January 2022
The familiar black gate in the lane of Jauhar was right in front of her. She stood barefoot but the ground was covered in grass. The sun was there at the horizon and everything around was made of glass, the sun rays were reflecting over the surface and brightening everything some more. It was surreal, so telling how out of the world this whole setting was.
She was rooted to her spot. Clad in a long gown with her hair in a loose braid. She looked at herself in one of the mirrors in the street.
It seemed like she had just been off the stage.
The door to the house rattled. She flinched but turned towards it. The familiarity of it was like a homecoming. She held the doorknob in her hand and tried savouring the feel of it. Pushing the door open, she stood in the narrow hallway.
It was as they've left it.
She took a step forward. The fabric of her gown was trailing behind her. Could she ever come home like this? Head to toe in her theater stage glory. But she wasn't hiding. There was no fear in her heart. No fear to be seen, to be spotted and to be banished.
She could hear voices. The dining area and the lounge were silent, not a single person in the sight but she knew there were people around. Happy murmuring and concealed laughter could be heard. She could hear it. So clear. Like the glass the buildings around were made of. But this house was the same. Same as she had left it. The door of her room was right there at the end of the hallway. And she realized the happy whispers were coming from there only. Not only that, voices, clear as she got nearer.
Her parents' and then another voice. As if they were waiting for her.
She stood outside and contemplated opening the door when she heard the faint click. No one came out but the creak started getting wider. The room was illuminated in a strange way. There was so much light but it didn't blind her. It was reaching her in waves and seemed to make her float.
And then she saw someone coming out of that room. A hand was extended. She recognized it. How could she ever forget it?
She felt her eyes prickling. Not with the moisture of pain. But with tears of happiness. And then she raised her own hand to grip the one that she should've never left.
Her fingers had barely made contact with the palm when the hand got lost and in a whirlwind everything else started spinning as well.
And she screamed.
With a start, Elaf got up. Her breathing was heavy. She immediately looked around and on finding herself in her bed, she sighed. Relief was filling her every pore.
It was just a dream.
Like many she had had over the years.
Her hand touched her face moving the stray locks away to see clear. Her heart rate was slowing down as she got relaxed. Picking up the glass of water from the table, she took two sips then put it back.
She sat there on her bed. Her blanket was haphazardly covering her torso. It was the starting week of January and these were the coldest days of the season. Elaf glanced at her phone.
Only five minutes for her alarm to go off. She sighed. She couldn't go back to sleep now. Opening her phone, she turned the alarm off and putting on her cardigan, got out of the bed.
That was a weird dream. Far from even the tiniest semblance of reality. But they say we see in dreams what we can't have in reality and that's what the dream was about.
Their old house in Jauhar, the theater play costumes, her parents' proud whispering as she came back home after a play, and that hand.
Elaf shook her head.
Futile. This was so futile.
Coming out of the bathroom after getting freshen up, she made her way outside of the room. The house was submerged in complete silence. A given when there are just three residents. Elaf saw her parents' room was closed and she felt relief washing over her. They were asleep peacefully.
She came to the kitchen and started with the breakfast. Yusra won't be happy about it but Elaf wanted to help her out in any way she could. Not that there was much to do. Daud's breakfast was light for so many years and slowly Elaf and Yusra had also adopted it. The breakfast was never a fuss in their house.
Getting done with the task in hand, Elaf came back to her room. It was almost seven now. She rushed towards her cupboard and took out her clothes.
She was all ready to go when she entered the kitchen again. Yusra looked at her with narrowed eyes.
"You didn't have to start with breakfast."
Elaf shrugged her shoulders and picked the tray in front of Yusra.
"It's okay, Mama. You had a hectic day yesterday. Baba's up?"
Yusra nodded. Elaf was already going towards her parents room balancing the tray on her hands. She pushed the already opened door. Daud was all freshen up sitting in his bed reading the newspaper. A smile reached Elaf's lips, which was a rarity. Smiles were scarce in her life. Only genuine ones were for her parents. Other than that she didn't try much.
"Good morning, Baba."
Daud was already attentive towards his daughter. She placed the tray on the table and pushed it close to him. Then she settled his blanket around to ward off the cold. He was more prone to feel the fluctuation in the weather due to the blood thinners he was on.
"It's not that cold today."
He exclaimed and Elaf nodded looking out of the window. The sun was throwing its soft rays around. The typical nice winter day.
"It doesn't mean you should go out without your sweater and muffler."
"Wasn't going to."
She wasn't that convinced which made Daud smile. He was always looking for ways to move around. His heart condition had gotten worse over the years and that was a constant worry for Yusra and Elaf. They were always fussing over him. If it were on them, he would have been in this bed all day long but he wasn't that cooperative. He needed his daily dose of fresh air lest he should waste away. But that was the only time he took liberties with his health. He wasn't of much use anyway so didn't want to add to his daughter and wife's plight some more.
Elaf was rifling through his medicines. This was forever her task. His medical history was on her finger tips, his medicine schedule was at the back of her mind and the number of times he got seriously ill over the years was something she could narrate with all the details.
"Here."
She placed his morning set of pills in his hand and Daud swallowed them with water without any hesitation. She knew this drill more than him anyway.
"Okay, Baba. I'm off now. If you go out, don't try to walk much. I know fresh air is necessary but don't overdo it, okay?"
Daud was looking at her. Do years always leave such a profound mark on everyone? Or was it just his daughter. She hadn't lost herself, but she wasn't the Elaf from before as well. The carelessness, the nonchalance and the smiles, yes those. They had vanished from her life. She was the same caring daughter, now more than ever. Tending to every need of his and always there, no matter if it was the middle of the night or the crack of the dawn. He remembered how she had faced every brick life had thrown their way. Both financially and in terms of his health. How she had rushed him to the hospital every time he had angina and difficulty in breathing. She would deal with everything head on. Talking with the doctors, taking him for the checkups, managing the bills and then taking him home. When did she change from a dotted daughter to a daughter who knew her duties so well. Not that she didn't know it before, but how she had faced even what she didn't even have to face, Daud was proud of his little girl and sad too.
Sad because she didn't deserve this. She deserved a father who was a little less ill. A life which was a bit less challenging, with more smiles and more reasons to be happy.
"What is it, Baba?"
Elaf asked. Daud shook his head and caressed her hair.
"I'm just proud of you."
A slight smile was her response. She had already gotten up. Her steps were determined as she was so used to this.
"Breakfast!"
Yusra shouted as soon as Elaf was out of the room.
"I'm getting late, Mama."
She said but seeing Yusra's not so pleased expression, she sat down, took a few bites, sipped her tea in record time, collected her things and bidding a bye to Yusra, was out of the house.
As the door clicked behind her, Yusra stood there silently.
Six years is already a long time as it is, but when you see it morphing someone into a shell of their former self, it looks as if eons have passed.
And seeing that very thing happening to your own child is never easy.
Yusra was there, through every pit and fall Elaf stumbled and then ran through all these years, she was the witness of her daughter's strength not just as her father's little girl but as a woman too. And it gave Yusra the hope and courage as well to move forward come what may.
They had changed houses, moved cities, fluctuated between the worst and the bearable. It aimed for their spirits, threw more than just rocks but they stood tall.
Karachi to Sukkur and then back to Karachi. In words, just a three way journey but in experience more than life changing.
And the most effect it had on Elaf. When she shredded off the layers of pampered child and donned the role of the one taking her family further, Yusra didn't know. It was both a moment of pride but the melancholy beneath it was heartbreaking.
Especially seeing the lack of happiness in Elaf's life.
Yusra cleared the kitchen top. The small house in a modest locality of Karachi was their new lodging. It was far from the places they frequented before. The reason why commuting was the biggest worry for Elaf. She had to get to her place of work by changing two routes. She had gotten this job after trying so hard so she couldn't take any risks. The reason why she was up with the crack of dawn and would be out of the house at exact seven. The next two hours would be spent in local transport.
This wasn't any ideal life but it was still better than what they had escaped years back. The Durranis were a thing of the past. None of them ever looked back, too relieved to get rid of them. Daud never mentioned them again. He even refused to call his mother on occasions like Eids. He hadn't said it out loud but the way the Durranis had handled Elaf's demand for Daud's inheritance had left Daud staggering. After all, he also was a son who trusted his mother and thought she could do no wrong. He had his faith broken and this was the reason he couldn't even dare to put the pieces back.
Shaking her head of the thoughts, Yusra hurried with the house chores. She had to work on the designs to send out to the boutique. Elaf had found this work for her on Yusra's insistence. She hated the fact that Elaf was alone providing for all the expenses. Yusra had started it back in Sukkur and got a good experience out of it. The same experience was coming in handy in a big city like Karachi. People loved handmade embroidery and designs and Yusra was a pro at that.
Getting done with the kitchen tasks, Yusra came to the room to check on Daud. It was barely eight. Another early morning like it had been a norm for so many years now.
Elaf looked outside the bus window at the roads and surrounding areas. Passing a slum and then the next moment a tall building, just so Karachi. Elaf hadn't said this to anyone but she missed this city. She missed being here.
Coming back wasn't an easy decision. At one point Elaf was sure they would be in Sukkar all their lives. But that was after a few months getting there. Over time it started getting pretty evident that moving back to Karachi was the best bet. They were used to the whole setup of that running city and the shift from that to a quiet town at the outskirts of Sukkur was a big change. But they tried making it work. As much as they could.
Daud's failing health and the hassle that was to get from the town to the main city of Sukkur proved the deciding factor. His health wasn't so bad in the beginning. He was as healthy as a heart patient could be. He also got work there in the town as well but over the years it got to the point where they needed to move because the lack of facilities wasn't doing well for Daud and his weak heart.
The lack of job opportunities was another thing that prompted this decision. Elaf could count every work she'd done over the span of the years to meet the ends. From school teaching to the desk job in a firm, from giving tuitions to assisting a HOD at an engineering company. She had done it all. Money was always the issue but she wasn't the one to be deterred by it.
There was a certain hesitation in her when the prospect of moving back to Karachi was ever discussed. She surely wanted the best for herself and her parents, but she was afraid of so much.
So much had been snatched from her in the same city and now, she didn't have in her to lose some more. But to think of it she didn't have much to lose anyway so for Daud and to get some extra money, she decided to move cities.
It had been months since that move. A very bumpy start but slowly things were settling down. Making sense. Elaf was still juggling between jobs but Daud was finally getting good treatment for his ailment and right now that mattered the most.
She had gotten this job after working her ass off for the interview. Quite literally. She was tired of doing small jobs. The struggle of earning a decent sum in this country wasn't lost on her. She had been into this drill for six long years now. They would find anything in your resume and they'd never even look at you again, calling you for the interview is a far cry. She had learned this after so many hardships, so many bad experiences. Her degree was in mechanical and manufacturing engineering but she hardly ever got a job which suited that description, and when she did, it was always a desk job assisting someone or the other. This time too it was around the same lines but she was actually on the team, not just an assistant. No matter her role wasn't that important but it was still a step forwards than what she had done so far.
She clutched her folder some more as the bus lurched at a stop. She looked around. The bus was filled with people like her, running to match the pace of the life in Karachi. She had another bus to catch once this one got to her designated spot. It was an everyday thing and Elaf had long stopped complaining about it. In fact it was better this way. She was busy and she was productive. So much that no other thought would cross her mind and apparently the less she talked these days the more her mind spoke. And she didn't like half the things it said to her.
Life in Karachi was busy.
Busy was good.
So coming here wasn't that bad of an idea.
She thought as she smoothed out the creases in her shirt and settled her Duppata on her shoulder. Her hair was in a bun. The usual look she supported. The bus would be here in exactly ten minutes.
And then she'd be at her workplace neck deep in files and papers.
Yes, coming here wasn't so bad so far.
So far.
_____
The inside of the operation theater was the same picture of controlled chaos that it is always when a surgery is going on. The machines and monitors attached to the bed were working fine telling the readings of the heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen saturation. The team of the doctor around the anesthetic patient was in full focus. The head surgeon was mostly for supervision in case anything got out of hand. But it wasn't likely. The Surgeon actually at the front was his most trusted one. The one he knew wouldn't mess up.
The patient's chest was thrown open, a typical setting for an open heart surgery. The tubes of the bypass machine were already put inside the heart and after completing the procedure, the heart had been stopped to go with the further process. There was murmuring around. The team passed on surgical tools around. The hands were crimson over the gloves. But they weren't at all deterred by it. It was part of the routine for them.
The expert hands of the surgeon with steady fingers were carrying out the grafting procedure. His eyes were sharp above his mask. He sewed the bypass vein in the opening of the aorta and then another in the artery just close to the blockage side.
He was in his full professionalism, something that was admired by his whole unit. He never lost his calm during an operation. Not even when they almost had a patient slipping. He was more on the lines of getting a straight head and steady hands than panicking and making it worse. That was the first rule of being a surgery resident. Never lose your calm and never let your fingers flinch.
The patient needed two more grafts and he did those too with the same concentration with which he had worked out the first one. It had been almost four hours with the team of doctors inside the operation theater. But they weren't done yet.
Once the grafts were planted, he took a step back to check the circulation as the bypass machine was removed.
The heart didn't start beating and that was the panic sign. The junior doctor to his side shifted in distress. But he didn't flinch. An electric shock was the next course of action. He carried it out with the same smoothness with which he had started the surgery. It worked. In two attempts the heart had started beating.
Relief washed over the people around. He nodded in the senior surgeon's way and went to the next course of action.
Sewing the sternum back with the help of one of his team members, he gestured the person to his side. They had to drain the blood and fluids from the body. The work wasn't close to done yet. As it is with every heart surgery.
It wasn't before another hour when he finally sewed the skin over the chest back. The nurses around him immediately started taking readings which were in their normal range.
The surgery was a success.
The patient was soon taken to the ICU. He came to the washing area attached to clean himself off. He could hear his colleague talking with the family outside telling them the good news.
He leaned against the wall and took a deep breath.
That was the first surgery where his supervisor wasn't entirely involved. He didn't even say one instruction during the whole process. Just monitored everything.
It wasn't his first time leading a surgical procedure, but it was surely the first time he had done it without his supervisor giving him any leads.
"As always, good work, Izaan."
Dr. Taha patted his back and Izaan gave him an acknowledging nod. They had to clean up before going out. Another important part of this life. Never compromise on your own hygiene.
When he finally left the OR, his first encounter was with the son of the patient they'd just performed the Bypass surgery for. The smile thrown at him had him smiling too.
And here it was the most fulfilling part of this everyday drill.
The prayers and wishes. The genuinity of it all. It was worth it. At the end of the day it was all worth it.
As Izaan sat down on the sofa in the on-call room he reflected back on today's day. A success. All in all.
He was ready to close his eyes and take a short nap, that tired he was but before he could proceed with it, a piping hot mug of the coffee was in front of him. He smiled at Kumail who just shrugged his shoulders.
"Remind me again why am I always bringing coffee for you?"
Izaan took a sip. Bland. Black. Burning. Just the way he liked it. Mostly.
"Because you understand how hard working I'm?"
"Wrong. Because my fiancée is always busy with the kids so I decided to pamper you."
For someone who was totally unaware of the nature of this situation, this very sentence would sound wrong and that made Izaan chuckle. Roshna was a pediatrician and what Kumail said was totally innocent.
Nothing had changed. Izaan still was the third wheel to these two. Their relationship had stayed and tested the passage of time. They should've gotten married by now but both wanted to first get done with the residency. They were in love anyway. Their families were on board with their choice. It was easy and it was goals.
"Good for her I guess. Spending time with you or the kids. Not much difference. At least there she's getting paid for it."
"You!"
Kumail pointed the spoon at him.
"You shouldn't be allowed to be sassy. It ruins your whole charm."
"It keeps you in place too."
"Whatever!"
Kumail poured himself a mug of coffee too and sat down.
"Are you heading home?"
Izaan nodded.
"Do that. It was a pretty hectic day for you anyway."
"Are you staying the night?"
"Of course. My cheery mood should've given that right away."
Izaan finished the coffee and got up to leave. He grinned in Kumail's way who was about to grace him with anything he felt fitting but Izaan was already out of the on-call room.
He walked out of the hospital doors. His white coat was on his arm. Stopping at the parking lot, he came close to his car and opening the door got inside.
Life had changed in many aspects over the span of the last six years. Slowly, in a progressive way but surely. He had grown both as a person as well as a doctor. His phone rang as he was about to start the car. A smile appeared on his lips.
"Izzu, Abba's medicines. Don't forget!"
Memoona reminded him.
"I already took care of that. You told me in the morning as well."
"Did I? Well it slipped my mind."
"Amma, do you want to eat something sweet? Cake? Sweets? Cookies?"
"What's the occasion?"
"Do I need an occasion to bring something sweet for my mother?"
Memoona rolled her eyes but a smile was etched on her face.
"Just make sure you and your Baba don't come home with the same choice of cake like it happened the last time."
It happened on her birthday the last time. He still remembered the whole hilarity of the situation. Ibtihaj couldn't stop laughing as he shoved the cake into his mouth.
"I'll keep that in mind."
He ended the call. It wasn't any occasion. Him acing another surgery wasn't any news for his family but he loved spending on them. Small gestures. Bringing home something that he knew all of them could enjoy together. Same was true for Shoaib so it was a family joke, them bringing the same things home without even knowing.
As Izaan drove on, he made a mental note to ask his father if he was planning on bringing the same cake home Izaan had in his mind.
An easy, peaceful expression was set on his face, but that was before his eyes landed on the building he was passing by. Kirmani Group Of Industries.
He glanced at it and then turned back to the road. But his stance had changed drastically. The smile stayed intact. From a homely one to a nostalgic one, but it stayed.
___
The spacious cabin in the said building was immersed in complete silence. Younas Makhdoom eyed the woman sitting in front of him with disdain and then clasped his hand together. Her stance was making him angry. Dressed to perfection, she had a bored façade on and was already looking done with this meeting.
"I really can't see what I can do here for you, Mr. Makhdoom."
"Didn't I tell you the agenda already? I want my shares back."
"You didn't sell them to my company."
"But they are now in your company."
Safwa ran her long finger in her hair. Her eyes narrowed considerably but she didn't lose her calm. She'd been in this business long enough to know exactly how to deal with misogynist oldies like Mr. Makhdoom here.
"Wasn't your whole reason for refusing to sign a deal with Kirmani group that you didn't want to do business with a child woman?"
She pointed towards herself. Aneeqa, her assistant, was both amused and scared. He knew Safwa Kirmani didn't take lightly to disrespect, especially when it was thrown at her just because she was a woman, a supposed easy target as these men thought it to be.
"So, now it's pretty childish to me that your preferred company's CEO has sold those shares to my company and here you are asking those back. Is it some kind of toffee distribution among kids? You didn't like it so now you want a new one."
Mr. Makhdoom would blow any time now but Safwa wasn't fazed. She was just bored. Men in the corporate world being misogynists, Paint her surprised.
"You're being a brat."
"I'm being as professional as I can be. You can leave my office and come back when you finally understand the basics of this world and stop being as stubborn as a toddler. It doesn't suit someone who loves branding intelligent professional ladies as child women. The meeting time's up."
It was the most respectful way of saying get lost. And Mr. Makhdoom wasn't one to not understand the subtle fuck you language. He stood up. His bald head was looking a bit flushed with the way he was holding in his anger. Safwa loved the frustration.
Once he was out of the door her body language immediately changed. The perfect bitchy but professional persona was totally transformed into the normal Aneeqa was used to.
"I have to meet Mrs. Khalid today, right?"
She asked, getting up from her seat. Straightening her clothes, which didn't have any creases anyway, she picked her purse and gestured to Aneeqa to follow her.
"We have all the paperwork completed right?"
"Yes, Ma'am. Your lawyer left the whole compiled file the last time he visited."
"Good."
She was taking long strides to cross the work stations. People were greeting her then and there and her response was a polite and kind greeting back. The usual.
She was walking outside of the last cabin on this floor when she stopped. The door was locked and the lights inside were out.
"Bisma Ma'am didn't come today."
Aneeqa filled her in. A scowl set on Safwa's face but then she resumed her walk to get to the elevator.
As she sat inside her car which she preferred she drove herself, she put on her shades and then checked her phone. A scowl set on her face seeing there was no new text.
"Bloody idiot."
She mumbled and making a mental note to call him as soon as she was done with her meeting with Mrs. Khalid, drove off.
____
The family park in Malir Cantonment was filled with the people on an evening fill of nature. The pavements had people walking and talking while the running tracks were also in full use.
Brigadier Rt. Nauman sat on the bench. He wasn't here for an evening stroll or run. No. He was more on a morning exercise kind of person. Had always been throughout his service and the one year he had spent till now after that.
So this wasn't the reason for him to be there in the family park at this time of the day. He glanced right in front and then at the seat next to him. His scowl was met with a matching scowl and then both turned back to the what or rather than who was the reason behind the stare off.
The husky sat on the grass at some distance. The ball was rolling right to his side but he just gave it a glance and then looked away uninterested.
"Dodo! Chase the ball!"
The command was met with a raised head but no action.
Nauman hid his smile but the other person picked on it immediately.
"Dodo! Please chase the ball or else Nanu would say you're lazy!"
"He's lazy."
Zimal was offended. The scrunch of her nose was telling.
"Okay, serious talk. Nanu, are you listening to me?"
Nauman nodded. This was the reason why he was here in the park at this hour. You don't say no to your beloved six year old granddaughter when she says she needs to have a 'serious talk' that too 'outside the confines of the house'. Honestly too many big words but that was Zimal.
"You call Dodo lazy."
"He is..."
She raised an eyebrow. Nauman shut up immediately.
"The other day, Mamu was on a video call with us. He saw Dodo and called him lazy. And the last time Safwa Khala visited and tried playing with Dodo, Nano told her that he won't because he is lazy."
Her way of showing her annoyance was so cute that Nauman almost felt like laughing. She was not only talking animatedly but using her hands for the emphasis to make it convincing.
"Is there something you all as a family have against my pet? Dodo tries you know. He just has short legs. He can't do much about it."
Nauman nodded, giving her his full attention. No matter how cutely comical the situation was, it was totally fitting that he appeared as serious about this conversation as Zimal was.
"So, as the head of the family I ask you to stop this slander against my dog. He's cute and he's sweet. He also gives the best cuddles and my Mama loves him and if she loves him he must be a good boy right? Ask Nano and Mamu to treat him like a proper family or else me and Dodo will retaliate. And you do that too. God, I can't believe I have to even fight for my Dog's rights when he's just lying there being la..."
She bit her tongue and then looked at him to see if he heard her. Nauman couldn't stop anymore. He laughed and pulled her to his side. She immediately hugged him.
"He's not lazy. He's just comfortable. Don't worry. I will keep this in my mind too and tell it to your Nano and Mamu as well."
"Deal?"
"Done deal."
She gave him a toothy grin and got up. The lazy dog was by her side in no time. She patted him and then turned to Nauman.
"Rides!"
She pointed towards the kids' section of the park. Nauman looked around. The sun hadn't set yet. The air wasn't that cold. A few rides wouldn't hurt.
"Rides."
He held her hand and started walking towards the other part of the park. She was again talking about something and he was listening and nodding along. The dog was excitedly matching their steps.
_____
Standing outside the manufacturing unit, he ran his eyes over the sheet in his hand. The whole process was on his fingertips that's why any anomaly and he'd pick on it right away. Thankfully there wasn't any. He handed the sheet back to the manager and started walking out of there.
He had been associated with this company for almost six years now. It started with the NYC HQ and after his two years training and post grad, he was appointed to a post in the manufacturing unit. His knowledge and factual information about the workings of the process had him rising up in the ranks and right now he was among the company's most trusted people. From NYC to a year in Canada, from there to another post in the UK branch, then to the one in China. He had been to so many places within and out of the USA. His latest trip was to Dallas and he had come back just yesterday.
Six long years of him climbing one step after another professionally, building a sound career which was now at its peak and earning a sum which was increasing every year.
All these achievements but few things never changed in his life.
His attitude. He was the most friendly yet strict boss known to his unit.
His connection with his family and friends back home. He was still as present in their lives as ever. He hadn't let the distance make them distant. His trips to Pakistan weren't that frequent. Once a year seeing the nature of his job but he had proved that if you want to, you can make things work.
"How was Dallas?"
He was walking towards his office floor when he was joined by Rana. She was his colleague and a good friend. He had formed some nice bondings here as well. The guys he was roommates with when he first moved to NYC were still in touch with him even though he had gotten his own place pretty soon. He had an amicable work bonding with all the people he came across during his working hours.
"Nice. Hectic. And a bit overrated."
"You're the first one to say this, Sarim Haider. Everyone loves Dallas."
She looked visibly offended. Sarim shrugged his shoulders. Did she have a connection to Texas? He'd ask her soon.
"But this is understandable because you always seem to find things overrated which are loved by all. Remember the club boss threw us all a party at? You were bored out of your mind there."
Sarim laughed at the memory.
"It's not my fault that my idea of fun isn't getting wasted to the point I can't tell my feet from my hands."
"Omer really did this that night. That lightweight."
He nodded. There were many experiences in this long time. Some were hilarious to him. Others, not so much. That club and drinking incident was something he associated with the latter. He didn't find anything fun because he wasn't going to drink anything other than orange juice anyway.
Another thing about life in NYC, bending the lines you draw for yourself is always a cake walk here. He had figured that out rather quickly. Since then he had always somehow managed to sneak his way out whenever someone tried pushing him into something that didn't set well with his lines. He had pretty good self control. He got to give himself that. The reason he hadn't yet messed up anything. Neither he was going to. Yes, the life here had made him more open minded than he already was but it also made him respect his own boundaries some more as well, both professionally and personally.
Rana had turned to her own floor. Sarim entered his cabin and closing the door behind, reached his table to see the paperwork he had requested by his secretary. He was going through it when his phone rang. He saw the incoming video call and accepted it.
He sat down in his chair as saw the triumphed grin on his niece's face.
"Guess what?"
Sarim raised an eyebrow.
"I talked to Nanu and he says that no one, not Nano, not you or anyone can call Dodo lazy."
The focus of the camera was now towards the dog who was looking lazier than ever sitting in his bed and squinting at Zimal. Zimal gestured to him to get up but he didn't even look at her.
"He's not lazy. That word does him no justice."
Zimal narrowed her eyes and then looked at someone behind her.
"Mama!"
Sarim stifled his laugh. Her Mama card was always her biggest weapon. In no time, Irma's face appeared on the screen.
"Can you stop being mean to my child's pet for a second?"
"She said he's not lazy and I agreed with that."
"I heard what you said after that so don't try to be smart here."
Zimal was looking very much proud of having her mother handle this. She was now busy with her dog. Irma gave them a fleeting look and then turned back to her brother.
"Are you done for the day?"
Sarim was already picking his stuff. It was almost four and he had already checked every task scheduled today. He was leaving in a few.
"Yup. Why aren't you both asleep yet?"
It must be past midnight there.
"Friday night. I had a very busy week so I'm trying my best to spend the weekend with my baby. We will wake up late tomorrow."
Irma was doing her dream job along with being a guest lecturer at her alma mater. She was a successful career oriented woman as well as a doting mother who had a beautiful relationship with her daughter. Sarim loved this stability in her life.
"Did you consider the package?"
She finally asked what she wanted to ask since the beginning of the call. Sarim shook his head.
"Not yet. I was in Dallas the past week. Will go through it over the weekend."
Irma wanted to say more but she saved it for the time when he'd have gone through it. He had been offered by his company to be stationed at their Pakistan Office here in Karachi as not only unit incharge but the wing head which meant promotion. Sarim hadn't shown much reaction when he told the news to Irma but she couldn't stop thinking about it. But it was useless to talk about it now when he hadn't even read the papers yet.
She had to abruptly cut the call because Dodo and Zimal had caused some racket. It was funny if their laughs were of any indication. He knew the whole story would be narrated to him in the next call. He smiled at the wholesomeness of it and came out of the building.
He was driving in a totally relaxed mood. Stopping at a traffic signal, he looked around when his eyes darted towards the theater building in the next block across the road.
Something stirred within him.
And then he couldn't push away the plethora of memories that flashed on the curtains of his mind just like a reel is played in a theater.
_____
Pushing her glasses up her nose, Zonish typed furiously on her laptop all the while taking bites of her lunch. Taimoor was eyeing her while shoving his food down his throat.
"Slow down, it's not your last meal."
Zonish commented without taking her eyes off her laptop screen. Taimoor made a face.
"I've just come back from football practice."
"So? We sent you off there as a human and you returned as one. Stop acting like a pig."
"Stop acting like my mother."
"If my child was literally inhaling food, I'd disown him."
"Maybe this is the reason you're still single."
Zonish opened her mouth to say something when a haggard looking Samia came there with two dresses on hangers in her hand. Both Taimoor and Zonish groaned.
"What? I haven't even asked anything yet."
"I say the orange one."
"Go with the black one. It's nice for an evening function."
Zonish gave Samia a thumbs up and then turned to Taimoor.
"Stick to eating. Your fashion sense is horrendous."
"You once wore your Pajamas to your workplace. Don't dictate me on fashion."
"It's not my fault my workplace isn't runaway. I work for a news agency where half of the people are a cough close to just bolting. I don't really like putting in much effort. Feels disrespectful."
Samia laughed. She loved this girl's dry sense of humor.
"Come home as soon as you are done discussing your article with your editor. Hejab is going to be here around the dinner."
Zonish nodded. Hejab was coming today with her two munchkins who didn't know the concept of sitting down. The house was going to be a train wreck. Zonish was already excited. Ha. Of course.
She drove towards her workplace. She just wanted to get done with this article. Her editor was being a pain in the head for not approving it. So what if she called out a high government official in it? They could live with that.
She climbed up the stairs to get to her cabin. She had just rounded the corner when she came to a halt.
"Missed me?"
Zonish rolled her eyes and then almost ran towards him.
"You bloody idiot!"
Hesham looked mildly offended but didn't try to correct her. He was 10% sure he was one.
"You were MIA for almost two weeks! Do you have any idea how worried Safwa was?"
"Safi is just a softie under the all I'm a bitch facade."
Zonish scoffed and unlocked her cabin. Her eyes fell on his bruised knuckles and she rolled her eyes. Typical Hesham Baig.
"You need to stop treating your cases like they are a spy chase."
"In criminal law everything is close to a spy chase."
"You've been six years into the business, Baig. Slow down a bit. Did you get the guy though?"
Hesham smirked knowingly. Zonish knew this already. There wasn't a chase Hesham Baig hadn't won.
"How? He was not traceable. That's what the police said anyway."
Hesham made a face on the mention of the police.
"The person only gets caughts when the authorities are quick and sharp, the chase has started wearing him down or someone else wants him caught. It was the third case here. His old feud came in handy for me."
"How did you even get to know he had beef with someone who could get him arrested?"
Hesham raised an eyebrow and Zonish rolled her eyes. Self assured jackass.
"Anyway, Safwa called me to ask about you and I told her you were out there for a chase. She swore. Not at all suitable for her prim and proper persona. Stop giving the girl brain damage before she even hits thirty."
"Yeah, I'm aware. That's the reason I thought of paying my two cheerleaders the.."
"Excuse me?"
"My two mums the needed visit. I'm going to see Safi now."
He already got up to leave when Zonish called him from behind.
"What do you mean by both of us? Safwa was getting grey with worry! I wasn't!"
Hesham didn't turn around. The same confident gait. As if he knew something no one else had an idea about. Showoff.
"Yeah, I believe you Zoni."
"Don't call me..."
But he was already out of the Cabin.
"Zoni."
She whispered and then dropped herself in her seat.
Thank God he had come back in solid form. Again.
__________
And we're back. Hi