Their Last Season

"What was that, Sumi?" Hamza exclaimed the moment they were in the room.

They decided to stay in Kanpur for a day. Rahil had already wanted this, and he happily welcomed them into his humble abode.

"Maybe we're thinking about it the wrong way," Sumaiya tried to reason.

"No, Sumi. Bhai is definitely hiding something. I can't forget his posture that day," Hamza said.

He was perplexed, stuck in a puzzle whose starting point remained unknown.

"Okay, relax, Hamza. There must be some reason," Sumaiya tried to calm him down.

"Sumi, I'm telling you, I won't let any injustice happen to Bhabhi. She is the woman of Khan Villa; she is ours to protect," Hamza said firmly.

Sumaiya nodded, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"Rest, Hamza," she said.

He nodded.

Soon, they were engulfed in the arms of sleep.

It was the last hour of the night when Hamza stirred.

He glanced at the clock.

It was Tahajjud time, the voluntary prayer offered in the final hours of the night.

He got up from the bed, glancing toward the other side to see his begum sleeping peacefully.

He carefully got out of bed, not wanting to disturb her sleep.

After performing ablution, he spread a prayer mat and offered two rak'ahs of salah.

He raised his hands in dua.

"Oh, Calmer of hearts,

Give harmony to this anxious heart.

Help me see the full picture clearly.

Help me protect the women of my house.

Help me choose justice over relationships.

Ameen."

He got up from the prayer mat and lay down to sleep again.

The next day, they were once again at the restaurant where they had seen Hashir.

Rahil was with them.

Hamza and Rahil spoke to the manager, but he refused to give them any clues.

Only then did Sumaiya notice a waiter glancing at them repeatedly.

She signaled him to come outside.

Then she went to Hamza and signaled him to follow her.

"What happened, Sumi?" Hamza asked as soon as they stepped outside the restaurant.

"Let's sit in the car," she said calmly.

Rahil looked confused and was about to say something when Hamza signaled him to keep quiet.

He knew his Sumi. If she was doing something, there had to be a reason behind it.

They sat in the car and soon saw the waiter approaching them.

When he reached them, Sumaiya took out three ₹500 notes and held them out to him.

Rahil gaped at her, his mouth hanging open.

The waiter took the money without a word.

Hamza immediately understood. He held out his phone, showing the waiter a picture of Hashir.

"Do you recognize this man?" Hamza asked.

"Yes," the waiter replied.

"Does he come here often?" Hamza asked again.

"Yes, he comes here often with his daughter, I guess," the waiter said.

Hamza froze.

Daughter?

The girl wasn't his brother's daughter.

But the words I guess registered in his mind.

A spark of hope ignited within him.

"No, ma'am. This sir often comes here with a teenage girl. The woman who visited with him was here for the first time," he replied to Sumaiya's question.

She turned toward Rahil.

"It's all about money sometimes," she said with a smirk.

After hearing the reply, Hamza exhaled.

But still, who was that girl?

The journey home was filled with uncomfortable silence.

The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife.

They reached Delhi.

Sumaiya was worried about him.

He wasn't speaking, and his silence was louder than any storm.

"Sumi, rest well," he said, patting her cheek before leaving for the office.

She smiled.

*****

"Assalamualaikum," Hamza greeted the person on the other end of the call.

"Wa Alaikum Assalam, Chote Sahab," the man greeted back.

"Rafey Uncle, listen carefully to what I'm about to tell you. And this should stay between us," Hamza said firmly.

"Okay, Sahab," Rafey agreed.

He was Hamza's father's most trusted man.

"You have to report Bhai's activities outside the house to me. Whom is he meeting? Where is he going? I want to know everything," Hamza ordered.

He exhaled and leaned back in his chair.

Just then, his phone displayed a notification.

A message from his begum.

Please eat something.

A simple message, yet the most lovable one according to Hamza.

It felt good to be loved by the person he loved.

He remembered the girl.

Her features were quite similar to Aariz, his nephew.

This similarity made his heart restless.

I hope the storm doesn't take away their happiness, he prayed.

*****

Sumaiya went to the mall to buy a sweatshirt for Hamza when she bumped into someone.

"Sorry," the man said before stopping in his tracks when he saw her.

Sumaiya recognized him.

He was the HR manager from the company who had visited that day.

She noticed him staring at her intently.

Feeling awkward, she looked away.

Then her eyes fell on her wallet lying on the floor.

When she bent down to pick it up, the man's reverie broke.

He too bent down to help her.

Just then, his hand froze.

He caught sight of a photograph inside her wallet.

A face he could recognize anywhere.

Sumaiya took her wallet and walked away, but he continued staring until she disappeared into the crowd.

"What was Mahira's mother's picture doing in that woman's wallet?" Danish wondered.

*****

It was a half-day at college when Sumaiya decided to meet her friend Rahila at a café.

They had been trying to meet for a long time but couldn't because of their busy schedules.

She entered a nature-themed café.

Her mood instantly refreshed.

Glancing around, she spotted Rahila sitting at a corner table near the window.

She walked toward her.

Just then, Rahila looked up.

"Long time no see, sweetheart!" Rahila exclaimed.

"We talked on a video call just yesterday," Sumaiya said, rolling her eyes.

"Yes, yes. Now that you have a husband, who will miss this single person?" Rahila said dramatically.

Sumaiya gave her a deadpan look.

"Who would say you're a lawyer after seeing these antics of yours?" Sumaiya snickered.

They both chuckled.

They chatted for some time.

"You know, Sumi, I got a very complex case," Rahila said.

"Okay."

"It's from a place near your in-laws' house."

That caught Sumaiya's attention.

"What was the name of the place?" Rahila murmured, trying to recall.

"Yes! It's on the outskirts of Fatehpur."

"Fatehpur," Sumaiya repeated.

"In that village, the ratio of males to females is very unusual.

Women die very early there.

I got a case where a woman was forced to marry a man twice her age.

Now she wants an annulment.

She has even requested police protection.

And my good-for-nothing boss handed the case over to me."

Sumaiya nodded.

"The people there are very narrow-minded," she said.

Rahila nodded in agreement.

They chatted for some more time before returning to their homes.

*****

It was nighttime.

Sumaiya and Hamza were sitting on the balcony.

"Hamza, are you okay?" Sumaiya asked.

Hamza looked at her as if asking why she thought otherwise.

He nodded.

"Are you really okay?" she asked again, stressing every word.

Hamza took her palm into his hand and caressed it gently.

"Yes, I am okay. With you, I always am," he said softly.

"I am always with you," she replied, gazing into his eyes.

Their gazes collided.

Their eyes spoke.

Their hearts whispered.

A new rhythm of love wove itself between them.

*****

It was dawn when Hamza's phone rang.

Both

of them stirred.

Sumaiya glanced at the clock.

It was 4:30 a.m.

Her heart sank.

The moment she saw Hamza's expression, she knew something was terribly wrong.

His face paled.

He turned toward her.

"Hashir Bhai met with an accident."

Those were the words that left his mouth.