Goodbye My Friend...(tasneem) Goodbye my friend...


“Hi Rubab! I have not seen you for the last many days. Is everything O.K? If there was anything wrong, why didn’t you tell me?” Fatima kept on speaking without even waiting to get an answer from her very dear friend.

Rubab burst into laughter and hugged Fatima pretending as if nothing had happened. Both friends moved out in the lawn and Rubab requested her maid to serve them fresh pineapple juice. Fatima tried to stop her but the most hospitable friend of hers insisted on the provision of juice and said, “If you don’t like pine-apple juice you can opt for another flavour but I know pineapple is your favourite.”

Rubab had been brought up in a family who believed in expressing their love by offering the best eatables to their guests. Knowing that it was not possible to go against the desire of her friend, Fatima just nodded smilingly, and gave in.

The weather that day was really fine. Rubab’s lawn was marvellous. Her father had a real taste for beautiful flowers. There was hardly any plant which was not there to make the scene fantastic. Birds were chirping and singing melodious songs, thus adding to the splendour and beauty of the place.

Fatima again started with her queries. It appeared as if there was a tussle going on between the two -- Fatima trying to probe the mind of Rubab, and Rubab in turn was bent upon keeping everything to herself. No doubt Rubab and Fatima were very close friends and Rubab had never before tried to hide anything from her, but this time she was finding it very difficult. She was entangled in mixed feelings whether to share the secret with Fatima or to keep it to herself, when the maid came with the pineapple juice.

Rubab had a sigh of relief, but for how long!? Fatima kept silent for a little while and then started again. “What makes you conceal your feelings from me? Am I not your friend now? Don’t you trust me any more?” The unending inquisitiveness of Fatima made it very difficult for Rubab to ignore the issue and she gave in. She told Fatima that she was in a fix. Her problem was such that it seemed to have no solution. Her mother had been a heart patient for the last many years and her father’s unfriendly behaviour had been aggravating the situation and their family life was in shambles. Rubab was about to reveal her secret when she found her body muscles fully stretched and she became so badly overcome by tension that she became speechless. She tried hard but failed to utter a single word. The maid came to her rescue once again with the message that her father wanted to see her.

Fatima also had to go home as she had to look after an ailing mother and a crippled father who had lost his legs when he was trying to defend his country against India during the War of 1965, at the Lahore border.
Though Fatima had two brothers, Amjad and Arif, who could have shared the responsibility of looking after their parents, their wives Saima and Farheen were not ready to live in a joint family, as a result of which Fatima had decided to devote her life wholly and solely for her parents. She felt so concerned for her parents that she refused the proposal of her lover Imran, who tried his level best to convince her that he would take full responsibility of her parents. Fatima’s parents also wanted her to accept Imran as he was a thorough gentleman, but she could not take the risk of being happy at the cost of her parents. She had seen her brothers betraying their parents to please their beautiful wives; she had a lot of faith and trust in Imran yet in some corner of her heart she suspected the same betrayal if she got married. This was one thing she could never accept. Her parents were the ones whom she loved the most — even more than her own self. She being a religious person with full faith in God Almighty never had any regrets. The love and affection transmitted to her through the eyes and gestures of her parents was the greatest wealth that she ever dreamed of.

Fatima was highly perturbed about Rubab. She failed to understand what Rubab was trying to hide from her and why! It was a new experience for her because they were very dear friends and they had always shared each and every thing. The whole thing had become terribly mysterious. Inspite of Rubab’s insistence that there was nothing that she was keeping as a secret, yet Fatima was not ready to believe it. She knew her friend very well and it was not so easy to be deceived. She kept on guessing but in vain. She asked herself many questions, exploring different possibilities but felt totally blank with no clue for the correct answer. She suspected that Rubab’s parents might have decided to marry her against her choice but … Had this been the reason, her friend would have shared her feelings with her!

After thinking a lot, and failing to find the real cause, Fatima decided that she would not let her friend know about anything and would talk to her mom whom she addressed as auntie Asiya. She went to Rubab’s home when she was sure that there was no one at home except auntie Asiya. Fatima had always enjoyed a good reputation and she was quite hopeful that auntie Asiya would not hide anything from her. She was right!

She exchanged greetings and then without wasting even a single second she said, ‘Auntie I want to know…’ She had not even completed her sentence when she sensed an uneasy feeling grabbing auntie Asiya. Tears started rolling down her cheeks and with a lot of difficulty, she gathered some strength and spoke in a low voice. ‘Beta, my husband, your uncle, has divorced me and he wishes to marry you.’

“Wh…What!?” Fatima uttered in sheer agony and amazement. She couldn’t believe her ears.

Rubab’s father was a very powerful man. He could do anything that he wanted to. There was no law for him. Fatima knew he didn’t need her approval. It was a shock for her. He was like a father to her, plus she was his daughter’s best friend. Fatima held auntie tightly to console her, though it was an effort in futility as she herself needed more comforting than any one else. She was totally shattered and in distress she moved out abruptly.

‘Now I know why Rubab did not share anything with me. Now I know why my dear friend was speechless…’, Fatima kept on talking to herself. In no time she planned everything and rushed to her home. She confided in her parents and they agreed to implement her plan. Before moving with her parents to an unknown place, she just left a short note for her friend, which said:

“Goodbye my dearest dear!
May you always be happy!
We may be far apart, yet we
are one. No power on this
Earth can separate us as we
have just one heart, which
breathes at the same time.
Let’s both follow one mission --
the mission of spreading love &
kindness not only to our near &
dear ones but to all.
Forgive uncle, for he is your father,
and look after auntie, to get the
blessings of God Almighty.
With lots of Love
Your friend
Fatima.”

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