"Ghar pohanch kr inform kr dena mujhay." That's the last thing he says before she gets into her cab and he stands there until the driver turns the ignition. The retort dies on Umeed's lips, she wants to tell him she won't; she won't call or text him whether she reaches home or not. Instead, she stomps her foot, pressing her lips together in annoyance because she can't say that to him. Even her angels sitting on both shoulders know that she'd never put this man through the distress of unnecessarily worrying about her. So what if they fought today, so what if their dinner plans were canceled because of his stubbornness, so what if she left her chai on his desk because he decided to argue, she'd still text him that she reached home? But this time. It'd be just three words, "I am home," that's it. No heart or kiss emojis she'd sent him regularly or an I miss you already followed by a call if he wasn't busy.
It's a loud sputtering sound followed by a thud that makes Umeed jump from her seat and she hits her head with the window, her train of thoughts breaking right at the moment, and she realizes those vulnerable ten seconds when she missed Farjaad and wanted to call him instantly were gone and she was again mad at him.
"Ooo bhai, dekh kr chalao. Zakhmi kr diya hai mujhay. Kya huwa gaadi ko? She enquires, rubbing her head, her facial muscles tensed and annoyed simultaneously. The cab driver excuses himself, uttering an apology, and opens his car door to check what went wrong.
Impatiently, she leaves the car wondering what else could go wrong on this already awful day. Not that she expected something great when early morning she tripped from the stairs while running late for work. What followed at the office was another nightmare that she didn't wish to ponder on.
The driver informs Umeed of what she dreaded the moment her head hit the window. Not surprised, Umeed plasters a smile on her face nibbling her cheek.
"Baaji ab beshukk paisay na dein" It's when Umeed's about to give him the fare, he utters apologetically seeing her flared nostrils.
"Kyun? Tum meri phuphi ki bete ho ya chachi ke? Rakho apne paisay apne paas aur gaadi theek krao apni." Umeed shoved the money on the car bonnet muttering "Allah jee, ab aur kya bura hone wala hai mere saath."
She looks back at her phone, it's 7:30 pm and ideally finding another cab shouldn't be so hard. But it turns out hard when despite waiting for 10 minutes, all drivers canceled her request and she ends up settling for finding a rickshaw.
"Tumhare sitaray to waqai aj gardish mein hain Umeed Pasha. Ye sb uss adam khor bhediye ki wajah se huwa hai, pehle mujhse itni ladai ki aur phr aik baar bh ghr chorhne ki hami nhi bhari. Ab aye zra mujhse baat krne, poochti hoon isko mein"
How hard it could be to find a rickshaw at this time that too on a busy road. If this khawari was written in her fate, so let it be. Rickshaw was a safer option in her head anyways, "kuch huwa to rickshaw se kood jaon gi." She tells herself and starts walking on the side of the road hopeful to find a rickshaw that'd be willing to take her all the way to Bahadurabad.
She doesn't realize how long she has been walking. In the list of bad lucks, another addition was that among the five rickshaws that stopped for her three weren't ready to go far, while the other two asked Umeed for a fare that was half her salary (not really).
It won't be long, you'll find something, Umeed pacifies herself finding some hope when her legs almost give up and she starts regretting wearing these heels at work. It's not that all rickshaw drivers of Karachi are on strike to not take Umeed Pasha home just because she happens to have a fight with her boyfriend. A part of Umeed's heart tells her to call Farjaad and free herself from the misery of putting herself at the mercy of local transport in this city but then she reminds herself that she's spent all her life traveling on these buses and rickshaw, "Tum unki tarahn nazuk kali nhi ho Umeed, bahadur bano bahadur."
Not long before she musters the courage to keep up with the search, she feels someone following her.
"Churail huwi to?" She wonders. "Allah jee abhi to meri shadi bh nahi huwi" Her eyes dart upwards, towards the dark sky that no longer showed any of the stars one would expect.
"Lekin saat bjay kahan churailain nikalti hain,"
Instinctively, Umeed's hand reaches for her bag and she takes out the pepper spray Sammer brought for her and Haya the day before she joined Farjaad's office. Her grip on the tiny bottle tightens and her toes curl inwards. She turns her back, screaming at her loudest, spraying the contents of the bottle all over. Her screams gradually change, first into gasps and then shots of pain. A pair of hands grabs the pepper spray bottle from her hand but Umeed doesn't flinch knowing very well whom those hands belong. Her screams turn louder when she realizes the piercing pain she's experiencing at the moment is inflicted by the same pepper spray she was using on the ghost following her.
"Pagal hogai ho Umeed" It's the concern and equal anger in his voice that puts her screaming at a halt.
"AAP PAGAL HOGAYE HAIN. AESE KON AATA HAI PEECHE SE. DOOR HATEIN MUJHSE," She's unable to open her eyes but manages to push him slightly, her tiny frame now shaking in fear and pain. Tears form in her eyes, and she can't decide whether it was from the stinging in her eyes or the relief that he was here.
"Umeed, don't panic. Don't panic, please."
"Panic? Apki ankhon mein spray krun phr ap na krna don't panic" She cries uttering the last words, unbothered by the scene they were creating in the middle of the road at this time of night. Torn between frustration and desire to lean on Farjaad for comfort, she lets out a loud sniff when he wraps his hands around her shoulder guiding her towards the car,
"Acha Acha relax, dekho mein hoon naa."
"Usi ka drr hai. Apki wajah say huwa hai ye sb." She accuses him blatantly, rubbing her eyes while he tries to shoo away her hands knowing she was making it worse for her.
"Acha, ghr jaa kr baat krtay hain, wahan mujhe daant lena, chilla lene, lekin abhi to ghr chalo naa" Acting like she wants to escape his embrace, Umeed shrugs her shoulders from his hold but he turns out to be stronger than her.
"Hum apke ghr kyun jaa rahay hain?" She squints her eyes after a couple of minutes realizing the route he has taken goes directly to his place, not hers.
"Aray bola to tha ghr jaa kr baat krtay hain. Maanta hoon future wala ghr hai tumhara lekin specify nhi kiya tumne" Umeed notices the smirk on his face, the way caught his cheek in between his teeth looking straight ahead but he knows the color has already reached her cheeks.
Umeed feels the need to smack him for this smugness, but she can't trust the pain in her eyes to coerce her into committing a crime in this car.
"Mujhay mere ghr jana hai"
"Pohanch gaye hain." He takes the final turn in the street that leads to his house. Ab tumhe iss halat mein itni door chorhne nhi jaa rha mein. Chalo ao shabaash"
He opens the door for Umeed, gently offering her his hand but Umeed being Umeed, crosses her arms and looks away, testing how far she could take his. Next, she finds himself in his arms taken straight to his room.
"Itna zyada dard ho rha hai," She complains like a baby, her pouted lips quivering while Farjaad gently uses the wet cotton swabs to relieve her off the pain. She wants to tell him to continue with the gentle blows on her face but stops, not that he needed to know it was helping with the pain.
"Shhh, abhi theek hojaega" He whispers lovingly. The same tone he'd use when he's in a mood to pamper her shamelessly. Umeed sniffs again, fighting the urge to rush into his arms like she'd always do when something affected her so much.
"Agr mein andhi hogai to? Mera kya bnay ka,"
"Koi baat nahi, mein andhi biwi say kaam chala loon ga" Umeed misses the silent chuckle on his lips while his thumbs draw patterns on her closed eyelids. He kisses them one by one and cradles her face, placing another peck on her right cheek.
"Yahan mein dard mein hoon apko flirt krna soojh rha hai"
"Tum baat suno gi toh kuch krun ga, aur sbse pehle to stop rubbing your eyes"
"Mein nay apka qatal kr dena hai"
"Ankhein to kholo Umeed" He urges, his fingers caressing her jawline.
"Mujhay kuch nhi dikh rha. Ankhein nhi khul rhi meri. Lgta hai mein nabeena hogai hoon" She rants dramatically.
"Ahhh," Umeed hears him scream in pain and her eyes open up instantly, her hands reaching for his face, touching his shoulders, "Kya huwa? Farjaad kya huwa ap theek hain?"
"Ab nazar aa rha hai?" He raises his right eyebrow and smirks when Umeed instantly takes off her hands off him but Farjaad catches her and pulls her towards him. Umeed fights for a couple of seconds but gives up with a pout, smiling to herself. This is what she wanted, since the moment she left his office.
Him.
With her head resting right above his heart, she took a deep breath closing her eyes, feeling the warmth and love exuding from him like always. They stay there hugging each other, breathing each other's perfume. Umeed smiles in relief when Farjaad's fingers find her hair and he begins running his fingers through them, placing an occasional kiss on her forehead in the meantime.
"Dard ho rha hai abhi bh?" He asks, kissing the insides of her palm.
Umeed nods with a murmur, "thoda thoda,"
"I am sorry," Umeed feels the flesh of his lips on her closed eyelids once again. Tightening her hold around his waist, she replies with a peck on his chin making a mental note to remind him that his stubble needs some trimming.
"I'm sorry too, lekin zyada ghalti apki th"
"Haan meri h th," His chest vibrates under Umeed's urge but she feels him resigning and his hands snaking from the small of her waist to the rest of her frame, drawing patterns as if memorizing her once again. Umeed slightly tilts her head backward, opening her eyes for a brief moment. Farjaad looks back with a questioning look in his eyes and smiles when Umeed raises her head slightly offering him her lips which he gladly takes.
It wasn't a bad day after all.
NOTE: Hope you all liked this one. A bit greedy to read your comments, write some more, they motivate me to write more <3