taqaval

...a huge explosion was heard and  their bodies dropped down lifeless,  before the   mishap both Maggie and  Debbie  with their mother   thought the trip wasn't  a good idea, it was   impossible to convince mother  on such matters,  these occasions  proved   always not profitable  ,  vehicles  colliding  and then tyres screeching to a halt , tge brakes  kept  pressed  hard , rubbers leaving a trail of burning marks on the side,  used later as evidence  to regret at leisure  one more time,  several hours before the accident   she had  accepted  the cursed moment   when she had planned the road trip, her mother Kathy was  pleading incessantly to stop  somewhere  to eat something and take a break,  after   ignoring   several such requests  maggy finally parked  the car  into the parking lot of super doll and Freddy's diners

page 206

...., oh so that is so

Junaid don't you waste anymore time spoke  sadta rather pleasingly,  pick up this box carefully  and carry it back to the same place  where we had dropped you,  if you   delay  any thing disastrous can happen,  do you  understand  my point 

Yes of course,  he shuddered  and asked if there was any  snake alive 

Not at all all are destroyed and buried  to ashes,  he  explained in a firm manner,  you can safely move around 

from previous

....the sun was sinking on the other side of horizon,  it was after five    but the temperature in the desert   was  boiling  keeping the mind boggling and  the body  burning,  freshening up was  even worse experience,  one hour  later it would be dusk descending   turning the entire atmosphere  completely  to  a different level  cooling  the air   breezes   playing around  pleasantly 

The delivery truck stood some three kilometers away from hajo towards the west, both science and technology were used beneficially and David s competent team had discovered the tunnel   twenty feet  below 

page 201

....but I can  certainly  make a guess,  her tone was  meaningful     she declared   her guesses  proved  always right 

Aren't you getting above yourself

If you don't believe me  try ne this time her voice  was filled with a strange note

But  during their conversation  he had made it very clear 

It is acceptable  in their religious community to become friends  from that moment onwards  explained jasim  plainly,  I never try and test my friends,  I have  made you my friend  so I trust  you are my friend  and therefore  no reason  to test your intentions 

In  that case  I will tell you  all  without your asking questions,  she was stressing  pressure on each and  every word strongly,  if I am not wrong   and  it's  hundred percent  certain  it's not wrong  you exited from the airport  with khalal huskies  , then you went together to his house  and right now  you are coming from there

Your  speculation   is  and  belief  are incredibly powerful  sighed coolly  jasim

 But so sorry  you have the  control of the steering wheel 

If you wish   I can stop tge car on the side of  of the road nish spoke  meaningfully 

Jasim  quickly explained  it wasn't necessary 

We are just two minutes away from  taqsim  square  her voice was sensational  

Facebook

....a village damsel goes to city to stay  with relatives,  all her cousins  surrounded her affectionately,  one of them asked her  if she used Facebook 

The girl replied she didn't,  she never felt the need for it 

Another cousin  suggested she must use Facebook sometimes at least 

The damsel remained silent for awhile before  replying  I am  so fair naturally  

...

...a husband  going abroad for work   to wife; darling  do take lots of care of my mother and father  when I am away 

Why is your thinking so backward  taunted  the  wife 

page 29

...you must have heard 

Of some incessant tearful eyes 

Read you must have somewhere 

Of showering of moments 

Of sorrows untold

But my dear Of life 

Did you ever  see  or  judge 

Tears of written words 

Your going away 

Gifted me just that 

Whatever I express in words 

All those words  shed tears 

from page 26

....is it possible to be in love this way Maga  lifting her head  enquired  aima, 

Maha stole her eyes away seeing her tearful eyes  to look at the  leafless tree  in the distance fixedly,  it was autumn already  , every thing around was colored yellow,  green leaves  covered in yellow,  were fallen around on the soil  draping it yellow,  when  someone walked on them they raised a rebellious  crunchy sound  before they were crushed,  they seemed to be saying  falling down from the tree was our fate,  is it anymore necessary to crush us under your feet  but  alas their  pained voices  were  inaudible and left unheard,  perhaps this was unconditional love that aima realized  unhappily she was experiencing 

from previous

....the gunman along with his gun  crashed onto the floor of the restaurant  , near by the waitress lay  motionless dead hit by his bullet,  there was no doubt she was  not alive,  it was a useless  unwanted incident,  the gunman was still alive,  because he hit the floor on his chin  it was painful and  most horrific fall, , jasim was  trying to avoid  the  situation,  but a waitress got involved and the public  got visibly   disturbed,  next moment the entire area was surrounded by the police  vehicles,  to not get into deeper trouble jasim reached the  injured gunman  rolling in pain on the floor  whose  gun was dropped somewhere  because he couldn't have held it any longer,  not at all interested in his gun jasim  quickly gave him the injection  before  pulling his own cell phone  and his from his  control,  by then Nisha had also come out from the  washroom 

page 196

....many a times  it happens so man becomes so helpless he  has to succumb to the  wishes of his deadliest enemy,  in those moments jasim was exactly experiencing  the same,  his head on gunpoint,  his hands  lifted  upwards in traditional  manner,  the man at the back snatched his phone  away  , the pointed gun felt terribly cold on his scalp 

Just before this situation occurred he was speaking to his friend kamal on the phone and definitely hopefully the threat must have alerted kamal too and he  was shrewd enough to grab the situation 

The man behind jasim  growled  he stood up and stayed silent  if he wanted to stay alive with the airhostess,  not to try any overclever  action  or he won't hesitate to  kill  the airhostess was already scared to death 

Jasim understood very well the man holding him at gunpoint was  keeping an eye on his target  and  that's how following the target he reached the restaurant 

Jasim had agreeably lifted his arms up on the instructions of the  threatening man but he wasn't one to obey him forever 

Jasim was thinking at the speed of light that is equal to three lakh kilometers a second  and in a fraction of that second he came to a decision  about what he had to do 

from previous

....are you sure  you are coming with me  and  manage all my business  asked Mrs Bruce  looking at  mabal her daughter  , in all seriousness,  she couldn't believe what  mabal had said, she was all packed up and neatly ready with her hair tidy, instead of her usual  disturbed perturbed  irritated look she appeared perfectly calm and stable 

Mrs Bruce inaudibly thanked Catherine  her bitter experience  did wonders  that  Mrs Bruce  s long lectures couldn't have  taught  mabal,  she was reformed,  transformed,  the car started  with Mrs Bruce and mabal   driving out of sight  as Catherine stood watching them disappear,  Karon carrying her bag asked  what next,  how will they live now 

Catherine winding up the kitchen said she had found another job , well paid  and Karon won't have to do anything  except be completely comfortable 

golden words

...stop looking for  support  and be strong 

..beware  , tge world is full of people who have dropped their values

...relationships don't  break up  because of lies but when the reality is revealed 

..the beauty of life is not dependent on how happy you are but how many people are happy because of you 

...prayers are never rejected but are accepted  on the right time 

...if  pleasantries are  not shared  sorrows  pike up 

...feelings  is the building  material of each and every relationship,  feelings are intrinsic to the selfless only 

...care  nurtures  a relationship  without what  even a healthy sapling falls down dead 

from previous

..she. was a big robber,  always  aimed high  never  went for small things,  to kidnap miss mabal  it was  beyond her line of business,  she was so insignificant how could she,  how could she possibly  pick up s someone's opponent,  she ought to ask the police  or her  family  for support,  they can definitely prove more helpful,  , Karon explained herself  and her helplessness because she was still small 

Right,  her age was not much but she was a good  liar   now to maintain  her lies she must  do as she was told  and who ever did tell her  she wanted to get rid of her enemy  asked mabal 

Who then  surprised  Karon enquired 

Me you have to kidnap  explained mabal  with  a  pleasant smile 

Karon s mouth fell open 

aghava

...Karon served the order  and turned   to  see  through the clear  restaurant  glass window  the  scene  outside  ,  from  a shining  expensive car   mabal got down with an attitude to walk into the restaurant,  she stopped a while to take   a look  around  casually  then  walked up to her usual favorite place  to sit down,    caressing her golden tresses she gestured to  Karon, Karon was  gaping in sheer surprise and was startled,  she came running to her 

Yes ma'am what do you want  asked Karon  decorating a smile  on her face 

In response  mabal fixed her gaze just for a second on her face  before concentrating on her phone as she began giving her order,  nodding her head  Karon turned away  thinking  she  welcomes that rich woman so politely  smiling all the time, giving her full attention and amiable  conditions  but  she never  returned her smile,  not even a flicker of a smile,  working  Karon thought  perhaps  she is arrogant of her wealth , she  kept her  focus on mabal,  her attitude,  her  attractive dress,  her expensive shoes,  sometimes at her attention drawing purse,  mabal  was a regular,  Karon  tried her best to please her and  take her orders,  to grow a deeper bonding with her, but the poor  waitress s wish remained unfulfilled 

sayad gah

......the night was deepening  but the  hostel  was alive and active,  he was  silently  tiptoeing  to his room  holding a leader  jacket,  his face   looking  extensively  joyful  , the look of  success,  fahim ali belonged to a welloff family  but he was  a born  thief,  , there wasn't any cure for it, though he was  given several different  treatments for his compulsive  habit,  in school  he stole  pencils from others,  pens  and geometry  boxes  now he was  an experienced  thief, he was  stealing  expensive  and rare things,  because his parents were wealthy they  paid for the stolen things  to save their kleptomanic son 

eid mubarak

happy eid

from previous

... two female  passengers  began  arguing heartedly  as their journey started, one of them declared  if the window was left open she would  certainly die of cold,  the second said if it remained shut she would die of suffocation 

Others all got tired listening to them scream shriek and being unpleasant , one  of the passengers  informed the guard,  he listened very carefully to them  then turned to address the  other passengers on the train first open the window and let one of them be dead then shut the window 

page 143

,,,,an Irish armed man was giving a lecture to the  public  surrounding him  , drinking was a bad habit,   drunk men become quarrelsome,  they  argue with their wives and  beat their children at home,  , he picks up   fights with his neighbors,  he becomes abusive,  he even  shoots his  landlord  but  the worst thing is when drunk  the  aim  is not  perfect 

page 139

...in the evening  he was  called  by gul,  he had to pick her up from the hostel,  before starting his bike  he tilted it and  gave it a shake,  the fuel tank was empty 

She emerged from the  women's hostel  , she looked even more  lovelier in the sunset , she  felt his etes on her face  and  her rose complexion turned red, she came to sit on the back seat and asked what was he staring at, 

Her fragrance,  her  hair kept lovingly on her shoulders and her  white  pigeon smooth  hands  pressed on his shoulder  were all intoxicating,  he  started the bike and asked if she would like to hear  lies

She asked in her stylish attitude  what lies

He continued he was  admiring her and  was  envious of himself 

And what exactly is truth 

He said he was  thinking how  smart mustaches  the hostel  guard  had

Laughing she leaned closer to him and rested her head on his back 

He realized she was in a wonderful mood and asked where should they go 

Anywhere nice 

Like my flat

She  pinched him hard 

, since when is  his flat a nice place 

Be couldn't  even rub the  pinched spot

When you  came into my life   life became beautiful,  when you  come to my flat it will also become a nice place 

Enough,  keep that butter pack shut in your pockets 

, first let's go to the supermarket 

bebakra

....he entered the office to find  a heated argument was   taking place between hasrat and  bijli , bijli was  full of energy and  hasrat sahib full of dignity,  bijli s face  shone red with rage,  screaming  he  wanted his bills cleared right away  or  he was threatening but saw the narrator and  completed the statement  with a finesse for the benefit of the narrator  that bijli will drag  hasrat sahib to the courts,  several lawyers were known to him personally,  they would  happily  give him their full support,  the narrator couldn't help smiling  but hasrat sahib successful hid his smiles  and maintaining his  previous  sobriety  said  look  afai bijli couldn't you possibly  postpone  tea buns  bills for a while  and please  don't you drag  me to the courts  for that  gul sahib is present here in your tea shop  , certainly he has more contacts 

Bijli didn't understand but felt  he had  succeeded in scaring hasrat sahib  so  he changed the  direction of attack towards gul sahib  proclaiming  his  promises were  becoming lengthier and  more lengthier  like  fiqr iqbal  s  I want my payment  at all  costs today  , he waved the account book held in his hand like a sword 

Both gentlemen fell on the sofa  , gul sahib noticed  hasrat  sahib  s paunch  shake like  jelly  on the similarity  bijli gave of firaq iqbal,  

from previous

....what happened with you aima,  asked  Maha hundreds of times  , what could she say the poor woman,  what happened with her,  she was in love  , in the first glance  and  after that love at first sight she never saw him again,, never did she speak with him,   feeling of strange  emotions  filled her life,  an odd disappointment  she was unable to  share it with anybody,  there wasn't anything to tell,  she looked at Maha with wide  vacant eyes 

Maha got worried perhaps something  was wrong in her family,  some problem,  her brother was married two months already,  how much  planning  was done for his wedding  , sge would do this  , she would have things done that way but all her plans were  failed,  nothing felt good 

A flicker of hope  was  manza  that ended with the  arrival of the last guest,  manza was ushered  as the bride to sit down next to Farhan, aima   looked at the  entrance door  and then towards  the smiling  face of manza  sitting on the stage with the groom,  she lost her patience  and  with her distorted  expression  came to sit by her side 

Appi, she bent to call her  but manza was  engrossed is talking with farman,, manza turned  to face aima who asked her curiously if manza had  remembered to invite  him   aima looked troubled  but  outwardly  managed to  give a smile 

Who do you mean 

Taqi naushera 

What for , he was just  a class fellow,  that's all 

page 23

...manza exclaimed  in mock horror she was so highly educated and yet  expected not to get a job 

Of course you will  get a job and that too  for  my brother  laughed aima,  her laugh  drew someone's attention towards her  and that was  he who was busy on the phone,  startled and disturbed his hand fell down to his side as he turned   that was enough to put a brake on the mocking laugh  , aima  pursed her lips and looked at manza in silence 

Meet  him, he is my class fellow  taqi naushera,   observing  the  soberness on aima  s face   manza played the hostess 

Appi , let me see you later,  aima didn't want to see this person at all  therefore  quickly  commented 

Come on , stop , manza held aima by the arm , taking wants to speak to you,  he had sent for me to arrange this  meeting 

Appi, aima  choked on her own words

Taking broke in he will take just two minutes  to say what was he  there for  he had opened his lips 

Appi I have nothing to talk about  scowled  aima  looking at manza  and  then stared at taqi  whose eyes were  only  stuck on her face 

Just for a fraction  of a second  their gaze had brushed  , something  unidentifiable was  in his  look  and she couldn't  turn away  but  he had , he was speaking to manza,  who was  nodding as she listened  in agreement  and  turned to go

Now left alone  in the  room  he  turned to speak  to her  , she was  nervous,  he coughed  and   began he didn't know how to talk long and   a lot  but  coming directly to the point  be expressed himself quite  correctly   he was   sorry  for his behavior  the other day  , he had been rude to her and her friend 

 

from previous

....be more grateful to almighty  for receiving all the  admirable  things  in life  , be more appreciative and less complaining 

..

Think less of  your  problems 

Try to focus fully on finding solutions 

don't bother about the results,  leave it to  the wishes of the almighty 

..

Accept only  just enough responsibilities you can handle,  don't  overload yourself with unnecessary stress..

..

Take out time for yourself,  converse with almighty,  it is the best way to apologize and  promise to rectify your mistakes 

do pahiye

....negligence of a lawyer  can be  from  his  carelessness or   inexperience or unawareness  or misinformation  the result is always  unfair  either  the real culprit  is released  or the innocent is ganged , if the  accused is guilty and  saved it is not as bad as the innocent being  sentenced , 

After this short  build up the narrator comes to the point,  

It was  a sad autumn evening,  he reached his office  , on the office table was displayed the post one of them was an invitation  but there wasn't any stamp on it , definitely it was hand delivered,  on enquiring  it was  confirmed  , he opened the envelope  , it was  a wedding invitation  of Malaika  the only daughter of  remand and namaste siddiqui,  Malaika of siddiqui family had recently completed her m b a from Malaysia,  the lawyer  knew  nafis siddiqui  for some specific reason,  he was involved in a murder case  and  the lawyer had   successfully managed to get him out of trouble,  in plain simple language  they were  lawyer client   acquaintance 

It is rarely seen that  after the case is over  the accused maintains  contact the defense or the prosecution 

page 108

....she was reminded she had taken admission in Michigan law university,  Kate was working I in a grocery store,  they  hardly got time to see each other,  so  Angelina spent her evenings with Julie drinking,  , Julie like Angelina  belonged to a wealthy family,  she was  quite a weird character,  mostly friends spoke of her  having  all  the  brain  screws  loose 

It was  Kate's day off , Angelina  decided to get  Julie and Kate introduced,  Julie picked the other two from the downtown,  she had arrived  in her father's Mercedes,  Angelina and Kate  took  the  back seats,  Julie was  at the  steering wheel 

Nice meeting you Julie  said Kate pleasantly , Angelina has spoken a lot about you 

Julie driving forward said Angelina had been discussing  about Kate for years,  what a strange thing  they were meeting for the first time but  everything was  arranged  and available  in the car , vodka and chops were pulled out from the dashboard 

After all where are we going  asked Kate casually  

To the same peaceful spot by the  river where nobody  can discover us  where Angelina and Kate could smoke and drink as they did in the past,  Julie knew so much  about them  because  Angelina had been talking 

That won't be a good idea  quickly added Kate  and never from this route 

Any specific reason wanted to know  Julie 

Because it's a rough road nuddy and slippery explained Kate soberly, it had rained all week 

Angelina agreed 

Julie uncaringly suggested then they could go to Kate's house instead 

page 107

....did you get the chemo therapy done 

Was getting it done  but two months ago I stopped it she added  my body wasn't  tolerant to it , I changed the  treatment 

Cancer treatment is naturally expensive explained  using a tone that won't hurt her , how are you managing it, how do you afford it

Credit card, she  confessed   humbly,  

Ever since she was diagnosed sge got  several of these cards made  simply  shuffling them around  works for her

But this can't go on for long  said I  worriedly,  one day you will be declared defaulter  and the bank will  squeeze out your  life out of you

Dear Angela  said Kate  this way or that way  she was  balancing between the  two horrible choices 

Life was miserable  , her father left them destitute,  mother died paying  back the loans,  she herself too would  be dead  , bankers might show  mercy and free her but  Cancer won't  , it's cruel 

Angela was sympathetic  to Kate 

Kate was getting along  accustomed to her life circumstances,  she pointed to her fake leg and asked if she really remembered the car accident 

Just for a second  the horrifying scene flashed before Angela she jumped upto hug Kate  ,  she kept  patting her on the back and Kate took some time to recover,  next hour was passed in discussing  Kate's  problems in detail,  Kate also shared something  unbelievable with her 

Father had left  them  to duel with life alone,  she  was smoking  in between pauses,  but she  succeeded in locating him 

What exactly are you saying Kate 

Angela it was pure coincidence,  her tone was completely careless 

Three years ago both were crossing the street  and they stopped facing each other,  he was  living with his new wife then in California 

page 105

....talking to each other we reached the  sitting room,  she was  very carefully  looking at each and everything in my apartment,  the expensive paintings on the walls,  photo frames kept on the shelves and other such  items,   entering into the dining room she  pointed at a photo frame and asked me 

How are these people 

In the picture were  my parents   looking  so alive 

I told Kate they were my parents picture,  daddy still spends most of his time on the boat  and mom remains worrying about her health as always,  she keeps herself very busy  finding  illnesses in herself which don't really exist 

Even now,  she repeated my words  meaningfully,  how is that possible 

I didn't understand her  so I looked at her questioningly 

Without answering my quizzical look she moved to another photo frame and picked it up,  it was a group picture  with me in it

Who are  others with you 

Mostly my colleagues  I  explained   proudly to Kate,  it was  to celebrate our success,  a  case of a wealthy client  proved not just profitable  but  also  brought  name fame and success to our firm,  on the occasion the picture was taken 

Angela you must be feeling odd  my curiosity about your personal matters,  said she  rather apologetically,  your success  and  progress  is remarkable  and I couldn't resist asking  too many questions 

page 21

...naqi  casted a sharp look on Rina siddiqui  and then turned to look at his friends,  sighed and bent Slightly to pick up his phone from the table  and  without glancing at anyone  walked towards the exit 

Excuse me, I am speaking to you,  Rina  was  right beside him 

Shut up and  just shut up,  lifting his finger he threatened her who was  following him  stubbornly,  Rina turned to stone  on the spot 

I am not interested in talking to you  so don't you dare create any scene 

He had chewed and spotted each word before turning to    leave  in long leaps  crossing the hotel corridor,  Rina had forgotten to breathe,  first time in life  of twenty four years,  this had happened for the first time  that a man had spoken so rudely to her,  someone  actually had refused to  speak to her,   whenever did it happen before,  Rina s friend Anya  walked to her to be  by her side 

Come on Rina  let it be, he was  showing  too much attitude,  Anya tried to give her moral support,  Rina  flung her hand  gripping hers to walk out of the  hotel  smartly  and reached the parking,  there stood  naqi  lightning up his cigarette  pressed between his lips  with  a lighter,  a young woman stood with him 

page 20

...naqi placed  a lime juice  crystal glass on the table  and began enjoying his surroundings,  he was  with his friends sitting in a five star hotel,  the  party was thrown by sheheryar  on his  recent engagement,  usually  naqi stayed away from such  functions  but these days he was  engrossed in strange       thoughts  ever since he had insulted  Maha and  aima, , for no reason at all  he  felt guilty about it and regretted his  behavior,  a moist emotional  eye of Aima  was disturbing him , he was  unable to get out of this guilty feeling,  , he ought not to have  said anything to them,  he had no right  to  humiliate anyone,  his heart   poked his head  before he could  think more on the subject  sayad  heavily patted him on his shoulder 

Dear what's going on, you seem lost 

 Saying  it satad meaningfully  rolled his eyes adding   to it Raza  commented probably  someone  beautiful  has come to settle down in his mind  and heart 

Naqi was completely  taken aback,  he cheerfully explained  to his curious friends  there was nothing  wrong  and  all was  normal,  he wanted to stay silent so he wasn't  speaking  that's all,  but he was  listening to them very  carefully,  after all  there must be  someone to listen to them  ending his  statement he added a short  friendly laugh  that  was  followed by a roar of laughter  of all f the riends  around the table 

from previous

...Kate's mother treated Angelina  as second daughter and always stopped her for dinner,  but her husband that means  Kate's father  Mr Austin  made fun of her,  he was an extremely  rude rough and crude man,  he was uncaring of others  emotions  and feelings,  he lived only for himself 

Angelina remembered quite clearly,  it was  beginning of September,  it was a humid  summer, it was  a completely  safe seaside  haven  where they could  relax enjoy and smoke and drink  freely,  because they still weren't  grown ups and  underage this was a perfect spot to fulfill their dreams,  it was their favorite haunt 

She had  injured her hand  badly,  Kate  was smoking drugs and spoke heavily slurred,  annoyed  her mother had  hit the mirror  so many times after her father had left that she cut herself up, 

Angelina asked Kate if she had  got  some  medical treatment done on it,  ambulance was called  now all is going to be fine 

Will Mrs Austin  drag him to the legal court , for a divorce or something equivalent 

Of course she has something on her mind  explained  throatily Kate,  but she can't afford to hire a lawyer   and just now she is in a bad emotional state 

Sighed  Angelina  but  had nothing to say 

page 102

....that was the age of high school,  she was  then  in Illinois,  Kate wasn't her classmate  but both  were  drinking beer together when Kate  expressed her views  on  revenge  for the first time,  

There wasn't anything sweater than revenge,  avenging something  was so very satisfying  , she spoke dreamily,  nothing  tasted as sweet,   , it   is so refreshing and relishing  but only when  the plan is foolproof,  details are  seen  to , 

Then Angelina had only  believed  it must be Kate's father's  dirty mind  , he had a day before disappeared somewhere leaving Kate and her mother,  Kate had specially invited Angelina  to have beer with her,  , Kate  was   feeling choked to death at home,  she needed  a free open space to breathe freely,  both  had sat drinking together 

Kate had  in detail   told her all that was bothering her, how she had felt when her father  Mr Austin was leaving them,  , how  the  estranged couple  began  a long argument,  Mrs Austin  kept on screaming  shrieking and in a shrill voice,  after he left  a weird  spell of madness  descended on mother  who  began throwing things around  , she broke off  all the mirrors  in the house,  she even  injured herself,  , terrible  emotional  reaction   shook her mother and  had a strong impact on Kate,  Angelina was empathetic  with her past  the reason Kate had picked her up  to share ber experiences with her,  narrating her  pained feelings  Kate  constantly  drank  lots of beer 

Angelina knew Kate from their childhood days,  but they were raised and educated  separately,  their backgrounds were  absolutely different,  Kate  s family was  of lower financial  stata and unable to afford excellent expensive  education,  she wore second hand clothes and shoes  yet both were soul mates 

page 101

...   how  very satisfying  revenge can be depends entirely upon  a long wait  and  perfect  planning,  

These aren't my ideas but  Kate's   who on two occasions  expressed it, coincidentally on both times  we were together having beer,  just recently we happened to meet each other again  after ages, she had come to Arizona  a couple of days ago looking for me,  perhaps she wanted to see  me her friend Angelina  and what I was doing in life,   or  perhaps she wanted to  share her life  stories and experiences  , Angelina was  was at that moment  pondering over her  two days previous conversation with  Kate  , they were meeting roughly after thirty years,  there was  so much to  tell each other   but  all that Kate did was  come around the same topic of the car accident thirty years ago  and most deadly  and horrible,  it was all Julie's mistake,  speaking of Julie  unpleasant  expression  passed on  Kate's face,  sparks of sheer hatred  flew out from her eyes 

Angelina sat having her dinner at the kitchen counter  with her mind  hovering  past  the faded memory lanes

from previous

Doctor to patient; you have now come to me , before here  how many  doctors  you must have been  

Patient: not at all, I  have only been to a chemist 

Doctor: that is so idiotic,  chemist is not  a doctor  who can  diagnose and give treatment  , you ought not to have done such a foolish thing,  but now do tell me what exactly  was his stupid suggestion 

Patient: that brainless creature has sent me to you 

from previous

...going fishing you always leave your wife at home,  why so, a man asks his friend 

The friend explained  it was so because  his wife's presence  had an  actively negative affect on the  fishing 

How is so asked the man 

Seeing the wife the fish don't   come near the net  because  he was  himself  a good catch caught in her web

page 91

,,, a woman  believed she was over smart and over clever a quick wit always ready with a repartee,  one day she thought   of something new and reached a  clothes coloring shop asking him to color her veil  in a color that was neither black nor yellow,  not red not green , not purple  nit pink neither  orange  nor any of the red hues , nor should it be  blue  nor  brown  nor inky

She  declared she was in a hurry  and  asked what time should she come back for it

The  dyer was  a perfect  match and said,  baji come  back  not on the weekend nor holiday nor Monday nor Sunday,  because  there was  a rush of customers,  so on Tuesday  Wednesday and Thursday he will be  kept extremely busy,  Fridays the shop remains closed  so after this come any time 

page 77

The  wheel of time  kept on rolling,  she  was  given education,  she was raised up, she grew up and touched the threshold of youth,   to find a suitable match and get her married  was  the  new focal point of worries,  by then he had become factory recovery officer,  on this job  he frequently made trips to Karachi,  he would take the mother daughter along on such tours 

On such a trip she happened to get acquainted to iqbal,  it was  fated , , she chose him her life partner unfortunately,  Karachi was  an unknown place for them,  therefore abbu had to   book decent hotel rooms for them , during late evenings they would spend  time  going out , strolling around,  sight seeing  before returning to the hotel,  on One occasion  on the way back  the taxi  stopped,  this man was driving past,  sympathizing  the taxi had a flat tyre he drove them to the hotel back,  nice normal looking  but his  nice mannerisms and  charming behavior  impressed her, he was a hockey player,  when abbu told him  about himself  working in a toy making factory  and held a high position  the nice young man told him he was  the  captain of the national  hockey lteam 

page 76

....he entered appa shagufta s house secretly  scared she might  scream,  she had said the  not dangerous  and good intentioned  never  get into anyone  s house like this , her gaze was  disconcerting 

You can take it as my  helplessness 

What do you want,  her tone changed and so did her  attitude,  

Just a few  things,  some questions and their answers 

Sit down there in that chair,  she pointed towards the chair  placed before her,  but I can't tolerate you  long here 

Me too, can't stay here long enough 

First of all  tell me all about you,  who are you  and where do you live 

Certainly,  I am  sehrab khan,  and I am from Karachi saying it I looked into her eyes, 

Hearing of Karachi not only her expression but also her eyes  just for a fraction  passed an alarming   change,  now she  bore a personality of a wiser woman,  somewhat educated  and mature 

Where do you live here 

In the house  at the back of your house , I said truthfully 

She was startled 

, perhaps it was  unimaginable for her I could  live in her locality  and  just at the back of her house 

I felt she was rather convinced and  relaxed at my   sincere  response 

I added  I had to get things confirmed about yo mother daughter before coming to see you

 

page 19

...OK Aima,  it was a mistake what did I know he would  eavesdrop,  not only would he listen  to us but also  insult us,  Maha  was  trying to make it up with Aima for over a week but Aima was  still actively sulking  but  this time she was  really angry 

You Maha  dare not speak to me again,  because of you  so much shame  was thrown on me,  I was even stopping you but you  ...Aima choked on her words , she  had taken one week to overcome her shame and to come to the university 

Come on dear,  along with you   me too was humiliated,  I swear upon God  never will I again do this  , Maha  held aima sitting beside her s hand,  Aima  dabbed her wet tearful eyes with a  tissue and nodded,  thank you  thank you so much,  Maha spread out her arms to give her a hug, but a strict stare from  Aima  and  Maha dropped her arms 

By the way  Maha   aggressively want to smash Haris s face,  how could he speak  such  useless  things to us , that moment  my head  began to spin I became speechless,  I couldn't  find a good answer but now  I have several ideas  to hit him back  verbally  that he would never forget for many  lives

page 17

....both were free,  there weren't any classes,  both came to sit down in the university  backyard lawn,  the day was  quite pleasant,  cool breezy  day had  lifted every one's  mood except Maha who was still   reacting  negatively  of yesterday's  insult 

Yes, the bus was gone,  he was there,  he was watching everything,  she gestured and he sped off 

Aima opened her mouth to say something  but before she could say a word  Maha lifted her hand and stopped her from saying anything at all 

She was just saying  how could he possibly ignore such beautiful girls and go away,  whole university is madly   drawn to such girls,  and him so foolish  of the  highest level  , Maha had jumped from  anger track to  attitude  track 

She was  so engrossed in speaking  that she failed to notice  aima s  color turn  pale  , she was  gaping  in sheer  shock at naqi  standing right behind  Maha,  his etesxp ablaze with rage 

Please Maha  just  be quiet  said aima choking 

How  can  I stay silent,  let him come  before me  I will ask him to get his  eyesight tested,  people like talking to beautiful girls,  they love  giving them lifts in their cars out of the way,   and him hiw dare he ignore  beautiful girl  like Maha  , her wagging tongue  paused  a mo moment,  she   carefully looked at Aima  whose gaze was stuck somewhere behind Maha

What happened to you,  you turned white as if seen a ghost ghost  , Maha speaking to Aima turned to look behind herself  and  jumped up so high  as if 440 volts  current touched her

laut aao

...you do remember don't you 

Those times Those evenings 

Those  promises you made 

Now why are you   distant 

You know well 

It's not possible to live without you 

.listen, you  come back to me 

.listen  now  come back  

By gulshan  chaudgary gul

page 69

.....one of them said  they  happened to meet him   just last week,  then he  was  planning to go  away with some production,  he didn't tell the name of the production company  though,  or they would willingly have told him,  but don't you worry  at all  soon he will be back 

Hanya  would have killed them  for telling lies,  some time ago  they had said they had met him one day ago now  their version was different that he met them a week ago 

Mahmood smiled and said  hanya misunderstood  them,  it was like this naqash and mahnoor s  common close friend has  a similar number , only a digit in the middle  is different,  therefore  mahnoor got confused,   she tried to convince hanya to trust them they really did not see naqash  for a week 

Hanya took out a visiting card  from her  purse 

from previous

....hanya stood up saying  if her husband contacted  him the  doctor  he must let her know,  she gave him her number,  he asked her what was the matter 

She explained her husband was missing from one week,  she  searched for him everywhere but couldn't find him,  she  believed he had  his  face  changed  surgically  not to  escape from her but to get  his dream roles in movies,  she will  definitely  know him by his  work 

The kind doctor  prayed for her happiness,  she came out from the hospital,  it was  now  quite urgent to see  usuf jahan , naqash was  following his instructions,  hanya  headed towards  gulmarg , driving   the car she  thought  what made Nakki leave his mobile home,  it would have been easy to track him then , before  going missing he used to call her up  at least twice a day  , now for over a week  she hadn't received a single call from him,  the more she  thought of him  the more worried she got for him,  he  ate selected food , fir the day Meal  fruits and juice was all he took,  how was he  in what condition,  she  was worried  sincerely,  he preferred home cooked meals  because   eating out  affected his health  badly,  morning breakfast and  supper was  a regular at home  for him,  engrossed in her own  worries she reached gulmarg,  Yusuf jahan had  a bungalow inside  the society,  it was  Chauhan  s bungalow,  his number was saved in nakki s phone,  she  pressed the number,  bell was ringing,  she heard  the  director s  base tone on the  other end  asking  why did she  ring him up when he was  about to call her up,  hanya annoyed explained she was standing right outside his door,  she wanted to enquire about naqash,  the silence on the other end  lingered a while before he added he was not at home  , he was abroad  , she could come back again tw days later 

khad o khal

...just after hanya was married she came to know  her husband was  involved in unlawful  activities,  he was the  head of a group,  the group consisted of twelve members  and all of them   were dancers  in the movies,  it was  a cover up and paid little  and it was   now and then job, mostly they remained out of job,  Nikki who was naqash  hanya knew him  as Nikki,  almost every day  he would  carry  heavy  stack of money  home,  they lived in a luxury flat was  naturally  highly costly,  the staff was  there to do the chores,  a most  expensive car  was present in the  parking,  they were married only two years,  they still were childless,  a few months ago  the doctors  declared  naqaash incurable,  hanya felt very happy  , in the  film industry  their social circle  was   full of free  flirtatious attractive girls,  he was always surrounded with  them,  , his was  a most  mesmerizing  personality,  hanya stayed  in fear of losing him,   doubting  he might  take another woman  for  progeny,  but  now she was  relieved  , he was  forever tied up to her 

He was  an  awesome dancer but  his looks were not  getting him any films, , he was a good actor,   his face  and skin had a dainty delicate  texture not what the  directors wanted  for their  heroes 

page 46

....he returned to his room rather tired,  he was hoping to get through his purpose,  he lay down on his  bed and  fell asleep,  he was  woken up by the ringing phone,  he wasn't certain how long be had slept,  he answered the phone  unhappily,  someone spoke on the other end  , reach the hotel quick,  the boss is waiting to see you 

Tell your boss to go to he'll, tell him   I had come to see him in the hotel,  I don't go twice to the same place,  he hung up  the phone and tried to go back to sleep 

Two minutes later again the phone rang  the caller threatened him  to be better follow instructions  or.., the boss didn't like waiting 

Tell your boss if it's so urgent he can come here or to he'll he can go 

Again he shut the phone off,   he heard the phone ring several times  but he simply ignored it and didn't bother at all 

His sleep was disrupted anyway,  he freshened up , he carried his coat and  hat downstairs,  the lobby was  brightly lit up by the  midday sun, he sat down in a window chair to look outside  without any reason,  certain he was soon to face those gangsters,  they would never  tolerate his  bold  defiance 

page 42

....he  drowned in deep  shock,  it was marya s dead body,  only in the morning  had she come   to his office,  what an amazingly beautiful young girl    she was,  her end was definitely depressing,  hus heart  began to sink , he had worked as a crime  reporter,  it was  a common sight  but this was different  and  he was  completely  shattered,  his forehead  profusely sweating  he trembled,  he went out shutting the door after him,  in utter shock  his mind  went totally blank for a while,  he lit a cigarette,  he had  to stay there  for long,  he tried to calm himself down,  he had to   catch the  culprits,  he was  smoking   still  standing there  when he heard a car stop , he became alert,  crushing tge cigarette  under his shoe  he rushed towards the bedroom,  he ket the  door  slightly ajar to take  a clear  look outside,  he heard  steps  climbing upstairs,  he was ready  for everything,  the two  culprits were  casually  coming up as if all was normal,   without any further ado he pulled out his  pistol  with silencer on it and  shot the three soundless shots that  hit the first one in the chest and he fell backwards before rolling down,  the one following him also rolled down  with tge dead weight  of the other man,  when  tge sound of falling down stopped he came out from behind the slightly ajar door,  jumping  two  steps at a time he quickly reached the  end  of the stairs,  both men lay there  in a heap with broken necks , he searched tgem but  couldn't find  anything  useful,  he  quickly  exited  leaving  them there,  he took a taxi  , reaching his office he found that the office lights were on, he touched his  pistol in his pocket,  he turned the  handle of the door and entered the office,  Paola sat there in a chair 

from previous

....she laughed and then  began laughing merrily uncontrollably,  undoubtedly her laugh was  quite attractive and  pleasant,  everyone  standing around  turned  spontaneously  to look at her,  one of them was  naqi too, ,he lifted  his eyes  from the notes placed before him to look in her direction,  all the  eyes were  following her , she was  pressing her own hands onto her lips to unsuccessfully stifle her attractive  laugh from escaping,  every eye was  filled with admiration and appreciation  because she was   absolutely   gorgeous and so was her laugh,  fantastically charming,  only  the pair of eyes that belonged to naqi showed disinterested,  his  burning eyes  casted on Aina a s persona  and the next moment in an instant hus focus was  changed,  his eyes now  were   back on his notes before him

Alright manza appi, so now we would be seeing each other frequently,  I am getting late for my class,  by now her laugh was under control,  her face was delightfully  pleasant  with a lovely smile 

taluh ishq ki pehli kiran

....is it really possible to define love in simple words,  what exactly is love,  clear pure fountain  overflowing,  the water of it is so clean one's own reflection looks so beautiful  and after that   nothing else seems  attractive,  all seems worthless,  

Absolutely right,   the same love  that makes life worthwhile  , love mixes and melts  and makes life sweet, and then if that  love mixed  sweetness is given importance and nurtured with care  it becomes  an ethereal experience  beyond description  because words fall short of  explaining it, it is just a life   of emotional  experience 

She sobbed and sighed,  she had loved,  gone through those emotional  feelings,  but she was left with sadness  , , she had  touched each and every  subtle  feeling,  she never realized  how much she was passionately in love with him,  she was crazy about him,  obsessed by him, she would blossom up when she saw him , she  forgot  the world  in his prox, when  he isn't around  she  misses him  and  forgets everything else,  her love for him  was  very  strong,  she  wanted to simply  keep looking at him ,  she  was  mad about him,  it was one sided attraction,  she  loved him  but what about him , a pained tear dropped from her eye,  ,  she had nobody to share  her feelings  for him with,  how lonely she was,  her self esteem was  low, life seemed he'll I which she was  set a fire on her own  burning  feelings,  another tear dropped from her eye, at that moment  someone  wailing  sharply   broke the thick silence spread in the room,  seer silence  highlighted  the sharpness of the  crying, the  flow of her thoughts was  distorted,  she  momentarily   emerged out of the emotional whirlpool  to again  take another dip into the whirls of her heart 

from previous

.....he knew now what exactly he must do,  he had made a fantastic  plan  after he was humiliated,  he returned to his apartment  but his mood wasn't  good,  , he was  almost cooking on his own   worries, , he was  hurt, , he  took a shower to freshen up, and  started off, , through a narrow lane he reached  a  door and knocked at it, an elderly woman opened the door,  

Is asking home 

Tell him David is here 

Within minutes she was back  to usher him in,  an odd kind of cooking smell  filled his nostrils,  , akki was upstairs playing cards with his friends,  what a fa big fat man he was,  his face was  rubbery , seeing David he got up to greet him warmly,  akki took  him aside to another room and enquired if all was alright,   what was  worrying him

Black suited men  arrived in office  who destroyed his office,  hit him with an ashtray on the face  and  he was humiliated,  David was  a close contact of akki, , David a crime reporter started his career long ago  and  akki was  his contact from the world of crime 

Akki  had to find out who were they and sent by whom 

from previous

....she left with Paola,  he sighed  heavily and sat down in his seat,  there were so many  things to think about,  this girl didn't seem abnormal,  in fact she  appeared  quite  scared,  her appearance and  behavior  suggested she belonged to a good family,  she  had given  a handsome  token money,  and who was that man  following her

He looked at his watch,  it was  already quite late,  he wanted to find out if Paola had   taken a room for marya or not , exactly what was he up to , he shut the office door and came out  , a short man stranger to him  sat there on a chair,  he was dressed in old black suit,  his hat was  tilted to a specific angle to hide his face,  he walked forward and picked up his hat from his face,  he got a shock  , what a morbid sight,  the man was dead 

His  throat was slit and stitched up , he looked a Chinese  , he got goosebumps,  uncertain what to do next,  his  mobile  intervened  , Paola was  on the other end,  she was worried,  the girl  had gone 

How so, someone stole her from you 

No sir,  the girl  was overclever,  Paola was at the hotel counter  signing the forms she heard steps  walking away,  Paola turned to see just in time the girl  was outside the exit door,  Paola ran after her  but she vanished like magic,  , Paola searched for her around but the clever girl was simply nowhere near in sight 

And the money 

Paola had  deposited the amount in the bank 

Wait there in the hotel,  eat something,  he was coming,  a client was  with him,  he turned his mobile off and  spoke to the dead Chinese come on my friend let's go for a walk 

,gorakh dhandha

..... he was troubled by incessant  calls , about this or that or nothing in particular  , in fact  people enjoy wasting other people's  time , it's the only entertainment they can get,   they usually start a long boring story  that gets endless , interesting  point is that such useless stories have no meaning at all , absolutely meaningless  , in the past he would  listen carefully to them unfold pointless  tales but now he  picks up the phone  and instructs the callers to reach his office and  hangs up

That day again  the telephone  rang , he picked up the receiver someone on the  line spoke  are you David 

He didn't like this informal  over friendly  style and  asked why  why was he asking , he was about to hang up  when  the caller added  look Mr David  within some time a girl will reach you,  stop her from leaving,  I am  on my way,  I m just about to arrive your office,  do you understand my point Mr David,  he asked 

No, not at all,  David replied fuming 

Then listen carefully as I explain,  soon  a girl will  appear in your office,  she will tell you  about her missing sister,  somehow  try to detain her , don't let her go,  she is a neurotic,  sge disappeared from an institution yesterday,  I am certain she will contact you,  don't let her go I m reaching 

But who are you 

I will pay you more than  you expect  don't you worry  , the phone was shut off 

from previous

....nafisa couldn't give any answer,  only her breathing became fast,   strange  emotions passed through her entire spine,  she bent towards jash  and her head  came to rest on his shoulder,  some time elapsed like this  and then  from the eastern side of the gulistan  rose  a faint noise  to rise louder  and  explode into a  fire , flames  wrapped up the whole gulistan in itself,  , noticing this development  jash  hit his horse  and rode off towards the flames but he was too late  , gulistan was  already  ablaze  , women children and the weak were  hidden away  from the Tatar attack  yet some  couldn't make an escape,  the old aged,  the women who served meals to the  guards,  , everyone was  caught unawares  , , the guards were  not prepared for the sudden unexpected surprise attack,  

Two riders were sent to keep the gulistan people  informed  but perhaps the riders were  already  dead , it was  incredible  the Tatar were  camping close by and  it was unbelievable   the natives were  not aware of the enemy  s presence,   the enemy had  changed their strategy,  usually they attacked from the north side but this time they invaded from the east,  the whole gulistan was  destroyed and  pulled down,  , the unit that attacked  consisted of once upon a time  of two thousand fighters 

page 8

...evening  had  descended,  the landscape was  strangely  silent  as if expecting something to happen,  it was  a small compact  place nestled amidst tge lap of nature    owned by just one person  who was young good-looking  , waiting for his life companion  , sometimes he would  casually take a look  around searchingly playfully,  finally  his long wait was over  , his life was  brightened up by tge dazzling beauty  , a smile  played on the lips of the young man,  she came closer,  Jamal   was  watching her , she had brought  food for him  ,  both sat down  oblivious of their surroundings,  some time later   mehbooba husn told the young man her father was waiting  for her, the young man sighed  saddened by the idea of leaving him alone in the  blossom garden m he pleaded  she  stayed  there till the moon rose but it was  a moonless night  and  shall not rise before  midnight   explained nafisa

So what  uncle  saleman  knew it sge was  there with him  with the  meal,  replied jash  satisfactorily  trying to settle the matter,  nafisa was speechless,  after all she also wanted to stay there  with him  , to spend  more time with jash  but her father was  alone at home and she was  already very late,  jash spent the whole day there in the  village  but  at night  he chose to spend the night under  a palm tree on the western side of the gulistan  carrying  his  bow and arrow  and other   things