Milte Rahen Ba-dastoor

Aftermath.

As if standing lost on a random road trying to contact an uber driver wasn't enough, it had started to rain. Heavily.

Only if that was all, when I had finally settled in the car and sighed with relief, the driver, a young man of about 21 kept glancing at me in confusion.

"Mujhe aesa q lagraha hai mene apko kahin dekha hai?" he asked doubtfully.

I instantly lowered my hoodie more. This was the last thing I was expecting today.

"koi ghalatfehmi hogi."

I denied it with all my will, but he was determined.

"Nahin, mene apki awaz bhi suni hui hai."

I silently prayed he won't push it more and continued to look at the raindrops trickling down the windows, when we had stopped at the signals.

A boy playfully swayed his torn, shaggy umbrella, holding a basket of gajrays, Stopping in front of each car, especially those he saw a woman in.

Most people continued to pretend not to see him, I lowered my window and his attention instantly shifted to me and he ran quickly before the signal turned green.

"Chahiyen Sahab? Kitne chahiye?"
he asked desperately, and I felt a twinge of pain in my heart.

He was too young for this.

"Saray dedo."

His eyes widened with surprise, but he instantly handed me the entire basket.

I watched him go back, but this time he was practically beaming with happiness.

The fragrance of roses covered the car and the uber driver watched this entire thing unfold with a gentle smile. When the car started again he adjusted the rearview mirror and excitedly announced,

"Rayyan-yaad agaya mujhe, Rayyan naam hai na apka?"

I rubbed my hand over my face.

Today of all days God?

"Apki sui abhi tak wahin atki hui thi?"

I said scrunching my nose up.

Then he started bombarding me with questions about where my car was, what I was doing on a busy road when it was raining this hard and I kept dodging the questions carefully.

Oh nothing special, I just happened to feed my not so friendly next door neighbor's cat something she's allergic to, and then messed the directions, made everyone exasperated and my car has now been hijacked by them and all my rides kept getting cancelled and I am cold and wet and sneezing. That's all.

When I finally arrived at my house, Natalia Phupho took her sweet time opening the door, I kept ringing the bell again and again,
thankfully at least my car was parked safely outside the house, when she opened the door, she froze halfway seeing the state I was in.

Drenched from head to toe, coughing, and the most awkward thing, holding a basket full of gajrays.

"Rayyan Imar, what on earth have you been up-to?"