8

— Z A H I R —

°°°

A week has passed since the day of celebrating happiness but my father's mood has changed completely. I have been noticing for a week that he does not talk to anyone well. His smile, which was inevitable, is no longer found on his lips. He even stopped joking every now and then. Now he does not insult me ​​in front of everyone. How did this change all of a sudden? 

This change is strange. Sometimes he does not even listen carefully to things. It seems every moment, he is just thinking about something. There is something that is bothering him. 

And I did not like this change at all. I hate every change that causes my father’s smile to become rare. 

That is why today I am going to him with the intention of getting to know the reason. I want to ask him what has been bothering him for the last week. 

Taking a deep breath, I knock on his door. 

“Come in.” The voice reaches my ears. I push the door open, peeking inside. My dad is sitting on his chair, wearing specs, and he is reading a book. 

“Zahir. What's the matter? Haven’t slept yet? Want to say something?” He questioned one by one at a slow pace. In his soft voice. 

“Yes, Dad.” Hearing me, he nods and puts the books on the table before gesturing me toward the couch in front of him. I sat there. 

“What do you want to say?” He asked me. 

“Dad, I've been noticing you since last week. Something has changed. There’s something that is bothering you. What's that?” I say this all directly because I do not want to ask something indirectly or in other ways in front of my dad. 

He knows me more than me so it was way too easy for him to catch with which intention I have come to him. 

He sighed. “What else is there other than your marriage that can trouble me, son?” 

I groan mentally. “Just that? I don’t think so. You said that you have found a girl for me, so why are you sad all of a sudden?” I point out. 

“Hm, I was happy that at last, I found a nice girl for you. But unfortunately, she denied it.”

I frown. Well, who dared to deny me? Anyway, it should not bother me at all because that's what I wanted though. I nod before asking him, “So are there no other girls in the world?”

He looks at me. A mysterious smile grazed over his lips. “There is no shortage of girls. Especially for you, every girl in the world is ready, but son, I wish to find the best for you so that you do not face any problems in the future. You deserve the best. And she is the best for you.” 

What's so special about her? I have heard Rayma Bhabhi, too, whispering something about the same girl to Brother Adyant. 

I sigh. “What’s special in her?” 

“She isn’t ordinary, Zahir. She can change your way of thinking about relationships and women.” He leans back, resting his back against the chair. “You need someone genuinely concerned about you. You need someone who’s selfless for you. You need someone who’s ready to become a wife and a mother for you. And she’s all that you need and you’ll want.”

“How are you so sure?” I ask him, confused completely. He knows what bothers me and that is why he tried to find the things I want in a girl which seems impossible.

Of course! Are not the things I desire impossible to find in humans nowadays? Which girl would genuinely worry about me because everything in the world is ostentatious? Which girl can be both mother and wife for me? Mother, she will become of her child and not of a grown man like me. Sometimes I even laugh at my wants but I cannot change them. And most importantly, which girl would care for me before herself? As far as I know this world, this world thinks only of itself. I do not look for fault in anyone. Worrying for oneself is a human instinct. And which woman would be the one who would take care of me before herself? I do not think there can be someone like my imagination. My desires. 

Forget about it! 

“I’ve seen it, son. She’s caring, nice, and an attractive woman.” He smiles at me. 

I sigh. “But unfortunately she denied it. Don't be sad about this. Forget this and move forward, Dad.” To be honest, I just want him to ignore that shit. I do not want my father to become silent just because the best girl he searched for me denied me. 

It hurt my ego, somewhere. How dare she! 

“It’s hard, my child.”

“Why?”

“Because I care for you.”

This is the only human I know who is genuinely concerned for me. Who loves me the most. Who thinks about me before himself. And who is everything to me. My father, my friend, my relatives, my everything! 

“Why should I marry someone when I got such a good father?” I secretly peer up at him to find a reaction. 

He gives me a stink eye. He knew what I meant. “Don’t try to turn the topic, Zahir. I’m already pissed off!” Okay, yes, that's only what I wanted — to divert the topic. Unfortunately, I failed. 

Wish I had some magic wand with which I could erase a piece of memories from my dad's mind. And that would be a happy ending. 

“Oh really? Dad, you’re unbelievable!”

“I know. But what made you say this all of a sudden?”

“You even talked to her? I thought she was ready but you were celebrating without even letting her know!”

He chuckled. “Yeah, we didn’t know this would happen.” He shook his head. “But I understand. Her goals are important for her.” I scoffed mentally. I can give her a luxurious lifestyle, without asking for a penny from her. 

“Oh.” I do not have anything to say further. 

“Nothing is sadder than this. I'll probably regret for the rest of my life that I couldn't find a better girl for my Zahir. Even after searching, I couldn't convince her.” He sighed, rubbing his face. He was frustrated. I could see it. 

“Dad,” I called him. He looked at me. “You don’t have to say this! I can’t see you like this. Sad and all. If you want me to marry her, then… then…” I averted my gaze, unable to form something appropriate. 

“Then?” He emphasized. 

I bit on my bottom lip while a tch sound escaped my tongue. “Then I’ll talk to her. I’ll… I’ll propose to her, is that okay?” I looked at him for approval. 

No, I did not lie. 

I never knew that worrying about my marriage would take away my father's smile. I had thought that after a few days, this hobby of his would go away, but that desire took away his smile which I could not tolerate. 

And now whatever is spoiled because of me, I would like to fix it in my own way. Only for my father. 

He chuckled. “I’ll be glad if you do it. But I don’t think she’ll say yes.” 

“What do you mean? You should encourage me, instead, you’re giving me negativity only.” I complained. 

“Nothing like that, son. But she’s tough.” His eyes squinted a bit as his lips twisted, giving me a challenge. He knew I always accepted challenges and even won each one of them. 

“Come on, Dad, I like challenges.” I chuckled, ignoring the look he gave me. And I am willing to win it. 

“No no, son, she’s not some challenge. You have to win her heart.” 

Bullshit. I wish I could use this word in front of my dad. Winning hearts is a kind of shit. But I will do anything for my dad. If this can make him happy, I will do it. But not heart, rather, something else. Anything else? 

“Okay,” I say, nodding my head. “I should leave now.” I get up from the couch. 

“Yeah, go and sleep.” He smiles at me— that's what I wanted. I nod before leaving. 

••

The next day when I went to work, I got all the information about the girl that I had asked to collect from one of my men. Surprised to know that my father liked that wild cat! 

Did my father not get better than that girl? From where did that girl look caring to my father? Rather she is ready to scratch my face anytime. This girl will love me less and hate me more, torture me more. The girl stares at me as if I will be chewed raw by her and my father wants me to get married to her? It is difficult for us to see each other even for a moment and my father wants to bind both of us in a relationship like marriage forever? 

I huff loudly. 

“What happened, is it wrong?” Darsh asks me, pulling my attention. 

“No. I’m just pissed off. This girl is the one who insulted me in front of everyone on that road. I can’t believe my dad wants me to marry her!" 

"Do you want Clovis?” He diverted my attention to some other girl. I narrowed my eyes at him, wanting him to continue his bullshit first, “Well, she desires to marry you, just say yes!” 

“Nothing like that, Darsh.” 

“Why not? She’s a famous model and she’s in love with you.”

“Who said that?”

“She said.”

I roll my eyes. Love? Does she even know what love is? I also do not know but at least I do not even claim. “Don’t bring her matter, idiot. And mind telling me some ideas so I can propose to her.”

“Clovis?”

“Hoor!” 

He chuckled. I glared at him. 

“Okay, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” He raises his hands in a defensive manner. He does not fear me but makes fun of me in everything. My jaw flexed and I clenched my fists to control my anger. The urge to punch him in the face is high. 

“But Zahir, I don’t know her, so I don’t know how you should ask her. I just know what girls like Clovis want.” 

“What’s the difference?” I frown, looking at her picture on my mobile which I got from my man. 

“Girls like Clovis like expensive dates. Like yacht dates and expensive gifts, that’s why I could help you with it. But I don’t know anything about Hoor. But as she’s a middle-class girl, her wishes might be simple.” He shrugged. 

I zoomed in on the picture while listening to him. She is clutching her head and some of her hair strands are falling in front of her face. The picture was taken when she was working. She looks like a mess. This girl does not even know how to live properly. Her hair is scattered all the time and the smile on her face never remains. She looks stressed in the picture. Most importantly, she is hardworking, as I realized from her information. 

Not just that, but despite how wild she is, her eyes are big and beautiful. Big, beautiful, and brown. I never liked the color brown, mixed with green specks unless I saw them in her eyes, gleaming under the bright sun. 

She has a pretty face, too, but no sense of wearing clothes. Even in the picture, she is in baggy clothes. 

Not like I want her to wear revealing clothes and go for a fashion walk. It is totally her wish. But at least, dress up decently like other girls? She looks like a tomboy. 

“Do you think so?” I turn the screen off. 

“Yes. Anyway, I think you should go and do everything straightforward. Put your proposal directly. After all the contract you’ll propose to her won’t suit with some expensive date.” 

I nod at him with a sigh. 

Yes, I am going to handle it with a contract. A bad thing, I know, but I have to do it. For my dad? 

I never dreamed of getting married. On the contrary, I do not want any partner because I know that no woman can ever be satisfied with only one man. 

Like my mother. 

My mother wanted another man in spite of my father. And there is no guarantee that even Hoor will not be like her. We do not know when a person’s mind will change. The mind is fickle and corrupted.  

So why do not I just start with a contract? If I tell her that she will get profit in this marriage, then she will say yes. What woman would want to reject such a great proposal? Any woman would be a fool to deny this. 

I am not sure at all that this relationship will survive, so I will make Hoor my wife with the help of this contract. In this relationship, both of us will live like a couple in front of the world, and then this is what my father needs—a partner for me. And that is what I will get. A partner for a year.