My Dad, You Are Great by Husny Kanwal

Story: My Dad, You Are Great ❤Writer: Husny-Kanwal ❤#do_not_copy_without_permissionPart_1I had just finished my 10th grade exams when my dad forced me to sit at his shop. At first, I used to get really bored sitting there. I had no interest in becoming a jeweler like him. Every day I would argue with my mom before going to the shop. Honestly speaking, my dad and I never got along. Whenever he came to the shop, I would sit sulking on a stool, pretending to be upset. But he never paid attention to my anger.When I couldn’t get out of the work through my tantrums, I created drama at home, saying, “First buy me a car, then I’ll sit at the shop!” Deep down, I knew my demand was unreasonable, and I also knew Dad wouldn’t take it seriously. But I managed to use this excuse to skip the shop for two days.My dad was known in the market as a “crazy jeweler.” People said his name alone could sell gold. But I never knew why he had such a reputation. On the third day, when Dad handed me the keys to a brand-new car, I was completely shocked. I had only been making excuses to avoid sitting at the shop, but Dad completely ruined my plan by giving me a car. Looking at me with pride, he said,“This is your car key. I fulfilled one of your wishes; now you’ll fulfill mine. From tomorrow, after college, you’ll come straight to the shop. You’ll only get time off for coaching classes. And you’ll return home with me.”And just like that, Dad turned my entire plan upside down. With the whole day occupied, what use was the car to me? In a single move, he killed two birds with one stone. He had already planned to buy the car for some time, but I wasn’t aware of it. Now not only did the car come, but I was also stuck at the shop full-time.One day, while I was sitting at the shop, a beautiful girl came. She had her dupatta neatly draped over her head and a bag on her shoulder. She stood in front of my shop for a while, as if waiting for someone. Soon another girl joined her, and the two walked away together. For the first few days, I just noticed her casually. But later, curiosity grew in me—where did they go every day?Since it was around coaching class hours, I assumed they must be going to study somewhere. One day, I secretly followed them, pretending I was going to coaching myself. They entered a small house with a signboard outside that said, “Tuition classes here.”“Oh, so this is where they study,” I murmured with a smile.At home, I told Mom that I wasn’t understanding lessons at my current coaching and that my friend had joined a new tuition center, so I wanted to join too. At first, Mom hesitated, but my stubborn nature always won. And so, I landed at the same tuition as that girl.I would deliberately sit right in front of her, but she never even lifted her gaze toward me. She was in 10th grade, and her exams were near. She studied so hard that even just watching her gave me a headache. Soon, I befriended her friend and managed to get her number through her. I started texting and calling, but it was useless—she never responded. Then I tried f*******: and w******p, but still no result. The more she ignored me, the more my ego was hurt.A year passed, yet she never once looked up from her books. She was always studying. She worked so hard that I began to think, “People just talk about building a ‘New Pakistan,’ but this girl might actually become a true example through her character.” Honestly, I began doubting my own choice—what had I seen in this studious girl that I was wasting my time on her?One night, lying in bed, I kept thinking, “She’s not extremely beautiful, nor is she the daughter of a rich family. So why is she so arrogant?” Without realizing it, she had occupied my thoughts so much that I couldn’t get her out of my head. They say good company makes you a better person—and in trying to impress this bookworm, I started studying seriously.When a C-grade student like me scored an A-grade, my parents were so overjoyed that they distributed sweets among all the relatives. Even my mom became a big fan of my tuition teacher, thinking it was all her magic. But they didn’t know the credit went to that stubborn bookworm.One day, I deliberately offered her a box of sweets:“This is for my A-grade success.” I smiled while looking at her.“She doesn’t eat sweets,” her friend answered for her, while she looked at me with the same uninterested eyes and bent back to her books.My classmates began teasing me—“Cut the cake, cut the cake!”—mocking me as if I had proposed to her. Rage boiled inside me. Who did this girl think she was? So much attitude!And from that day, she became my obsession.Two years passed like this. One day, I saw her standing at a bus stop while I was driving my car. I immediately stopped in front of her and stepped out, opening the car door.“Come, I’ll drop you.”I was dressed in a red shirt and black jeans. I don’t want to boast, but I was one of the most handsome guys in my university. Not one or two, but maybe three—forget the number—girls already had affairs with me. Yet my heart and mind were stuck on this very girl.“Amaan Abbasi, people are watching. Don’t make a scene,” she said angrily, glaring at me.“So you know my name?” I smirked, thrilled that for the first time she had spoken to me.Grinding her teeth, she stomped away. But I enjoyed creating the scene. I raised my voice:“Sit down—we’ve known each other for two years. Why hesitate now?”Hearing me, people around began to stare, guessing something inappropriate. Furious, she marched back to me, folded her arms, and snapped:“What’s your problem??”What could I answer? That her ignoring me hurt my ego? Or that I wanted to make her my girlfriend just to break her pride?But that day, when she shouted at me in public, I realized something: good, pure-hearted girls—when they raise their voices—can make even the strongest boys’ hearts tremble. Mine certainly did, though I covered it up with a flirty tone:“I like you, Sameera. I just want to be friends… please, yaar…”Before I could finish, she roared back:“Don’t you dare use the word ‘yaar’ for me! Now get lost before I call people here!”Her voice was so loud that everyone around heard it. People started looking at me with suspicion. I had no choice but to leave the place quickly.For four years, I kept studying at the same tuition, only to sit in front of her. After my first A-grade, every year I studied just to maintain my reputation in the family. I never changed my seat—I always sat directly across from her, hoping that when she looked up from her books, her eyes would meet my face.The study pressure in the 4th year grew so much that I would sit cross-legged on the floor for six or seven hours straight, which gave me severe leg pain. My family begged me to quit tuition, but I didn’t. Because that bookworm could only be seen there. I endured the pain but never gave up the tuition.One day, when I reached class, I saw the teacher scolding Sameera harshly. Her results had been poor. I had noticed her being very distracted lately—her once blooming face had withered with worry. Later, her friend told me that her mother had remarried a few months ago.A few days later, her friend kept calling her name, but she was lost in her thoughts. When her friend touched her shoulder to get her attention, Sameera jolted in fear, her face turning pale. Watching this, I was both shocked and deeply worried…To be continued...