Must Read: The Silent Lover - Season 1 - Episode 31

7 years ago

Must Read: The Silent Lover - Season 1 - Episode 31

“If your dog is barking at the back door and your wife yelling at the front door, who do you let in first?” Shaheryaar asked Aariz with a very serious expression on his face.
“My wife ofcourse.” Aariz said, shrugging his shoulders. “What about you?”
“The dog.” Shaheryaar told hin thoughtfully. “Atleast he’ll shut up after you let him in.”
His gesture and expression made Aariz laugh. He had just arrived in Shaheryaar’s apartment a few minutes ago, with a hope that his old friend could give him some considerable suggestion on his matter regarding Komal. But, from what looked Shaheryaar’s mood, it won’t be so easy.
“You’ve become so lazy.” He slapped him playfully. “Don’t you like to do any work?”
“I like work. It fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours.” Shaheryaar said with a lazy smile. It was almost 12 p.m, and he was still lying on his bed.
“Try some exercise.” Aariz suggested sincerely.
“Well…..I’ve already thought about that.” Shaheryaar said. “But everytime I get the urge to exercise, I lie down till the feeling passes.”
“Hardwork never hurts anybody.” Aariz told him with artificial anger, pushing the heavy pillow away from Shaheryaar’s sleepy face.
“But why take the chance?” Shaheryaar replied quickly and pulled the pillow back to his face.

He was really being funny today.
“Come on. Get a life.” Aariz called him, shaking his shoulder.
“Why not a wife?” Shaheryaar asked in return, his eyes still closed.
“Why don’t you get married, Shaheryaar?” Aariz asked, now really getting into the mood with his friend.
“You can’t be serious.” Shaheryaar asked in a tone like he didn’t believe Aariz could suggest something like that. “I don’t think any girl would be willing to marry a man like me.”
“Why not.” Aariz raised his brows.
“You can give an ‘ad’ in a newspaper classified, saying ‘Wife Wanted’
. I’m sure you’d recieve hundred of letters in response.”
“Yeah, letters from husbands instead. All saying the same thing, ‘You can have mine’.”
His statement made Aariz smile again.

You can do some searching. I can support you, if you’re really serious.” He gave him a sincere suggestion.
“I don’t feel like doing anything for a while.” Shaheryaar yawned lazily.
“But at least you can start thinking about that.” Aariz gave him a serious look. “When there’s a will, there is a way.”

“I don’t agree.” Shaheryaar replied, closing his eyes sleepily. “Where there’s a will, there are five hundred relatives.”
Although, Aariz tried, but it was impossible to remain serious at his spontaneous remark.

“You apartment looks so dirty.” Aariz said unpleasantly, looking around to see a pile of dirty socks with scattered cloths and dirt everywhere.
“Well, I did clean my house yesterday, sure wish you could have seen it.” Shaheryaar said thoughtfully.
“Shall I award you a trophy for that?”
“No.” Shaheryaar opened his right eye while keeping his left one closed. “I already have many.”
“Shaheryaar…..” Aariz got nearer, his voice almost turned to whisper. “There’s a secret I want to tell you. It’s just between you and me.”
“Don’t worry.” Shaheryaar assured him “Your secrets are safe with me and all my friends.”
Before he could finish his sentence, Aariz threw a heavy sofa cushion toward him, which made him rise from his bed finally.
“Okay, okay man. Give me some minutes.” Shaheryaar said, putting his feet into his slippers and then turned toward the washroom.

Feeling bored, Aariz picked the newspaper from the table and began glancing at the headlines.
“What brings you here so early in the morning?” Shaheryaar asked as he entered the room after few minutes.

Aariz nearly killed him with eyes on his ‘early in the morning’.
“Well….. I needed some advice.”
“Yeah, you can take mine, I’m not using it.” He said, rubbing his hair roughly with his towel.
“Do you ever get serious?” Aariz asked frustrated.
“Only when you’re not.” Shaheryaar added. “Okay man, I stop now. What’s the problem?” His face became so serious that if someone saw him at the moment, he couldn’t believe that this was the same man who was continously joking around just few seconds ago.
“You already know the problem.” Aariz combed his long, slender fingers through his silky, shiny hair. “Sectarian differences in marriage.”
“Oh.” Shaheryaar sighed aloud, pouring hot tea into the cups from thermos.
“Well, my friend.” Shaheryaar handed him a steaming cup and then sank into the easy chair in front of him. “That certainly is a big problem.”
“What’s the solution?” Aariz bit his lower lip. “I’ve been thinking but seems like my mind has stopped working.” He exclaimed helplessly.
“You know you’re getting old when you stop to think and forget to start again.” Shaheryaar told him with a mild trace of amusement in his eyes and then said,
“Well, to be frank with you my dearest friend, my sincere and honest advice is…….” Shaheryaar left his sentence unfinished to take a fine sip of his tea. “You should drop this idea. In our society setup, you can’t break the hard rules.”
“Is that a challenge?”
“No…..just a plain, simple reality.” Shaheryaar said, sipping his tea slowly. “Even if your parents allow that to happen, things are going to become even more complicated after your marriage.”
“Meaning?”
“Such disputed marriages produce confused and frustrated kids. They find themselves caught between two different school of thoughts.” Shaheryaar said thoughtfully.
“Well, that’s not so hard.” Aariz said, lost in his deep thoughts. “Children can always choose the right way on their own wish. I’d not want my chidren to adopt my faith reluctantly.
If they think their mother’s sect is good for them, that’s fine with me.” He shrugged his shoulders.
“I see.” Shaheryaar nodded thoughtfully. “Perhaps you need a second opinion on that?”
“What?” Aariz didn’t quite understand what he meant.
“Finished with the tea?” Shaheryaar looked at him, asking for confirmation. On Aariz’s nod, he motioned him to stand up.
“Follow me, we need to meet someone.”
“Who?” Aariz rose.
“You’d know.” Shaheryaar told him and preceded him out of his apartment.
“Stop this nonsense Shaheryaar.” Aariz yelled, looking displeased at his action. “I came here only for your suggestion.”
“Listen Aariz.” Shaheryaar turned toward him in a gesture of seriousness. “You’re my friend and before you take the most important decision of your life, it’s my duty to inform you about its possible consequences.”
“But where are we going?” Aariz asked, as he followed Shaheryaar.
“Just to the neighbouring block. That’s a walking distance from here.”
Five minutes later, Shaheryaar was ringing the doorbell of another apartment.

The door opened and a man in his late thirties with a moustache and tight face, emerged from inside, his features softening rapidly as he saw Shaheryaar.
“Oh, nice to see you, Shaheryaar.” He smiled at Shaheryaar, taking him into his arms.
“Sameer, this is my best friend Aariz Ali.”
“That makes him my friend too.” He hugged him too, smiling affectionately.
“Please make yourself comfortable.” Sameer told them as he led them toward his drawing room.
“You two sit here, I’d be back in a few minutes.” He said softly and then left.
“What’s all this supposed to mean?” Aariz was still confused at Shaheryaar’s mysterious behaviour.
“Sameer is the son of my father’s close friend.” Shaheryaar said. “A product of an inter-sectarian ‘Shiyah-Sunni’ marriage.” He gave Aariz a meaningful smile.
“Oh!” Only then Aariz understood the purpose behind visiting Sameer.
“It doesn’t make any difference for me.”
“May be not for you.” Shaheryaar whispered as they heard the sound of approaching footsteps. “But for others, it does.”
Sameer returned with a tray of cold drinks and snacks in his hands.
“So what brings you here at this time?” Sameer asked gently as he sat opposite them, as he placed the tray on a center table.
“Sameer, we wanted to talk about something important.” Shaheryaar said as he held the glass of soft drink in his hand.
“What can I do for you?” Sameer asked in a friendly tone.
“As you told me that you’re a product of an inter-sectarian marriage.” Shaheryaar gazed deeply at Sameer, taking first sip of his drink. “A Shiyah-Sunni marriage right?”
“Yes.” He gave a short answer.
“What do you think about the future of such marriages?” Shaheryaar asked gently as he set the cup down.
“Hopeless.” Sameer said without any expression on his face. “Miserable.”
Aariz frowned and chewed anxiously on his bottom lip.
“Why do say so?” Aariz asked, keeping his tone light.
“Personal experience.” Sameer turned toward him, a rigid smile playing on his lips. ” We’re total of four siblings, two sisters and two brothers. Our Mom is Sunni while Father is Shiyah.”
“Was it a love marriage?’ Shaheryaar asked.
“Ofcourse.” Sameer sighed coldly. “Our society still avoids arranging such troubles.”
“My father revolted against his parents and married my mother who was his class fellow in his University.” Sameer began to say.
“There were objections on both sides. My mother’s parents cut off completetly from her as soon as she got married. On the other hand, my father’s relatives did a social boycott of the newly wed couple. Gradually they became isolated. Just after one year when the intoxication of love began to fade away, my parents realized it was a big mistake for being so selfish, without caring about their parents’ happiness.” Sameer told then in detail.
“It’s not just that.” He lowered his head, his face showing painful expressions. “Since the beginning of our childhood, we came across the most weird situations. These social-religious conflicts always kept us confused. In Ramadan (fasting period), my mother used to do iftaar (breaking of fast) ten minutes before my father did accoriding to her sect and this made us think about how and with whom to break our fast. With our father or with our mother?”
As Sameer spoke, Aariz sat upright, tense and still watching his profile intently. Sameer looked like a tensed man. His voice was impatient, irritated and his face matched his tone.
“Oh that’s really sad.” Shaheryaar exclaimed, feeling really bad for this guy.

Sameer’s voice was even lower now, he looked somewhat defeated and tired.
“We always kept wondering whose method of prayer was right. Either our father’s, who used to leave his arms straight or our mother’s, who always crossed them while praying?” He laughed sarcastically.
“In Muharram (first month of the islamic calendar), it was even more tough.” Sameer added roughly, gulping his drink. “My mother used to wear red and pink cloths, used to do make-up as usual but my father wore black cloths, as those were the days of mourning for him.”
“Frustration increased.” He continued in the same rough and harsh tone. “My mother’s perspective about islamic principles and history was totally different from my father’s.
She believed in ‘Caliphs’ after Prophet but my father accepted ‘Imams’ after Prophet.”
“I often ask this question. What was our fault?” Sameer’s voice became a little louder. “We’re still confused and frustrated and both of my sisters are still waiting for appropriate proposals.”
“Waiting for proposals?” Aariz couldn’t get his point.
“This damn society won’t let them get married because they are considered of ‘mixed’ religious orientation without any certain school of thought.” Sameer’s voice acquired an emotional tone. “Families come to our house, many times they have really liked my sisters for their guys, but as soon as they get to know that our parents don’t belong to the same community, they apologize and leave and then never come back.”
“So what do you suggest?” Shaheryaar asked, observing him keenly. “Should one really go for such marriage?”
Sameer gave them a wounded smile combined with a hard look like he couldn’t believe if one could still ask such a question. He first looked at Shaheryaar and then at Aariz.
“I’m a victim of this terrible thing.” He said harshly. “How can I suggest something so stupid and dangerous?”
On his meaningful sentence, Aariz averted his eyes away.
“It would be a big blunder. Even if your parents agree, problems would definitely arise as your children grow up. Also, when your chidren reach marriage age, things would become even worse, when nobody would be ready to marry his offspring to this mixed and impure generation of yours.”
“So, you think one’s love should be sacrified for the sake of his religion and parents, huh?” Aariz asked suddenly in a rough voice. His tone was so strange that Shaheryaar turned toward him to see if something was wrong with him.

Sameer looked at Aariz for a few seconds, smiled and said,
“Brother, as far as I know…….love itself is a name of scarifice. We’ve this famous saying of the Holy Prophet that ‘if you make your parents angry, you make your Allah angry’. It’s also a matter of love. There’re standards and grades of love. We love our parents, friends, spouses, girlfriends. Now the point to be decided is that which love is the greatest and should be preferred over the other? Is your love for your parents greater than your love for you beloved or not? Do you love your parents the most? Parents…….who gave birth to you, the reason for you being in this world, who raised you, brought you up, facing difficulties and hardships for your comforts, feeling pain for your pleasure……… Or do you have more love for you girlfriend, who is beautiful, smart and s*xy** and you two have met just a few moments ago?”
Shaheryaar gave a sideway glance to Aariz, who sat there silent, looking visibly tensed.
“If ever time comes.” Sameer was not finished yet. “You should always be prepared to give sacrifice of your lesser love for a greater one.

That’s the whole philosophy of love, in my personal opinion.”
“I…..I suppose we should better leave now.” Aariz stammered weakly. It was too much for him.
“Well, thank you very much, Sameer.” Shaheryaar said, finally rising from the sofa.
“That was a good try from you.” Aariz gave Shaheryaar a harsh look as they came out into fresh air.
“Listen friend………” Shaheryaar turned slowly to glare at his face. “As a friend, it’s my duty to inform you about the possible consequences of the step you’re about to take.”
“I just wanted your advice and that’s all.”
“In that case.” Shaheryaar said plainly. “I’d advise, stop yourself.
“Impossible!” Aariz’s voice was firm, his attitude unshaken. “We’ve gone too far. We can’t stop now.”