Glory of the Midnight Sun √

Eight

"The love of a family is life's greatest blessings."

Fariya

The whole room went silent. Every eye in the room was fixed on the two old ladies who were facing each other. Every mind in the room anticipated about what was going to happen. Every heart prayed for the goodwill of the broken family.

Fariya moved her eyes from her mother to grandmother and then back at her mother. It was fear which was implanted in her heart, and was clearly visible in her hazel eyes.

To say that she was worried would be an understatement. She was beyond terrified. She had met her grandmother for the first time in her life and yet she felt that she was attracted to her, that there was some strange bonding between them.

When she was in her grandmother's arms, she for a second thought that her father was still alive, that he was still around her, looking at her with love in his eyes.

And she wanted to feel that feeling forever.

Now that she had finally met her grandmother after all this time, Fariya did not want to leave her at any cost. So here she was, hoping that her prayers are answered.

Fariya saw her grandmother take a step forward towards her mother while a lone tear fell from her eyes. Fariya's heart started beating wildly, just like every other person's heart in the room. She caught her breath and awaited the step her grandmother would take.

Her grandmother finally reached up to her mother and after placing both of her weak hands on her shoulder, pulled her into a hug. Everyone present in the room, even the walls of the room, breathed out a sigh they were all holding.

A sad smile appeared on everybody's lips as they witnessed the reunion of a mother-in-law with her daughter-in-law. Tears fell on Fariya's face but for the first time tonight, they were the tears of gratitude.

Fariya saw that her grandmother was crying very hard as she hugged her mother.

"Ali! Ali!"

She repeated again and again, as if calling his name will undo the pain that she was in.

Her mother, who was still in shock and hadn't cried since she got the news, started crying as tears fell on her face in a continuous flow. Both the ladies, mother and wife, were crying and the mere scene was enough to make emotions run through the people witnessing it.

Fariya felt her heart exploding with pain. Never in a thousand years would she have thought that this would happen to her. That her Baba would leave her all of a sudden, that life will play its nasty tricks on her.

She forgot about everything, everything that happened yesterday. Her forced Nikah, her unexpected family. The only thing she remembered was the absence of her father, the death of her beloved Baba.

The two old, crying ladies pulled back from the hug and wiped their tears away but the tears were as continuous as their pain, not even stopping for a second.

All of a sudden, Dado started taking deep breaths and it seemed to Fariya that she was having difficulty in breathing. Fariya's big eyes widened even more and she began to move towards her but saw Omer coming towards them quickly so stopped dead in her tracks.

He grabbed his grandmother and helped her sit on the sofa behind them. Kneeling in front of her on the floor, he asked someone to bring water.

As Omer's voice rang through the large room, a young lady turned around and ran inside a room, which Fariya deduced was the kitchen. She came back with a glass of water in her hands and rushed back to Omer.