Luck

The ways of fate are strange and unpredictable. What a person plans rarely turns out as expected.

Aunt had searched far and wide for a suitable bride for Heer. She examined many girls, visiting every neighborhood and household. Her feet ached, her back stiffened, yet none matched her standards. Some were too short, others too tall; some were chubby, others frail; some had dull complexions, others pale like turnips. Every girl in the vicinity, every cousin and niece, was considered, but none suited her grandson Nabeel.

Nabeel was one in a million: handsome, well-educated, intelligent, but unpredictable in temperament. He would reject one job and embrace another, only to grow bored shortly after and seek yet another.

Aunt wished to bring a perfect partner for her striking grandson—a girl as radiant as the moon. That moon appeared to them in the form of Anila.

Anila was the granddaughter of their distant uncle. She was the only sister of two brothers, unparalleled in beauty and education within the family. Her substantial dowry filled Aunt’s small house, making it look lavish and complete.

The first days of the marriage were traditional—visits, celebrations, outings. Anila would dress exquisitely each day, waiting for Nabeel to arrive. After his arrival, he would freshen up, and they would go out together. Late at night, when they returned, Aunt would already be asleep, snoring in her room.

But Anila had little interest in household chores. Whatever Aunt assigned, she completed grudgingly, never taking initiative. Soon her behavior began to irritate Aunt. One day, as Anila and Nabeel were preparing to go out, Aunt spoke up:

“O daughter-in-law, take an interest in household work. You cannot spend all your time dressing up and going on outings with your husband.”

Nabeel remained silent, but Anila’s face contorted with displeasure. She stomped into her room and even boycotted dinner entirely.

Yet hunger eventually forced her to relent, and by morning she appeared at the breakfast table, sulking. After breakfast, Aunt assigned her some tasks, which Anila completed begrudgingly.

That afternoon, she slept so deeply that Aunt knocked repeatedly on her door in vain. The door remained closed until Nabeel returned in the evening. For some time, Aunt tolerated Anila’s behavior, but eventually, her patience ran out. She began scolding Anila for laziness and shirking responsibilities. Anila, in turn, became defiant and disrespectful.

What had once been a quiet, small household became a battleground. Their quarrels escalated to the point that neighbors became interested. The woman living next door, Shabnam, began awaiting the fights each day. If no argument occurred, she would wonder what was amiss—perhaps the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were unusually calm.

In this entire turmoil, Nabeel’s position was that of a mere puppet, his strings pulled first by his mother, then by his wife.

One day, the conflict reached a breaking point. Anila, fed up, packed her belongings, gathered her bedding, and took a rickshaw back to her parental home. The clash between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had grown so intense that even Shabnam next door was alarmed.

Thus, fate had played its unpredictable hand. The carefully sought match, the radiant moon Aunt had found in Anila, brought beauty and wealth, yet also endless domestic strife. Nabeel, despite being the intended center of this union, remained powerless—pulled in different directions, unable to restore peace. What Aunt had hoped would be an ideal marriage had become a lesson in patience, family dynamics, and the unpredictable twists of destiny.

The story illustrates that fate often surprises people in unexpected ways. One can plan meticulously, seek perfection, and invest immense effort, yet the results may differ entirely. Life, like fate, is not bound by human desires; it moves in directions beyond control, teaching patience and humility in its lessons.