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LAGAN NOVEL ( PART 6) THE SILENCE OF FALKI
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Falki felt like yanking her arm away abruptly, but then the helplessness from the previous night flashed through her mind.
She quietly stepped away.
"Why are you crying, my moon?"
Ammi said, adjusting her saree as she sat down on the sofa.
"She’s the only daughter, separated for the first time. Obviously, emotions are bound to rise," Afaq said with a laugh.
"You didn’t let her cry during the farewell. Now she got a bit excited seeing you!"
Afaq said this so charmingly that everyone believed it to be true.
Everyone—except Falki, who was boiling with anger inside.
"Hey, why are you all hovering over me like this? Sit down, will you?"
Afaq said, looking at Falki’s friends.
"We’re not hovering! Maybe your eyesight has weakened?" Simmi teased.
"If it hadn’t before, it probably has after just one night!"
Everyone burst into laughter.
"Ammi, these are all Falki’s friends. Come on, introduce them yourself!"
Afaq said.
Ammi looked toward Falki.
Falki was still drying her eyes.
The girls scattered around and took their seats.
"Why is our Falki so shy today?"
Saying this, Simmi took the lead and began introducing everyone herself.
"Her sweet name is 'Nikki'."
"A perfect name," Afaq interrupted boldly as he looked at her rosy face. Nikki blushed a little but continued,
"This is Choochoo, this is Nikti, this is Asma, this is Faukia, and this is Chanda."
"We’re all Falki’s friends."
"Obviously," Afaq said mischievously, "only friends would launch an attack like this the day after the wedding! What a storm! They’ve been sitting here since 9 a.m. They were so eager to meet you. I barely managed to hold them off until 11. My own heart was restless for my 'baby', but I didn’t want to disturb you."
"Your arrival feels like Eid for us. And you’ve come at a perfect time. Falki just woke up, and I was about to give her breakfast."
"Wow! Falki woke up this late?" one friend asked with fake astonishment.
"Well, who can wake up early after staying up all night?" Afaq replied.
"Such a character..." Mutti smiled flirtatiously and placed her hand on his.
"Tell us, will Falki resemble you or not? I fear that soon, she’ll start looking like your mother!"
"Nonsense! In just a week you’ve doubled in wit. You make up such things!"
Falki grew more and more uneasy inside.
"I swear to God, I married falki only because of you. A woman’s best quality is to always appear fresh. I just tend to speak informally," said Afaq.
"Nothing you say ever feels too much to me," Ammi said, smiling.
Just then, the waiter arrived with a tray of tea and breakfast. He started serving tea and sweets to everyone. Mutti declined the sweets but accepted a light and slightly bitter cup of tea.
"Ladies, don’t you all diet?" Afaq laughed, offering them sweets.
"Look at her first," Choochoo pointed at Falki.
"She’s their purchased slave," Afaq joked, lowering his head and picking up a piece of sweet, moving it toward Falki’s mouth.
Falki wanted to brush his hand away, but she couldn’t. Her friends were jealous, her mother looked happy—no one had a clue what was going on in her heart. It was better just to eat the sweet.
As soon as she slightly opened her mouth, Afaq smiled and said,
"Not like that—smile first."
And truly, Falki laughed.
"That’s all I wanted!"
All the girls laughed loudly.
"So, things have come this far!"
"Oh no, even further..."
Mutti decided to step out for a while and left making some excuse.
This gave everyone a chance to talk openly.
"Hey, who scratched your cheek?" Nikki asked, making a face.
Maybe she wanted to hide her tears.
"And look, your eyes look a bit puffy too. Did you stay up all night?"
Falki said nothing.
"Brother-in-law, you tell us?" Asma asked.
"Oh, how would I know? Whichever wrist she bit, that same person probably scratched her cheek!"
"Oh wow... you’re just..." and everyone started laughing loudly.
Falki buried her face in her knees.
She wanted to hide her expressions—just in case a tear might escape.
"Hey, are you blushing?" Nikki lifted her head.
"Oh, come on! She wasn’t feeling shy at all last night. Now, who knows why she’s pretending in front of you!"
"Why, Nikki! Should I tell them everything about last night?"
"Oh please, please!" everyone shouted excitedly.
"Yes, do tell!"
Falki once again buried her head in her knees.
"So, shall I?"
"Yes, but only on one condition," Afaq replied.
Nikki’s heart began to race.
"Agreed, agreed..." everyone chimed in together.
"Here’s the deal—right now, leave Falki alone. Poor girl has been awake all night. There's the wedding reception tonight too—she’ll have to stay up again. If she gets a couple of hours of sleep now, it’ll be good for her. I promise, I’ll tell you everything during our next meeting."
"Hmm, alright..."
Everyone looked at one another.
"What do you say, Falki? Should we go?"
Nikki said nothing, just walked to the bed and lay down on her stomach.
Everyone took it as a sign and, after securing a promise from Afaq for a detailed story later, they left the room.
Mutti came back inside.
"What happened to Falki?"
"Nothing, just tired," Afaq replied after a pause. "Let her sleep for two or three hours. She’ll be fine."
"Alright, I should get going too. I have to drop these girls home. We’ll meet again in the evening."
"Yes, of course. Come, I’ll walk you to the car," Afaq said, accompanying her.
On the way, he kept praising Mutti’s grace and the elegance of her walk.
That evening was the wedding reception. She had especially designed an outfit for herself: a unique gharara and a netted dupatta. The green tissue fabric had been brought from America, embroidered with beautiful pink floral patterns. The same design was on her dupatta as well. She had a heavy emerald jewelry set made to match and had matching high-heeled shoes specially crafted. Even the handbag was made of the same fabric.
Her plan was to look like a fairy on the day of the reception. People often said green suited her very well. Green is a color that doesn't suit everyone, but on Falki, it truly made her look like a forest fairy. When the green tones reflected in her eyes, her bright brown eyes would take on a greenish hue, scattering colors across her face.
That evening, she got ready by herself, although she had planned to go to a beauty salon and even had a prior appointment. But now, all her plans had changed.
In the afternoon, after her friends had left, she cried her heart out. When Afaq had gone to drop them off, he didn’t return inside. Anyway, the house staff here were so...
They were decent. They never entered rooms without permission. So she remained alone, kept crying, and eventually fell asleep.
She woke up around three o’clock.
She went to the bathroom, washed her face, and changed her clothes. She no longer felt comfortable in her travel attire.
Sleeping for three hours had calmed her nerves quite a bit. She was just sitting and thinking when a servant came in and said,
"Ma’am, sir is waiting for you at the dining table."
"So, Afaq hasn’t eaten yet either?"
Her heart skipped a beat. Maybe he was waiting for her too. At first, she thought of refusing—saying, “I don’t want to eat.” But then she realized that wouldn’t be right. What would he think—that they had fought already on the first night? And, to be honest, she was a little hungry too.
"Alright," she said, getting up.
She didn’t know exactly where the dining room was.
Well, it wouldn’t be that hard to find.
She covered her head with a dupatta and stepped outside. Now she had started feeling a little scared of Afaq. She looked around nervously. The corridor turned in one direction, so she walked that way. There was a large lounge area with a TV, cassette recorder, and phone.
Three sofas were placed there. Perhaps this was a common sitting area where people gathered.
The doors were open to the outside.
She turned in one direction, based on her guess. Her guess was correct. This path led to the drawing room and the dining room.
It was a very beautiful and magnificent drawing room. Maybe yesterday she hadn’t been brought here to sit, but who had the time to notice anything yesterday? The carpets were very expensive, with beautiful flowers woven into them—probably Iranian. The sofas were also very comfortable and of simple design. Everything in the drawing room was a symbol of simplicity and elegance. It was clear that all the items were expensive, yet they didn’t give off any sense of showiness or artificiality. It didn’t seem like they had poured all their effort into decorating just the drawing room for display. It felt like a natural space with items from various countries placed thoughtfully.
Her mother used to travel abroad every year, bringing back decorative pieces and other things, and then insisted on displaying everything in the drawing room. Whenever someone came to the drawing room, she would proudly show off her foreign purchases and tell them from which country she had bought what and for how much.
In this way, she would earn compliments from everyone.
The same was the case with her dining room.
She felt her own drawing room and dining room resembled a museum, where items brought from all over the world were stuffed in despite lack of space. And her mother seemed to care more about those items than about FalakÃ. Today she understood what true simplicity and refinement meant. There was such sophistication in Afaaq’s drawing room.
It didn’t feel heavy or overwhelming at all. Like how her mother used to change her wardrobe every six months, always flaunting what the most expensive fabric in the city was at the time. Whether it matched or not, whether it suited the weather or not, she would buy it anyway. Sometimes it felt like she was wearing it on her head!
Looking around, she moved toward the dining room. The dining and drawing rooms were connected. From a distance, she saw Afaaq sitting at one end of the table, reading a book.
She slowly walked over and sat at the other end, directly across from Afaaq.
He looked up and burst out laughing.
“There’s no need for such a big distance. Please come and sit a little closer. If not for me, then at least consider the servants. What will they think? What kind of bride and groom are these?”
Hearing his words, Falakà felt both anger and the urge to cry.
“Come, come… please sit here,” he gestured to the chair beside him. “Grant me the honor of your company.”
Reluctantly, Falakà got up and sat on the chair next to him.
“By the way, I’m not so delicate that I’ll melt just because you’re sitting next to me!”
As soon as she sat down, he said,
“Oh? So you’ve had experience with others too?”
“Scoundrel, disgraceful!” Falakà began to feel angry at her very existence. She wanted to get up and leave the room immediately, but two waiters approached carrying trays.
She swallowed her anger.
Why does she feel so helpless in front of this idiot, she wondered.
The first waiter offered her a tray with beautifully arranged roasts. She cut a small piece with a knife and placed it on her plate. Then the second waiter brought a tray with aromatic pilaf. She took a spoonful.
Food kept coming, and she kept taking small portions. A little while ago she was genuinely hungry, and now she didn’t know where her hunger had gone.
Once the others moved away, Afaaq said,
“What do you think? Should we eat or not? If you keep sitting there lost in thought, I’ll starve to death, because I can tolerate many things, but not hunger.”
She looked at him angrily.
“Don’t mind me. Go ahead and eat.”
Tears welled up in FalakÃ’s eyes, and two of them unknowingly rolled down her cheeks and fell into her rice plate. A waiter was approaching.
Quickly, she wiped her cheeks and put a spoonful of rice in her mouth. Sometimes, one even has to swallow their own tears. Her throat was dry, and she wanted to cry. The morsel was trying to come out instead of going down, and these beasts were forcing her to eat.
“I’ve been waiting for you since noon. Now at least you’ve allowed me to eat?” Afaaq said, putting the first morsel in his mouth.
The two waiters stood nearby.
Falakà didn’t look up and continued eating silently. In the presence of the waiters, Afaaq kept chatting and laughing. Then he started telling her about the dinner party that night:
“Guests will start arriving from seven. You should be completely ready by six so we can welcome them together. Anyway, my cousins and others will arrive early and take over the house. But you are the lady of the house, so from today, be ready to take on all the responsibilities.”
Falakà didn’t respond and kept eating quietly.
While eating, she kept observing the drawing room. It had very high-quality furniture. The black ebony dining table was surrounded by twelve elegant, high-backed, and comfortable chairs. That’s when she realized that even the dining room needs comfortable chairs. People often focus on new designs but forget to ensure comfort while eating. In her heart, she appreciated every item and detail of Afaaq’s home, but the way he treated her, she didn’t like that at all.
While they were still at the table, some relatives arrived. Afaaq went to the drawing room with them. Falakà had to accompany him. Everyone was eagerly asking about the new bride.
Soon it was four o’clock.
Afaaq’s cousin said to FalakÃ,
“Bhabhi, you should start getting ready now. Winter evenings set in quickly. Guests will start arriving soon.”
Hearing this, Falakà went to her room.
She had no desire to get ready.
But she had to play along with this whole drama, at least for tonight. And she was amazed at herself—how much patience and strength she was showing.
And how strange it was… from last night until now, she hadn’t said a single word to Afaaq, nor did her heart want to ask him anything.
The moment she saw his face, she would get angry. And then, did he even wish to respond to her?
He spoke so politely in gatherings that no one even realized whether Falakiy was actually saying nothing or if she was just in a bad mood. Then everyone assumed that the new bride’s silence was out of shyness. They were simply puzzled, thinking the new life and its new experiences were overwhelming her. “She’ll be fine gradually,” they thought.
Falakiy let out a deep stretch and stood before the mirror to look at herself.
She examined her face closely.
She hadn't done any makeup since morning.
Yet her sulking, taut face looked quite beautiful. Her pink eyes were swollen and even redder now. Her lips were strikingly red.
Did that cruel man even know the worth of such beauty?
She felt like crying again.
Hearing footsteps outside, she quickly went into the dressing room. She took out the same green suit.
She washed her face and changed into new clothes, then sat in front of the dressing table. She thought, I’ll get ready myself.
She had fallen asleep wearing last night’s dress. She smiled to herself and fixed it.
It took her two full hours to get ready.
She did her makeup beautifully. She had always been good at it. She applied green eye shadow to her eyelids.
She wore the Zamarah set and a small matching nose ring. When she gracefully draped the dupatta over her head, she looked at herself again in the mirror—and once again, tears welled up.
"How beautiful she is. Is she really not worthy of being cherished?"
She was still lost in thought when Afaq walked in with two or three of his cousins.
"Brother, she’s so beautiful!" one of the cousins said, blushing.
"By God, brother! You’re so lucky. Look at her, she's the perfect example of beauty!"
"Am I the lucky one, or is she?" Afaq said, pointing at Falakiy.
"Of course, she’s lucky too," the cousin replied.
"Do I lack anything? Go find someone as dashing, handsome, and good-looking in this whole city!"
Falakiy stepped away from the mirror, and now he stood before it.
"Yes, that’s true," the cousin said.
"As for our sister-in-law, I don’t see any flaw in her."
"The only thing missing is fragrance," Afaq said, picking up a cologne bottle and spraying it recklessly. Wherever she moved, he followed, spraying it on her clothes and even her face. Poor Falakiy kept trying to dodge him, covering her face with both hands.
His playful mood made the cousin run out, giggling. Afaq put the bottle down and leaned in very close to her, his lips nearly brushing her cheek, and whispered,
"Spraying fragrance never stains a face." Then he stood up abruptly and said,
"The guests are waiting for you. If you’ve completed all your murder plans, let’s go outside. You seem to have a habit of wounding hearts. Some people will be wounded today, and others have come to witness the old wounds."
Falakiy felt like slapping him, but he quickly grabbed her hand and dragged her out.
His hand was so firm and strong.
Falakiy deeply felt her own weakness. He pulled her outside with him.
There really were many guests outside.
Falakiy mustered all her strength to suppress her tears and the rising anger within her.
She swallowed her anger and tried to appear cheerful. In that effort, her face turned even redder. Her eyes turned slightly red, and her lips trembled.
A frightened shyness settled in her eyes, making her look like an innocent, lost girl.
Whoever saw her, admired her.
"Wow, what a beautiful couple!"
"May Allah protect them from evil eyes!"
"Such a lovely bride!"
"God has paired them so thoughtfully!"
Everywhere, they were the center of conversation.
But then Afaq suddenly stopped and said, “This is so unfair. On wedding days, people usually only praise the bride. But you all are so kind, you're complimenting us both.”
Laughter broke out.
"What can we do, sir? You both are equally stunning. It’s hard to look away today!"
"Well, don’t praise me too much. My bride gets jealous," he said, smiling at Falakiy. "She says only women have the right to be beautiful, right Falakiy?"
Everyone burst into laughter, and Falakiy just smiled faintly. Smiling was the safest response—she knew exactly what this devil meant and what his intention was.
"Such a flirt," some women nudged each other playfully.
"We’ll just say this: Allah has made such a beautiful pair!" one auntie said, clearly a bit envious.
"Auntie, pairing up isn’t the main thing. What matters is hearts meeting. If one heart is in the east and the other in the west, then these beautiful faces are only good enough for a picture frame!"
"What do you mean by that? Only one day into marriage and you’re saying such things?" another woman asked sharply.
"Ask auntie herself. Her pair was once considered perfect too, but she used to say her husband never appreciated her beauty."
"Look, look! Auntie’s getting flustered now!"
"This naughty boy is teasing me! I’ll tell your uncle right now!"
"Oh no, auntie, I was just joking!"
After going around the entire marquee, Afaq and Falakiy greeted all the guests. It was very cold, and Falakiy was growing colder in his hand.
Sensing this, Afaq said, "If you're tired, should I seat you on the royal couch? There are heaters there, and the guests will come to you instead."
She simply nodded in agreement.
That place was truly comfortable, warm with heaters. Afaq seated her on the special couch meant for the bride and groom.
She sat comfortably.
"Thank God I got a break from this tyrant’s grip. If he had treated me with love, it would’ve been a different story. But remember, this is the same man who threatened to break my hand. He speaks so sweetly in public, but I know exactly how venomous he is."
Soon her friends arrived, all dolled up.
Afaq brought them to her, then sat close and said,
"No matter how lovely the friend, you should never share your secrets with her."
"Are you giving Falakiy advice?" the girls started pulling at his coat, pushing him back playfully.
"Oh, are you giving Falakiy advice?"
He stood up and said, "Why would I need to? She’s learned enough before she ever came to me." With that, he walked away.
Falakiy burned inside. "So much in just one day? How much can a person really endure?"
Just then, her mother came in. She hugged her tightly, squeezed her affectionately, and sat beside her. Right then, photographers arrived. Afaq came back too. In every photo, he pulled her close to him.
"I won’t take a single picture without you," he said. Then he took many pictures with Falakiy and her friends, posing in various ways, holding hands.
When it was time to eat, everyone headed that way. Only her friends stayed behind.
They looked at her with slightly jealous expressions and said:
"Truly, Falakiy, your choice is incredible! He’s such an interesting and charming man. Anyone who sees him would fall for him!"
A wave of jealousy passed through Falakiy’s heart.
"Come on, you all should eat too," Afaq said.
But Pinky stayed behind and said, "I’ll eat with Falakiy."
He walked ahead with the rest of the girls. He wrapped one arm around one girl's waist and placed his other hand around another.
Falakiy saw him go like that. It deeply upset her.
"When I don’t even have any real bond with him, why do I feel this jealousy?" she asked herself.
*"Let him do whatever he wants. But what I’ve decided—I will definitely do it!"
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