•|C H A R A C T E R S|•
•| S H E H R Y A A R S H A H|•
•| A Z E E N H A B I B A L A M |•
•| S H E H R Y A A R & A Z E E N|•
SHEHRYAAR FIROZ SHAH & AZEEN ALAM
The car rolled down the roads and the Bluetooth connected to the car dashboard bubbled with a disappointed sigh from the most important person in his life.
"Dado, please do not worry yourself. I will be home within no time." He tried consoling the old man on the other side.
"You shouldn't have left like that. Nafisa cannot say all that to my grandson." The aged voice blasted through the car.
"Dado, choti Ammi was angry. Now I cannot hold her accountable for words she didn't think before speaking, can I? You have always taught me not to remember words spoken in anger, they are baseless and only a way to lunge anger out of the human heart." He reminded him of the words he had heard all his life from his Dado and his Bi Jaan. "You know the moment she calms down, she forgets everything and showers us with her cooking. You know we love her yakhni pulao, that's why we piss her off, don't we? "
He tried lightening the atmosphere, the drive from Hyderabad to Anantagiri was less than three hours but just his luck today where the road was blocked by heavy rainfall and landslides. He was taking the entirely opposite route to his destination, the factory plant located outside the hill station.
The age-old factories established by the Shah family deal in steel and construction materials. His forefather established this empire, and now being the eldest of the new generation, he was responsible for upholding the family name and expanding it all over the country.
He was Shehryaar Firoz Shah, the eldest grandson of Jamal Mehmood Shah and the only child of his father- Firoz Jamal Shah.
"I am sorry, Sherry." The breaking voice made him push the brakes on the sloppy one-way.
"Dado" He threatened his grandfather, daring him to continue his sorry speech.
"Firoz handed you to me before leaving, I couldn't provide you the love of a family. My other son and his wife...."
"Dado, chacha Jaan loves me. I know. He is just upset that I was the cause of Baba's demise and Choti Ammi is burdened with all the responsibilities, you know Ayesha and Azaan are troublemakers." He tried smiling "My family loves me. You need to stop thinking otherwise."
"I am old, beta but I'm not blind. I have seen Zeeshan's ways of ignoring you and Nafisa, she doesn't deserve to be called your choti Ammi...."
"Dado, please" He cut him off, he knew it was against his mannerisms. "I am sorry, but please aap ye sochna band kare. Aapki tabiyat kharab ho jayegi. We will talk everything out, okay? Just let me come back home, Dado. Everything will be alright."
(Please stop thinking about all this, You will get sick)
Jamal Sahab sighed at the line. "I will wait for you, Just come home soon."
"I will be back before your new drama series ends. I promise. It's a matter of three days." He reassured and decided to resume driving. "Now if you don't wish to go back to the serial marathon, I can bore you with my plans for the next financial year."
He bit his lips to stop grinning.
"Never, I am a happily retired man. I would better go and check the new promo, it is almost 12. It must be out till now."
Shehryar chuckled, shaking his head at his grandfather. Jamal Shah was obsessed with Pakistani dramas and being a Muslim, the similarities of culture had him hooked on their storyline and plot.
"Allah Hafiz, Sherry." He heard the chirping voice.
Shehryar smiled, wishing his Dado the same. His smile dropped just like his mask of contentment as the silence resonated inside the car.
He might fool the world but his heart was hurting. He may waive every word away but they came back and butchered his heart. It is always said that actions speak louder than words, although actions taint your memories, it is words that burn your soul. They affect you in a way that no good memories or stories could heal you back.
The scar it leaves behind is deep and darkest.
He clenched the steering wheel, blinking hard to erase all his thoughts, and determined to pull up his mask. The mask which the world admires, one of a perfect life.
Age-old lineage, riches that could put royalties to shame, a picture-perfect family, and looks that the world marked to be charming.
He was the billionaire, Shehryaar Firoz Shah. The man who had the world at his fingertips.
He snickered at his thoughts, bitterly. Glancing in the rear-view mirror he met his grey eyes, the signature trait that every child in the Shah family has inherited, the stories narrated by his Dado told him about these eyes belonging to his Dado's great-grandmother. A woman so powerful that she motivated her husband to set up this business. She was a blessing to their clan and they all had inherited her eyes and will.
He took one last turn on this mountain-cut road, it was considered to be deadly and the signs for driving slow were placed every 50 meters. The accidents were to be blamed.
The road was familiar to him as it led towards the downward slope of the Anantagiri hills as the villages started to come into his view which was secured by a stream of fresh water.
He slowed down the speed more as the rain, which was drizzling before, now pelted his windshield like stones, the afternoon sun was hidden behind black clouds.
His feet pushed more into the brakes as the foggy environment made visibility nearly impossible, he squinted his eyes to see some headlights flashing at him as he turned the steering to the side more and avoided any fear of crashing when the wheels slipped and his vehicle lost its balance.
His eyes widened in realization but before he could think of any damage control the car rolled more to the unknown direction and he felt himself falling.
His throat seized as the fear kicked in but the damage was done. No airbags popped as the car never suffered any hit but his head had crashed with the steering, the seat belt proving to be of no use as he felt himself falling. The hot liquid dripped down his side, yet he tried keeping him out of unconsciousness, failing miserably.
Shehryar thought it was all happening as an illusion, a nightmare of sorts, but the sudden crash on his car's tail had him screaming. This time, the airbags appeared but could do only so much. The seconds felt longer than a decade until the car fell into the valley, bringing his life in front of his eyes as the flash.
His Dado
His deceased parents
His cousins, Chacha Jaan and Choti Ammi.
Every face flashed in front of him until the loud crash resonated in his brain walls and his senses faded. The only words alive in his consciousness were his grandfather's.
"Allah Hafiz, Sherry"