•••••••
"Kia nahi jaate hain na please, meri gut feeling keh rahi hai yeh galat hai,"
(Kia, let’s not go, please. I have a gut feeling this is wrong.)
Kia rolled her eyes at the girl she was dragging along to the quiet corner of the school,the same spot the girl had once claimed would be her hiding place if there was ever a terror attack in the school.
"Lael, main tumhara boyfriend thodi hoon jo tum itna darr rahi ho. Hum dost, woh bhi nek aur shareef, araam se ek achhi si coffee peene bhi nahi ja sakte kya?"
(Lael, I'm not your boyfriend that you're getting so scared. We're just friends, decent and respectable ones ,can't we even go have a nice cup of coffee peacefully?)
She said as she looked around to check they were alone.
"Iss Tarah school bunk karke toh nek shareef log he jaate hain na coffee peene," Lael said, sarcasm clear in her tone.
(Yeah, right, it's only decent and respectable people who bunk school to go have coffee like this.)
"Woh chodo yeh batao yeh wall apan koodenge kaise?" Kia said, ignoring her friends blabber.
(Leave that, just tell me, how are we going to climb over this wall?)
"Tum yeh batao ki agar kisi ne mere Abba ko bata diya, yah unhone mujhe dekh Liya, Ya phir maam ne ghar call kar diya toh," She said all in one breath.
(You tell me,what if someone tells my Abba, or he sees me himself, or worse, the ma'am calls home?)
Kia turned to lael with her hands on her hips, “Tumhare father ke paas aur koi kaam nahi hai kya jo woh har waqt school se updates lenge Chill karo, yaar.”
(Does your father have nothing better to do than get constant updates from school? Chill, yaar.)
Lael looked down, biting her lip. “Tumhe nahi pata,agar unhe pata chal gaya na,mujhe ghar se nikalne nahi denge kabhi,"
(You don’t get it,if he finds out, he’ll never let me leave the house again.)
Kia gave her a long look, then let out a dramatic sigh, “Lael Khan, agar tumhare Abba ne spy agency khol rakhi hai toh mujhe bhi batana, main bhi check karwa loongi meri billi din bhar gayab kaha rehti hai,"
(Lael Khan, if your Abba’s opened a spy agency, then do let me know,I’ll get my cat checked too, to see where she disappears all day!)
“Kia please, serious baat hai. Mere abba ka gussa maloom hai na tumhe,” She said as she lightly slapped kia's arm.
(Kia, please, it’s a serious matter. You know how angry my Abba can get, don’t you?)
Kia’s teasing dropped for a second. She sighed and softened her voice. “Lael, mujhe pata hai. Isiliye toh keh rahi hoon, kab tak aise darr darr ke jeeyogi? Ek cup coffee bhi nahi pee sakti kya bina permission ke?”
(Lael, I know. That’s exactly why I’m saying this ,how long will you keep living like this, scared all the time? Can’t you even have a cup of coffee without asking for permission?)
“Nahi.” Lael said honestly, voice barely a whisper.
(No)
Kia softened just a little, stepping closer. “Okay listen,agar tum itni scared ho toh hum nahi jaate, theek hai? Lekin ek baat batao, kya hamesha aise hi chalega? Tum kuch bhi khud ke liye nahi karogi?”
(Okay, listen, if you’re really this scared, then we won’t go, alright? But tell me one thing :Is this how it’s always going to be? Will you never do anything just for yourself?)
Lael blinked. “Kya matlab?”
(What do you mean?)
"Matlab yeh hai ki psychologist banne ke khwaab dekhti ho aur khud psycho hoti ja rahi ho apne Abba ki wajah se," Kia said as she playfully flicked lael's forehead.
(It means you dream of becoming a psychologist, but you’re turning into a psycho yourself ,all thanks to your Abba.)
"Badtameez ho tum!" She said with a pout.
(Shameless you are!)
"Acha ab yeh mu na phulao, Cafeteria toh chal sakti ho ya wahan pe bhi Abba aa jayenge tumhare" Kia asked playfully.
(Alright, now, don’t pout. Can you at least go to the cafeteria, or is your Abba going to show up there, too?)
"Zyada mat bolo, bade hain wo."
(Don't say too much. He’s still an elder.)
Kia chuckled, linking her arm with Lael’s. “Bade hain, lekin tumhari life ke remote control ban gaye hain.”
(He may be elder, but he’s turned into the remote control of your life.)
They left the spot as Kia pulled her to the cafeteria.
"Mai compromise Kar rahi hun, ab bill tum dogi!"
(I'm compromising, so now you will pay the bill.)
••••••
Lael quietly opened the front door as she stepped in silently. The house was unusually quiet. Her heart sank the moment her eyes landed in the lounge.
There he was.
Her father. Mr Israr Khan
Sitting on the armchair, a thick file open in his lap, glasses perched low on his nose. His face, as always, was unreadable.As soon as he spotted her, he closed the file slowly, set it aside on the table with precision, and removed his glasses in one swift motion.
“Lael,” he said, voice calm but heavy. “Itni der kaise hui?”
(Lael, what took you so long?)
Her stomach dropped.
She tried to steady her voice, clutching the strap of her bag tighter. “W-Woh, woh class thodi lambi ho gayi thi Abba, phir van uncle bhi late aaye the"
(Uh, the class went a bit long, Abba, and then the van uncle came late, too)
He didn’t say anything right away. Just looked at her. That look. The one that made her feel like she was standing under a knife.Then he leaned back slowly and gave a short nod.
"Hm theek hai," He said, buying her words.
(Hmm, okay)
Lael exhaled quietly, barely nodding.
“J-Jaon, Abba?”
(May I go, Abba?)
He hummed and picked up his file again, slipping the spectacles back on.
And just like that, she was dismissed.
•••••••
Yeh abhi se mere dil ke bohat kareeb hai, Sach batao toh Maine hayaat ka response dekh Kar socha tha ab nahi likhungi, Magar Mann nahi mana, I was thinking to write this from so long.
Batao kaisi lagi mere lael ?
Enjoy!
