from previous

....that day he returned home  after a successful day  having passed the test  to find  Jean  waiting for him dressed in an evening gown  looking very attractive  , she gave a glance at him before letting out a shrill  scream,  , where had he been  , they were to reach the premier  of Tom Cruz movie 

He simply forgot explained he 

For heaven's sake  change  into something formal,  clean up  and get yourself tidy, it was already late,  she  was  absolutely  upset 

He thought he didn't want to change   until  he was  given another role by Charlie in his next production  because he wanted to live this recent character till  then 

He responded in his  par excellent  Ukrainian accent she must not even try to change him in any way 

What  useless   style  you talk trash  and what is this new voice volume tone  totally different from yours,  Jean was shocked  if we fail to reach within five minutes we miss all the fun of paparazzi  and glamor and what makes you think I would like to be seen  in Tom Cruz  premiere  with an escirt with that appearance 

from previous

....like many other actors  Kenny mount Ford  on getting new roles  would fill up with new enthusiastic energy and spent lots of time   on catching the spirit of the character  , the tone  and body language suitable for  the script  he  read and reread over and over again and again 

The role feodar gave him  was absolutely lifeless, there was no script also to work on, Kenny  gathered all the necessary information on Crimea   and   found  more about English speaking Ukrainians  and listened carefully the recordings to learn and speak exactly in the right manner and  intonation and accent 

His career was  taking a new turn  but couldn't get Jean to catch the  spark , she had from  a long time  enjoyed being the center of attention  , she didn't like being ignored,  she was  in a live in relationship with him  but he was  now fully focused on his career  and  forgot her

The first test was rather easy  , feodar wanted him to sell  things in shepherds bush exactly like the dealer  who  he had to characterize 

Kenny was  choosing the clothes  and voice and tonal  accent  carefully  working on the  role,  he was  certain  he was thorough  in every way, he was  satisfied he himself was  picking up  the  clothes  instead of getting help from professional television  dress designers 

funkaar

....as an actor  Kenny mount Ford had a wish  to do some real serious work that would  take him to the  height of fame,   retiring from drama  school he  joined the theaters for a while  but he  felt that the television was  more paying  so midsummer murders and the heartbeats  he was  actively playing roles were  ended 

He was touching thirty  and  quite  lethargic,  he would look at himself  and   think  this wasn't what he wanted to be,  he wanted to be on the top of the list of accomplished actors  people admired,  he now realized he wanted to do theater,  it was  difficult and complicated  line , actors were  rated  on impossible  parameters  of talent and performance 

His ultimate aim was to find a director with whom he could  work  on the  higher standards  set by the director  so Kenny mount Ford began   looking for  a director  of quality,  he was a professional  actor and highly paid for his  character  roles  , he  could  own a mansion in Nottingham Hill  freehold and he and his companion lily Jean Dalton another actor  lived together there,  she was the best vamp  who got her  popularity from  the longest snap opera  she worked in and Kenny was  completely   satisfied  with his life  at least in the financial matters  , she wasn't any threat  to him in this case and  could fully concentrate in  progressing in the acting field 

from previous

....Tracy and mikeal sat in the back seat  comfortably  with their luggage,  the  tall elderly man who got down after them from the train  was in the passenger seat of the van

Father  addressed  mikeal to the   man who was so helpful to them,  mikeal  s tone was saturated with pure reverence for spending  the time  traveling from Hyderabad to Karachi  together  in a most amiable manner  now the  wonderful man was  going with them to drop them at their place,  this type of kindness in human beings was already extinct, 

The good old man had told Tracy and mikeal his name was Father  Jacob  and for past three hours  he was  playing a most convincing role of a priest 

The reason  mikeal and his daughter  blindly began trusting him 

Peter  said softly  Jacob to the man in the driving seat they were to first drive to the sadar and then to the chapel,  was that  instruction clear  

Peter   shortly  answered in a monosyllable 

Father Jacob rubbing his throat declared he wanted something to  drink to   remove  the dryness,  if there was  anything  available,  Peter  had mineral water and juice to offer,  Jacob asked for mineral water because he wouldn't take glucose much but Peter must  give the  juice to the guests , Peter  drove the van out from the railway  vicinity and obediently followed Jacob's  orders 

page 176

...platform number five  was  over crowded  , forty two down was coming,  all rushed towards   it

Bro your  plan is wonderful said jasim , if  we successfully   take tressy and  mikeal to reach  sara s house safely it would be our victory  but those  who are waiting to catch  tressy  won't let us    go easy 

Absolutely not, said kamal   anything could happen between the cant and sadar and whatever happens   we must be prepared to face it mentally and physically 

page 45

..is that really true 

When did  I ever  tell a lie before,  she stared back into  his eyes   returning the  attack   evading  the volley of questions fired  at her 

Oh, lord, does that mean   all the global  strategies failed,  no matter  how  distant  remote and   against  you  the world  is if luck is not with you  nothing works,  love never  is defeated,  you are expecting   and  in this condition  divorce cannot be given and  he had never  meant to give her a divorce,  

She laughed  softly  , the cover on her face  slipped aside,  the long road before them  casted mysterious dark shadows of thick neem trees, she seemed a crazy girl  laughing    so wildly till tears showed up in her eyes,  seeing her  happily laugh albacore also  began smiling 

Silly, crazy  coward  stupid  she growled  , how easy to say  you didn't mean to give her a divorce,  does a man  ever  divorces  meaningfully,  woman  means it , divorce is the most ugly thing in the world  to give and take 

from previous

....oh, what  a stressful  day it was  today,   harun sahib is not  easy to please,  so many retakes  she had to  give  ,  her condition was   pitiful  because she was  constantly crying  glycerin tears  her eyes burned  red four hours,  the scene was  done beautifully to perfection,   but that left her tired out,  thickly  made up eyes  now looked  quite  horrible  , Zaki made fun of her laughing  , her eyes appeared  belonged to a zombie,  he was   a brave man   to  see them  but others won't  tolerate them,  her zombie eyes were scary,  she must  wash her face well  before going anywhere 

Tobi   gave him a sidelong glance  and hit him on the shoulder  he 8n mock horror  hid his face 

Laughing together  amicably  they both emerged from the hall, amauza lifted her head from the  laptop,  a fleeting glance on them  and  back to her lighted screen  her focus  turned 

Tibi was    directly   facing the  makeup man who  walked towards her,  she had been  busy  taking to the  set designer  Jamali  for  very long time,  she  realized  she liked spending time more with the seniors  and not with the juniors,  whenever she got some spare  time  she would  walk up to a senior  in a corner  listening  attentively to the experiences they had to share with her,  suddenly transforming from a quiet  sober  workaholic on the set  girl to a chirpy curious  listener asking too many questions 

akhri daao

...today he looks i at himself nto a worn out faded mirror   and couldn't recognize himself,  who was this  , everyone should  think deeply about  themselves who is he, he  was certain nobody can ever  really know himself perfectly or say  clearly who was he exactly,  when you are born  a name is given you,  a birth certificate is handed,  a social security card number is given with added details of about your family members  namely your father's name,  mother's name  and siblings names and address  but does that really describe  you 

Not at all,  when you get to know the outside world  exposed to new life experiences then you ask yourself who are you,  it was one of those  distinct moments of realization  that he stood before an old  dirty  mirror in a washroom of a gas station  asking himself looking at his reflection who was he 

The reflection in the dirty mirror belongs only to him and he alone is the owner of the reflected image  but  that reflection is unable to respond because it doesn't  recognize  him, he too finds it impossible to recognize the reflection  but because there is nobody else present in the washroom besides him it must be his own reflection  though his eyes and brain  refuse to  give their consent  simply because there wasn't anything familiar in it that he could say was him 

page 138

...annual  court  vacation was over,  it was  a  most pleasant  evening in monsoon,  he sat as usual in his office   when a  man  of quite an impressive personality walked in,  he was  welcomed with a professional smile  , courtesies were  exchanged customarily before the visitor   explained  to Mr begh that  he knew it he was a busy lawyer  and   got to see  new faces every day  that weren't easy to remember  but  the man had  met just one lawyer in life and Mr begh was easy to recall,  it was  the second  time he was meeting him,  his image was etched in his mind 

The man smiled  but the lawyer  couldn't  place him anywhere and asked him to introduce himself 

He was faruq Bashir,  some fifteen years ago  the lawyer had  helped him  in a case of robbery,  in those days he was an unemployed man    searching for a turning point  from dawn to dusk in Karachi , people chasing a robber  caught Bashir as the real robber got away,  then Mr lawyer had  taken up his casem today  Bashir was neither unemployed nor an accused,   he realized  the lawyer couldn't really remember him  but was curious what brought him to his office,  Bashir  needed him to  help a friend  in prison 

from previous

...he  set out  in search of  the pet dog ,  his first target was  the p c a s, home for dogs  where stray homeless dogs are kept  parine city animal  shelter 

Daisy had sent a picture of star  though the  quality of  picture wasn't too good  yet    a star  on his shoulder was quite visible and  could prove helpful in identifying him 

The caretaker  showed him the dog shelter,  , the shelter was  full of dirty filthy dogs, the  whole place smelled,  it was  intolerable,  he  carefully  looked at each  dog, star was not amongst them 

There were missing  lost stray and homeless dogs explained  the caretaker,  they all were  taken good care of   , fed and watered, bathed and  washed  and  other matters  were  the responsibility of the  shelter aided by the government funds, owners of the missing dogs  are investigated and  identified  before the pets are handed them,  not a  single dollar is accepted from them  , it's regretted star isn't one of them in this shelter 

He thanked her and described star the  missing pet had a  star like  patch on his brown shoulder,  the caretaker  invited him to the office where she would look through the records to find  one that  matched the description 

He followed her to the office where she checked her computer files and found that one pet dog  star did come to the center some six months ago,  for a few hours,  it was merely an accidental visit  , star had  forgotten his way back and  by chance reached the shelter before Mrs daisy came looking for him and  took him home 

Star was different from other dogs here because he refused to eat and drink  and sat silently in a corner  listless  till daisy appeared and  star came alive full of recharged life force  , bouncing  merrily 

page 125

...he was a private detective,  he made his reputation  by his sheer hardwork  and endless efforts,  this profession  gave him  wealth  name fame  but  for a while  he had slowed down,  , not just him but every other person was affected  in some way or the other by covid  hangover  m before this unusual turning point in life  he was kept busy with  dozens of cases lined up waiting for his attention but now for weeks  no client turned up so unwillingly  with a heavy heart and mind he took that unwanted case,  the man had introduced himself as Henry  just Henry  nothing  before it or after,  he was an elderly man,  the detective  welcomed him with a professional smile  , he played  a good host and offered his client coffee  prompting him  to explain  how could he be of service to him 

Henry   rotated  the coffee mug in his trembling hands rather  disheartened,  his shivering  suggested he needed something more than coffee  but  the detective couldn't help him in this matter there  because  it was against his rules to sit in the office with an open bottle 

I ve heard you are helpful to people  spoke Henry  after a long pause speculatively

Right,  tge detective agreed   , what did Henry expect from him 

He discussed the problem was  Mrs daisy  loved her dog star and were inseparable but the dog was missing,  

The detective  expressed  his own opinion perhaps the dog ran away  and didn't want to live with her

No, Henry emphatically  shook his head denying that possibility because star could not and would not leave  Mrs daisy s side ever,  someone deliberately  stole him 

The detective had never before taken such a case of a domestic pet dog gone missing 

shikar

....he returned home to go straight to the kitchen  , mother heard  his footsteps and  asked from the living room if it was  Mike there 

He got his  mix pack from the fridge  and came to sit down close to his mother in the old sofa , she was watching the news 

 She  shared the news  the murderer of the police cop was caught  did he hear that,  he would get death sentence,  that's what he deserved 

Mike opened his first beer,  the  newsreader an Asian woman was adding details,  since the  killer was arrested   the team  was now  looking for  a member of the search party  retired   x army man corporal John who was missing  since last night after  search operation,  the reporter tried to make it sound rather sensational  before pausing dramatically to look directly into the eye of the camera to  ask the viewers if that was  the  last man hunted by the accused killer,  

Mike  stole  glances  from this reporter,  from his mother  and from himself before opening another bottle 

from previous

...oh, thank you papa, so sweet of you,  she was happy to have a father  who gave her  enough attention   and the father  enjoyed  giving  her  his  full support,  he wanted her to go on a huge  shopping spree , patting her head , assuring  her they will  follow her , what a family   so  well off and happily together,   her eyes looking at the emotional scene  her eyes    misted  , something burned inside her raising emotional smoke, uncounted desires lay passive beneath   that caught  spark  and  started fuming,  she had witnessed so many such emotional scenes since  her childhood,  but her bad luck she couldn't be ever  inside the scene as a part of it just remained an outsider  observing it, she had never known what mother's love was, , she had never experienced mother's  proximity  nor felt her touch   and father  punctually sent her money  and sometimes rang her up dutifully  

page 34

...she gave the room an appraisal,  everything was as she had wanted,  soft cushions  arranged on the sofa  carelessly casual  fallen,  a towel  placed on the arm of the chair,  untidy wrinkly crinkly  bed , deep green curtains covered the windows painted white,  she  checked their hooks were fastened    as intended loose  , tge dressing table   top was  covered  with   nit enough  bottles 

Listen asif run and get  all the empty bottles from the makeup room she instructed the spotboy  adjusting the lights on the set

But they are all already there  , if  Zaki bhai saw him again he would scold him,  because he doesn't like anyone  disturbing him when he is busy in the makeup room 

Available scowled  , what else could be done she thought,   then she pulled out  hand lotion,  hair spray  and her favorite perfume  from her bag to arrange them on the dressing table 

What are you doing,  at least don't  put your personal things there,  in the  particular scene  everything is to be  thrown away,  what if  your  perfume bottle  shatters  , poor asif gave  a practical suggestion  but she was a perfectionist 

shatir

... the   arrival   was  absolutely  fantastic,  every eye in the  hall turned towards  her  helplessly,  every man is different and  has a personal  style   to show his admiration for  a beautiful attractive woman,  some  admire faces with their admiring glances  sliding down appreciatively but he in this  matter  was just the opposite,  to  mentally scan the  presence of a beauty  he  casts  his  gaze  to her feet and from that  beginning point his  praising etes go up and up to end at her  hair 

She had her feet  in snug  dark velvet high heels , clad in a dark  gown  her shapely figure looked outstanding,  it was  slightly longer  than knee-length  so her exposed  legs were quite an inviting pleasure   of a feast to eyes,  his eyes  slowly had reached the  curve in her  waist   and  he simply forgot to blink  a while  , outlines of her  personality were so proportionate  he  guessed she was a regular  gymmer, what  really  was most attractive in her was her  lovely  complexion  roses in cheeks and blue in the eyes , her glistening  haircut   she wore  like a crown regally,  had she been  attending political parties or charitable  functions she would have stayed unnoticed but she  shook  everyone off balance for she  was come to a chess competition,  as if to prove him wrong  she walked up to the club manager and got herself registered for the chess competition  , she held the card   in her hand  an awesome combination of beauty and brains 

from previous

..he spent his time like any other  youth  just passed out from the University,  he had no plans of doing a job,  the family  endlessly told him he had  lost several  chances of getting a decent job,  what he wanted  his family   quickly rejected  and what they wanted him to do  he refused,  his conscience didn't allow him to  do  any thing  in exchange of bribes,  he decided to go into business no matter on a very  small scale  but  he must be the owner of that,   between him and his family this was the  debate  keeping them  from coming to a conclusion 

His father was  a  government official  on a high post and just recently retired,  his mother who always had  adored him  was now favoring  his brother azhar who had taken up a government job and was getting married,  saira was his sister  completed her university studies  took up a  teaching job in  school  and was  engaged to get married soon,  he remained  the youngest and the  most stubbornly  a burden on them all, his pocket money was  stopped  to press him to get himself a job 

chashmdeed

...the  old market  in the town  was  gloriously noisy of hustling  at its peak,  evening  unrolled,  he strolled  through  the    market to reach the tea shop  at the  other end of the market  to sit down in a chair, the boy  appeared like  a  gennie  to magically  clean up the  table  , , he looked sideways  bent on the table  to look at him,  just  a shadow of a smile  and a nid to greet the customer,  he also  nodded in response  , catching the  point   of  his meaningful smile  the boy turned away and left 

Evenings  declared  their arrival in the market  with hyper activities,   louder the noises  grew the louder the customers raised their voices,  he had got accustomed to it all,  it was his  routine  that habitually he would reach the tea shop in the evening to sit down on a bench,  unworried  whether he had any money in his pocket or not,  tea shop owner ashram knew him for years,   theirs was  a trusted  relationship   , ashram could trust him and  he never took advantage of him and never  had tea for free or on loan 

He would just silently take a seat,  the boy would appear,  smiles exchanged  and it was clear tea was  ordered  and from somewhere newspaper with tea was procured,  he would  dive deep into the newspaper  headlines,  on other times  he sat simply  listening to the  surrounding noises 

page 83

...Raceland s  idea proved her right,  the boss was bluffing  , it was an arrow  shot in the dark,  the base of which was  built on doubt , he had no way of knowing  and identifying  secret service,  Salim had produced them three before him like  criminals,  they also stood before him with lowered heads  feeling guilty,  what surprised him was  the reaction of the boss  of not  losing his temper  nor getting angry at all on seeing them like Salim had said  the boss was to  shift the blame of defeat on them  but  nothing  suggested he was  annoyed,  all that was seen and heard  was normal  and not unfavorable  though the boss declared he was absolutely certain  the cheat was  one of them,  the point was  who paid the cheat more to get information 

page 71

....the singer neighbor complained to his next door neighbor whose  dog   howled every morning when the singer practiced 

The dog owner  explained  it wasn't his dog's   fault but  the singer  provoked him by  howling first 

Sailing in a boat  the professor  asked conversationally  if the boatman  knew  English 

No sir 

Then your   quarter life is wasted,  what about maths 

No sir

That 8s another quarter of your life wasted 

Suddenly the sea storm  began tossing the vessel,  the boatman asked the professor  if he could swim the boat was  cracked

The professor  said he couldn't swim 

Then  your full four quarters of life are wasted  said the  boatman jumping into the rough sea 

If the son in law is noble you get a ready-made son if he is  bad be patient you lose your daughter 

Success means  husband earns more than his wife can spend 

page 31

...oh, dear,    what keeps you so busy,  that you couldn't even  visit  us, everytime  you are seen tied up in the four foot kitchen  , isn't there a moment of relaxation  in your house for you , ,  the harsh rough voice belonged to kanwal bhabhi s mother  nabda irritated  and   complaining 

She frequently  visited  them and asked such leading questions  and then bhabhi laughingly would hug her tight  and   mother in law  pathetically  feeling  guilty before the mother of bhabhi  who  would shift all the heavyweight  depression on them 

On regular basis there was a power cut,  rooms  were stuffy suffocating and she came out to sit down  outside in the gallery from where she could see the downside  yard and  the street scene clearly and voices were carried upstairs  clearly too

For the past three months for her this was her only outing,  she was  strictly  prohibited to be there  but what else could she do  when her heart sank and she needed a release from  stress and  heat, she quietly would  come there to sit down in a corner,  what a relief to lean against the wall,  to see and  stay out if sight,  the  strong wooden railing  framed the   sliding life below,  she would ponder how kanwal bhabhi  s mother  behaved  looking so glorious  and confident, her own mind filled with desires  of a lifestyle of her own choice 

page 26

His height  built  clear complexion  attractive looks  thick  curly hair was the perfect product of    things bought  on the  streets  that he appeared  heir of some wealthy family,  or people who knew him  knew it very well  his ancestors  owned a tiny shop at the end of the street,  the profits of which   helped them live a normal life,  theirs was  one of the  well off families in their entire clan,  elder son  nisar left his schooling after completing his f a but this one was a brilliant bright boy since  his first day at school always stood first  and held the first position throughout,  his  rooms were decorated with  the trophies he had won, his books  turned the room a bookstore  suggesting his deep  interest in reading,  he was well qualified and well read,  his style was  heart winning,  , his family expected of him he would one day  rise and take them all to live a better life 8n a new place,  so he was sent to the best university where mostly tge elite and wealthy people  sent their children  with whom  in their company he too could learn  high society  rules,  

they never had though  expected him to break their trust in him and bring home a  fair skinned  chiseled featured girl clad in blue jeans and  shirt kurti

page 63

....abba was  buried,  nothing except  deep silence  settled into the house,  everyday  medication  ended,  life   returned to the same track,  now it got quite clear what exactly   patience  was meant  for the poor, , poverty wasn't the real   problem  either,  from the beginning  that was  their destiny,  house filled with a special  silence  gave them a certain    kind of rested humility 

Domestic matters  and disturbances  when  removed   poverty  doesn't feel that  intolerable 

Freedom was  given  one was free to choose and decide,  now he was the next  head of the family and the life was moving on shabily,  he and his friends majha  , Raju were  surprised for their fourth  group member  Salim  who worked somewhere else in a mill was missing,  worried  about him  when after a  long time they found him  he was  a changed man,  once he was like them doing a job , his  nature and  routine was similar to theirs,  he dressed in their  style  dirty shirt and  worn out faded trousers,  his face covered in  factory  smoke and dust,  fatigued  and  troubled now was  an absolutely  new different man  a  healthy hearty gentleman 

page 58

... narrow tight dark  street rather  wriggling  was   absolutely  lonesome  as far as one could see   like  a dead venomous reptile   unmoving yet its scary,  the night quietly moved into its second phase,  all around  complete  silence  was settled  surrounded with  more silence and  deep isolation,  on either sides towards the left and the right  oddly built  cottages lined up in rows,  revealing the condition of the residents 

The air was stifling,  the  stillness  so choking,  the lifelesness resided  suggestive  it was a colony for the dead and that he was walking through  a deserted  cemetery 

It was the Era before the arrival of internet and mobile phones  in fact  even before the television culture became increasingly important,  availabilty  of hundreds of channels   don't allow such deadly silences in localities 

Clad in faded worn out jeans and colorless t shirt  and quite  worn out pair of shoes,   pocket corner full of three pale notes of tenners,  a match box  half used, a couple of  twisted folded  cigarettes  besides  dirty checkered  handkerchief  and attitude of a royal  prince who couldn't care  a bit , he was then just thirteen,  lean thin dark complexioned  who found life irresistible 

jhooth ki yadgar

...a story about one particular Ruth Paris in 1853 25th January  is hearsay  who asked three other women to contribute money to go buying wheat from the market  and the collection was  deposited with one of the three who  at the time of payment found  Ruth had not  added her share,  Ruth swore on God and if she is lying  she would fall down dead and she did,  from her clutched fist was drawn out the amount 

A structure was built  as a reminder of lying 

page 43

....in a New York hotel  about two midnight  the last customer slept with his head bent over the table,  the cleaner maid asked the  owner  she had noticed him trying to pick up  the drunk man five times,  instead why didn't he  just throw him out

Nothing special about this answered the owner every time  he was  shaken up the customer  pays the bill  and goes back to  his stupor 

aankhein

....eyes  deposit all the  innocence within,  when they cry  hearts are torn, when they shut off  the world  shakes  and shed tears 

The fruit doesn't  come from the inside of the tree,  to check it out  cut down the tree,  there you see only wood and more wood 

Food doesn't come out from soil,  if you don't believe it dig as much as you can   to find  more soil  layers and layers of it underneath 

All that happens  according to Allah  s wishes to give what He wants either from  soil or out of the skies 

Stop comparing your fate with others fates because  everything is in its right place  the sun and the dust particle 

from previous

....farzana  moaned turning and tossing  in her sleep,  she was mildly sweating, her dream  was quite unpleasant,  she  saw Tariq   and  realized his  intent and her eyes flew open,  she sat up straight with a jerk,  her heart was thumping  madly  ready to crack the ribs to  jump out of the rib cage,  with some  changes the dream sequence had actually  happened in her life,  

She poured a glass of water from the jug with trembling hands,  in a one big gulp she  swallowed water,  her breaths out of control,  she glanced at the watch,  the night was passing into it's third phase about to strike four o clock,  sleep had  escaped from her eyes,  the dream she dreamed was incomplete,  she  kept on replaying   the  scenes from her dream in her disturbed mind 

His unwanted advances  were absolutely unacceptable to her,   she had in her dream broken into tears  to which he had mocked her scornfully for her naivety  for this was life 

from previous

....he sat on the cement bench  with his books kept in his lap  like a careless child  shaking his leg lost in his own world,  he watched   them who were  coming in through the gate  , the air was pleasant and cool,  adolescent  age is carefree and  uncaring,  stylish dressing  , lovely faces,  shiny tresses swinging  were admired  specially  if attractive attitudes were   also  adorned,  in a short time  several  beauties crossed   his eyes,  he had  carefully looked at each one of them,  what an amazing   situation it was,  he thought everyone was  similar,  their way of walking,  talking,  their smiles and  their looks, all  seemed  look alike, no difference  to make any of them stand out, perhaps it was  because    keeping  all these same type faces aside  he had  come to  like a specific face  in the world,  had she been with him now  she would have definitely  rebuked him for  staring at girls  wide eyed,  the main point to  ponder is had she been with him   he would not have  locked else where,  all this fun of  bird watching was  in her absence,  ever since  he  was  with her  he would never dare make any mistake,  he never  turned to look or  flutter his eyes 

He swore she was  a  copy of professor sir sajat Aldine,  same attitude as his,   in his presence nobody could dare lift an eye lid to look  around,  heads were kept lowered respectfully,  he felt the same way in her presence 

page 9

....Tariq was young  pleasing  and  rich man,  he was at the driving seat,  farzana sat next to him, He explained his wife will be very happy to see her  and added laughing he had so many times discussed  farzana  and praised her  before his wife that she  had  been asking him to bring her home  and today was the day,  she laughed  softly  absolutely agreeing with him, he carried on zenny will be happy to see farzana and farzana also will  enjoy  meeting her

Definitely agreed farzana  , zenny must be a nice person that's why he chose her, at that moment the car drove into the  driveway of a bungalow,  the gate was opened by a watchman 

She asked if his wife was called zenny for she had always heard him saying it, perhaps it was short for zarina

No, he parked the car , zenny was zeenat and  really apt name for her 

Farzana opened the door and got out,  he ushered her into a drawing room,  what  a great drawing room it was,  his phone in his  pocket began  ringing,  he received the call 

His wife  apparently  , he began explaining he was already in the drawing room with farzana,  what , he almost screamed,  if zenny had to go shopping why didn't she tell him,  he had assumed she was at home in her bedroom 

page 8

....as if lightning fell on the old father 

What are you saying dear girl asked the old man Jamil looking worriedly at farzana 

Father  ,I have left the job,  just now  I gave my resignation and came back home explained farzana 

Jamil khan sat down defeated clutching his head in his hands 

Don't you worry baba  consoled farzana assuring him soon she would get another job 

Jamil khan looked at her  and spoke disappointedly it wasn't possible now to get a better job than fazil trades ,  within three months your salary increased so much and the family  conditions improved,  moreover  for your invalid mother  the problem of buying medicines was  solved 

Am I not  concerned about her,  farzana  held out a shopper towards her baba, ammi s this month's  medicines are here,  farzana was certain to get a job within  one or two months 

But he insisted not every  company was so generous when it came to giving out salaries,  perhaps she won't find a suitable company secretary's job  with decent  money 

Now it's done and  consequences must be taken care of said farzana  irritated 

Jamil khan looked at her  startled she had never before used this tone with him 

She was sorry about her  rudeness,  she walked up to sit down at baba s feet  and spoke in a  heavy deep emotional mood she was  herself worried and  lost her temper, she asked for his forgiveness 

Baba got sentimental  he was helpless and dependent on her  salary 

such hy

...the moment she stepped into the lounge  the  air of the whole atmosphere of the house surrounded her like a mischievous  fragrant  spirit,  exhaustion,  heavy head and empty stomach were pleading,  impatiently she ran towards the kitchen where dadu sat roasting  spicy masala deliciously and hearing the sound  turned to look at her , dadu s face lit up brightly seeing her,

How is our dear shehzadi

Dadu, it looks  feast is cooking so many dishes,  who is coming,  must be Taya ji s guests,  she scanned  the kitchen  minutely before opening the fridge  to get a cold water bottle out  and before she could  as her habit was to drink directly from the bottle  dadu also as her habit was  stopped her  reminding her to pull a stool and  pour the water into a glass,  to drink water peacefully sitting down,  every day she had to be reminded,  only God knows when  she would  understand it,  dadu s son her dear child was away in the city for two days already,  dadu  expertly  had shown her strictness,  also  denied  her speculation  that Taya s guests were coming because he was away  thirdly dadu poured water in the glass and presented it to her making sure she was seated,  tired out  from her entire day's  job  unable to think who was going to be the chief guest  perhaps tai ji s  useless  full time gossip mongering friends