," she joked.

"But, there was a time when I couldn't imagine myself with Raiyyan. That idea repulsed me to the point that I preferred dying a spinster."

"Oh I remember that phase," Anabya smiled. "Furqaan Bhai and I used to discuss ways to get you to at least consider that idea. Bhai once said we should make this entire slide show of your memories together. The only reason he didn't do it was because he didn't want you to point out the pictures and say how he was your cousin and the guy you grew up playing with and so, you'd never marry him."

"I'm sure I would have said that. Furqaan knows me too well. But alhamdulilah, I'm so glad that I'm married to Raiyyan now, no other guy could handle me, I'm sure," Tammara grinned.

"We plan and Allah plans and He is The Best Planner."

As Anabya said that, Tammara finally said what she was meaning to narrate from the beginning, but in a way that was way too subtle.

"You know, Bee, when I was engaged to Sufyan for a short period, I used to think he was the one for me. The image of us together looked perfect, and I was positive that I loved him. When we broke up, I was miserable. It was all the more bad because I didn't know why things happened the way they did. I knew we'd make a great couple, and I didn't think I'd find anyone other than him with whom I'd be my happiest self. But honestly, that was really silly of me. The minute I married Raiyyan, I found the missing pieces. With sabr, all my questions were answered. He was and still is the biggest blessing of my life. He's my present and my future, and my past makes me appreciate him all the more. It's difficult to say what he's like, but I know he's a part of my heart and he's remaining there forever. Isn't it beautiful? Bee, engaged to Sufyaan, I had imagined a life with my limited knowledge but this life that I least predicted is the most beautiful and perfect with all its imperfections. Allah works things in beautiful ways, we need to give it some time."

Anabya heard her sister speak, finding peace in the words she just said. She was curious to know what inspired Tam to share such thoughts with her this evening, but she didn't speak it out loud. A part of her was timid, scared that if she asked, it would give away her secrets of heartbreak.

"You're right," she sighed, "Eventually, we'll find a way out through all the mess only to look back to a journey filled with lessons."

They didn't prod on that any longer, as Tam went on to describe some of her funny encounters which served as a nice distraction.

And that night, after a long time, when Anabya opened her diary, she spilled her heart out in a narrative.

She looked at that shining star, praying with all her heart to possess it. However, as the sun cascaded the sky with its brightness, no stars remained, and it caused her immense grief to look at the clear blanket resting above.

Only if she'd know that what glittered was actually a shooting star, meant to destroy whatever it struck. And the fact that the sun had kissed the clear sky was the sign of new beginnings and infinite possibilities.