"Faraz!" Dr. Yaqoob said, "You need to care for yourself. Atrial fibrillation can cause a stroke, you know!"
He rolled down his sleeves and smiled. The past few days had been bad for his heart.
"I'm fine, my friend".
"Keep the watch on", Dr. Yakoob said as he collected his paraphernalia and got up. Faraz walked with him to see him off, "If it's reading a lot of atrial fibrillation then we might have to send you to a different type of cardiologist".
He nodded and smiled again. Yaqoob was his friend as well as the only physician he really trusted.
His heart had been in trouble before. That wasn't the problem. His name was in jeopardy and that needed to be fixed immediately.
Infidelity was a well-known subject to him. He had never been faithful. In a long line of cheating men, he was just the next normal man. But a woman had never cheated as far as he knew. His own wife, the ultimate femme fatale when it came to dismissing any rules of patriarchy that he had tried to teach her, had never dared to cheat.
How did Kausar find the means to have an affair? He knew she worked and so might have met someone at work. But the child didn't look like it wasn't Arshad's. She had a lot of resemblance with Kausar and overall looked like any Pakistani kid.
It wasn't a unique story. A woman had an affair and a child was borne of it. The woman was in an unhappy marriage to begin with. The uniqueness was in how Arshad had died. The even more curiously unique aspect was the amount of information Adeel had.
He hadn't been particularly close with Arshad over the years. They had a loving and trusting relationship but he wasn't close to any of his sons where they'd talk a lot or discuss feelings and problems. Usually they talked business or politics. With Hamza, they had talked about women. But Arshad, even in the handful of conversations since leaving for the USA, had never said that he was unhappy. The affair, of course, had never come up.
His head hurt. His chest throbbed. Somewhere in their palatial home a child laughed.
Arshad's memory came back. He was a beautiful boy and later a very handsome man. Too bad he wanted to get married. He was told to be careful with that. Alas!
Exacting revenge was becoming more important. Adeel wasn't important anymore. He had gotten what he had to from him. Sidelining Adeel was the easy part.
His phone was ringing.
"Adeel!"
"Hi, Uncle!" Adeel's voice had definitely gained a lot of confidence since their last phone call.
"How's everything?"
"Just dandy", He said, walking along one of the busier streets of his town. He had been staying at Arshad and Kausar's place for the past few weeks. Initially he had gone there to check on the place and then had taken to living there. Now his own apartment suffocated him.
"The reason for your call?" Faraz asked politely.
"I wanted to remind you of the store being closed for exactly four weeks now", Adeel said, exasperated that he'd have to repeat himself and ask for money again, "I'm sure you remember our last conversation".
Faraz laughed softly. It was like the hissing of a snake.
"Of course I remember, my friend", He said, "That was hardly a conversation a man can forget. I had not been eating or sleeping for days and then I decided I'm too old for this and therefore did what I had to do".
"What was it?"
"I asked Kausar".
"What did she say?" Adeel asked quietly. Something about this didn't make sense to him. Something wasn't right. Faraz was calm when he had told her Kausar had been unfaithful. But when he had told him about the child, it felt like he had touched a nerve . Now he was acting all calm again.
"She denied it. Vehemently!"
"She's lying", Adeel said, unable to control himself, "She's lying".
"Be that as it may", Faraz said, his signature silk-like voice causing Adeel's insides to burn with resentment and hatred, "I happen to trust my daughter-in-law. I know you were very important to Arshad and you two had plans together. I also know that you saw him through big things in life. Kausar told me how close the two of you were. I'm indebted to you for life for how you cared for my son. But the allegation of infidelity and adultery on Kausar didn't sit so well with me. I'm very angry that someone would say that about a woman of my family".
He was sweating profusely. It was a pleasant morning in Edison where he had come for a wholesome Pakistani breakfast. He had thought of celebrating with some friends that night. It had been an arduous road of heartache, unrequited love, the end of a friendship that was a brotherhood. He was exhausted.
"I am trying to maintain some decorum between us because I know Arshad valued your friendship", Faraz continued, "But I seriously can't fathom how you could stoop so low as to try and blackmail me".
Adeel's mind was spinning. That wretched woman, he thought as his insides fumed with hatred for Kausar, one kick in the pants by this old fart and she squealed out a lie.
"Uncle!"
"You can stay there or come back, I don't care", Faraz continued. He was a man used to deference and respect. Most people didn't speak when he spoke. Adeel was annoying him by interrupting him. "I do want Hamza to sort it all out if you take longer than a week to split it down the middle, hand us what belongs to us and show us the books while you're doing that. Goodbye!"
Adeel was dumbfounded. He knew when he was being dismissed. He nodded, unable to speak. As his hand reached his pocket to put the phone back, he heard Faraz's voice again. Hopefully, he put the phone back to his ear.
"I've paid off Arshad's home", Faraz's voice was smooth and detached, "I believe you're staying there. Please remove yourself before tomorrow morning. It's my son's memory. You shouldn't be using it as your home".
Adeel stared at the phone.
Faraz paced next to the window. This wasn't a small ordeal. Adeel didn't scare him at all. He had nothing to blackmail him with. There was no reason to fret there.
Kausar was a formidable opponent. She had the heat of a thousand furnaces in her eyes. He knew he was up against a force to reckon with.
So few men had been his equal that he looked forward to a woman impressing him.
He sent for her.
Ten minutes later she stood outside his door.
In all the years of being married and spending some part of her marriage in this house, she had never visited her father-in-law's room. Arshad's parents kept separate accommodations in this home. This was an open secret. No one spoke of it but everyone also knew where to find each one of them. And it wasn't in each other's room.
She entered, hesitating at the threshold.
"Come in, Kausar!" Somewhere from the bowels of this room she heard Faraz's voice.
She entered. It seemed strange that so many parts of this house were still a mystery to her. Had Rabia ever been to Faraz's room for any reason? She wondered vaguely.
This was one of the more elaborate rooms in the house. Her own room had beautiful furniture but besides her own room, there weren't many detailed rooms in this house. Nasima's was a mere cavern of curtains and chairs. Rabia's was utilitarian and seemed to have had many pieces of furniture removed to make room for a crib and a toddler bed. She had never been to Arshad's bothers' rooms either. Come to think of it, she hadn't seen many parts of this gigantic mansion.
The room was decorated in gold and mahogany, a combination that screamed of love and lust. There were gilded chairs on either end. An elaborately engraved fireplace was against the tallest wall of the room. A large four-poster bed stood in the middle of the room. Strangely, there were no nightstands.
She walked forward. They had bought cheap rugs in the USA for their home because Arshad was never very generous with money. The material was scratchy and coarse. It had been a long time since she had laid her feet on something as luxurious and lush as the carpet in Faraz's room. She wondered why this wasn't chosen for the living room.
Faraz sat in a large rocking chair, mahogany in color with ornate details on the wooden arm rests. He looked like a king. Actually, he looked a lot like Arshad.
"You sent for me?"
"I did", He said, smiling paternally. "How are you?"
"Well!" She replied briefly.
"I heard you're planning to leave in a few weeks?"
She nodded.
"Four kids", He said, surveying her, wondering why she was chosen for his beautiful boy, "Four kids is a lot to handle on your own. Can you do it?"
"I hope so", She smiled, a little warmed by his compassion. Maybe he wanted to offer financial help. She was going to take it, she had decided. "Aunty is coming with me too".
"Of course", He nodded congenially, "My wife likes to be needed. She becomes bitter and angry when she's not needed".
She had always been intrigued by this mystery of a man. Faraz didn't speak to anyone around him except his sons. Some were closer to him than others. He was generally laidback and informal but exuded an air of power. She could see how weak women would find him irresistible. He was the epitome of what she had always wanted to be herself.
Assuming that no invitation to sit was forthcoming, she sat in the big chair across from him which was exactly like the one he was sitting in.
His brow furrowed for a second and then, he smiled.
"Arshad", He began, "Died under very mysterious circumstances. Won't you agree?"
"Sure", She said easily. There was no mystery in those circumstances, she thought. A mean man met his end because he didn't think anyone meaner than him existed. Turns out someone meaner actually not only existed but was in a brotherhood with him.
"I was very fond of him", Faraz said, his gaze distant and glazed, "He was a very special boy".
She didn't know Arshad when he was a boy so couldn't comment on it.
"Wouldn't you agree?" He asked abruptly after a few seconds.
She looked at him. She didn't get it.
"About what?"
"That he was special?"
"Everyone's special", She thought how special Musa was to her. Maybe all parents thought their sons were special.
"Sure", He got up and moved to a desk in the far corner of the room. She noticed he was filling a cigar and lighting it up. He drew a long puff. The air immediately became infused with cigar smoke. It was a heady scent. Cigarette smoke repulsed her. Cigar, on the other hand, felt soothing.
He carefully walked back to the chair he was sitting in and sat again.
"One of the biggest tragedies for a parent, actually the biggest tragedy for a parent, is to outlive their child. You're a mother. You can understand that".
"I understand", She said. He looked older and defeated all of a sudden. Her heart softened. How could the same man look so majestic and so weak within a span of five minutes?
"I feel lost", He said again, "I have been dealing with a lot of emotion recently. He was in the prime of his life. He had so much to look forward to. I haven't spent a single awake minute thinking about my son who was taken much too early from us. But time came to my rescue. It helps that he has left a legacy behind also. His children helped me see the alternative. I gained heart. I recovered somewhat. And then, Adeel called".
She had been listening intently. The cigar fumes had mixed with the already heavy ambience of the room and had induced a little sleepiness. But she had been listening. Maybe she wasn't so alert but she was listening. Did he say Adeel? No! Why would Adeel call him?
"Excuse me? I didn't catch the last part", She said politely.
"I was saying that I was getting over the young death of my favorite son and had been successful to some extent", He repeated patiently, "And then Adeel called and you could say he gave me a few wounds again".
There was no mistaking his words this time. She straightened up a little in her chair.
"Adeel tells a story", Faraz continued, "Of love and passion. Of trust and deceit. Of cuckolding and adultery. He is quite the story-teller. Wove a tale so ludicrous and yet, so believable".
She was fast losing air in her lungs.
"I am mesmerized, really", His voice came from a distant galaxy, "Of course I'm enraged, stupefied, angry beyond reason, full of hatred for all the characters of this story but most of all, I'm mesmerized. How did so much happen without any witnesses to this whole catastrophe? I mean, a man died because of what happened".
She hadn't had breakfast. Bile rose in her throat and burned the back of her mouth.
"I'm a simple man", Faraz looked at her, "I don't know how to keep secrets. If I was good at it, I'd have had a happy marriage. I would've wined and dined many women and Nasima would've been none the wiser. But I couldn't keep secrets from her. She detected the scent of other women on me. She's really a well-groomed bloodhound".
Kausar got up from her chair. Slowly the room started coming into focus. There was a lot at stake here.
Images of hot afternoons with Adeel flashed in front of her eyes. She trusted him and he had fallen short in more ways than one.
"As he tells it", Faraz was saying", "There is a child fathered by an unknown man in this house. He seems to know so many details about this child that, I have to say, his account seems convincing enough for me to believe him".
Her palms were sweaty. Her heart thudded violently. Amira was in danger if this was revealed by Adeel.
"He gave me a lot of food for thought", Faraz was puffing on his cigar as he spoke, "I mean, I wouldn't feel an adulteress competent to raise my bloodline. And I certainly wouldn't want my grandkids to grow up with a child who is of dubious parentage".
"You can't take my kids from me", She finally said but her voice shook.
"You'll find out that I can", He said.
Her body was shaking like a leaf in the wind. Someone was screaming in her ears. Arshad had cursed her on his deathbed, she was sure. Why else would this be happening to her?
"You weren't good to my son", He resumed his monotonous speech, "You weren't good to him. I want you to be honest. Your honesty can help me see you in some positive light after all. I know the truth but hearing it from you will not only lend credibility to what I've heard, it will also help me protect you and my son's child. Was it Adeel?"
It was like a slowly crashing set of a motion picture. Her life was going up in flames as she watched it. Knowing the truth and protecting it was one thing. Sharing the truth with Faraz was entirely another. She was vulnerable, she realized for this first time. All her plans of escaping the claws of fate were eventually for naught.
She could tell the truth and hope for it to exonerate her. Or she could continue to hide the truth and live faraway from here in relative anonymity. Something told her that she'd always be discoverable.
She cleared her throat. This room was stifling. The smoke of the cigar was acrid.
"I have proof", He lied to get his way. She didn't stand a chance against him. He smiled smugly. "But I give you a chance for redemption. Take it and be forever honorable to me as a woman who stood in her truth. Deny and be a liar in addition to being an adulteress. The choice, as with everything in life, is yours".
Did he really think choice had been hers? She wondered wildly. Did he not know that she had never had a choice? Marriage, motherhood, an affair with Adeel, being widowed! Did he think these were choices that she had made? She had just played the cards that had been dealt to her more recklessly than women usually do.
"It was Adeel", She finally said. Her voice didn't shake anymore. A little relief washed over her. This secret was heavy, she realized.
"Hmm", He collapsed in the chair that he had been occupying and leaving during this conversation.
Somewhere in the pit of his stomach, hatred rose its head like a prehistoric animal laying its claim back on a land that had gone amok in its absence. It roared and shook his insides. Sweat poured out of his body like many faucets had been twisted by some cruel many-handed creature. He got dizzy. This was the confession that he had wanted and now that he had it, it made him sick.
He surreptitiously checked his watch. He was having the familiar palpitations that he got each time his heart went into atrial fibrillation. His heart rate was about a hundred and sixty beats per minute. He was surprised that it just didn't explode and go up in smithereens.
Grief as he had never known it consumed him. His son, a man he had created willfully and legitimately, had fallen a victim to a hideous scheme run by his wife and her lover. How did that happen? Of course he died! Who could live in shame?
He looked at the woman in front of him. She had the characteristic coarseness of features that most Pakistanis have. Intermixed was the dusky smolder of the indigenous Pakistani also. She had the same ethnic ambiguity of facial features that's so common in people of Pakistan. Was she pretty or ugly? Who knew?
But regardless of her defenselessness, she was an offender of the worst degree. She had committed a crime and a sin. And while her crime could certainly land her in prison, adultery wasn't his beef with her. He wanted to punish her for taking Arshad from him.
He looked at her again. She was standing and facing away from him. He calculated his options quickly and said,
"Do you know the punishment of adultery in a court of law?"
She thought she was making a plea deal. As Kausar turned around to see her father-in-law's face, she realized they were all the same. He didn't just look like Arshad. He, just like Arshad, believed in playing with his victim before going in for the kill.
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