from previous.....

.....nabel   defensively  explained to  afroz his bhabhi  he was a clean shave  unlike typical  maulanas , afroz argued its not the appearance that matters so much as one's  thinking,  it's  all in the mind, agreeing half heartedly  he invited her to visit the madrassa he was running,  besides education  other skills were  also  taught,  she already was aware of the curriculum,  by then  Safyan had shut his  book and stood up to see off his younger brother 

from previous....

......the helper  dumped the suitcase in to the stepany and locked it, a good looking man  came out  at that point of time,  afroz  laughed and asked if maulana was leaving,   of course  he came closer to his bhabhi he was going back,   he moaned  she was still  calling him mauling, naturally she explained  anyone who was   managing a madrassa was given that  title 

from previous....

....afroz  sat down  in the other chair  next to her husband,  after sitting   down she  looked towards the red car  directly   before the veranda,   its stepany was  opened up,   there was some  things kept in  there,   at that very  moment a helper emerged from inside  carrying a very large  suitcase,    nabel   used to  stay  just one day but this time  his  stay extended four days 

saibani dehshat....

.....the winter sun was mellow and   pleasantly cool,squadron leader Safran  sat reading a book in his bungalow  veranda,  his wife  in her personal manner asked him what was he reading,   it was a technical  theme about flying  he added with a smile,  it was related to his airforce  job, 

from previous....

....he asked her to first  give her answer to his  question,  the question was will she  marry him for life and be his life companion,  she became serious,  he must focus on his  studies,  later when the right time comes  he must  ask himself what exactly he wants,  if he then  decides to stay on and not return to his  home  it will depend on  future  events,  she  believed in facts  not speculations,  they were two different people from two absolutely different  cultures,  their  worlds were different 

from previous....

.....carol  got up thanking him for the doughnuts  and coffee also for saving her  from  boredom and loneliness,  suddenly unexpected  boldness  filled him and he held her hand  saying he won't let her go away like this,  surprise  shone on her face,  he asked for an explanation,   he stopped her from leaving,  , he made her sit down again,  he wanted to marry her, he proposed to her , she began laughing 

from previous....

.....carol said  sipping  her hot coffee from her disposable mug she had  feared  without jean her time will not pass  , time will gang heavy on her  but now just because of his interesting  company  she was having  a most  enjoyable time,   he was alarmed  when she asked him if he  too like her was not scared of loneliness 

page 76....

......it was not just her name  that was related  to  music,  like  her name  Carol  everything about her was musical and melodious,  harmonious and  sensuous,  

Muhabbet had   told her all about himself  now it was her turn  to talk 

She had come from London,  she and Jean were school time friends,  though her parents were alive  they were separated  ,  Carol dropped out after school and didn't  pursue her studies,  instead she became a trained  ballet dancer 

page 75.....

.....she said she didn't ask him his name 

He introduced himself as muhabbet,  muhabbet ali khan

She was carol

He repeated her name 

Would you like to neet again 

Where

Same place  , wish fulfilling  fountain 

He wanted to accompany her

She was startled 

To Jean,s house 

She shrugged 

She gad no objection 

Thanking her he began walking along with her 

from previous....

.....he said could they walk together  for a while,  she was single  and so was he, the evening  spent on the beach  was inviting,  she was a white woman and didn't trust Asian men who  believed  in her opinion  white women were ready to flirt , Asian men  as a rule get married to  them  and after they have children suddenly realization dawns on them  it was a mistake to marry a white woman 

from previous....

.....muhabbet  took out a ten shilling coin from his pocket and placed it on the thumb nail  flinging it onto his opened palm declaring  he was  now going to  make a wish, in the meantime  she gad walked away  a considerable distance,  he rushed after her calling her to listen to him,  she stopped and turned to ask what was there he had to say,  he wanted her to ask him what wish had he made 

from previous....

.....now he was  desperately trying to turn the wheel of the wish fulfilling  fountain,  the guide said do it with fervor  and faith because without faith  there is no  success,  

He agreed  faith alone  can magically  do wonders,  whether  its a wush fulfilling  well or fountain  or one in prayer  kneeling down  is actually  asking  almighty  only to  listen  to his demands,  the almighty  of the skies and the lands and the in between spaces 

page 73.....

?....then

What do you mean by that

Are you going to stay on  here or go back home after completion of your  course 

He couldn't  say what were his future plans,  his parents were dead,  he had no sister,  there was an elder brother  married  and  engrossed in his own life,  perhaps he could not be sure but might  return to his home land

from previous....

......Rohan  was calling out nazra  to wake up,  just half hour was left  , he had been  trying to wake her up for past one hour,  his voice rose  and he roared annoyed,  nazra heard him  and used her fingers to open  her eyes

from previous....

.....nazra was instructed to help  sava carry  dirty dishes to the kitchen,   when  nazra and ruby got free after feeding their children  sabura  beghum   spoke to nazra,   who was tired after cleaning up her side  of the rooms, unwilling  she was yet to register  her impression on  rehan she got up to follow her command,  she tried to look quick but still  it took her ten minutes,  picking up the  dishes  herod ached badly 

page 65....

......the meal was  partakes in a good cheerful atmosphere,   saba had  arranged  mutton biryani,  kebabs,  raita, chicken jalfarezi followed by fruit trifle,  , mutton was actually boiled ready for the dinner,  , kebabs were always kept ready in the fridge,  she was quick and a good cook  so quickly all was ready,   sjan  casted a loving  smile she caught  warmly  near her heart,  saba  spread a   bamboo  mat in  Sakura beghum, s room on the floor  and served the home-cooked  feast

fun e zaiqa...

.....Hyderabadi  veg pullao

 Black gram lentil  minced meat

Baghari murghi

Irani koftey

Chicken sticks with potatoes 

Mutton jhatpatt

Panir tawa masala

Breadfruit pudding 

This weekend enjoy  your homecooking

food..wheat flour...

.....wheat flour is  the staple  food included in  most continents,  , it is of mainly two types  red and white, tge skill of kneading tge dough has to be learnt by  practicing  , less water us used to make perfect dough fir roti chapatis,  if more water us added  dough becomes  sticky and can't be  rolled out  , usually  hands are used to mix little  by little  water in tge dry flour and then kneaded  with fists and knuckles 

from previous...

....he stopped her calling her back to listen to him, at least she could explain him what was the monument  wishing well fountain,  she  began  if ten shilling coin is flung in there with a wish it is soon granted,  he asked if she really believed it, she had no  personal experience of it,  he argued then why was she  some minutes ago  praying  there,    it was just an experiment  to check its authenticity  she said 

from previous....

.....she asked him if he was speaking to her,  yes indeed,  pointing towards the monument he asked what was it, , she suggested he read the  explanation  etched there himself,  but he pleaded what if someone could not  read,  she  simply  answered in that case one ought to move on,  there were so many  things to  see and enjoy,  for instance  tge sandy shores, tge beauty children playing in the water,  the waves and more,  she again tried to  go

from previous....

....teignmouth  in its  extreme condition also on its  ports was alive and buzzing with  life, lights  had  a decorative effect on the  town,  he suddenly  was bitten by the love  moth, his s filled with desire  and  he began  mumbling  softly to himself,  he stopped  , the scene  before him also  came to a halt ,  love addressed him  before  departing , he asked her to listen and stay,  sge turned  to look at him, 

chah tamanna

.....it was extremely cold, the English county   coastal Devon  was shrouded in foggy  sheets, icy winds blew  around,  it was a dreamland  come true  for each and every tourist who visited the spectacular spot,  he  was trudging  through   thick snow icy winds  blinding  fog ignoring them all forward swaying and with a swagger 

from previous.....

......nabila rubbed her eyes several times in surprise,  it was  morning of the next day,  the  robbers had  sprayed chloroform  and now they woke up,  he was worried for her for she had spent tge night out  , what will ger family  have to say,  how would they react,  , nabila was thankful her  parents weren't home last night  because they were attending a night wedding function,  he quickly started the car and drove her to her home  dropping her there ge reached his home where hanya was waiting for him  in the lawn 

from previous...

.....when  the dawn   awakened amir  on either side of the road  the trees in rows  were swaying with chirping birds,  he shook his head  to  get rid of that  heaviness,  nabila still lay in the car unconscious,  there was a mineral water bottle kept in the  car, he was thirsty  and  began  drinking water  from the  bottle,  some  water he sprinkled on her face,  she  opened her eyes,  she looked out of the car window  morning sunshine was  surrounding  the entire landscape 

from previous.....

...... the car was stopped and the   young  biker was pointing his  pistol on amir  , threatening to shoot him if he dared challenge  him, all that amir had  the robber demanded  to hand  him silently,  amir lied he just then had nothing much,  though he was carrying  twenty five thousand,  

The young robber commanded his  junior to search amir, twenty five thousand were snatched from him also his expensive mobile,  amir asked them to  return it because it wasn't any use to them,  he could  anytime block it from anywhere 

page 56

.....amir was driving nabila and amir were very happy,   for nabila that was a beautiful night,   the one she had wanted  was with her,   the car was headed towards the cinema  house,   , now amir was driving his car  through a vacant isolated  stretch,  , the theater was just a few  minutes away,  , he was  looking  frequently  in the rear mirror,   ever since they left  the restaurant a biker was stalking  them 

from previous...

......suddenly he felt  he wanted a hot cup of tea,  he turned tge stove on and heard the door bell, he opened the door to tge elderly  bibi who lived with zubeda,  standing there she commanded him to follow her home to repair her electricity circuit  which had  broken down,  he asked her to wait but she walked away  because  she had no  interest in wasting her time  being  in his house,  at home she had so many chores to do by herself,  supervising managing working,   , only  this crazy electricity meter  was beyond her 

from previous....

.....zalikha  gave up arguing with  her husband and son, she began getting ready  to go out  , a large  veil  to cover herself  was  what she pulled out , their elder son  had after getting married    not crossed  the  living portion  he was  settled in,  he rarely met   then anymore,  when  he spoke his voice  was  icy cold and dry of emotions,   his wife turned out to be unfriendly and  unsocial, zalikha  realized  her husband was right,  mother and son both left  and he waited for their return 

page 40....

.....he shouted at his wife zalikha  if she was not so irresponsible  , tge tests were important  and for her safety and  health,  not  compulsory  but what was her reason to object  it, he called out his son  rehan  instructing him  to take  his mother  for a full check up tests,  rehan also complained  last week he was ready to take her  for her tests but zalikha  backed off,  

from previous....

......doctor jamil was their old family friend, his clinic  was situated  right next  to the roadside,  he was a socially active friendly person and contacted  nazir ,  who asked him  the reason  he had phoned,  the doctor  in his seventies explained  nazir, s wife was not keeping well  and  he had instructed her to get her tests done , , she had pain in her chest and he was waiting for over fifteen days  for her to  visit him

from previous....

.....as was his  habit he woke up exactly at three,, but he couldn't  get enough  will power to get going,  he was feeling  exhausted  and his whole body ached,, a burning sensation  made him  very uncomfortable,   zalikha came in  just then,  she asked if he was awake,  he explained he couldn't get out of bed,    coming closer she touched his forehead  8t was  burning with  high  fever 

from previous....

.....he followed her home after  years  or rather  ages after he stepped into  that open door,  the door  once  he gad himself  shut off  with his own hands,   near the outer  entrance  was built a raised  platform,  there were fixed electricity  meter  and circuit  wires, one if the wires was  not working,  he turned it on the bulb   lighted up the vicinity,  elderly  woman  though she was asked him impressed  to check all the fittings and wirings and bulbs , the electrician  had  worked on them a couple of  days ago, but the fridge was still  a problem,  what a talkative woman  she was

page 33....

.....he recalled  when he was a child he used to ask his  abba  if he didn't get bored and tired of living in the same place  for years on end,   he would then lovingly  explain it to him.?.dear  son  nazir  when  you will  reach  this age  you would not even know of it how  taking care of your family  and raising your children  swallows up  time,  time simply flies  away  turning minutes into hours into  days,  weeks  months  and one  doesn't really realize  it, then  one  point  in life  comes  when you  stop to ponder  how much  life is spent 

from previous....

.....he quickly  ordered aslam  to dispose  off two thousand  sacks of onion,  there was surprise on tge nan,s face as he asked there was at least two months to get the bew crop,   explained him he needed to make  more space for the  fresh crop and became silent  , he sold  his sacks of onion  at a good price  four times  more profitable,  success is  merely  sensible thinking and nothing more 

from previous....

.....onion that was earlier selling at three rupees  a kilo was not selling  at one hundred   ten,  he had a decent   storage of onion, some five thousand  sacks  were  dumped in his godown,  when he reached the market  the news was floating  that within fifteen days  Indian  supply will be restored  as a result  the price will  sharply fall 

from previous.....

.....he got out  of the house  as his daily schedule  was into the   semi lighted street, crossing  past zubeda, s house he saw her house was  shrouded in darkness,   like always he walked past  it looking at it,  it seemed the family had still not  moved in,  

In the vegetable  market  early morning  was  hyper active,  , his some  corn and onion crop was spoiled,   some   rotting  onion  cargo was shipped abroad  so the market was  facing  problems,  he was aware of  this could happen,  his  experience of  many years had smelled it

page 31.....

.....old habits die hard, no matter what time he went to bed he would wake up   three thirty,  his waking up would  wake up zalikha too, sge would start tge kitchen  work  with preparing  early breakfast for him,  sge served him hot tea and sent him on  work exactly like his mother used to send his father off to work,  there was just a minor difference  mother  walked  side by side  of  his father  but zalikha  quietly  carried on  with  her chores 

from previous....

.....wao , amazing,  she   exclaimed delighted  her mother had  entirely changed  the whole place,  the three of them rohaan and   Arfan had arrived  Pakistan  from two o clock flight,  it was meant as a surprise  , when they reached home   ruby, saba and nazra were  very happy to see their husbands,  sabura  beghum  hugged her sons lovingly,  the changed  and improved condition of the house  impressed them too

page 63...

.....when she reached ruby's portion  sge realized tge condition of tge place was exactly like  nazra,s , though ruby was an  excellent  house keeper  but  she gad come  in contact with  nazra who was a shirker,  seeing  nazra  do nothing except  stay comfortably leading a leisurely  life at her own pace  ruby too  gave up  doing her daily house  chores and managing  the  house  routine,  the living portion  was so compact  it wasn't possible to keep  a maid , all she could do  was  swallow the bitterness  with  a  smile,, the little girl was crying  she turned  towards the kitchen,  now  something had to be  done 

from previous....

......saba innocently  said  working  was no problem  with her , she rather enjoyed  doing things for others  and delighted in helping  others,  doing good deeds came  naturally to her   to gain  spiritual   points, , Sabura beghum  felt love gushing  inside her for the innocent  saba, , she kissed her forehead,  then added  in a manner of explaining    good  deeds were counted as  goodness when the needy and  the helpless are  helped

gulab aangan....

.....the two of them had become  hard core rascally  and useless  but their mother in law ,s  deeds  and tight control  turned their  compact courtyard  a yard of joys

The mother in law   called out her middle  daughter in law  saba  several times  as she sat  down  8n tge  coir cot  placed in tge courtyard,  her glances had   traveled  towards the  all doors  that were around,  she was sure only saba could be  in the kitchen  this  time,  perhaps  it was because of heat  of summer  that in her throat  dry  thons seemed to  crop up, heat was surrounding  the whole  place  in sizzling  sheets,  it was almost  like  being in hell to get out of the house to perform and be present  at a funeral in  the neighborhood 

page 31....

..... mother sat telling the beads of her tasbih  sitting   by her bedside,  the  tasbih was   moving  at a fast pace,  , sge said  she was aware  the two girls were  emotionally  very  attached  to each other  as sisters and friends  in the  family,   sharing  each other's experiences  in joy and sorrow,   the other boys were outsiders,  it was certain    that  they were not prepared  mentally  for the sudden shock  and  so   they must be extremely stressed 

huma from previous.....

.....the  big fat stone  lay right  before them,   the one he had  flung to shatter  the window glass,,  near it  was  a  squeezed out paper,  younger brother of  rakhashanda  picked it up and  putting it against the lighted bulb began reading  the scrawled  writing  that looked like  a child had  written it, the message read  threateningly how long can you  hide her, we will  carry her  away,  elder brother  concerned asked his father what was all this,  a sound of  thud was heard,  all heads turned to see the father had fallen  down on the floor  and fainted 

from previous....

.....nazir and he were good friends  and  rakhashanda, s brother was nazir, s cousin  so as a cousin  he was to come,  the friend smiled  silently in his heart,  this elder brother had  a huge  egoistic attitude and never spoke  nicely to anyone,  as a bakery owner  he felt  and behaved  above others,  , now it was time to  turn the  tables,  ,, they all reached the bakery,  a stray  dog and a cat   had  got  inside,  , the father swore  filthy  words under his breath , he then unlocked tge door and  switched the lights on 

page 30....

......rakhashanda, s   father was angry  and  also  scared,  he was in a pitiable  condition,   tge biy happened to see him  in this  vulnerable  condition  for the first time,  nazir had told him his  baker name was  a coward  but now  it was clear  uncle was  exceptionally   coward, rakhashanda, s father asked him to come along,, the boy said  it was their problem  he had just  informed them  what  he had seen as a good  neighbor,  rakhashanda, s elder  brother  insisted  because  he was nazir, s friend  he was to accompany them 

from previous....

....after  shattering the bakery glass window  he reached rakhashanda  and banged her door,  , every one was aware  he during tge night   was going to the vegetable mandi to buy and sell,   so it was nothing  out of order,   , the door was opened by rakhashanda, s brother,  his eyes were   dazzled and  face in rage obviously he was woken up by the knock on the door  from his deep  heavy  sleep 

page 29....

......he continued he  then  flung  a stone  with all his  strength  at the  bakery window  where in the light of tge bulb  breads,  loads, cakes and pastries were  displayed,  , the glass  shattered  inside  into thousands of crunchy  pieces  with  a    noise,   rakhshanda, s father had just a few days ago  got it fixed,  

from previous....

..... nazir and his wife were in love,  he was a great lover boy always falling  generously in love  unlike his friend  who was   silently infatuated to the window  girl,   nazir had wanted to marry his  maternal uncle, s daughter,  uncle was a baker and  actively against  him a son of a  rag picker,  love is a great teacher and  teaches  expressive  vocabulary to   the lovers,  nazir would argue  so what if his was a rag picker , his earnings were honestly  hard earned  not like  the baker uncle who sold bread made from  spoiled  dough, turned  sour smelly materials into  tempting looking  sweet  cakes

from previous...

....nazir, s wife  entered the emotional scene  distracting  them, her husband and her son were together  posing  problems  for her, nazir threw the cigarette butt  down on the floor crushing it under his foot, wife screaming asked why was he   dirtying the whole place,  couldn't he see the dustbin,  bazur cheekily  said he saw her and nothing else,  wife liked calling him oldie  when angry  and when  she liked him  for  his good  behavior,  again she called him oldie   he got up both were ready to repeat themselves 

page 27...

......he was sitting with nazir 8n his house,  nazir lit up a cigarette and took a deep puff, he asked  if he was aware the big house was being  rehabilitated,  so many  double storey houses had been built  by now,  he could not  recollect  and nazir  was annoyed thinking  he was fooling  him, suddenly  it dawned on him nostalgically  the house with a window  he could  see from nazir  s house too,  though  it was still  shut and tbe house was being cleaned up  for a a couple of days, old memories   came  flooding  into his mind,   

from previous....

.....rehan and  tehrim both siblings  were  married  off, it wasn't clear how zalikha managed to  arrange  the funds for the  functions , all that ge did was  contribute,  but he felt  something  zalikha  did was very odd, in her shopping list  she added  Farhan too,  uncertain  what all  she  had  made for Farhan, s would be  bride,   what was the matter with her  was she  was planning  her  dearest Farhan, s wedding  soon 

from previous....

.....arifa, s mother  confessed she was not in a  sound  financial position to give her daughter  dowry,   she would be  thankful if  rukhsati was done  on a couple of simple  sherbet  glasses, zalikha  gad no desire  nor designs  for demanding any  dowry,  all they  wanted was a good  family and  responsible  bride 

page 25....

.....he on zalikhey,s suggestion invited  arifa, s  family on dinner,  she was a good natured  person  just a bit hit tempered  , her parents were forced to lead a miserable life,  , it was felt  arifa,s mother  was    pulling  the strings , arifa, s father  was  working in a private company as a  clerk,   apparently he was a silent man 

from previous....

.....he could hardly sleep  that night,   he  kept  on turning and tossing  , he was asked  was something the matter disturbing him ,  were there  bed bugs , denying  it  he sat up ,  if there was any problem  and he didn't want to accompany  his father  in the  morning  he was free  to refuse,  there was no need to worry,  , he explained  that  afternoon  he had spent  sleeping  and now  he was wide awake 

from previous.....

.......finishing his food  he prepared his basket   , the top most  sack was meant for  nazir,  he reached his door and knocked  , his mother  peeped from inside,  he handed her the vegetable  sack and moved forward,  

Next stop he looked upwards to see zubeda watching him from the window,  he quickly looked around the entire  street was empty,  he reached the door,  the door was instantly opened,   he handed her a  package  9f vegetables  sent  them from his mother 

A  secret  mischievous glint  shone in er eyes  which is mostly  seen between  dear close soulmates,  she chipped in it was not him  who got the vegetables  for  them,  her simplicity  was extremely expressive  , she gad thought  he had planned  it himself 

page 14.....

.....abba said it was his first day in the  mandi  and they had a good profitable  business,   on his face  there was a wholesome  satisfactory smile settled,  he liked it that his son had  decided to accompany him , how did he like being  on business  so early morning  almost  nearly midnight  it was, amma was cheerful  her son  and husband  had returned  for breakfast  happy and richer

from previous....

.....mother  wiped the mirror  she held in her hands with the corner of her veil  to see  her declining  aging beauty  in the misty  reflection  with a deep longing,   picking up the argument  what good did the  man  do , it was unwise decision, just like, fiction  not factual,  

It was one winter in December  early cold morning  when  gul bano  removed  the warm   quilt from over her husband Yusuf khan,s face who was shivering from  high fever  suffering from  throat infection asking him to drink hit tea and then he swore never to dip a finger in  a tea cup

from previous....

.....mother said  the same  book was always  seen in  gul bano.s hands 

Pashmina  not missing a beat commented  but she doesn't seem to have  ever read it by her attitude and   her  personality, because all those readers of  the digest learn  something or the other  abd gul bano learned nothing,  digest helps learn  life matters faster than  one can actually experience them , reading good books    can help more accurately than  life itself,  by the way Yusuf  didn't give  her a divorce  just for  burning  a finger 

page 19.....

......mother  moaned  that's what she didn't like  about pashmina  , she lived in a virtual world of story books,  where romance was  enhanced  nothing was practical,  no character was grounded,  happy endings and  no pain,  if she went out  in search of such a perfect  life  not only her feet but her heart too would  get torn to shreds,, 

She laughed out heartily hearing  dear mother's  speech,  was it not a dialogue  from some shabnam  nadim movie  , she asked her to swear  it wasn't,   putting  some  stress on her mind  she began humming..

No gold  no silver 

No palaces my dear

Can I give you 

Now it was mother's turn to pick up the pillow and hit her back, pashmina quickly tightly embraced her digest close to her heart 

from previous....

....pashmina  explained  there was no need to worry about her and her culinary skills  and her married life because  patting her digest she carried on contained  all that  one wanted to know about home keeping,  pull-on, biryani, gourd cutlets,  pumpkin pudding,   cottage cheese  varieties,   Chinese,  turkish  Malaysian  Thai,  anything and everything from local native to continental,  old vintage traditional to  modern  trendy 

from previous....

......pashmina kept her digest  she was reading  very softly  and gently under her pillow  as if it was a personified beauty  gracefully reclining there and merely a touch could bruise her,

All brides are brainwashed by her close  family network  that 8n laws  are cruel and  specially the mother in law a monster  so the bride must always  stay away and not emotionally get herself involved with her  likewise  father-in-law is a  bad guy not to be respected  and always  treat  them like  filth

sab jhoot nahi hota....

.....pashmina was holding  on to her digest  enjoying her reading  when a voice scolded her to stop taking interest in books and put them away  for heavens  sake  she was to get married and not be taking  any chef in dowry  to her in laws  house  so  it was better   to learn the skills of home keeping and cooking  for the sake of her future life 

from previous.....

.....one  resident  merchant  pointed  at the red  ripe juice tomatoes  asking them to buy the lot, abba ignored him but the boy saw the tomatoes were  really  good, first time in  the mandi  he asked his abba  why didn't he buy the tomatoes,  abba explained  the tomatoes were fully ripe and would not  stay even two days before spoiling  ,  to avoid rotting  always  go for slightly  unripe ones, he had not seen this side of the fact, this new angle opened up new   sight,  he watched his abba  dealing with new arrivals and selling of  the  same  quickly  for a handsome profit 

from previous....

.....they reached the mandi, where  natives  were arriving with home grown,   directly  pulled out from the field  vegetables,  tomatoes,  potatoes  and greens  in abundance  were being  dumped  , trucks were loaded with  mountains of vegetables,  within minutes  auction of  vegetables  and piles of  sacks  began,  abba knew someone and abba also had a small  shop in tbe mandi

page 13...

..... amma woke him up  after midnight at two thirty,  he quickly sat upright,   amma was rather surprised but she remained silent,  perhaps she thought  it was his  merely  passing phase,   because he was accompanying his abba  bike was ready instead of regular  bicycle,  abba didn't  allow him to drive the bike for he was still a minor,  finishing their tea  and breakfast  they both left  for the  mandi   early morning  vegetable  Market   on the way on the bike  the air felt  quite cold  yet pleasantly  refreshing 

from previous....

.....finally  the exams were over ,  he relaxed,   he had vowed  he didn't want to study  any more,  so just a few days later he spoke to his father  he will also accompany him from now on,  father laughed he had  odd timings and at tgree mid night ge was picked up,  the boy curious asked who picked him up at that time,  father explained  those who wanted their  dreams fulfilled,  ghosts of midnight  dreams 

page 12....

.....then  his exams started,  he was in the eighth,  amna warned him  not to fail  this time,   younger siblings  had reached  his class,  he ought to be  ashamed of himself  so his aim of life  now was to pass his eighth  standard exams,  he  even imagined  what if zubeda and her mother  came to know  he had failed  , it would  damage his reputation  and ruin his life 

page 11....

.....finally they reached their house,  the older woman opened the door of the house and  asked him to put the vegetable basket  there,  like an obedient son he did what he was told,  the older woman  left the girl and him staring at each other  as she went in to get sherbet  for him, he mustered courage and asked her her name,  she also at the same time asked him his name,  both began laughing,   her name was zubeda, his was majid, they spoke softly and became silent her mother returned  holding a red coloured  sweet syrup drink in a glass, he politely accepted it saying  there was no need  for  her  to trouble  herself like that , he had come  from close by, she too insisted  him to have it  because it was  so  hot,  a sniff before sipping  the drink  he concluded  it was for certain  ruh afzah

from previous....

.....amma looked at him still there standing staring at the girl,  she asked him to carry the basket full of fresh vegetables  to the house , the woman got up  and so did the girl  refusing amma, s offer  ready to carry the basket themselves  for the house they lived in was not very far away,  they could manage,  he quickly dumped his books on a side and picked up the basket,  the women  walked towards the outer door  saying  their khuda hafiz to amma 

from previous....

..... he greeted the women  sitting  in the room as he returned from the school  , his voice  turned the heads of the  visitors,  he stood rooted as he recognized the girl  , she was that same girl in the window,  she was rather tall,  lean,  long braids,  long neck, sleek elegant,  both stared at each other  in  sheer surprise 

page 11....

.....something inexplainable had happened,  perhaps  there is a secret way to    the desired  heart  , as it is said  where there is  a will there is a way, when he returned from the school he saw  a  woman   engaged in  ladies  gossip with his amma,  with them sat a young girl,   they had their backs towards the door,  he as his routine was normally  entered the room and  greeted them all

from previous....

in all these circumstances when  she  brought  a certain amount from her parent's home  and handed it to him he  felt  vulnerable and helpless, he could neither return it nor  could he   jeep it, he needed it so very badly,  all he did was lower his head gratefully,   this gad successfully  locked  raisa bano, s tongue to complete silence,  ,

Proper treatment and good home care was  helping him recover quickly,  but evrytimee sganya came to sit with him hus blood pressure increased and  hus condition  deteriorated,   soon enough she realized  her company and presence was disturbing  him 

page 15....

......she said she will speak to samir,  why was he getting so impatient,  they were not backing off  from their promises,  she dragged herself but   shanya  grabbed  her  veil, stopping her  from  expressing herself,   he was her son i law  not equal to daughter in law,  shanya  insisted   she  would not  take any such step,   she remained silent   

But now  every other  day     same  family drama  was  played,  ayaz failed to  fulfill  the demands,    in such circumstances     shanya would   come home  crying  and become depressed,   thus was becoming a regular  feature  a cause  for  their  worries 

from previous....

.....they couldn't  of course  arrange for  the demanded  bike,  tge wedding day was quickly approaching,    an odd  tense  air was  surrounding them all,  in the house raisa bano  seemed to be  living in  suppressed  annoyance,  all her anger was directed towards  ayaz, who  was unable to  arrange  a simple  thing like  a bike, 

Somehow  raisa bano  managed to send a message to the in-laws  of shanya  promising  they would  after the wedding  as fast as possible would  get a bike for them,  raisa bano was a clever intelligent  woman and quite  sensible  , she believed  sganya was not fitting into her  parameters of presence of mind  though  several  lessons were  given her on how to keep complete control on your husband,  how to  put  your in laws under  your  foot

page 13....

.....enough  is enough,  what the world is coming to with  greed for grabbing  others  assets,   no value was left  of promises,  raisa bano,s blood pressure  shot up as she heard  directly from Ayaz, s mouth  the groom, s family now wa demanding  motorcycle  in dowry at the last moment  when just fifteen days were left  for the wedding day, they already had given a long list of  dowry and had sold off the shop and sent the cash amount  too to the in laws of shanya  ,raisa bano thinking all was going well  and was quite satisfied when this demand from  shanya, s in laws brought a storm in their miserable life,  in laws had no girls to marry off , no extra  expenditures  but just because it was considered trendy  fashionable and  modern  they asked for a bike  that raisa bano dare not refuse 

page 48....

.....he said  it was a conspiracy  against him to trap him by  both  javeria and shehbaz khan,  both want to end this relationship,   of course he knew the girl  because  she was  his friend's  girlfriend,  they were introduced there and she  began  stalking him,  since he  didn't show any  interest in her  they planned to take revenge,  he was not married  to her at all, , did she have any  documents  to show  they were married,  all heads turned  in her direction,  she explained  all evidence  was  destroyed,  even the wedding pictures on her mobile  were deleted 

from previous....

......abba was good natured,  the house  was filled  with  congenial  atmosphere,  , the unity of   the  family  and  amiable  air was the result of their  being quite well off,  unlike hus friend salim in whose house  everyday  family members  quarreled over petty things,  seven children  to raise  in small salary  made them bitter,  it happened before the saying became virul ....why  do you bear children if you can't feed them 

from previous....

.....the whole house  echoed with  abba, s laughter and amna, s mirth,  he appreciatively  would  think if his  parents love story  ever could  be his life story,  , if he would ever  come across any such  dream girl  who can become his life partner,   changing his destiny  improving his  life quality,  all the siblings  had learnt their parents love story by heart because it was repeated and narrated  over and over again  and  again 

from previous....

.......amma would glare angrily at anyone   who dared defy to instruct  them in a   stony hard voice challenging to  step out of their   limits,  explaining   all those who complained  against her family boys  that her boys were  bookish, studious and loved  reading,  it couldn't be them ,  her boys were innocent  lambs,  such obedient  boys   rose high in lives  like shining stars  making their families  proud 

page 9....

.....outside  the sunshine was bright  golden spread  out, inside the  rooms were quite dark,  the room window was shut,  amna slept in one  of tge rooms,   with her  two   youngest  children,  other bigger boys occupied  another separate room, when children start growing up  strict discipline is   applied  to restrict  them  or  fresh youngsters  just stepped into the threshold of  crazy youth  err and the consequences  are  dangerous  not only for them but also for their  close friends and family 

page 8.....

......the first time he experienced love  he was merely sixteen,   not aware the feelings of unrest discomfort and  uneasiness  was falling in love,  love for him then meant was  gazing  at each other  and then getting separated,  

Those were good old days,  it was nazir  who asked him  buddy  why you keep looking out through this window all the time,  turn to look at me sometimes,  

kaise gila karu ....

......ramya bano looking at embroidered  bedsheets and applique work  set asked them to show her  all,  the box was opened and saris suits and other dresses and materials  stored there were taken out, shanya watched the two of them with shining eyes,  their faces glowed with joy,  the two  missed seeing  tears in the eyes of hers,   these  girls who  ignored  the stuff till yesterday  were treasure hunting aggressively now 

from previous....

.....Ehsan  ,s body was badly injured but his fawns still identifiable,  , the doctor felt  very bad for him,  all he could do was now for him  was pray   and mourn,  Ehsan never could  have known  instead of the  new job  he will be dead and a departed soul,   out of the morgue  the doctor felt  extremely  uncomfortable  , he walked out with a heavy heart,  , he asked the police officer where  could his car be parked,  he gad to contact his insurance company 

page 63....

......the doctor  reported  the hospital and left with  him to see the dead body  in the cold morgue  , as a doctor he had seen many bodies  and was quite accustomed to  seeing a wide range of dead bodies  but it's  not easy to see a known,s dead body,  , postmortem  on  the body was already done,  an attendant  uncovered  the face of the body  , the doctor  confirmed  it  it was ehsanallah,  the cause of his death was breaking of his ribs as tge steering wheel smashed  into his chest,  if he had  tied  his seat belt he would be  alive today