طلبگار
𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐠𝐚𝐚𝐫: 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬
noun: a person who wants or is in desperate need of something or someone.
راح حیات میں کچھ مرحلے تو دیکھ لئے،
یہ اور بات ہے کہ تیری آرزو نہ راس آئی
دل فسردہ میں پھر دھڑکنوں کا زور ہے،
یہ بیٹھے بیٹھے مجھے کن دنوں کی یاد آئی-
𝗥𝗮𝗮𝗵 𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘆𝗮𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗶𝗻 𝗸𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗮𝘆
𝘁𝗮𝘂 𝗱𝗲𝗸𝗵 𝗹𝗶𝘆𝗲𝘆,
𝘆𝗲𝗵 𝗮𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗮𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗶 𝗸𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶 𝗮𝗮𝗿𝘇𝗼𝗼
𝗻𝗮 𝗿𝗮𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝘆𝗶
𝗗𝗶𝗹 𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝗵 𝗺𝗲𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗿 𝗱𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗮𝗻𝗼
𝗸𝗮 𝘇𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝗶,
𝘆𝗲𝗵 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘆 𝗺𝘂𝗷𝗵𝗮𝘆 𝗸𝗶𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗼
𝗸𝗶 𝘆𝗮𝗮𝗱 𝗮yi.
• • •
THE GIRL WOKE UP TO THE SOUND OF AZAAN ENTERING HER EARS AND OPENED HER EYES before slowly starting to blink them a couple of times to lift away the haze.
She waited for a while till the call of prayer ended before taking the blanket off of her and getting out of the bed.
It was another one of the regular mornings.
Anabiya did wudhu and quickly tidied her room, she then clasped her deep golden hair in a catcher. Hazel brown eyes darted across the room before they zeroed on the dressing table and she started walking towards it.
Anabiya picked up her phone from the table before eagerly checking it
for any missed notification.
He had strictly informed her that she couldn't call him, he had assured her that he'll call her himself whenever he'd avail the possible free time.
She wasn't naive enough to not cooperate with the circumstances despite her increasing desperation to listen to him every day.
The very thought was humorous,
there was a time when she couldn't even sit next to him for more than a little time in great shyness, whereas now, the separation had her impatiently looking forward to every call.
Jalal Shah hadn't been keen on using a burner phone at first, but with time he realised the necessity.
He couldn't talk on Hassan's phone all the time therefore he bought one of his own. He rarely talked with anyone other than Anabiya as it was severely risky.
There were duty checks carried out by police officials every day, and he didn't want to get caught with an act against the station.
So he was never always free to talk with the girl.
Anabiya thoroughly checked her phone and a flame of irritation sparked through her in an instant after noticing not even a single one of his messages or calls.
She recalled their conversation where he had promised her to come back soon and angrily threw her phone on the bed.
"Jhoothay!" Wet tears streamed down her face as she roughly wiped them away.
It had been 2 months since the day Anabiya had come back home from the hospital. There was still not even a single hope for Jalal Shah's case to dissolve. The plausibility had become next to zero.
The man was willing to pay more money, even more than 7 crore, for the opposing party to reconsider any agreement but Jalal Shah couldn't hit any luck.
Anabiya filled the glass with water and gulped it down with her medicines. Her stress was taking a severe toll on her.
A second hadn't fully passed by when her phone started ringing, she rushed towards the bed before hastily grabbing the phone only find out that the call was from Noor.
Stony eyes glared the screen.
Anabiya decided on waiting for the call to die down instead of picking it up.
Her own heart had somehow died in the process. She couldn't bring herself to even temporarily ignore the risk of her husband getting hanged or left imprisoned for a lifetime if found guilty. So she was isolating herself from everyone.
Anabiya learned everything related to the dera's incident from Haider and she had become depressed.
A feeling of despise settled in her towards every resident of haveli.
The courts were never efficient.
Jalal Shah was regularly present on his weekly court hearings but the judge himself was stalling the issue.
It wasn't an unknown fact that the prisons were filled with people mostly without faults while the guilty ones roamed free everwhere other than the jail.
Anabiya sat on the edge of the bed and as soon as Noor's call ended, she made a call to Jalal Shah on her own.
Surprisingly, the call was received in a little time.
Jalal Shah had just offered the fajr prayer and was busy observing the leaden misty sky while laying on the charpai bed when his phone started ringing.
A smile surfaced on his lips as all of his worries were pushed back immediately. He felt over the moon.
"Zeh naseeb ... Dil aap hee ka zikar kar raha tha abhi!" His deep octave voice sent delightful shivers down Anabiya's skin.
"K-kahan thay aap?!" She spoke through the intense feelings, he had always been fair with his words.
"Aap kay khyaalon mein ghum tha!
Sad shukar kay aisi tanhayi mein bhi aap ka husn e tassavur mujhay apna akela pan mahsoos hee nahi honay deta!"
Water collected at the bottom of the girl's bloodshot eyes, She took an intake of shaky breath before beginning to speak once again,
"Lekin mujhay apna akela pan bohut mahsoos hota hai Jalal!" Her words were hiccuped out.
Jalal Shah became alert. He got up fr
in an seated position. His breathing shallowed as his heart sank unexplainably.
"Anabiya, meri jaan kya baat hui hai? Mujhay batao?" He made sure to muster up his voice as comforting as possible while coaxing her.
Anabiya's crying didn't cease one bit, much to Jalal Shah's anxiousness, it increased further on.
"Jalal mein tang agayi hun, kisi ko bhi mera ehsaas nahi, k-kisi kay liye meri koi ehmiyat nahi, .... m-meray say itna sab bardasht nahi ho paaraha ab!"
An agonized look covered the man's face as he patiently listened to her without interrupting.
"Aisay kyun keh rahi hun? Sab ko qadar hai tumhari, sab itna pyaar kartay hain tum say!" He tried helping.
Yet these were not the words she wanted to hear, she was desperate to hear, "mein bhi tum say itna pyaar karta hun" but it never came.
Even she wasn't aware on why had the certain validation become so important all of a sudden.
Anabiya sat down on the floor beside the bed and continued crying her heart out. Jalal Shah's heart felt as it were about to combust.
He wanted to be there for her, to be next to her and engulf her into his warm embrace just to take away all of her sorrows and afflictions but all he was left to do was to remain helpless.
His heart started hurting, a throbbing sensation started forming in Jalal Shah's head and he placed a hand over his forehead to try stopping the pain somehow.
His powerless essence was infuriating him.
"Anabiya ...kyun kar rahi ho meray sath aisa?" His strong voice came out almost in a plea, Anabiya shook her head as if not leaving any room for any cooperation.
"Meri bus hogayi hai Jalal!" Her words were croaked out due to crying followed by little sniffles.
Jalal Shah's jaw clenched to the point it almost started hurting, the veins in his neck were pulsing uncontrollably.
"Tumharay lafz mera imtehaan ley rahay hain Anabiya, aisay mat karo meray sath, .... iss zabt ko qaabu karnay mein pehlay hee bohut waqt laga hai mujhay!"
Jalal Shah's patience was running thin, his words were breaking down with grief.
Anabiya's consciousness gave her a whiplash of the passing time and she got up immediately, "M-Mein namaz parh lu, aap please phone off mat karna, mujhay 15-20 minute baad khud call kar dena, mein free ho jaungi!"
Her words were still shaky and Jalal Shah affirmed her with a single word answer before ending the call just because he was aware of her intense numinous character.
Anabiya placed the prayer mat on the marbled floor and began her fajr's supplication.
It took Jalal Shah great amount of strength to reach back to the charpai bed, it wouldn't have been a lie if said that he had weakened.
Either it be in terms of emotional health or physical, he had become extremely vulnerable.
The place he was currently in, was haunting his mind, clawing him. The surroundings had instantly become strangely lurid.
Jalal Shah filled a glass with cold water and chugged it down, trying to balance his burning body.
His blood pressure had started rising a lot lately.
Only a few nights back, a severe headache hit him like a bolting train, he communicated with the guard, as his strength was slowly starting to give away, the prison doctor came immediately and had his problem diagnosed in a very short time.
The doctor was baffled to see how the man had managed to resist the severe pain.
Jalal Shah's blood pressure had shot very high that day and even afterwards, it was rarely normal. He took his medicines religiously but the deteriorating mental health wasn't in his control.
For the weakness of his body was deeply linked with the sadness of his heart.
He made sure that his family remained oblivious to this information. Little by little, the facade of determination was slowly killing him from inside. Everyone perceived him differently from what he was actually going through.
The man took prolonged breaths and tried clearing his mind. As told, he waited for 20 minutes before calling his wife.
Anabiya took the dupatta scarf off her head and attended the call with a relaxed mind now.
"Aaj tau shayad ek hee dafa jaan say maarnay ka iraada hai tumhara." The sardonic statement rang through the girl's ears.
"Allah aapko meri bhi zindagi lagaye Jalal, pata nahi kya ho jaata hai mujhay, aap ki call nahi ayi thi, pareshan hogayi thi!" She mumbled out apologetically.
A little pained laugh escaped Jalal Shah.
"Tum say mujhay koi gilah nahi, meri jaan!" His words were soft yet deep with meaning, they caressed Anabiya's feelings with the purest hues as possible.
Anabiya instantly regretted her words spoken earlier.
"Mein sach keh rahi hun Jalal! Bohut sharmindah hun, aisay kamzor nahi parhna chahiye tha, aap ko meray say muttalliq ab koi bhi pareshani nahi milay gi!" She didn't want to stress him out.
"Tumhari ghalti nahi hai Anabiya, itna be khabar nahi hun kay fitri jazbaaton ko foqiat na du, umer hee kya thi tumhaari kay mera diya itna azaab jhel rahi ho? tumharay sab ansoun ka zimedaar hun!
Lekin Bohut hee badqismat bhi hun mein kay chah kay bhi apnaay halaat nahi sudhaar paa raha, pehlay bhi beshumaar cases rahay hain, bus iss baar meray hath mein kuch nahi!" He contradicted as well as ended with an desolate sentence.
"Jalal mujhay apnay Allah pey yaqeen hai, mein jaanti hun sab theek hojaye ga!"
"Sab theek hojaye ga?" Jalal Shah chuckled bitterly at the thought. The brutal realities of life sinking through his mind.
He forcefully evaporated the thoughts, wanting to relieve her off of her troubles, first.
"Tum batao, Aakhir baat kya hui hai? Kisi nay kuch kaha hai kya?" He inquired with great concern.
Fehmida did try degrading Anabiya a couple of times, but this only occured once or twice before it completely stopped. Therefore, other people honestly weren't an issue for Anabiya.
"Mujhay sirf aapki yad be chain kar rahi thi Jalal, aap ko apnay paas mahsoos karna chahti thi!... thora sa pareshan hogayi thi, Lekin ab theek hun mein" The girl tried keeping her voice as calm as possible.
And for a very brief moment, Jalal Shah's heart stopped working.
"Yeh sitam nahi tau aur kya hai kay jis pal kay liye itna tarpa hun mein, aaj ussi ki guzaarish tum khud kar rahi ho, yeh jaan nay kay bawjood kay faaslay bohut taweel hogaye hain ab!"
Tears accumulated in Anabiya's eyes as she squeezed her eyes shut, right after hearing his words.
No words were exchanged as they continued listening to each others torment in silence.
"Mein aapka izhaar e muhabbat sunna chahti thi, aap nay yeh kyun nahi kahan kay aap bhi mujhay bohut yaad kartay hain? Kya aapko meri zarra si bhi parwah nahi?
Aap nay mujhay khud call kyun nahi kee? Aapko maloom bhi nahi kay mein sirf aapki awaaz sun nay kay liye kitna besabri say aapki call ka intezar karti hun!" Anabiya didn't hesitate once while sharing.
A vacant looked surrounded Jalal Shah's face, free from all emotions.
"Kya meri muhabbat waqaye hee lafzo ki mohtaaj hai Anabiya?" Jalal Shah thoughtfully commented.
"Kya mujhay roz batana zaroori hai kay tumharay hijr mein pal pal guzaara lamha kitni aziyat pohncha raha hai mujhay ... mera yeh toota hua wujood, sirf ek tumharay hee naam say tau wabasta hai!
Khud ko Alam samajh betha tha mein!magar sach tau yeh hai kay mein tau shuru din say hee faqeer tha, tum say mehroom rehna jo likha tha iss zindagi mein!" The words were stiffly spoken out, the girl went absolutely speechless.
"J-Jalal mera yeh matlab nahi tha!" She stammered out, her system shaken by the frisson.
"Jail mein hun jaan e man! Naa kay kisi man chahi mehfil mein... phones sakhti say mana hain, yahan kay log mauqay kay intezaar mein hotay hain kay kisi ki ek ghalti milay tau uska parcha hal honay kay bajaye mazeed bigar jaye!
Filwaqt koi mera saath denay ko tayyar nahi, ek akela kamra tak sirf hafta itwaar khareednay ko milta hai mujhay, warna ek ek kamray mein 5-6 logon ko tang hokar phattay huay mattress pey raat guzaarni hoti hai.
Dil tau nahi chah raha tha tumhay yeh sab batanay ka, sharam mehsoos horahi hai mujhay apni be basi bayan kartay huay lekin tumharay say kya pardah mera, meri rooh ki mehram jo thehri"
Jalal Shah's exuberance had Anabiya's heart, clenching, she was aware how much bruised his self esteem had become at the moment.
"I'm so sorry Jalal! Promise mujhay nahi pata tha, aap-aap aisa karay, abhi so jaye, neendh aapko bohut sukoon pohnchaye gi!" Anabiya was bereaved.
"Jism thak jaye tau neendh sukoon deti hai beshak! Lekin agar rooh thak jaye, tau sirf rooh e man ka hissaar hee sukoon pohnchata hai!
Tum nay tau meri jaan faqat mohabbat hee kee hai na? meinay tau apni qul zaat ko tumharay naam intasab kar diya hai!" The man confessed, turning Anabiya very much doleful.
"Jalal please ..aap stress tau mat lay?" Anabiya's honeyed voice was placing Jalal Shah into a state of a morbid longing.
The man sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"Mein Haider ko keh kay tumhay aur Falak ko kuch arsa iss sab say door bhijwa deta hun, jagah badlay gi tau pareshaniyan khud bakhud kam hojaye gi!" Jalal Shah proposed the idea which he thought would be the most beneficial cosidering the glum atmosphere.
"Tau-tau kya door bhejnay say mein yeh sab kuch bhool jaungi? Aap kay case say mutalliq stress lena band kar du gi?" The girl's voice became brittle.
"Anabiya, mein tumhay iss takleef say nijaat dilaana chahta hun, tumhara deyhaan batana chahta hun" The man was obviously very sick at heart, his forlornly voice was becoming an incentive for Anabiya's stubbornness.
"Mujhay sirf aap ki rahayi sukoon pohnchaye gi ab Jalal!" Anabiya dismissed the idea without taking time to even consider it, leaving no room for any altercation.
Jalal Shah didn't insisted further, he had gotten an easy idea in these 2 months that persuading a stubborn Anabiya was definitely an arduous task.
No had somehow become her frequently used and preferred word. Her radiant high spirits had visibly dimmed. She became irritated and stressed very easily on even on the most littlest of things.
Suddenly remembering something, Jalal Shah queried out of blue.
"Kis kis say baat hoti hai ghar mein?"
The man's question was very random and out of conversation, Anabiya's brows furrowed in confusion. "Kya matlab Jalal?"
Her quizzical reply was reasonable but Jalal Shah didn't know how to vocalise what he was meaning to inquire. He pressed his lips in a thin line.
"Ghar mein, kis kis say baat hoti hai?" His usual hardened voice had returned.
"Falak kay saath hee hoti hun hamesha, aap fikar mat karay, kisi kisam ka bhi koi masla nahi hota mujhay yahan!" Anabiya assured.
Yet Jalal Shah wasn't the one who was easily satisfied.
"Aur Falak kay... ilawa?"
It didn't take much for Anabiya to realise on what was being insinuated by his rich silver voice.
Badar Shah, after showing a few misogynistic attributes for the first few days, surprisingly, stopped on his own.
His wife on the contrary, used to always look forward to fight with Anabiya but Anabiya never disrespected the woman, as she was older.
Anabiya did try befriending the woman but Fehmida was never cooperative.
In fact, Badar Shah was the one who himself intervened one day, he scolded his wife and after that, Fehmida rarely made appearances.
Although his used tone deeply disturbed Anabiya but she was partly glad that it ended the torment before it became regular.
"Jalal, Fehmida baji say tau meri baat nahi hoti, wo ziada tar apnay kamray say bahir nahi aati, haan albatta, Badar bhai say baat ho jaati hai aksar" She answered truthfully.
"Ainda baad tum unkay saamnay nahi jau gi!"
Jalal Shah's rumbling voice placed Anabiya's nerves into unease. She couldn't understand on why he had suddenly turned so distraught.
The way he had commanded had somehow easily forced Anabiya into submission. She couldn't bring herself to refute.
"J-Jalal, kya baat hai? Wo tau achay hain na? U-Unhon nay kabhi koi ghalat baat nahi kee?" She dubiously put a question forward.
Jalal Shah let out a cold chuckle at her response.
"Kisi ki kya majaal jo Jalal Shah ki biwi ko kuch bhi bolay, sab bohut achay tareekay say waaqif hain mujh say!
filwaqt jo bola hai, uss pay amal karo gi tum, sahi hai?" He instructed with a different kind of gravity in his voice.
"Jee Jalal!" Anabiya acknowledged his assertness.
Jalal Shah checked the time on his phone before speaking out once again,
"Janeman, aap soye gi nahi kya?" His voice had shifted towards an softer tone now.
It had taken Anabiya a lot of time to understand the complexity of the man, the way his demeanour kept on switching on and off wasn't something that surprised Anabiya anymore. Still, she preferred his
ardent self over the dominating one.
A smile surfaced on the girl's lips, "Aap ko neendh aarahi hai Jalal?"
"Haan yaar, thori bohut aarahi hai, kuch pal araam karna chahta hun, haan lekin sirf agar aapki ijaazat ho tau?" He teased the girl.
A giggle left past Anabiya as she laid back on the bed with a light heart, "kyun nahi, itni bhi zaalim biwi nahi hun, aapko puri ijaazat hai, lekin sirf iss shart pey kay kal aap mujhay jaldi call karay gay!"
"Madam meri konsi aur biwiyan hai, phone tak meinay sirf aap hee kay liye rakha hai, aap ko nahi karunga ga tau aur kisko karunga?" He countered with a deep chuckle.
"Mein aapko jaan say maar du gi agar yeh biwiyon wala mutaalba wapis hua tau!" Anabiya was furious.
"Aur Ham tau khushi khushi apni jaan aap ko sonpnay kay liye tayyar bhi bethay hain, kay ek aap hee kay dam say tau bahaal hain yeh saansein hamari!
Sach bataun tau bari hee zaalim hai yeh raudaad e ashiqui meri, pehlay tum say bicharnay ki soch, mera sukoon barbaad kar kay rakh deti thi aur ab bichar jaanay kay baad, jeena bhi azaab hee lag raha hai!"
"Apni marzi say yeh jazbaat rakhay hain aap nay!" Anabiya playfully dismissed his flirtatious statements.
"Yeh sab aap hee ki nawazishain hai begum, kay ab bhi yeh kambakht dil masruf e intezaar hai, ek sirf aap kay deedar kay liye!" He called the girl out, feigning great pain.
An easy laugh bubbled out of Anabiya at his sentence, "iss waqt koi paas tau nahi aapkay?
Kisi nay sun liya tau zaroor bari pareshaani mein sochay ga kay yeh Shah Saeen ko kya hogya, yeh kab say itnay romantic hogaye?" She teasingly proposed.
But that really did pull Jalal Shah out of his dreamy state and he quickly got off of the charpai to check if anyone had heard him or no.
Hearing the shuffling with pauses on the other end made Anabiya let out a full blown laughter.
Jalal Shah still continued checking to his full assurance before speaking back on the phone "Had hai Anabiya! Meri talab ko mazaaq samjha hai kya?
Phone pey tau sahi sherni bani phir rahi ho, meray saamnay tau tum sharam say kaanpna shuru hojaati ho! Ab ek dafa milo sahi tum, sharmaanay tak ki ijaazat nahi dunga!"
The man tried threatening but even this didn't faze the girl's laughter.
"Bus karo yaar, Ek tau itna shareef shohar mila hai tumhay, koi qadar hee nahi iss zamanay mein!" Jalal Shah exaggerated dramatically.
"Uff Allah, jhoot tau mat bolay Jalal! Agar aap shareef hain, tau phir baaki tau had darjay kay kharab hai! Itni qadar tau karti hun! Na dil lagaatay agar itna hee pachtawa horaaha hai tau!" Anabiya retorted back arrogantly.
Jalal Shah let out a laughter at her sass.
"Tch, Kya keh saktay hain, aap ki issi be gaangi ko meri ashiqui nay ishaara samajh liya aur bus, mein aap hee ka hokay reh gya aap pey sirf pehli nazar parhnay kay baad!" Jalal Shah sighed out while remembering their first encounter.
A content smile covered the man's lips, his heart hummed in peace.
Anabiya felt like squealing out in glee, she quickly placed a hand over her erratically beating her heart, nevertheless she remained quiet, she was aware that even if she tried, couldn't ever be as expressive as Jalal Shah.
"Suno?" The man called out all of a sudden. His voice had somehow turned thick and husky.
"J-jee?" She called out unsteadily.
"Bohut be qarrar hun tumharay liye, bohut chah hai tumhaari, tum bhi mujhay chahti ho na Anabiya?" Jalal Shah whispered out in his deep voice for reassurance and Anabiya's eyes widened at his question.
She panicked and so she could only do what she did the best at such situations with Jalal,
Close herself off completely.
Anabiya quickly ended the call without giving him his desired answer.
Her cheeks were flushed as she pulled over the covers atop of her, trying to shield herself from her thoughts of the man.
Jalal Shah was stunned by the abruptly ended call but chuckled nevertheless and started gazing at the sky once again.
The man stared at nothing in particular as his life's memories started playing in front of his eyes like a movie, his favourite parts rotating around Anabiya's smiles only.
ستارے گواہ ہیں میری بےبسی کے
انہوں نے رات بھر ہمیں مسکراہٹ سجائے،
جاگتے دیکھا ہے-
یہ ظلم تیرا کیسا ہے ستمگر؟
کہ تیری تبسم کی یاد میں، ہم بےخبر نے رات کو
بس یونہی گزر جاتے دیکھا ہے-
𝘚𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘺 𝘨𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘢𝘩 𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘪 𝘬𝘢𝘺
u𝘯𝘩𝘰𝘯 𝘯𝘢𝘺 𝘳𝘢𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘩𝘢𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘺
𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘬𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘫𝘢𝘺𝘦, 𝘫𝘢𝘢𝘨𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘬𝘩𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘪.
𝘠𝘦𝘩 𝘻𝘶𝘭𝘮 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘢 𝘬𝘦𝘴𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘪 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘮𝘨𝘢𝘳?
𝘒𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪 𝘵𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘮 𝘬𝘪 𝘺𝘢𝘢𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘪𝘯,
𝘩𝘢𝘮 𝘣𝘦 𝘬𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘢𝘳 𝘯𝘢𝘺 𝘳𝘢𝘢𝘵 𝘬𝘰
𝘉𝘶𝘴 𝘺𝘶𝘯𝘩𝘪 𝘨𝘶𝘻𝘢𝘳 𝘫𝘢𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘬𝘩𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘪.
❏ ❏ ❏
Falak was anxiously pacing around her room's terrace with the phone in her hand and airpods in her ears.
"Hassan mil lo na?" She tried persuading for the umpteenth time.
"Falak aap samajh nahi rahi! Mein roz roz aakar nahi mil sakta, ab kis hesiyat say aaun wahan? Driver ya guard tau hu nahi, na sir wahan hain kay aajaya karun, Badar Saeen ko shak hojaye ga!" Hassan tried explaining.
Jalal Shah had strictly told him to minimise his visits to the kothi as he didn't want the boy to come under Badar Shah's eyes.
That meant reducing his meetings with Falak as well, and because Jalal Shah hadn't himself informed about their nikkah's news to his cousin, Hassan thought it'd be the best to not tell anyone themselves.
Hassan was aware that if Badar Shah had found out about the information, he could possibly defame the siblings in front of their tribal families.
It was a rare chance but he wasn't keen on taking chances. So they met secretly and usually for very brief moments.
Falak on the other hand became restless.
She missed him terribly. Her health had started misbalancing frequently and this took made an influence on her emotional health as well.
She became very insistent. Always forcing Hassan to come meet her every day.
Hassan did make visits just for the sake of Falak, once every two days, but this seemed to be not enough for the girl.
"Tum mujhay kabhi serious nahi letay, mein waqaye bohut beemar hogayi hun Hassan!" Falak teared up a little.
Hassan placed two fingers on his forehead to help with the frustration. He was walking in the lawn of his house, listening to his wife's tantrums so his mother's sleep couldn't get disturbed.
"Agar serious na leta tau abhi subah kay 6 bajay aap say call pey baat na kar raha hota!" He pointed out.
"Aur agar fikar hoti tau meri baat ko samajhtay!" She replied bitterly before taking a deep breath to control her anger and speaking out again.
"Hassan please?" Her voice turned desperate now.
"Falak mujhay samajh nahi aarahi aap ko achanak say kya hogya hai, aap doctor ko apni tabiyat check karwaye, aisa karay mein khud aajata hun kal, aap ka checkup bhi karwa launga aur mil bhi lay gay, ab khush?"
He had turned somewhat concerned.
She was mostly sick and medicines rarely helped her condition.
His suggestion turned Falak into a very happy girl, she instantly squealed out in utter joy, Hassan chuckled at her enthusiasm.
"Ab so jao Falak, Thand lag jaye gi, apna bohut khyaal rakha karo!" Hassan's usual care returned.
"Tum ho na care karnay kay liye!" The girl sheepishly replied back with a giggle and Hassan shook his head with a smile on his lips.
"Acha Hassan-" Falak was going to speak when she stopped.
"Falak?" Hassan tensed immediately and called out but the girl was too stilled to reply back,
Badar Shah was taking a stroll in the garden when the laughter of the girl caught his attention and he turned to look towards the direction.
Falak's eyes widened as she saw the man look at her with scrutinising eyes.
The girl quickly lowered her head and walked back inside her room.
Whereas Badar Shah was heavily intrigued on who was the girl talking to so early in the morning.
❏ ❏ ❏
Noor entered the haveli along with her husband.
As soon as the couple stepped inside, their gaze was met with the awaiting woman, Noor's smile faltered instantly.
Noor looked up to see that her husband's expressions had hardened as well. "Ao na, ruk kyun gaye tum dono?"
Gul bano looked at the couple with a warm emotion.
Zareena was walking by the kitchen when she decided to intervene the sight. "Daryab, Gul bano ko bhi saath le jaatay?"
The family residents had completely cut off from Gul bano for a few weeks before they decided to switch back to Gul bano's side.
As the hate for Noor and Amna overpowered the residents rational thinkings.
"Nahi iski zaroorat nahi hai khala, mein kahan pareshan karti in dono ko!" Gul bano spoke out immediately with a knowing smile.
"Arey nahi baaji, iss mein pareshani ki koi baat na thi, aap beshak saath aajati!" Noor instantly felt bad over her and Daryab's action.
Throughout the conversation Gul bano observed her husband carefully.
His mood gave away his call, he absolutely despised Gul bano. The way he was stiffly standing next to the girl looked forced.
"Nahi Nahi, iss haalat mein tumhay sab ki poori poori tawajja ki zaroorat hai! Bachay kay liye yeh intehayi mufeed hai!" Gul bano's words were laced with generosity and care.
Daryab Khan was shelled at the reply, he had never expected this from Gul bano.
"Shayad waqaye hee badal rahi hai!" The man thought to himself.
Noor got up in the morning, next to Daryab Khan. Her head on his chest and as for Daryab, one of his arm was placed over her tummy while the other was securingly clasped around her shoulder while he was in slumber.
The girl felt intense profound love rush through her and she gently woke him up.
Daryab Khan was up there and then, he pressed her tightly against himself but Noor pulled away, she then shared with her husband that she was deeply craving ice cream.
It didn't take the man much time and he agreed right away, telling her to get ready so they'd leave for the ice cream.
Noor was overjoyed.
The time spent with Daryab Khan was slowly turning everything into a fairytale.
Similarly, It was wondrous for Daryab Khan to see her little forms of intimacy, every day. The girl was very expressive, in terms of affection.
The love, admiration and respect, his little wife held within her just for him was like a breath of fresh air. He had never received this much attention and care ever before.
He did find himself undeserving of everything but Noor made sure to never let him feel that way.
She always complimented him, even im the most littlest of matters.
"Thank you, aap itnay achay hain, aur mein kitni lucky hun!" Noor commented wholeheartedly while devouring upon the vanilla flavoured ice cream.
Daryab Khan could only mutely stare at the girl.
He had grown severely attached to her, he shared everything with her without feeling even an ounce of impartiality she made him feel, wanted.
"Kya dekh rahay hain?" Noor caught his gaze over her and asked with a little smile.
"Dekh raha hun kay meray rab ka kitna karam hai mujh pey, mein kahan tumharay qaabil tha?" He repeated the same overused sentence.
Noor shook her head in disappointment.
"Had kartay hain aap bhi, agar aap meray qaabil na hotay tau mera Allah mujhay kabhi aapkay naseeb mein na likhta!" She ended the conversation there and then.
This was what interested Daryab so much, she was merely 18 years of age yet her words were more mature than the most experienced people.
Noor saw him comtinue staring at her and so called out once again.
"Daryab, koi pareshani hai kya?" The girl was concerned now. "Hmm" Daryab Khan could only hum back an reply while intently looking in her curious grey, doe eyes.
"Kya baat hui hai?" Noor inquired. Her beauty had enhanced due to the pregnancy, a different kind of warm glow radiated from every part of her face.
"Baat hee tau samajh nahi arahi kay kyun aur kesay meray dil ko itni jaldi, itna ziada, achi lagna shuru hogayi ho!" Daryab thought to himself.
He couldn't voice out his feelings, the care he felt for her, increased tenfold and through the process turning into blossoming love.
"Kuch nahi, kha liya hai tau chalay?" He sent a smile towards her and changed the conversation.
Now only an hour later, they were standing in front of Gul bano.
It would've been a lie if said that Daryab Khan had completely stopped caring for that woman.
He did care for her but they both were aware thay relationships without the basis of trust, rarely succeeded.
However, right now Gul bano's words sounded so foreign that Daryab Khan couldn't believe his ears. The hardened features on the man's face, eased a little, turning into pure curious ones.
Noor was very taken back as well, a pleasant emotion covered the girl's face as she digested Gul bano's consideration.
"Shukriya Gul bano baji!" Noor was thankful.
"Noor, kya ham teeno iss rishtay ki bunyadon ko badal nahi saktay?
Mein chahti hun kay pichla saara waqt bhool kay, ab ham iss bachay ko, aur apni aanay wali zindagi ko pyaar muhabbat say shuru karay!" Gul bano confessed.
Noor turned very cheery as she readily nodded.
"Kyun nahi baaji, Mujhay bohut khushi hogi!"
"Daryab-" Gul bano started to begin when the man, ignored the call and moved past the woman, towards the mardaan khana. Gul bano and Noor could only watch him leave, in silence.
His departure clearly signifying, no chance of reconciliation.
❏ ❏ ❏
Jalal Shah was sitting in the visiting room.
He was waiting for Umer Rana, a man who he had done plenty of land dealings with before and who last night had called to request him for a few lakhs money.
Jalal Shah had no problem lending the required money to the man.
Umer Rana, a man who was only a few years older than Jalal Shah.
Jalal Shah saw the men enter, Umer Rana was with three other men. The men sent forward salam towards Jalal Shah who only nodded in acknowledgement.
"Sardar Sahab sab say pehlay yeh meethay chaawal tau chakhay!" Umer Rana had a large smile on his face as he presented the plate in front of Jalal Shah.
The man denied.
"Nahi thora sa tau khaye gay aap!" The persuasion began yet once again.
"Kahan na nahi khana?" Jalal Shah's low pitched voice was enough to shut Umer Rana up momentarily.
"Ach-Acha, t-tau meethayi bhi laaya tha?" This spiked Jalal Shah's irritation.
"Mohsin oye!" Jalal Shah bellowed out.
The inspector quickly rusher inside the room, "Jee Saeen?"
"Aey kuttay nu daal day!" Jalal Shah grunted out while motioning towards with bags filled with all kinds of expensive mithayi.
The oppositely seated men were shocked.
Umer Rana chuckled out nervously before commenting, "Shayad Saeen ko mithayi itni p-pasand nahi!"
They knew better than to try befriending the brute of a man.
"Saeen aapko meri gharwali kay inteqaal kay baaray mein tau maloom hoga, bus Allah nay bachi ko bhi maa say mila diya!" Umer informed Jalal Shah who then shared condolences.
Jalal Shah was in prison when he found out about Umer Rana's wife's death, caused due to birth delivery complication.
It made Jalal Shah sympathise the man, first he lost his wife while giving birth their daughter, and then he lost the same birthed infant only a few days later.
Jalal Shah remembered his mother's death, a pang hit him straight across the heart.
"Allah sabar day tumhay aur tumhari baaki aulad ko!"
Umer was left with 2 sons and a daughter as his family only. His daughter, being the oldest at 17 while the sons were both 12 and 15 aged respectively.
"Bus Saeen, Allah ki cheezain thi! Unhon nay wapis lay lee!"
"Paisay kitnay chahiye?" Jalal Shah cut him to the point, not wanting to delay the matter.
"Saeen yehi kuch 15-20 ek lakh mil jaye tau bohut shukarguzaar rahun ga!
Darasal, amma nay tajveez dee hai kay wapis shadi kar lu, tau meinay khud socha kay dair nahi lagani chahiye iss kaam kay liye, heina?" The man spoke out with a laugh as the other three men also joined him.
Unaware to the instant fury that ran through Jalal Shah at his words. A single glare was enough to freeze the man from laughing.
"Teri biwi ko marray huay waqt hee kitna hua hai, jaanwar tak itna be reham nahi hotay, haraamzadey!" Jalal Shah roared out so loud that it echoed through the silenced room.
It hadn't even been a full week since the person's wife had died and the way he was going to remarry with all the joy present, had him growling out in pure ferocity.
"Kutteya! Qadar ya kisi bhi jazbaat say aari tha tau kam as kam, insaaniyat kay tehat hee soch leta! Sharam nahi ayi tujhay? 18 saal guzaaray tunay uss aurat kay sath, aur ab uskay qafan ko mitti tak pohnchnay say pehlay bhonk raha hai kay dobara shadi karay ga?"
"S-Saeen s-shayad aapko bura lag gya, ham wapis chal-" Umer Rana tried getting up when Jalal Shah cut him by midway by grabbing him by his collars.
"Tenu chuk lawaanga teray kaar tu, fir ronda rayen beh kay, pench*da saala, nass idhru!" [I'll abduct you from your own place, then you'll be left crying, Fu*king bastard, get out of my sight!]
Jalal Shah's thundering words had the men turning white as sheet and as soon as he threw him back, Umer Rana and his friends hurriedly sped out of the room.
Jalal Shah took a deep breath to contain his rage while settling back into the sofa.
Ghayyur Khan, who coincidentally, walking past the room, overheard the conversation and watched, as grown men scurried out of the room with fear visible on their faces.
He couldn't help himself but enter the room. Jalal Shah sat upright after seeing the newcomer, a smirk slid into his face.
"Yeh kin ko bhaggaaya hai yahan say Jalal Shah?" Dsp Ghayyur khan's curiosity got the best out of him.
"Jaan nay wala hee tha, lekin heraan hun kay issay shuru say maloom hai kay mein kitna usool pasand raha hun, phir bhi baaz nahi aaya!
Iss mach*d nee himmat nu mein daad dena eya!" [I have to appreciate this motherfu*kers courage, though!]
Ghayyur Khan let out a laugh at his comment.
"Aur mein tumhari daad dunga kay itna tagra case dalnay kay bawjood, rassi jal gayi par bal na gya!" The Dsp pointed out coolly.
Now it was Jalal Shah's turn to chuckle.
"Waisay ek baat kahunga Jalal Shah, tum jaisay waderay kay baaray mein meinay bohut mukhtalif soch rakhi thi iss maamlay mein!
Socha tha kay itna paisa hai, biwiyon mein zaroor rangeen mizaaj hoga lekin nahi, tum nay khud dusri kya nahi rakhi, kisi aur ko bhi rakhnay na dee!" Ghayyur Khan was impressed.
"Yehi tau baat hai Ghayyur Khan, aankh pey patti ho tau ghalat bhi sahi lagnay lagta hai!" Jalal Shah voiced out with meaning behind his words.
Ghayyur Khan had it ultimately guessed, the man was referring to Agha Zaeem Khan.
Jalal Shah got up in a single stride and started walking out of the room, but not before sending a single nod towards the man.
Ghayyur Khan was then left alone, only with his thoughts.
مانا کے ہم ادب سے بات نہیں کرتے
پر یہ مانو کہ مطلب سے باہر بات نہیں کرتے
یہ نرم لہجہ اور پیاری باتیں صرف اس کے لیے
ہم اس لہجے میں سب سے بات نہیں کرتے-
𝗠𝗮𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗸𝗮𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝗺 𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗯 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝗯𝗮𝗮𝘁 𝗻𝗮𝗵𝗶 𝗸𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗮𝘆
𝗣𝗮𝗿 𝘆𝗲𝗵 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗼 𝗸𝗮𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗹𝗮𝗯 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝗯𝗮𝗵𝗶𝗿 𝗯𝗮𝗮𝘁 𝗻𝗮𝗵𝗶 𝗸𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗮𝘆
𝗬𝗲𝗵 𝗻𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝗵𝗷𝗮 𝗮𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝘆𝗮𝗿𝗶 𝗯𝗮𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗶𝗿𝗳 𝘂𝘀𝘀 𝗸𝗮𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝘆𝗲
𝗛𝗮𝗺 𝗶𝘀𝘀 𝗹𝗲𝗵𝗷𝗮𝘆 𝗺𝗲𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗮𝗯 𝘀𝗮𝘆 𝗯𝗮𝗮𝘁 𝗻𝗮𝗵𝗶 𝗸𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗮𝘆.
(Unedited)
• • •
So the other day, someone asked me that why have I never conversed in proper urdu?... Okay then,
Har dil azeez khawateen o hazraat
Salam aur nihayat mohabbat ki pesh kash say adaab e arz hai,
Izhaar e tashakkur ki shaistagi say kaun roshnaas nahi? Waisay tau iss jazbay kee aye din yaad dehani karna intehayi eham hai, albatta apni mahv e be niyaazi ko zehan nasheen aur iss mauzu e guftugu ko ham ahang rakhtay huay, iss nacheez ki aaday e shukarguzaari aapki khaatir o khidmat mai,
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR 12K VOTES!