“secrtes are nothing, but hidden truths.”

°°°

▪︎ London, 2021.

"I want to know about my mother?"

She barged in the room, without knocking.

"Don't you have manners?"

The old lady who was busy knitting the sweater, got upset with her unnecessary dramatic entry.

"BUA!"

"ANAH."

They both shouted with the same intensity. Well, Anah shouted a little too louder, considering Bua's age who was in her mid 80's.

Bua, looked at her for a minute and then started knitting the sweater again.

"Bua I'm here?"

Anah waved a hand infront of her, taking the sweater from her hands, she sat on the floor besides her chair. She was holding Bua's hand in hers and looking at her with pleading eye.

Bua tightly holds her hands and kissing her forehead, she said "My beautiful Anah, don't open the doors which has been closed on you."

"You've told me about Papa and Saba, why don't you tell me about my mother, bua?"

A tear fell from Anah's eyes, the innocent soul of her had been bearing so much, looks like her trial wasn't over.

"I just want to know about my mother.....my father."

"I told you about Zakariya and Saba, because i didn't wanted you to hate your Papa. When you saw Saba's picture in that box. Thinking he loves someone else, not your mother."

"Bua, i promise, i will not ask anything....just tell me who she was? Where's my biological father? Who am i?"

Bua's heart clenched seeing Anah's broken state. Anah is a very kind and soft spoken girl. She would smile with others, but she'll never cry or share her pain with anyone. And now she was weeping, sharing her pain, thinking Bua will ease her sufferings.

"Saira Karim, your mother was a brave lady. She suffered the hardest test with patience and perseverance. She was very little, when she got abducted and sold into prostitution. She was from a very poor family, living in the slums of Mumbai. A dark eyed beauty, as her john said."

Anah looked up questioningly, "john?"

Bua patted her head and thought, Anah was too innocent for this cruel world.

"Here people refers Dalal as john."

Bua shrugged her shoulders.

"Then, who is my biological father Bua?"

"Your mother tried several times to elope from the brothel. But everytime she was sold to another man for his pleasure. And when she got pregnant with you, she decided that this time she'll runaway from this hell hole, even if she'll die in the process. Saira, didn't Wanted you to live the life, she was living. So she left and that day, Zakariya saw her in the Ally, the same day you were born, My beautiful Anah."

Bua sighed, her voice getting heavier and her heart clenching, "When Zakariya got to know about Saira's sufferings and pain. He decided he will not let anyone hurt you, Anah."

Anah looked at Bua with horror filled eyes, ".....so you don't know about my biological father...."

Bua didn't say anything just nodded her head in a 'yes.'

"It means I'm someone's filth, that My Mother saved dying?"

Bua hugged Anah tightly and and kissing on her face, they both were crying.

"You are not filth, Anah. You're the Ajar of Saira's patience. You're the shifa of my Zakariya's wounded heart. You're Anah, My beautiful Anah."

"After untangling every knot, seeing the threads pulled apart, i understand why they say 'Ignorance is bliss." Anah said, she was crying letting her pain flow through her eyes. With every tear, her heart was getting light, she was expecting the truth. A phase, A test, that she was passing with patience.

***

It was a little hot today, sun was shining brightly and winds were blowing on a slow pace. Trees, flowers and birds, rhyming together. So peaceful. Yet she was standing face to face, whether to ring the bell or not?

With alot of courage she did it.

And then a familiar face comes infront of her.

"Hello Daniel."

"Ana."

Anah gritted her teeth, she hated it. But here's not the right time to think about why Daniel called her Ana not Anah.

"Am i not welcomed?"

Anah asked in a serious tone and Daniel who was looking at her with the same love filled eyes, looks embarassed. He gave her space and she walked inside, nodding her head.

"Where's Miss Kaylee?"

Anah asked seeing him alone in the house.

"She was gone for a fundraiser."

Daniel sat on the opposite side of Anah. He was still stunned on seeing her after almost a month.

"I came here to say sorry."

Anah who was looking on the floor mat, like its the most interesting thing in the world. On hearing her words Daniel sat beside her maintaining safe distance, "for what?"

"I'm sorry i should not have said those things to you. I didn't mean it Daniel. I'm really sorry."

This time a tear fell from Anah's eyes. She very well remembered how she questioned him about his father and how she spew venom like words, breaking his heart. But the reason of her tears was that she never knew her words will backbite her and she will taste her own venom.

Daniel bite his lower lip, he truly loved her. He couldn't see her crying. But look at fate, she was sitting so close to him...yet he cannot wipe her tears.

"Its okay Ana. You're not at fault. I'm the one who was continuously stalking you and forcing my feelings.....if i hadn't done that, you wouldn't have said those words."

Anah looked at him woth gratitude and got up from her seat. She was feeling suffocated their, she wanted Daniel to say those venomous words to her. But he was shrugging of this matter like nothing happened.

"Now, we're even. So lets be friends again?"

Daniel was looking at her with expectantly.

Anah was looking in his eyes and for the first time she saw how broken they look.

"Goodbye. Daniel."

And with that she left from their, living Daniel with his expectant eyes.

***

"I knew Daniel is a Good Human, but I'm not the one for him. He will get better with time, because time heals everything. Like it healed Zakariya's wounds. It takes time to accept and with acceptance everything becomes easy. You don't have to move on from a heartbreak just to ease pain. Actually Moving on is a lie, You just have to accept. Like, I've accepted that yeah I'm a Girl, whose daughter of brave woman Saira' who gave up her life for me. I'm a girl who was raised by Zakariya Islam whose not my biological father, but loves me like his own."

"Anah"

"Anah."

"Yes, Papa."

"Anah... Biryani is ready come hurry up."

Anah who was writting in her journal, stopped abruptly, hearing her papa's calling. She got up from her seat and run towards the dinning area.

"Papa it looks so delicious."

Anah took a bite and praised her father, meanwhile Bua also came with her caretaker and joined them.

"Bua, what about my sweater you were knitting?"

"Its done."

"Really," Anah shouted.

She run towards Bua's room and saw her sweater. She quickly wore it and ran Again to show it off to her Papa and Bua.

"How am i looking?"

"My beautiful, Anah" Bua Exclaimed.

"My Paradise, Anah." Zakariya stood up from his chair and hugged her. Her smiles always reminds him off Saba's.

"I love you, Papa."

"I love you too."

***

"You know Dear Diary,

'Ishq' is quite an interesting term but I'd never thought in my entire life this word will rip me apart. I didn't fall in the trap of 'ishq' nor am an 'Ashiqa'. My mistake was i observed too much, curiosity got the best out of me and.......

I'd never thought a pandora box will haunt me for forever.

I sometimes wish if i hadn't opened that Pandora box, it would have been so good. I know the truth, but what it did, nothing. My papa still loves me. I'm still his daughter.

It only left a hole in my soul, that could never be healed.

I've understand very well, why Bua said ''Don't open the gates which are closed on you."

The journal fall from his hands and a tear fell down his eyes.

"Zakariya Islam....you failed in protecting Saba...her soul got tainted and Now you failed in protecting your daughter, your Anah."

Zakariya was standing their motionless.

The End.

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