'Hi Madi...I am outside whenever you are ready'

Faraz's message popped up on my phone's screen. I was tempted to write to Omar to see if he would change his mind about joining us but then decided against it.

I am a grown woman. Before Omar I would never have thought twice about doing this meeting alone. I am not about to start now.

'Hi Faraz, just gathering my stuff. Give me 5 minutes'

Exactly five minutes later we were sitting at a table outside the main entrance of the hospital. May in Chicago was the kind of month when the weather changes on almost a daily basis. It was a cool but comfortable 60F (15C) today and while I still had my fleece on, Faraz, in true Chicagoan fashion was in a t-shirt, shorts and loafers. His designer glasses and rolex had not changed since the first time I had met him, but he had a few strands of grey hair on his temples which I had not noticed before. Not that I noticed much of him at all, or really cared about his age and grey hairs.

"Madi, one problem we are have is that the physicians in the US are not always aware of the medications available in other countries. Our partners in India suggested that we keep a running list of the available meds, and provide that to all physicians here during the telemedicine appointments so that you guys only prescribe off that list", Faraz said showing me a tab in their telemedicine program where a physician in the US could access that list.

"I think that is a good idea. Omar also suggested that we make sure to use generic names only. Because brand names for the same drugs in the US are different from those in India and Pakistan"

Omar hadn't really suggested it but for some reason I felt the need to bring him into our conversation.

Faraz nodded slowly, "That's a good suggestion by Omar. Speaking of whom, wasn't he supposed to be here right now?"

"Uh...he was. Something came up in the lab, so he had to go there instead"

Faraz let out a small laugh, "He is kind of in a habit of abandoning you, isn't he?"

"What?", I frowned, "No he isn't"

He paused to look at me, "Ok Madi...if you say so. But you're a smart woman. You should know better than to get played by a man like him"

I was aghast. Who the hell does Faraz think he is, judging me and Omar.

"I am sorry, what is that supposed to mean?"

Faraz shook his head, "Nothing...I'll let your parents talk to you."

What has he done?

"My parents? What do they have to do with any of this"

Faraz continued to stare at the laptop in front of him, "I think you need to talk to your parents. Could we get back to business?"

I could feel a mixture of panic and rage building inside me. Why are my parents involved in this? What exactly does Faraz have against Omar? And what was he trying to do? Is this whole telemedicine project a farce? And how am I supposed to just keep working with him?

I reached over and shut his laptop, surprising him, "I am not doing any more work with you, until we address the elephant in the room"

Faraz sat up straighter and said with a smirk, "We are not in a room, and I don't see any elephants around us"

Then he must have noticed me scowling at him, because he continued, "Ok, fine. Let's talk. What do you want to know?"

"For starters, why are we even having this conversation? I barely know you...I mean, you're my sister's brother-in-law and we've met a handful of times since Maliha's wedding. But that doesn't give you the right to interfere in my life. The only reason I agreed to do this work with you was because it is sorely needed, and because I couldn't refuse given that you're family"

"Madi...thanks for doing this project. Hasan and I really appreciate your help along the way. And I hope that no matter what happens between us we can continue to work on this...", he started to say, but I had to cut him off.

"Faraz we don't know each other, nothing will happen between us!", I said emphatically.

He seemed a bit taken aback by my tone, "I may not know you, but my family does. My parents adore you. And they have ever since Maliha and Hasan's rishta talk started"

"I like them too, you have an amazing family MashaAllah, and Maliha is very lucky. But what does that have to do with me?"

I wasn't just saying that about his family to make him feel good. Hasan and Faraz's parents really were gems. Even before Maliha's wedding, I had always found them to be humble, approachable and just really easy to be around. I still remember the day that their dad, a millionaire, had come to our house for chai (tea) and after eating had helped clear away the table before proceeding to the living room. Things like that were almost unheard of from desi men like that.

"My mom had been telling me about Maliha's older sister who would be perfect for me, even before I ever met you. And then when we met at the wedding, Madi...I have to say I have never met a more impressive woman than you", Faraz said, looking at me as his face obviously flushed.

"What...?", I mumbled. I remembered Faraz being very sociable on Maliha's wedding, and he came across as a bit flirtatious at one point, but other than that there was no indication of anything serious.

"My parents have been after me to get married for years. And I have just never met someone who I could relate to as much as I could to you. So I told Ami that I was ok with her sending a proposal to your family", he paused and looked down at his closed laptop, "Except, that when Ami asked Maliha what she thought about me and you, Maliha said that you were already interested in someone...That was back in December"

Back in December? Omar and I hadn't really talked about us till end of February. So my sister had blocked Faraz's proposal months before I even knew how Omar felt? Or told her about Omar.

Huh? She is a lot smarter than I give her credit for

I had not said anything yet, so Faraz went on to explain, "I let it go back then, and seeing you and Omar together when we started working on this project, I just assumed that it meant you two were engaged or something. But when he called me last week, I realized that is not the case...in fact, when I confronted Maliha again she let it slip that your parents didn't even know about him"

Ugh...why didn't Maliha just tell me? I could have started damage control much earlier.

He looked at me again and added, "And I think I know exactly why that is..."

"And why exactly is it that you think we are not engaged yet?", I retorted. He had made way too many assumptions about us which was really starting to bother me, even if his assumptions had some truth to them.

"Madi...I am not going to say it out loud. I respect you and your family too much. But my family belongs to the same world that Omar's does...the arrogance, the classism etc. I am well aware of all of that. There is a reason why we as a family are loners for the most part. Our parents never believed in those ridiculous ideas...and they raised us to be the same"

"Wait...how do you know about Omar's family?"

Faraz didn't hesitate to answer, "I did my homework...rather my 22 year old secretary dug around on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and found everything I needed to know in less than an hour. It helped that Omar's sister is a prolific poster on social media. Combine that with google searches of their father's name, it wasn't hard to figure out who they were"

So his private investigator was a 22 year old secretary?

"I am sorry, but how is it ok to dig through someone's personal life?"

"If it's on the internet, it's not personal anymore, it becomes public knowledge...that is a simple rule in this day and age", he said smugly.

The invasion of Omar's life, however public it was, bothered me even more when I heard the lack of remorse in Faraz's voice and I felt the instant need to defend him, "That doesn't mean you know anything about Omar. He is nothing like what his life may look like on the internet"

"That may be true, but I do know that people like him will string along women like you till someone else comes along who is approved by their family. I have seen that happen so many times...", Faraz shook his head, "Even close friends of mine with whom I had to break off ties after they secretly went out with one woman for years only to dump her and get married to someone else"

"Omar, is not like that...it's not like I am his girlfriend", I heard my voice come out louder than I had intended. And I felt a lump form in my throat as I remembered all the times I had worried about what our relationship would be if we couldn't get married. I had no doubt that Omar was not just 'stringing me along', but the fact that Faraz would assume that about us just made my fears all the more real.

"Then why aren't you engaged to him yet? Or married?", he looked me in the eyes and said, "If I was in Omar's place...pandemic, or no pandemic, I would not be wasting any time to make you mine"

"Because...his parents...", I started to say, but then stopped, "You know what, that is none of your business"

Faraz sighed, "Madi...look, I am not going to claim that I know you well, or that I am head over heels in love with you...yet. But ever since the moment I have laid eyes on you, you have intrigued me. And I think you deserve better than Omar and his family..."

"I am sorry, but I don't think you have any right to tell me what is good or bad for me", I tried to argue back.

"But your parents do have that right...so I suggest that you go talk to them", he started gathering his things, "Like I said, I hope we can continue to work together, but right now I should probably leave"

Suddenly I had a sinking feeling in my stomach,"Wait...what does that mean? That I should talk to my parents. What do my parents know?"

Faraz stood up before answering, "Nothing about Omar, I wouldn't do that to you. But earlier this week my parents talked to yours about officially sending a rishta for you"

I was stunned, and speechless, and just sat there looking at him.

Why haven't my parents said anything to me yet? Does Maliha know?

"Madi...look, I am not trying to be the villain here", he shrugged,"I just think that before you jump into the ugly, soul-sucking world of high-society, you should know that you have options. You are a remarkable woman, and you deserve a husband and in-laws that will always make you feel that way"

But I had never wanted options. No matter how bad things got, Omar was my only option. I was so far down the path with him that I had already given him my heart and soul, and I could never take them back. No one, not even an otherwise reasonable man with an amazing family, could make me change my mind, or my heart.

Faraz took a deep breath and turned to leave, but just then something more sinister occurred to me. I would never say yes to his proposal for my sake, but what if that affected my little sister.

So I called out to him, "What happens to my sister, if I say no to you?"

"Nothing...we are not that kind of a family", he looked at me with a surprised expression, but then also said, "But if you're still worried, I'll make you a deal. Promise to give my proposal a serious thought. Think about the pros and cons like you would for any other important decision, and I'll personally make sure that no one ever says anything to your sister no matter what happens between us"

In that moment, and perhaps only for a fleeting minute, Faraz gained my respect. Maybe this proposal would not upend my planned life with Omar after all.

When I didn't answer, he asked again, "Madi, do you promise?"

"Yes...I do", I already knew my answer, but I would keep my word.

"That's all I am asking for. Allah Hafiz Madi", Faraz said in a low voice and then walked away from me.

After he left, I was still sitting on the table outside the main entrance trying to wrap my head around everything, when I noticed that I had several missed calls from Maliha and then a text message, as well as a text from Omar.

Omar: 'My phone is dying so if you need something call my lab'

I would need to tell him everything that just happened. If there was one thing we both had vowed to do it was to be honest with each other. Lies always have a way of making themselves known and then ultimately destroying trust between two people. But right now I needed to talk to my parents and before that probably Maliha. For one evening, what he didn't know, wouldn't hurt him.

So next, I pulled up my sister's text message.

Maliha: 'Please call me. I have something very urgent to tell you'

Kind of late for that sis.

But I did call her. She immediately picked up and said in a panicked voice, "Madi, thank God you called. Listen, I have something very important to tell you. Don't freak out...but I think Faraz bhai sent a rishta for you, and my in-laws spoke to Mama and Papa on the phone a few days ago. I am so sorry...Faraz bhai was asking me all these questions about you and Omar bhai and I think I may have said too much. I didn't know they would send a rishta right away though. Otherwise, I would have stopped them...or told you"

"Its ok Maliha. I already know. Faraz came by the hospital just now...", I told her calmly.

"Oh...And you're ok with it?", she asked in a surprised tone.

"Of course I am not ok with it", I said, still a bit annoyed that she couldn't keep what I had told her in confidence to herself, "But I need to talk to Mama and Papa now, and tell them about Omar. I was planning on doing it anyway this weekend"

"Oh whew...I didn't mess up then", she sounded relieved.

"No...no you didn't. Not majorly anyway", I was willing to let her slip up go for now, because she had done something even more important for me, "But Maliha, what I don't get is why did you tell them to not to send a rishta back in December? I hadn't even told you about Omar back then"

Maliha paused for a couple of seconds, and I could almost imagine her twirling her hair like she always did just before giving a complicated answer. So I waited patiently, and she eventually started speaking slowly.

"Madi...I couldn't get that little speech you gave me on my wedding day, out of my head. You know...the speech on what it feels like to be in love. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that you wouldn't have known that if you weren't already deeply in love with someone. That was not a text book answer. I obviously didn't know who it was back then...but I knew it couldn't be Faraz bhai. And more likely than not it was Dr Khan aka the Porsche guy...whom Papa and I had met in the ER. Call it a sister's intuition...but I figured that your life would become a lot more complicated if Faraz bhai's rishta was hanging on your head"

I couldn't help but smile as I thought of that speech. That was probably the first time I realized just how deep my feelings were for him.

"When did you become so smart...", I asked my sister with genuine adoration.

"I learnt from the best", she said laughing softly, "You've always had my back Madi, I just wanted to look out for you too"

"Thanks Maliha, I really owe you one"

"Oh shush, sisters don't owe anything to each other. If they did, I would never we able to repay my debt to you"

"You've started writing filmy dialogues too now?", I laughed, "Alright, listen I should go call Mama and Papa. I do wonder why they haven't mentioned the rishta to me yet. I talk to them everyday"

"Papa is volunteering with our mosque's free food delivery program for immigrant families. Some of whom have lost their jobs and are really struggling to feed their families. And they were probably waiting for you to be able to meet in-person before bringing up the rishta"

That makes sense. Rishta talks are probably done best in-person.

I made a mental note to call my parents the next day and was about to call it a day when Maliha spoke up reluctantly.

"Umm...Madi. Don't hate me for this but I did something when I couldn't get a hold of you"

"Oh God, Maliha. What did you do now?", I sighed.

Maliha hesitated, but then said, "I...uh...I called Omar bhai and told them that Faraz bhai had sent a rishta for you"

Is she serious? Omar would be completely freaking out.

I jumped off my chair, "Maliha, why would you do that? What did Omar say?"

"He didn't pick up, so I left a message. I am so sorry Madi...I just thought if he knew he could tell Faraz bhai to buzz off, or maybe try harder with his own parents...I hope I didn't mess up anything", she said in a voice full of remorse.

Ok...his phone was about die, he hopefully hasn't even heard the message yet.

"Its ok, I was going to talk to him anyway. But I need to go find him, before I talk to Mama and Papa"

I hung up Maliha's call and dialed the number to Dr Sanders lab. No one picked up after several attempts, so I decided to walk over to the lab. I half-walked/half-ran there hoping to catch him before he left. It was only 6:30 pm and he usually worked there till well into the night.

But when I reached there I only found Dr Sanders in her office.

"Dr Sanders any idea where Omar might be?"

"No idea Madi. He just rushed out of here about 15 mins ago. But he didn't say where he was going"

He 'rushed' out of here? Did he hear Maliha's voicemail? Was he upset at me? Where could he have gone?

I tried to call him but his phone went straight to voicemail. So I texted him.

'Please call me before you listen to Maliha's voicemail. If you have heard it, call me anyway. I can explain. It's not going to be a big deal'

If I had known where he lived, I would have gone to his apartment. But I only knew that he lived in the more expensive section of downtown. There had never really been any reason for him to share his exact address.

Nothing to do now. Other than wait and pray...again.

Patience had never been my strong suit. At the moment, it felt that my life was turning into one big practical lesson on the importance of grit, perseverance and of course, patience.

I hate this!

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