page 137

....hello , he spoke on the phone

Aslamalekum,  a female voice answered  asking if she was speaking to kamal sahib,  her tone  was demanding walekum salam he replied in a cultured  voice,  who was  she  and how did she get his number,  the sim he was using was just bought yesterday,  after  Sharman town  episode he needed a new number,  for the new sim he even got a back cell phone,  he gad cautiously stored his  important previous numbers in the card, his second phone was also currently working  that is what was so surprising  tge new number he didn't give anyone  how did this woman unknown to him get it above all she knew him by his name, 

Just for a fleeting moment he thought of  denying his real identity  to the stranger woman caller but now  it was too late   , he had to handle it delicately  and cleverly 

All this argument flashed through his mind  in a fraction of a second,  next  minute  the woman introduced herself  she was taken Fatima,  the person who gave me your number  I have come to live in his luxury apartment  could you please visit me today sometime  at teen taller high rise  building fifth floor  , I am not permitted to share more with you  there is a most important urgent matter to discuss 

page 23

....the bell for the third period  rang  and she felt her legs trembling,  she also held the heavy load of copies,  she drank  cold water from the tap of the cooler outside tge staff room  , taking small steps  reached the stairs,  these stairs were right outside  the principal  s office  , he always kept an eye on  who was going up and down  , she stopped outside his office,  hoping he would see her and remember her , he was already  there waiting for her,  one more old staff member  and Ma'am sadya were with him,  she   was taken to class fifth  where the whole class stood up together and  greeted them,  the principal   asked them to  wait 

Who is the class monitor  he asked 

Maid came out 

What is your name 

Maid sir  he answered respectfully with his head lowered 

Maid take off your monitor s badge and put it on the  table there and go back to your seat , suppressed  humiliating  laughs made ripples , just one stare from Ma'am sadya  was enough to silence them 

Now the students whose names will be mentioned  will come here and stand up in a line near the  board all the rest on their knees in their own places, the list of names of students she had given  was read out  , six girls and four boys  all stood  there in a line , 

Now anyone who  would  like to tell  who did this 

page 21

...   not certain of the time  she fell asleep  thinking  about her  unsolved matters  , she even missed her fajar namaz  , she felt  bad the day had begun on a  bad omen,  she began  getting ready,  she asked one of the sisters to iron her dupatta  but sge instantly  denied  offended she wasn't  a servant,  there was no time to argue  or she couldn't have  ironed it herself   , she also  had to eat her breakfast,  fajar was missed  and on an empty stomach  ger day was  sure to  doom,  she quickly folded her dupatta and pressed it  , briskly  walked towards the kitchen  where amma already was  having her breakfast,  greeting her  she sat down  , thankfully her breakfast was ready  or she would have  spent some more of her time cooking it  and  the van  would have reached her door 

What makes you so upset,  mothers have a special  x ray eyes  CT scan and whatnot to see directly through their children 

Not at all,  who said so,  she swallowed mouthful  and washed it down with a long sip of tea  , she tried to give a satisfactory answer  nothing to worry about 

Was one of your younger siblings  rude to you,  she asked firmly   with her eyes sharply looking at her

Mother  now they don't even  relate to me in any way,  don't you worry,  it's a small  matter in the school,  it should  resolve by itself 

What kind of matter it is  that  gave my daughter a sleepless night  , that she even missed her fajar 

deher

....   he was the ruthless    rough man  who had harrassed the senior judge,  in his own  style he completed the  conversation  before shutting off  and putting the phone  in his pocket  and then he turned towards his companion  to speak  in his  crude manner  that  he would  ring up the old man after one hour  , what do you think  will that  judge give us jasim  s whereabouts 

Shakoor, I don't think he would  give in  shaking his head  mansoor gave his opinion to shakoor m in fact  there is no way he could ever know  the location of jasim 

Then  he is a dead man  he gestured towards the unconscious man,  if he is useless   he won't live another hour 

Shakoor left  his sentence  unexplained meaningfully,  mansoor  curious asked how long would it take for him to regain his senses 

The shot we gave him into his neck 

   Works for two hours at least  but kamal is no ordinary man  didn't you see his  confidence and  spirit,   how  enthusiastically he had entered that health  spa  , one more hour and he he will be up

Mansoor looked at him questioningly  what till then 

Shakoor shrugged his shoulders .. wait until he is up

He must live to finalize the process with the damn judge 

page 125

...wife says   slog and roast yourself 

Husband goes to work 

Boss says go to hell

Husband goes home 

.

.married women talk  over an hour  with their mothers  finally  they say they will talk later when they have time 

.

.  Woman's  five minutes of getting ready  is equal to man s five minutes  of coming 

.

. Very hard  strict rules  make things happen  but relationships are damaged,  distance increases between hearts, to lead an integrated life together  thinking should be thoughtful and flexible,    drop  some  points let others agree on some  on other times you agree , this is right attitude  to maintain  refreshing  relationships,  always remember egotistical attitude  is followed by regrets and bitterness 

.

.Husband was teaching his wife English   when it was time to lunch 

The wife brought food and said  dear eat your dinner 

You fool   this is lunch  mid day meal 

You are the fool dear,  this is leftover dinner from last night 

shaad baad

...he was then posted at shahadra  police station,  on his first day    arrived the weirdest and  sensational of the cases , it was  winter chill morning,  the sun was disappeared  somewhere,  after fajar he sat down to have his breakfast  ,  there was  someone knocking at his  quarter's door,  leaving his food he walked up to the front door 

He gad only last evening moved into this quarter with his luggage,  he took charge from his previous  colleague in charge  followed by  a wholesome  meeting with his new staff , he had returned after dinner out, , the staff consisted of one asi, one  senior  constable  three constables  now he was also included in the  staff,  in those days  on the staff were  not seen  an army of hang around youngsters like these days,  times change so do  things and rules, 

He opened the door to find   constable wahid standing there,  he looked extremely  worried  and nervous 

Why and what makes you so upset so early in the morning 

A milkman  just reached and informed about a complicated  crime,  two  persons are found murdered some distance away from the station 

shaka

...year  1723

Capiz--Phillipines 

  As the  night  settled  whole  capital was   pelted by  storm and  rain 

Renuz  drew the curtains aside and looked out,   torrential rain  and crackling  lightning   turned the  scene  mysterious,  the chariot was  passing through the forest   unmade roads half sift half hard  almost impossible to find way , the speed was   difficult to maintain,  stormy winds blew around   lashing  everything 

Usually people  shut themselves up inside their houses before sunset  surrounded with  forests and  small islands   the area was   located on a few  thousand  miles,  the natives mostly  were  fishermen,  they either spent the day fishing  or collecting seashells,  women folk  carved out and beautifully polished the seashells  turning them into  exquisite shapes 

Sea foods of capital were  famous in entire Phillipines,  the hunters  prided in their muscle power,  they threw fishing nets   onto the seawater singing songs  , pulled out  nutritious  sea foods  consumed  it and  showed gratitude to the sea  before going to bed,  perhaps  this was the most peaceful  and satisfying place in the world