Good morning

Good morning

Tea and gupshup

Later on some blogging from my reading in winter sun 

bhed bhari

.... it was nearly ten at night,  the room was dimly  lit , there was a medium sized mirror  fixed on the wall,  a foot away from the  from the mirror sat Catherine comfortably in a sofa,  she was staring at tge mirror fir the past half hour,  suddenly  ger reflection in the mirror began   vibrating  , gradually  it disappeared completely,  leaving the mirror  absolutely clear,  , the color of the mirror  started to change to white,  the whole mirror  turned to stark white of a  shroud,  she was still staring  at the mirror  , few moments passed and  the sides of the mirror  turned  black like an overcast sky the mirror was now completely  covered with  darkness,  there was no sign of change  showing in her condition,  her gaze still  fixed on the mirror,  the darkness  began to shrink  to the size of a ball before vanishing 

Catherine's etes brightened up , she was  inaudibly mumbling something  the mirror responded  with some  kind of activity to produce  images  finally to reveal a reflection of an old man,    the image in the beginning wasn't clear but some time later it was visible  with clarity and  great  detail,  his lips moved to utter softly   ,  congratulations dear daughter  on your success 

from previous

....party was arranged in the  dance club,  first round of dance was  going on,  mukhtyar was drinking  with his four friends,  an ultra modern  extremely attractive  girl was sipping her sherry  on the  side table,  mukhtyar didn't drink  at all and going home drunk  meat  experiencing  father's  wrath  and  beiing tossed  out of the house,  he would  wait for tge double peg impact to recede 

What an exciting  item she is   , shaukat gestured  glancing at her ,  

What made her sit near us

 Spoke Salim

,  she was  requested  a dance on the first round  by a young handsome man  but she declined  annoyed 

Embarrassed  he turned away  and disappeared somewhere 

She us arrogant 

Then why is she here  yaqub remarked 

page 9

 The auction began,   , forty lakh was the opening  amount,  Rashid bid sixty,  another voice kept on increasing  , finally  Rashid bid   one crore and the three bangs sealed the deal, , some of the  bidders  congratulated  him , one  cynically   smiling  remarked  it was  Rashid  s loss , the  factory was worth  ninety  lakh  , Rashid genuinely smiled back  explaining, he himself  had   floated it , the factory was  worth much  more,  many onlookers cheered Rashid,  when Rashid left the auction house he was in a hurry to reach his father kanal  Rao,   to share the news of his accomplishment  , but first things first he had to go to his office 

There was a road section  with hardly any traffic  and  few people,  he saw some boys  engaged in a brawl,  usually  he ignored and avoided  such  street fights, , but his cousin  mukhtyar was amongst them and he had to   stop his car , he moved towards them,  mukhtyar was one alone  against  the other four,  his one eye was injured ,  

Stop  it all of you  screamed  Rashid  from a distance,  , or I call the police,  three  of them fled hearing  the threat,  the fourth could not escape because  mukhtyar had caught him  by his collar 

fataha ansu

..family Rao belonged to  middle class strata community,  he had too many hopes from his son , who emerged as a hero to the  roaming useless youngsters,  all hopes of fazil Rao  were shattered,  both father and son remained  to each other completely strangers,  mukhtyar was the heartthrob of mother,  her name was rajya , family correctly believed  mukhtyar was  completely spoiled  only because of her wrong training 

You always blame me  one fine morning  rajya  erupted at the breakfast table  ,  why ever did you not  help him  understand  better 

He never was present  to communicate with me explained  family helplessly  now he has overgrown  that stage  he is twenty  not ready to listen,  he us just an educated fool 

khwab dareechey aur umeed

....reaching the hospital corridor she sat the little girl on the floor,  , the  piece of paper  held in her left hand slid into her other hand,  then she pulled the  wide shawl from over her head to reset it neatly back  , her swollen jaw and  bruises entirely forgotten 

This is exactly what happens,  mother always forgets herself  her own predicament  to protect her progeny,  she had even forgotten that  uncovering her head would  reveal her invisible  bluish bruises  running across her face from her temple to the jaw  openly to others , before sge could  properly  cover herself  a cutting renark  stabbed her, she winced

She was  lost in a whirlpool of worries  , someone  well dressed  and in polished pair of shoes came to stand before her  from nowhere 

You??

First confirm it , it's you,  what's this marking on your face,  the intensity in his eyes was remarkable  not  moving  transfixed  strongly on her, then the color of his eyes and his face unexpectedly changed many shades 

Does your husband abuse you,  his controlled tone carried  hushed rage 

Without answering she lowered herself to pick up her girl 

page 111

....the mobile   that was used in their  development of friendship was never mentioned again,  in fact she had completely forgotten about it,  all that she remembered was  Balaji loved her adored her sincerely 

She  would go back home Kate,  making excuses she was kept late in the lab , her abbu  fully  believed her and never checked her timetable 

Phuphu was quite annoyed with abbu,  she  chose the other phuphu  s daughter fir marriage,  on the other hand  tai  began  picking up meaningless  quarrels  with ammi  because she didn't want  her son to marry zainab  but all her efforts were made futile  when Taya gave green signal to go forward  declaring zahani  alliance  between  zainab and asud

from previous

....how can you say that hasn , aren't you afraid  to get inside  the lion's den and  poke him , watching the whole   thing on television screen  manim shuddered before turning to ask  her husband   nadir busy on his laptop  in the  nearby sofa,  coincidentally  he was the same  anchor person who actively  exposed  police personnels character 

Scared  man will never  get to do all this in this specific field,  he explained casually without  taking his eyes off from the screen 

But it is so risky, something wrong could have happened to you,  she muted the television,  the screen was absolutely  silent  but mute pictures were  still there,  her attention was on the screen but her mind was worried 

I didn't jump into this field of action blindly,  someone's supportive hand was on my back  , it was easy for me to take that stride  his voice was reassuring 

I don't believe you,  before this also you have put yourself into danger  , I still remember the merchant who was  corrupt  and selling  adulterated    groceries,  when he was caught he hit  you on the head 

Khun e wafa

...right here , just stop it right away  I have some work here 

Here, in this place 

On the request of the back seat passenger the driver stopped the vehicle  but sheer surprise escaped from his gaping mouth  at looking at the spot

Of course here, isn't it meant for people  her question was so straight and simple that the driver  could only nod in silence 

Yes, , people can go there anytime but a single woman alone  is surprising,  finally  expressing his inner doubts 

Whether men or women  this place holds no gender bars everyone comes alone,  no matter how many  people in number accompany him tgey leave him alone and return 

That is another thing,  you are philosophical 

Opening the left side door to get out   she heard  the  argument of the driver but ignored it completely 

Crossing  the door to her destination  determined opened tge door to get inside  and lifted her head towards the shy,  the sky was lit up by the moon but the light of ber life was gone

Akhari qatl

....he was a professional killer  interested only in monetary profit , he  always took hundred percent  advance and killed the target  before the deadline,  that day he was again  going out to finish his project unaware completely  it was a turning point and his whole life would change forever, he simply stood there by the roadside waiting for his target  his eyes fixed on the office of  main door  opposite,   despite the no smoking   board he pulled out his cigarette  from his coat pocket and lit it up , took a long  puff releasing long smoke from his mouth,  suddenly someone  patted a hand on his shoulder,  startled he turned to see  in sheer shock the man whom he was to  shoot down stood looking at him smiling 

ibadat

....we are born to pray,  we must  learn to  worship all our deeds, prayer isn't just  chanting  and fasting   but your own  thoughts are what go into  making something pure and worthwhile 

.

.the hazrat was asked by his followers if he permits a grand  prayer hall will be  built 

The hazrat agreed and ordered them to build one over the sea

How is that possible  he was asked  to build anything on the sea

How else can  the worldly    things  be deposited and grow

Eternal alone is eternal 

hath ki safai

....snow was falling since last night,  Arnold  having his breakfast watched outside  at the falling snow,  it was easy to watch through the window  clearly,  the  overcast sky  predicted strongly  bad weather ahead,  Arnold couldn't go to the office fir two days because of this weather,  his wife Emilia sat beside him watching his activities  with great interest 

You seem to be enjoying the snowfall 

Not really 

For a long while I noticed your entire  focus is only on the snowfall  though I am sitting right beside you 

Aww come on darling  you reside in my heart 

But wives like it when husband's show interest in them 

And every man likes it when he is approached by the wife  lovingly 

Don't you  trust me that I love you 

Of course I believe you that's why you  reside in my heart 

I am your heartbeat yet you are so sad 

There is another reason for being sad 

And what is that 

You already know it

Me,,me how can I know 

My  main worry is my business 

painting

....a man passing by an old bookshop  in the market liked a vintage painting of a soldier  , the shop owner  was ready to sell it for fifty,  the man was short of two rupees,  he went home  to return the best day , but the  painting was sold out 

On the weekend he visits his friend and there the vintage painting of the soldier was   hanging on the wall, the friend explained it was his grandfather's,  the disappointed man thought it could be his grandfather's  if he wasn't short of two rupees 

akhri sham se pehle

... as the day of celebrating birthday was nearing   sigh was getting  tense,  the post arrived usually  late afternoon  when he would be in the ground   where he spent time  unsuccessfully  playing badminton or football,  wise Akhtar  took round of the ground  at that time,  sagh  would  questioningly  look up at him  , Akhtar  wordlessly would  tell him there was no letter  yet

Sigh celebrated his birthday  in a different manner  altogether,  special  feast was prepared,  two goats were  slaughtered,  baba shah Nawaz didn't  like the concept of cake cutting  but finally everyone convinced him to agree on  letting just one small cake  be placed as a formality on the table  , slices of it were distributed amongst the staff 

from previous

.... in the morning  unexpectedly  the sky was covered with  clouds,  it was a holiday today,  she had spent  whole night making reports , she had to  submit weekly lab sheets to his mean supervisor,  perhaps   because she remained  extremely reserved  she was actively disliked by the supervisor,  he always found fault  in her reports  but she was naturally  aloof and hardworking 

Hearing the door knocking  nanu moved towards the door,  she quickly  came out of the kitchen,  let ne  open tge door you stay where you are  it must be zoha,  covering her head with a very wide  dupatta she moved forward,  there stood  Zoya with  vibrant 

Sorry  aslam alekum I am disturbing you  she was insisting to see you her friend 

It's  okay  nothing like disturbing,  I have already  asked you to send Zoya to our place,  she bent to pinch Zoya s cheeks

prince charming

....her mood was completely off , her irritable  manner  tye way she was  working  

Barpar and  tipu were ready to jump out of the window  when she saw it, she whimpered and poured out all her lava of temper on them,  she held them by ears

What were you both up to,  can't you behave yourself,  God forbid  what if you had crashed down,  breaking your  bones into several pieces  , I had only asked you to open the window  not to fall out of the window 

from previous

....at that very moment the door  opened  , an old man emerged,  he looked ordinary,   his under eyes  were swollen,  Levi thought  in this phase of age there are several  health problems  and  sleep disorders 

Hello, I am Jonathan  Levi,  you know me son of Hillary

He straightened up, his shoulders  straight , his eyes  turned to stare Levi as if he was surreal,  what do you want 

Levi watched this man who appeared  harder than he had imagined,  he doubted himself  for coming  here

He stammered  I want a favor from you 

Analysis smiled  what kind of favor  , your father and I haven't spoken to each other in years 

Levi felt his throat drying up  and  began speaking swiftly  I want you to teach me how to kill someone 

ehsaan

....Jonathan  Levi  pushed the pistol  on the the baldy s head

I am going to shoot you,  you will beg for your life,  you can't imagine  hiw wonderful the scene will be , you made the mistake of your life by providing tge evidence against me , this is your end you are a dead man 

The face if bald man remained  blank,  thank you  now you may leave 

But my lines aren't over

That's enough  , replied  the baldy man  Henry William , quickly  scribbling something on his pad before standing up 

Levi didn't move 

There are more people 

Levi looked around the empty  audition hall  then at henry bending over

So what's your decision 

It's too early to decide 

If you want I could do it some other way,   in  a manner you like  full of innocence,  hardness or negative 

Henry  puffed cigarette smoke,  go home now  and wait for your agent to call you 

mushghala

....each and every person  makes his own life  interesting  with  hobbies and interests 

The  ultimate matter with him was  that everyone believed he gad no interests in life , that he was boring  and uninteresting,  that  it was difficult to lead a life with such h a person  who has no spare time engaging activities  because  such a man is a drag

The real   problem was that  he couldn't tell anyone about his interests 

I have spent  the best phase of my life though  I am  suffering from  health problems,  every person  has to go through setbacks in life and yet sometimes he must pause to reflect  about his past life,  this is exactly what I am doing right now 

I should be saying  I  was the most loving husband and perfect father  but unfortunately  my loved dear ones were  cruelly snatched away from me 

Other aspects of my personality  are  kept secret and hidden even from my  dearest Stella,  these are the memories always haunting me 

page 134

....the journey was  pleasant and  moving on , there was soft music playing in the  background  , sometimes  manal would  hum along to the melodies,  during  that period  zeb s phone buzed  , he activated  his ear pad with a gentle touch 

So how are you doing   asked  Zaman in a serious tone  on the phone 

We are reaching you  in a short while  he smiled 

Fine  Zaman also spoke cheerfully 

Just be ready  he helpfully  reminded Zaman 

Don't  worry about it  just be here  Zaman replied 

The call ended  and zeb turned to manal with a smile 

Time to go live 

Manal brightened up enthusiastically  she turned her mobile on and in her personal style  began  speaking,  aslam allekum my dear followers  how are you all  , swagatam, ji Ayan nu, welcome  khushamdid

So today we bring you  many surprises 

page 125

.... Zaman  was an online taxi driver  , thirty five years old  watching video   engrossed entirely  in it , , while waiting fir passengers  he spent time watching  mobile videos,  initially all the videos  there was one common thing,  he was the  main character  in all

Zaman was addicted to tik tok  , passionate about making  videos of himself  in them , his followers list was growing  yet he was not quite happy  with his own performance 

He was suddenly   startled  by an unexpected phone call,  gukrez his old  longtime friend was on the other end 

What's going on  asked he  heavily 

Are you free  enquired gulrez

Yes of course  but are you fine  his voice was surprised 

I have to go to the  in-laws   to get my family  but the vehicle   failed ne , he was upset  if you are free  come over 

Zaman became thoughtful,  it had been  a  slow day , he would have to drive longer routes  because of political  activities  and road blocks 

page 89

....if you want  to study I will register it otherwise simply  pass by without ever reading it 

..I even  touched the fragrance  to feel it

I caught sunshine in my clenched fists

I kissed the moonlight 

I saw dark shadows in the sun 

I spoke  conversationally  with winds

 I  witness all aspects of sounds

I hear melodies  of thoughts 

I spun faces from  melodies 

I saw reflection of color 

I saw color of  reflections I saw lakes in drops

But couldn't find a drop in the lake 

What to find  what to see what to think 

Thoughts are seen

Images  are thoughts 

I appreciate  nature in wonder 

The poet in me silenced in surprise 

Thoughts of you   are blinding

Image of you    completely  stilling

khalish dil aur diya

...I don't like it dear son Khabarovsk, you are leaving without eating 

Mami ji, some other time please,  let me go now  , I have a prior appointment with someone,  I am already late  , couldn't meet ammi,  and halima khala,  I will call them up later  so you must understand how urgent  it's for me to go I am extremely busy 

All right then, may God br with you,  hajra rubbed ger hands on her son in law  s head affectionately  holding Mayra  in a tight embrace  for very long,  the ice that had settled between mother daughter relationship at fajar was melting  but she still couldn't muster enough courage to ask Mayra anything  it was   their internal matter  after all 

How are you feeling now hopefully better,  is the  rasping gone

Khazar turned to the road and started driving  and glanced at Mayra   vaguely  , she looked  fragile  more pale after her week long fever

ishq e junoon

...how do I look,  asked manal looking into the mirror  at the reflection of zaib standing behind her

As usual  he responded  

Thus is not the right answer  sge rebuked 

He gave her a hearty look,  honey colored hair,  parting in the middle  , a loosened  tress playing uncontrollably  on her red flaming  cheek caressing her rosy lips,  how deliciously delightful  she looked 

Her eyes were  shaped beautifully  unsurpassed,  her skin flawless  pure and soft ,  black ear rings  sparkling with studded white pearls  glowing,  and of course her shapely neck  adding to her exotic appearance 

Now what are you staring at , she asked  him  rather taken aback 

Looking at you  his smile was genuine 

That's what  I am asking  she was irritated  

This was normal for him to admire her veauty and  nit find the right words to express himself 

aazaan

...fifty years ago he lived in Afghanistan  a different time  from  today,   it was more prosperous  and  rich,  every season was wholesome and fruitful,  hus story is about a place some distance away from Kabul set  in a  bungalow  full of happiness where he resided with his father aga dear a very well known  leather trader in Kabul  owner of several  footwear and leather bags  factories,  despite being a most wealthy merchant  he despised  city noise and that commotion,  therefore he avoided such a kind of life  and lived silently  outside Kabul surrounded with evergreens 

To reach the city he used his own private car ,  Zahir lala was given the responsibility to drive him to the city center 

charagar

....she was extremely happy that day  , she was to meet her old  college friend  rajya roughly after  eighteen years,   she was married to faizan nineteen years ago and they moved to Italy,  cutting off almost all her college Tues  one of them was rajya, a year ago  suddenly  sge remembered  rajya with an intensity,  she searched  Facebook   and there sge was her college friend rajya , she was living in Karachi  with her two children  a boy and a girl,  fagad her son was a college student  husband farid was a  writer  , he was a famous  published novelist,  he also  wrote for television serials,  even  rajya was infected by the germ of writing  she wrote  short stories,  

Both friends were now in their early forties  

page 43

...he continued,  he was stuck in that impossible situation,  he was sent to jail once prior to this,  in those days he was working with a builder,  on a construction site  some building material was stolen,  it was merely worth  less than four thousand  but the supervisor  accused him of stealing twenty thousand  worth of  building material,  the police was ready to free him fir five thousand but he was nit guilty,  he had nit stolen anything at all, he was basically a plumber,  he was sent to  two  years  jail 

One year ago he was freed  , to earn a living he reached  Tariq road  commercial market  as a free Lancer, a hardware  store  owner   started giving him projects as an electrician,  plumber,  all round  in the nearby colonies,  it was paying until  this recent  happening 

baitul ankiboot

...that year the monsoon  deceptively  escaped,  not letting anyone know of its arrival  and departure,  everyone was left dried up

In such a colorless  season one evening when he was still  sitting in his office one of his very old acquaintances  dropped by, he played a happy host  who cheerfully  invited his known inside  exclaiming  excitedly   even tge eud moon appears once a year , but you are showing up after ages, where have you been  shakil hadi

Shakil hadi was a trader, he gad threads business  he sold to textile  companies 

page 58

.... mehmood was the only  son of his parents,  , the light of their life,  his bad nature was notoriously  known,  , his father had died young , he had to lift tge whole  weight of his family burden,  supporting his mother,  during the   educational phase he was burdened  social responsibility,  , daytime schooling  , night time  hosiery factory,  he passed his graduation  with a flare and secured a decent government job,  but past bitter  experiences of deprivation   turned him  into  a   man with a wounded  ego 

He and  afya were married  fourteen years  but they remained childless,  several  medical conditions   clutched him in his youth  , he became  frustrated and depressed  with disappointments,  relatives avoided him friends  stopped contacting him , festivals were the only occasions he socialized,  in the office  his colleagues and Co workers  spoke  only on very important matters,  only his wedded for life wife remained  constantly  by his side 

majazi khuda

...what kind of  ironing is done on my kurta, just look at sleeve  the crease is not neat at all ,  you are good for nothing woman 

Junaid and  zen  had come to stay with their  youngest  khala  afya  when suddenly  khalu appeared  meticulously dressed in stark white   outside and roared 

Thousands of times  I have told you not to touch my  clothes  , you can't do a thing properly,  rotis that you make are terribly  hard  and difficult to eat  , you don't know how to  set milk to curd

She faltered  sge had  pressed all her energy while  ironing his kurta  

  Husband s bad mood was frightening  her tongue  couldn't find  words to speak,  she turned pale  tge tea tray sge held trembled 

From where do you  get brains  get a pinch of it for yourself,  don't you have any sense 

Both  Junaid and zen  witnessed  their khala  s humiliation  in stunned silence 

from previous

.... she reached  dekni s house on time  , naturally her child accompanied her,  ornald was her responsibility  and always stayed by her side,  besides her and  dekni there were  eight more women present,  Brenda was mother of twins  a housewife she had brought  branded ice cream,  Latifah was dekni s school time friend,  she had  grilled prawns ,, Linda  worked from home running online business ,  she had brought vegetable soup,  falishia a yoga teacher  had roasted dry fruit,  dawn had just moved into this place from new Orleans,  she had prepared chicken cheese sandwiches at home  lashawn was a single mother of five  , pizza was her contribution,  Annie was a chef  good at butter puff milk biscuits,  Bella brought  chocolate cup cakes  and green tea, dekni being the hostess was providing  liquor 

This week the book on which they were to discuss was  an in timid state  ,,,Haiti a state in West indies 

Newton

... famous  wizard  scientist  Newton   had a hyperactive mind , once he dived into hypothetical  he would simply  drawn  into its depths as surroundings disappeared   into oblivion 

One time his closest friend  was  invited to join him to supper  in the evening  , Newton  had delved   into his reverie  , he forgot to tell the chef about his evening guest, in tge late afternoon Newton felt hunger pangs,  he ordered his meal be brought to his  table  and  when the meal was served  Newton was found  busy in his research  and theories,  the p.ate was kept there , the valet withdrew silently without disturbing the great   scientist 

. The guest arrived to have supper , saw Newton his friend engrossed in his own world of scientific  theories,  drew the plate before him  , finished his supper and left in silence 

When Newton  emerged from his  mind  saw tbe empty plate, thought he must have eaten  and didn't remember  , he quietly went to bed 

husn tadib

....she was a private detective  by profession  working  with number one state county detective  Arthur mills  as his assistant,  she learnt many new things from him  the most important point  is to manage time 

Her sister  dekni had come to see her  because  the lady detective was on maternity leave denied would spend time speaking with little Oswald and Orland before turning to her sister  saying she knew she would make  a good mother,  you are most  affectionate and won't  hurt my nephew 

The new mom 

Of course  she promised   , hiw do you get along in the new place denied had just recently moved into a brand new  town house  community 

Sge asked  reflectivity if she had narrated  stories of robberies 

Yes, no, uncertain the detective mom sister replied confused,  perhaps  there were some random incidents in your area  of chain snatching 

Detective sister was really  pondering why denied had left her previous  location and shifted  in the new colony, so crime rate was very high and rapidly increasing  

page 25

...when your parents  move forward into  the  last phase of their life weak with old age,  don't you ever  misuse your strength and destructive force on them but always stay close to them  under their  forgiving  and  loving   kind wing  or later you will regret and be remorseful for the rest of your life  for not getting another chance to be protective towards them 

purisrar

....his eyes flew open  when he felt a jolt,  startled he looked out of the train window  it was an isolated secluded area, he quickly gathered his things, tge train was suddenly  come to a halt after two days of constant  running,  he approached the conductor  to find out the reason  and how long will  be they  there 

Sir, some unknown  problem has occurred in the engine,  it will just take fifteen minutes 

He asked if it was alright for him to take a stroll , he will return within fifteen minutes,  he was finishing his statement and some boys had already jumped outside to straighten up their  stiffened backs and limbs

Alright  come back when the whistle is blown or your baggage will be dumped here and you will  be left behind 

insan

....man is a strange creature,  he us a spectacle himself and  yet goes out  looking for enjoyment,  man is himself a great entertainment  and  fun fair yet  seeks entertainment outside in fairs looking for fun , in a crowd each one is part of the crowd  yet everyone calls others a crowd and himself an individual different from the herd mentality,  ,  man has forgotten  integrity,   lots of single   burning lamps  are illuminations,  and when several  solitude get together collectively they become a festival of celebration 

page 6

....it was during the daytime,  sizzling heat   amidst which  traffic  was running,  wherever you go  just traffic  thick traffic was visible  in this  maddening crowd  a variety of people with different views and minds are found  , sunk in their own  personal problems of life,  mostly  well educated and well off are the prey of  unhappiness  , one of them was saira  who was constantly  consistently  Revolving round safes, mystics  shrines and tombs in the hope if being rescued from her mental  problems  her main purpose was her son was childless  , so she was  dragging her  daughter in law Shana along willfully  with her 

Both mother and daughter in law stood praying in the open yard of a shrine the hope of  getting  her prayers answered  , after a while both  were driven away in the  chauffeur driven car to see a gynecologist   , both were tired so saira suggested another lady doctor  her khala sgahida had given reference of , that she was a good doctor 

But she was already taking treatment   explained Shana   and  the gynecologist was also good 

But what's wrong in showing you to one more  lady doctor  argued saira 

page 15

....today there was peace and  a settled feeling at the breakfast table instead of regular  chaos,  dadi  had a changed behavior   not tasting  from everyone else  and this was surprising  zen was puzzled 

Come on all you three ladies  looking so nervous like amateurs   lost and   trembling 

She felt  like attending  a conference,   she cut away a portion of her paratha and placed it quietly and swiftly on dadi s plate  escaping  aksi s watching eyes, today  dadi was sighing  frequently 

Dadi please you have to come out of this shock  , this glowing moon face is not leaving the screen 

God forbid zen, dadi glared 

What is your program for the evening 

Aksi wasn't   careless while speaking  she noticed the piece of paratha and  fished  it out  from dadi  s plate 

The face  of  the owner of the plate   sharply drained out of the momentary joy of having a paratga piece 

I will not go anywhere with you two today,  yesterday entire day was wasted , he scowled  before someone could  rebuke him barman sahib made hus entry into the dining room 

Tham gya shor o junoo

....remember  that  niece of dadi  who then  remarried  our neighbor  rehber, uncle , a knot in the dusty mind slowly  opened up, elder sister  intently watched  the face of ajsi , Safina aunty wasn't  easy to forget,  her incredible incomplete story   containing several characters remarried  uncertain,  finding her  wilfully silent for so long  aksi was disappointed 

She who had  the  power to drag their lanky son  to all her favorite games,  she  tried to remind her changing  her tactics  the listener's  heart suddenly  fluttered  as a flash of memory  crossed her mind 

Just leave it ,,,the surprising part is this  the lanky boy aneb shayab was here today,  aksi  s voice was saturated with  sheer surprise 

The way you react to this situation,  the same  feeling  I experienced in my heart seeing him , basri  looked stunned and  shocked 

What did you say,  say it all again 

What are you  suggesting 

She really wanted to say it all in different ways  same statement  in various ways as if her elder sister was mocking  her

Aksi was saying much more  with ease  or with  seriousness 

When baba and anib ran into each other near the gate  ,  the argument that followed  destroyed all joyful mood of dadi jan the professor  disappeared somewhere suddenly 

She paused laughing,  then she lay down  in bed  and  turned over her side  shutting off the table lamp 

papita

....papaya  is not just a delightful  fruit but also  healthy,  it can be eaten unripe and ripe,  easily available all the year round,  nominal price and valuable  for digestion,  papaya  must be included in one's diet as a regular,   it contains  minerals and vitamins  ,it can be a starter  desert or side  dish  

page 244

....Shahid returned to his bedroom  to find dikky sitting  there with his bag open,  three types of eye drops  stood on the table before him,   labeled   morning  afternoon  and evening  respectively,  picking up the evening drops dikky  squeezed a few drops in his good eye  keeping the eye shut he spoke to Shahid  is uncle  feeling well 

Your unfair statement against  dada Jan  has  hurt my father   very much  explained Shahid  rather  dryly 

It is best for him to stay in bed  spoke dikky  strangely  though I wasn't aware  that abbu sold tge house which was dada Jan  s , I wrongly believed all this time  you all were  having a  wealthy lifestyle   spending  dada Jan  s money,  he opened his eye to put back tge eye drops in the bag

Why three types of different drops for the same eye  Poked Shahid,  is there some serious problem with you  and your eye 

The doctor also has the same opinion  he replied  uncaringly  that is why  three  different  drops were given me , 

Could you please explain what exactly happened to your other eye asked Shahid  cautiously 

page 231

....within next few days he gathered enough information on shamina , she had done her m bbs but was not practicing during her mbbs days she  was married to a Germany returned  wealthy man  who divorced  or rather sge did him , after khula  her ex husband  shifted to  Germany 

Faraz ali adored his daughter  always supported her emotional and financial needs  he was a man of rigid principles  , nobody could  go against his principles not even he himself 

One day nashad met sgammi and she erupted angrily,  her nose was quite broad and rage made it look even worse she attacked  nashad,  what was he doing and what the heck he thought of her she wasn't a fool,  she exactly knew who was he meeting 

Nashad  did his best to explain  it wasn't really what she was thinking  she was completely mistaken,  he was interested in shayri  , his family was interested in her , but he was only interested  in her poetry,  she was asking his opinion on her compositions that's all

charaghar

... nashad had shifted to Lahore from Karachi,  impressive  housing society  was his new residence of his own,  his house  was built in a  sprawling area,  fantastically  fully decorated interiors  , because the house had been  kept locked  fir over two years  it  needed  some repairs and  thorough cleaning up,  therefore  Nasha gad reached his house in Lahore five days earlier 

, his wife was supposed to come later with their  one  and half year old infant 

A plumber and carpenter were  working  in the house,  there was a beautiful  wooden  cabinet in the master bedroom,  it needed some  retouching  at its back , the gap had to be fixed so things won't fall down 

Nadim the carpenter  on nashad s orders  pushed aside the cabinet  away from the wall several  fallen things  were  found  on the floor 

A few children's books, a few pencils,  one ballpoint  a few visiting cards  and  several  small more items,  there was something more that astonished him , he sat motionless  staring at it 

from previous

... ear specialist  sat his patient  , the patient asked nervously  what was hus fees

Only two thousand 

Nine thousand  the nervous man asked to confirm 

The greed  suddenly  took over the specialist and he rudely replied  fifteen thousand 

The poor patient  nodded submissively

from previous

..one  time  mirza ghalib  received a huge selection of dastarkhwan from admirers,  the silverware were  massive in size but food was  barely enough 

, the poet wisely  stated the utensils  were a royal display of wealth  and food a miserable  poverty  stricken  leftovers 

page 223

...a young man appeared  at a military  office  to join the army   in Vietnam,  he was certain he will fail his medical eye check up , he was short sighted, the army officer  asked him to describe tge map  from ten feet away,  tge canditate  could nit see anything  , he was stood  near the map   a couple of feet from the chart yet he couldn't  find  the locations,  

He was passed  fit  for r hand to hand combat 

page 211

....his flat was as  disarranged as his  life,  he quickly  turned aside the bed mattress,  under it was some  change of coins   and amidst them some bullets   he quickly  filled up his pockets with  metalic  sounding  coins and  bullets  and picked up his revolver,  the weight  of the revolver  suggested it was fully loaded 

George was still in tge corridor  when he spotted danger , two men emerged   from the lift and leaped  towards George,  he in a fraction of a  second  decided what he must do,  he turned to run,  the two  men  screaming chasing after him 

George got inside his flat locked out the intruders  , at that very moment  tge locked door shuddered,  both men in their   wickedest  form fiercely had thrown themselves onto the locked door 

page 100

...the  wedding house was cleaned up after the event was over,   it was time to prepare for lunch,  all the guests were gone,  after ages of  chaos  the house was back on routine,  peaceful and silent 

I am thinking of cooking something  simple  Asya   asked her daughter's  advice 

Bhai won't be home for lunch  nor will be abbu present at lunch,  the fridge is overloaded  with kebabs and biryani,  my suggestion is don't cook anything for lunch  , we shall cook fresh food for dinner later in the evening  arram came to sit by her side  comfortably,  at that very moment shanya walked into the room,   how fond of decorating  herself she was,  every time she emerged from her room  she looked spectacular,   exactly  like a newly wedded bride,  

Aslamalekum 

Mashalla, how lovely you look in that color 

page 96

...arram was still inside the kitchen working with  her domestic maid,  the outstation  guests had arrived  the night before,  though  taufiq sahib had  arranged  breakfast  from outside   yet everyone needed  something special from the kitchen  so arram and Asya had to be present in the kitchen  along with their three helpers 

What are you doing being here still  ahad asked  he had been looking for her 

Arranging tea snacks for the guests in the house 

That all can be taken care of by others you have to get your  bridal done in the parlor  it's your wedding  he held her by her wrist pushing her out of the kitchen 

You too get ready on time  or the guests would think you are abducting the bride 

ahad e wafa

....what was illuminated,  there wasn't any space left in  the hall  after annual grand slam  competition ,both   male and female audiences were  spectacularly enthusiastic  , everyone was actively  betting,  there graph rapidly  increasing 

George  avil appeared  with haunting music in dim lights in lighted jacket,  , his name was announced for  competition,  in his   personal style  swaying he reached the ring,  lights were now fully showing his massive physique  , hus skin had loosened up from his limbs and  body,  his muscles also had  lost their grip , he had spent  his best  phase of life 

kya hy ye muhabbet bhi

....any news about her, asked balqees beghum  the moment  he stepped Into the lounge no trace of her 

No no trace of her  spoke  Umar collapsing I the sofa 

What kind of officer are you,  whole city  works under you,  you have  the power  and capability to catch deadly criminals in a blink  but you failed completely to find your own wife missing for three days,  she made her painful point  

She is bigger than therm all criminal,  others  always leave  some clues behind them  and she  simply vanished without  leaving any sign  I could have followed the trail to reach her, he helplessly  rubbed his hands together 

page 188

... when ever  someone   takes  the support of lies there are roughly  one or more than  one of four  main reasons behind it,

Number one he wants  to benefit from this 

Second he wants to avoid  damage  to himself 

Number three  he  wants to escape from danger 

Number four  he intends to put others in trouble 

This realization had dawned  in his mind s eyes  and he had to use tactics to  solve the case  by finding out the truth from the three suspects 

page 93

...shanya couldn't  resist   having  new dresses  for life,  whatever she touched  abid bought it right away  Asya was getting  weary  , not liking the piling up of fancy dresses  not practically useful because the weather was changing 

Arram and shanya  were   selecting  jewelry  , they  almost whispered to abid 

Don't worry,   the manner in which we were married    remains a closed topic because  it's not speakable and likeable,  today  abid would have plucked  stars from the sky just for her on her command,  perhaps he ought not to have come at all,  he became thoughtful,  seeing  the signs of exhaustion on their faces  arram decided to postpone  leftover shopping 

But I want to buy more  shanya  was stubbornly persistent 

You can  finish your shopping with abid 

The other two would go back home 

Asya spoke  gently,  abid on their  insistence  called a taxi 

page 88

...the first  Sunray  kissed the face of the earth,  the refreshing  dawn  woke up stretching like a newly wedded bride,  but the beauty and ethereal  magic was meant only for those who had  spent the night in wellness,  their etes had in fact   swollen  from sleepless nights,  early morning hours  information  came   rajya had become mother of two,  the twins were born premature,  they were kept under observation 

Asia fall down  before almighty in the prayer room for blessings and forgiveness  suggested o,d grandmother  in a shaking  emotional voice 

God has saved you and your sons and also your grandsons 

Rajya was emotionally  wrenched out drained completely of all her energy 

Angnaa phool khilengey

...shanya s footsteps  stopped at the door 

There was a shot a bullet shot 

Her heart trembled  and sunk in the depths of fear

Chaos  erupted amongst the women gathered  near the door, 

All of them  rushed inside  and shanya  ran towards  outside 

She was aware who had fired the shot  and who was the target 

She had forgotten   that  prayers made  fullfiment  of happiness certain 

When prayers are answered  gratitude follows not pride and  injustice 

Someone caught hold of the wrist of the bride running away 

She couldn't see the whole  face  unable to identify 

Men surrounded the injured 

Women were  ordered to get inside 

Women randomly were following crowds 

Some Women were pulling back the bride 

page 71

...o you  city man,  remove this old vintage  out from here 

, this was his first day at the university and he git puzzled  by the first voice in the morning  scared of uttering any sound he was speechless completely as if a sound from him would  scare away all the birds  pigeons  ravens  from the trees , he was equally  frightened  and nervous 

He was bew to the town,  just a couple of days ago  and his spirits were  blown off  , he turned to look around  to spot her dressed in a short shirt and looses trousers by a shiny car staring at him,  later he discovered the trousers were ber father's,  brought by her father the  American magazines  cover models  she was there presenting herself 

Television had just been  colored,  everywhere  colored Television was in trend and great demand,  standing by her shiny polished car  with the university at the background  she looked  colored  trendy in demand  and the rest of the world bkack and white outdated 

ziddi

...Helga  emerged from the house to leave for the university  but seeing Eric leaning against the car  she pursed her lips  in annoyance,  Eric straightened himself when he saw Helga  , a smile  appeared on his lips 

Helga shut the door,  hanging her bag on her shoulder she crossed him,  he ran around the car to follow her 

Listen Helga  I am also going to the university  , you come along with me,  he invited her , sge stopped to turn to glare at him  ,how dare you  

I love you  he stood facing her blocking her way 

You have so many girl friends,  speak to them,  I can't be fooled  into  your  trap  Helga  s voice  was bitter  sarcastic,  just leave me alone,  stop stalking me or I go to the police 

Helga  briskly  walked towards the bus stop  without  glancing back  the bus stand was near her house,  Eric was enraged  and  clenched his fists,  his  usual white face turned red

janleva haath

....mahira failed to brake in time,  she wasn't expecting anyone to cross  her speeding  her bug vehicle  at this early hour of the day when the dawning sun wasn't even fully risen over the sky, the man was certainly  lost in himself   ,

Mera s watch showed it was exactly  quarter to six  when sge had reached the three lane drive with her vehicle,  the month of June had started  ,

She  was just recently orphaned last month  but as her old habit was she  would drive her dead father's old four wheel vehicle out to  drive around vaguely in town till seven 

It was definitely her misfortune that day  , the three lane was absolutely vacant,  leaving the fast lane she took the bus lane   with silver  lines

ap kahan hain

...again I have composed my poem 

Bringing the moon down on the earth 

Speaking to the burning sun

Sharing my experiences of sorrows and joys 

Now who will tell 

Which letter to join 

To form words to speak 

What words suit the best 

What words were dry and wasted 

Now who will tell me that 

Dear benefactor of mine 

Where are you 

chor machaye shor

...Brenda entered the house  and  whispered looking at the incredible condition of her living room  , she with her close friend Carol Martin had just returned from  Sunday church service,  she knew there had been a robbery  , their newly bought television has disappeared her  magazines always neatly arranged on the coffee table were flung down on the floor,  the book shelf on the wall was  scattered,  someone had searched thoroughly something,  several books from the shelf were  thrown down 

Both women stood frozen in the doorway incredulous  looking  at the muddy  big footsteps all over  going to bedrooms  and from there to bathroom  to dining room  to the kitchen,  the kitchen  back door was ajar  , the robber had escaped with his   robbery 

Call the police  suggested Carol 

Brenda nodded,  opening her purse she pulled out her phone  about to make the call  when  Carol  tracing the soiled footprints  followed to the kitchen don't touch anything   called out Brenda  , three weeks ago  there had been a robberyin Carol s house too  so she was  aware of it not to touch anything 

mushkal asaan

....the night had passed  midnight  , Hillary queen  was enjoying his deep slumber,  the land-line  phone  rang shrilly and he was wide awake his sleep ruined  his sweet dreams shattered,  rubbing his eyes he fumbled on his sidetable  and soon enough found his glasses  , putting them on his nose he received the call  speaking   his hello in a sleepy voice,  he glanced at the digital clock  that was showing  thirteen minutes past two  past midnight 

I want to speak to Mr Hillary  , the   male caller spoke in a  French accent ,  with private  detective  mister Hillary 

from previous

....three days later she found herself  not well,  she spoke to her assistant miss naghat on the phone  to give leave card to the girls on weekend  to go with their families 

Weather was changing,  winters were  on it's climax,  the days had shrunk,  she was kept busy on her routine work in the office  when  asma a second year student appeared in her office with another student,  she was shivering with  bone chilling cold , she was given warm milk to drink,  a staff woman  was called from the college to assist asma to the nearest dispensary with a headfirst to take care of the situation,  they returned with medicines,  she was sent to her dormitory  with the headfirst,  they were to stay there until her roommates returned after the weekend was over,  within few minutes the headfirst returned  with a strange  information that  when they had reached asma s room and about to open the door some voices were heard from inside,  one male voice was prominent,  asna was left waiting outside in the sun as the headfirst had come back quickly to report to her

page 65

....he happened to see her after a very long time,  at least  more than a year  had passed,  she wasn't herself but her ghost,  extremely  weak,  all her facial beauty  disappeared into the bones , her rosiness  turned to ashen complexion,  dark hollow circles around her etes , she looked  frightened  and nervous,  wrapped around her was a black shawl  draping her entire body,  her half face  hidden behind a naqab,  along with her was her  mother in law,  seeing him both of them stopped, he began  enquiring  the elder woman,  who erupted immediately 

Don't ask me what our life has come to be,  my son is the only bread winner and so many mouths to feed, ecer since this woman has entered our home  her misfortune has cast a  spell on us , with that the mother in kaw  slapped her with her both hands on her waist,  sometimes sge sge falls down  unconscious,  on other times sge faints  with her head spinning,  her father simply git rid of her by dumping her on our heads 

gumshuda

...finally  Olivia decided to clean up the house  herself,  it would be satisfying in a way  to clean  Neil's house of the things  that were troubling him to his soul 

Her nephew  Neil's  wife  karen had disappeared a year ago,  her car was found  by the roadside,  with  it's headlights  on and all doors open  but Karen was missing 

Eleven months  passed by  waiting for any kind of her news good or bad,  then Eleven months later  her purse was found by the police   two miles outside the town   near a forest  near a  stream,  Neil's  family almost had come to believe it that Karen was dead  so they arranged a mass in the church 

Olivia was certain  Neil her nephew would   choose to compromise,  perhaps  mourn for a few more days   and then  move on in life  and be alive again 

When  Neil was called up to speak something  about Karen  he stared blankly at her  picture  after five  troubled minutes  he spoke  in a  trembling voice  I remember  you   had said you loved me 

page 97

...Toni repeated the same story   in the same manner as she had arranged the sequence,  plain devoid of emotions  though it was a complete   pretense,  marya knew her since early school days 

You can't fool me , you care so much about this man,  you are in love with him,  am I mistaken , she spoke  sharply shaking her head 

What does it matter to you 

Swallowing her pride Toni confessed  her own  experiences with men  had been totally different  mostly unsuccessful but max was absolutely different 

Somebody  put the record stranger in paradise  , hearing Toni became  quite energetic,  max has significantly  given hints his marriage won't last long  , perhaps I secretly wish that too  , if we keep on seeing each other Shawn will   free them 

Dedh hoshiar

....max  winter was speaking softly like always,  don't you worry darling,  we shall get  his heart out,  listen,  dear I can't speak  much  right now I love you,  max shut down the phone kept on the table 

Sorry  it was my wife's phone call  , the domestic maid didn't turn up today 

That's all right  said  Shawn  a smile on his lips,  he was the  c e i of the company  and  didn't care about such petty matters,  if anything the matter was he would simply  push it aside  as unimportant,  he gave a sidelong glance at max , max realized  he ought to have  shut the call immediately   when Shawn was there,  he had made Shawn wait twenty  long  seconds 

Because   max always  would find some time fir Rebecca whenever she called  no matter how much busy he  was,  he never  left   her call on voice mail  even when  Shawn waited impatiently  outside  his door 

jungle

....he and nadim were  looking towards that door , the door was softly  banging rhythmically,  the woman was calling inaudibly  from inside 

Ramzan are you alright,  where are you

  nadim turned to look at him  , should we go inside and enquire 

But there is that woman  , he was alarmed,  perhaps sge tok wanted to be quietened,  

He clutched him from his collar and started arguing,  who is she 

Suddenly the door began banging  loudly  as her voice rose  higher  asking ramzan if it was him,  nadim pulled out a dagger from his knee pocket,  shining metal was dangerously threatening  it was strategy to make him  speak 

Shehzad was my childhood friend  and chaudhary is my mentor  he quickly explained 

He asked surprised  chaudhary karamat  you mean 

Yes my death will weigh you down heavily  so think again he spoke  firmly  trying to escape for the last time 

His first reaction  was when nadim handed him the dagger to erase him   to quickly  slit his throat because he must avenge his humiliation but then his brain spoke to him what after that,  , he will escape all the humiliation he had gone through,  he won't kill him but  keep him  alive  and keep on insulting him adding insults to his injuries 

umeed ka minar

....it was one of the bone chilling   afternoon in Frankfurt,  mir Taj  wrapped up tightly in a worn out  old overcoat sat on a university bench trying desperately to catch some  warmth from the dim sunlight,  he was so much engrossed in his own thoughts that he failed to see the girl  who came to stand directly before him , his mind was  drawn by a melodic voice,  ,you apparently look  overwhelmingly  worried,  is there some matter with you 

Mir Taj startled lifted his head up, she was a young girl thin and like him dressed up in old torn winter wear to keep herself warm m her nose had turned red with harsh blood freezing cold , she had addressed him in english but her accent was native giving her originality away 

Bahar rut aney se pehle

...doctor Esa was walking  very fast purposefully  as if in a great hurry to reach somewhere,  he was headed towards the lift m he pushed the button,  the door opened  he quickly got inside  it , he pressed the button of the floor he wanted to go,  reaching his desired floor he quickly  git out when the door opened  , he stepped into the hall, where  an international  conference fir doctors was  arranged,  it was a  location in London,  the  extraordinary  doctors  experts in their own specialty  were invited , doctor Esa was an  expert  heart surgeon specialist,  fir years he was serving  the needy 

He pushed open the door to the hall and stepped inside,  the conference was about to commenced in a few seconds,   each  participant  turn by turn was introduced and given  time to speak  to the  congregation  about his research,  doctor Esa sat watching other doctors I the gathering  after his speech was over 

takmeel

... roads  echoed  the traffic noises,  honking  horns endlessly,  , voices rising   high and loud above  them all,  hustling  activities,  a pit in the middle of the street and  everyone going around  it ,  shops  on the side  dazzled  invitingly   , a line of  vendors  serving  delicious food  stood besides,  air was filled  with  roasted meat kebabs   smoke layers   drifted temptingly   far and wide 

Danyal  gave a kick to the bike  one two three  , he was kicking it hard  but even after  number of times  it refused to start stubborn like a girl friend

Brother  show it to a mechanic,  it breeds some  spending money  and  attention 

project

...inside a closed room sat three well dressed boys and a girl,  they sat  in a row in chairs,  she was Angelina, her parents were extremely poor,  she was the eldest among her four sisters and one brother,  after her father's sudden death all the  heavyweight of household responsibilities  shifted onto her delicate  shoulders,  she  found a good company job after a very long hard struggle,  the financial condition of her family  improved  slightly  but Angelina  constantly  worked very hard to improve  and get higher and better position 

Shankar a software engineer sat next to Angelina,  his endless aspirations  did not let him rest , next to Shankar sat Isaac  a fresh graduate,  his potential  was promising,  David was next to Isaac  , David was a brainy genius,  he was a passionate learner  , his deep interest in literature  and poetry was amazing,  he had a knack for storytelling 

page 13

... the only woman in the surkhab  Manzil was teacher shamina  Jamal,  she was in her mid thirties  an ordinary looking woman  who also wore spectacles but her complexion was absolutely fantastic  strawberry and cream,   religious lessons to salha were given  him by fazal kareem

Shahnawaz   had built  a swimming pool  in a corner of the green lawn  for his only son's  happiness,  , the pool water reflected  greenery  of the surroundings  , the depth of the pool was just five feet , in hisoare time  salha would sit by the side of the pool swinging hus feet in the pool water making imaginary patterns  , in the evenings he played  badminton with teacher shamina 

page 11

....Sarah had gone,  thereafter  Shahnawaz  signed the divorce papers and had them sent to her parents,  khayyam  received the legal documents of  getting  together and getting separated  , he never made mistakes 8n such matters 

The phone bell rang,  Shahnawaz picked up the receiver,  on the other end  it was their Lahore  company number showing,  the manager explained had he reached the  place as was the earlier program  they could have  saved  millions of dollars  but now it was  a great loss 

Shahnawaz did feel  the pain of losing so much  but he  possessed more brains and  heart,  he knew life  was full of  ups and downs  joys and sorrows   and so was the business  unpredictable  any time either profitable or  a loss 

akhrii sham se pehle

.......it was one colorful evening in  Karachi,  October breezes  pleasantly  played around,  the lawn was surrounded with   evergreens  swaying rhythmically in the playful  drifts , exactly in the  middle of the lawn  sat  two figures   , Shahnawaz with his closest friend  saif chaudhary  , in chairs , they were having tea  a uniformed man in his early twenties  stood respectfully  some distance away   but alert  

Shahnawaz  was a  man in his mid forties  a strong healthy  built,   taller than six feet  round faced and bright  blazing  complexion,   neatly trimmed  beard    a few  graying  strands , saif was hus age but looked  considerably younger  probably because  he was dressed in trousers and shirt  and was completely clean shaven  , Shahnawaz was clad in  salwar qaneez  of most expensive   fabric 

karguzar

....unemployment was a predicament  tightening around the educated youth  leaving them drained,  they saw their future was dark and  they were helpless 

 Revolving endlessly between its buts and perhaps and reaching nowhere,  finally  seeing all the pros and cons Zafar decided to drop off all what ifs and if onlys and  crush down all his self dignity for survival, to become a pizza delivery boy 

Zafar was double masters  in psychology and criminology  were his major  subjects,  he had  been unsuccessful to secure any job for past two years,  swallowing the bitter  pride down his throat filling him with bitterness completely 

He parked his bike  against the wall in the front of the apartment building  and opened his hot pot delivery box to take out a regular pizza  and started climbing the stairs 

from previous

...but zavya never cared about  babar,  she never made him tea ,  she never was seen   carefully keeping his used things,  what does she have  that babar  likes in zavya her younger sister to wanting to marry her and  ignore the true feelings of the elder sister,  she  kept on thinking about it but couldn't find any answer ,her real love  was  being sacrificed  at the altar of zavya s  marriage with  babar   leaving her to mournful remorse  for life 

After  zavya babar got married she was completely confined to her own room,  praying  brings one closer to almighty  simply because only almighty  bestows   what the world does not give 

She  was praying for her  own wishes  fulfillment  but observing  zany wasn't  even  an  iota  interested in babar She began praying for his happiness 

page 104

...baby was going for training,  she was thinking of getting him married first,  all his life her brother had taken good care of them,  he gave him education  good enough to make hus career as an officer,  brother had first  right to claim babar 

She was listening to phuphu carefully,  her face turning red with secret glee a wrong   insinuation,  nobody was interested in looking at her reaction,  sge git up to make tea , nobody paid any attention to her  presence or absence  she thoughtfully made tea 

Elder daughter  is ne of course she  decidedly though,  phuphu will ask only for my hand in marriage,  baby will definitely  happily  agree to get married  , because he must be aware how much I love him  like I see  his indifference  but when it comes to marriage one chooses  the one who genuinely cares about him 

pritam aisi preet na karyo

,,dear love  don't love like a date palm

It gives no protection from sun or rain 

The fruit is beyond reach in vain 

Love like the love of cotton 

That covers the body all life till end 

Also goes along together with death 

Don't love like  the bird's love that flies away in dry

Love like the love  of a fish 

That dies  when it becomes dry 

Bhagat kabir

page 269

Qamar  got a job in a bank , he held a high position of power,  happily he  reached a famous tailor to get  himself a new suitable  suit stitched,  a few days later he again was at the tailor  s for a trial,  the  tailor professionally efficient  made a few changes  in the suit qamar  had put on, Qamar suddenly realized there weren't any pockets,  

The tailor explained  bankers usually have their hands in others pockets 

badlah

...his gaze suddenly fell on rahela,  he couldn't  recognize her at all,  just a flicker of doubt  but looking more carefully he believed it she had completely changed,  there was no doubt she was an extremely beautiful woman  and  when natural beauty is developed  it  increases manyfold,  he was at that moment sitting in a restaurant inside a mall  from where he had spotted her,  she was all alone,  she wasn't shopping  perhaps there was some other reason,  he suddenly became very happy,  fake happiness   saturated with hatred 

adhura shikar

...the hall  resonated with orchestra music,  it was an Italian melody,  a dancer  performed  on the stage,  her features were  chiseled   , she wasn't more than twenty five,  he watched her  interested only in her good looks , people were  busy in their own  gossiping,  with him at the table were  Tiffany and  Patrick,  Tiffany was  boring with her non stop  talking,   only when  Bruce Rothman entered  did he find some real relief from Tiffany,  Bruce was flanked with his other associates,  all of them  reached the table  next to theirs , in  Tiffany was still gossiping  , Patrick knew  her  silly stories were intolerably boring,  his eyes lingered around  Bruce  s table,  where  he was trying to explain  something  urgently to his associates,  he smiled suddenly  by himself before  the smile disappeared quickly,  Bruce spoke to Jacob  he was certain it was a white deer

khalish dil aur diya

....Maura  crossed the gate   and saw  babar chaudhary  up on the terrace  across the street,  he sent a flying kiss  with his right hand three fingers  the moment their eyes met  , she reached the university  point stop her mind engrossed in romantic thoughts  to find tanya her neighbor friend from the back street already present there 

What is making you look so red and glowing 

I am intoxicated by the thoughts of love  see, the whoke world is  swaying , answered  Mayra 

You mean  babar bhai is visiting  halima aunty

Mayra nodded  emphatically before boarding the point  and their conversation  ended there with a full stop,  when at twenty past one of clock Tahir left the class   the exhausted students  rushed to the canteen  but Mayra opened her bag to retouch her makeup 

aa ghr chalein mere humdum

...for past some  time she sat alone by herself in the cabin,  she had deliberately  booked a cabin like this for herself  before  booking  online,  it was absolutely  empty,  except hers all other  seats were vacant,  she had checked again 8n the early morning hours,  there wasn't any partner with her , she sat comfortably  her feet up and  herself wrapped  up  warmly  in a shawl,  it was peaceful  the door shut, her trip to this cabin always was alone,  , she heard the whistle blow,  she sighed deeply,  , a smile  appeared on her lips,  happy to travel alone,  at that moment  someone tried  his strength on the door and opened it wide, the smile on Sanya s face  wiped out completely  when a young man  carrying a bag and holding a small girl on his shoulders  entered the cabin 

atish khun

... it was sizzling  burning sun,   sge was being lashed mercilessly,  it is believed  mercy  is showered from above  , but it was lashing  being showered on the  youth s back , the  man who was lashing  ruthlessly  was an expert leaving deep gashes  bleeding,  tge young skin was  torn completely  spilling blood  everywhere,  

He was tied up in the open area  to a pole , two strong  men were taking turns  to bash him up

Human body can  tolerate  pain up to a certain point  after that breaking point man collapses  usually dead,  the victim was being punished  for several days constantly,  his strength was giving up on hus intolerable  pain,  his  deafening screams were drowning in the loud lashing sounds 

uljhan

... taimur Ahmed  had just  recently  joined   secret service   and a weird case  reached him , the case was handed him from his senior officer  sikander shah near retirement  and  mostly  gave his  juniors  the cases  to let them handle them and gain experience 

Listen  junior he spoke  in the lives of police officers  the first case  is  always  the starting point and  turning point  opening  the future doors to success 

What exactly is the nature of the case  taimur  quickly asked  the moment  the senior  had paused to take a breath 

It's a challenging case but not poor, it's a case of a fake diamond robbery,  the weird part is that the robber also didn't know the diamond was a fake 

jungbaaz

....boss , a scream rose behind his back,  he turned to see a stranger woman   screaming  as a wounded  man appeared  from the  door  before collapsing,   mevik and his wife mibby were present  inside during the explosion,   the man hesitated  a moment  before  running away  as if  death was chasing him, a few seconds later the death  holding  a long pistol showed up , this was Jacky, he looked at him for a split second  and then away  at the nan running away,  this was enough time  for him to hit him hard on his face and wrapping him around he pushed him inside the room, but Jacky was a diehard material  not giving up easily  without a tough fight, Jacky  fired a shot  , tge bullet sunk deep into the snow,  Jack was a bad rascally man

He heard  Mosby sobbing,  she was in a corner  tightly  holding her dead husband  mevik , their two  little innocent children  were near by crying  as the  pool of blood  increased in size

surkh jal

... yes Jafar, I have reached the timberline  now where to  from here,  the old man sitting  at the stall heard the biker  who was clad in trousers and shirt take off his helmet and speaking to someone on his mobile 

Wonderful m the person on the other end  praised him, you have reached  the spot  quickly 

Naturally  the one in need  will do anything and everything  in despair,  there was sadness in the biker s voice 

Don't you worry dear friend,  your bad times have come to an end,  from today you won't be humiliated,  your family will also respect you  someone was encouraging him on line 

I am absolutely grateful to you 

No worries  in friendship,  no favors no gratitude  , the friend on the line  affectionately  rebuked him  before changing the subject 

Now listen attentively  we can  always talk later,  after this timber spot the signal doesn't work  so Now carefully note down the address 

I am listening 

Go straight until you reach  the crossroad 

Take the  left hand side  path it will lead you to a right turn  

I will meet you there 

Did you get my instructions or will, you forget 

aqabi khidki

... Jeff,  look  ,  the exact  model is Ready as you wanted

Oh what is this  Jeff s voice was full of sarcasm  amazing thing added

I knew it you would be surprised,  added failed to catch the sarcasm 

Jeff added  he was not merely surprised but so much worried,  what have you brought  mister addey 

Jeff was speaking to addey his helper  in the photo studio,   it was one of tge most reputed  studios in Manhattan,  addey was sent by the board  as helper to assist Jeff, ,  Mr Thomas  had selected the sixteen year old  boy 

He was given the responsibility of  taking good care of the expert photographer   and always ve around him

Jeff had  given  addey his first assignment   to get him a model of the Himalayas  from the workshop 

from previous

...undoubtedly he was a very good friend 

Since when were you guys friends 

We were  together in primary school  since then,  we graduated together 

Can you tell who was his enemies 

Personally it's a difficult question 

Why difficult  the investigator was startled 

Sajjad wasn't a type of person someone could hate he was a wonderful  adorable chap

You mean  a helpful supportive friend 

Absolutely right 

If he was so much popular  why was he murdered 

It was sajad  s work  that made people turn against him and then reconcile 

Your observations are very helpful and deep  but do explain  in detail 

Suleman said he would try to explain 

Sajjad worked  in a newspaper agency  as a commercial assistant 

That I am aware of , tell more 

Information regarding builders and  business parties are gathered and  published  ruining their reputation  so  these companies  negotiate  off the table 

anadi

....the murder scene was behind the railway quarters,  he reached the  crime scene  quickly,  Yasser his assistant was with him,  the body lay on the long grass  ,  hardly anyone   passed  from  the back of the quarters,  it was a secluded area , just a rail track  on which  trains crossed  in their own  rhythmic style 

The body was photographed from  several different angles,  both  detective and his assistant were trying to  inspect  the scene  carefully 

Sir, it's definitely a case of robbery  suggested  Yasser  

How can you say that  he asked his junior 

Because the victim's  motor bike is standing a few steps away,  the robber must have stolen his  mobile 

I don't think so,  nobody will kill anyone for just a mobile 

It's a case of simple plain murder 

How so 

Robber would have run away  having shot  him if the victim had resisted  and taken away the mobile with him,  what made him hit the  victim on his head instead of firing at him  and  dragging the body to  lay it on the long grass 

 

page 25

...life seemed  absolutely perfectly beautiful , like a fairy tale,  he who had strangely for over a year  lost himself  had recovered completely,  , there was no end to  wealth  property and  mundane relationships,  no desire was left, , sanawar sat in the  television lounge  looking  at his pictures with alya beghum  at their wedding,  amal was preparing  dinner in the kitchen busy,  

When alya beghum called her stopping her telling beads of the prayer  tasbih

Yes ammi 

I remember  bibi sahib so much,  my heart beats prayers for her all the time,  without her we won't be here,  I don't understand why you stopped working in her company  after coming here  though,,,

What made you suddenly remember her, for heavens sake why don't you just forget your past life,  how many times I have told you to forget  your old life and old contacts 

page 15

...

Sanawar, someone was gently calling his name  patting  his cheeks , he was in deep sleep  but still he could feel the  softness of the touch  , he opened his eyes  to see a  girl bent over him concerned,  he looked at her  Straight into her eyes,  unwillingly he sat upright 

What happened,  are you feeling good,  she came to sit down by his side,  yes I am feeling fine,  you get coffee for me by then I will  freshen up,  throwing  away the blanket aside he got out if  bed, , as he emerged later rubbing his wet head with a towel  , a all was entering the room holding a tray,  she gave him an alluring smile,  his hands stopped   for a second,  he  momentarily  stretched his lips  to quickly wipe out the smile 

Where is ammi  he asked  hanging the towel on the back of the chair 

She is gone visiting  Mrs javed,  she informed him placing the tray on the table 

Kam himmat

....it was Thursday afternoon,  that meant  he was meeting  Laila  for lunch at seet water torn,  yes, theirs was a complicated relationship,  but why does someone have so many  differences,  isn't  everyone made of the same material  leaving no space for any  differences,  Laila was late and  his  mind  was wandering 

What is really important in life  that matters

Those relationships that you choose to work on,  it is not the same with everyone,  many a clever people  are also unhappy  , Laila he thought  was impossible to understand  , chimpanzee was a better choice to get along with  but he wasn't ready to exchange Laila for a chimpanzee  because she was certainly  many more times attractive than a chimpanzee 

He   doesn't know how much  correct his judgment is about Laila  , he honestly loves her that's true,  his nostrils  filled with  her perfume   she had reached the table and was drawing the chair to sit down 

from previous

...it is said  a famous rich poet was asked by a newspaper  reporter  in an interview 

Sir what do you do in your free time 

I paint in my free time 

So you  are also a painter

Oh yes of course 

All the house doors and windows are painted by me 

page 119

.one man was longtime chronic drunkard,  he was advised to practice yoga exercises  , after ten months long   hard  exercises  his wife was asked how much affective  yoga proved  for them 

The wife  fuming explained  now her husband can easily drink standing on his head and other postures 

Surkh file

... this happened in May of 1983, Berlin was divided into two  separate cities with a wall,   east Germany was under Russian  control,  west Germany was under American control,  early morning in the  foggy sunlight    Russian colonel  waited for the British agent  in the secluded  railway yard , the colonel heard a slight  sound behind him,  Sam is that you  he asked in a very low voice,  Sam Minardi was a British  intelligence agent  carefully watching the colonel   if he  had reached there absolutely alone or someone else was trailing him , mecardi stepped forward  to ket the colonel  recognize him 

Colonel,  why did you urgently need to see ne  personally,  tge colonel was from the red army special branch 

do tarfa

...the dead body lay on tge end side  of tge circus  on tge muddy ground,  that was a local  fair outside the village held as a native event,   normally  the ground was used by the village children  to play  football and gulli danda, nobody knew of cricket in those times,  so it was out of question 

He squatted  to check the dead body,, the victim was around twenty five good-looking and well groomed , clad in blue pair of salwar suit,  black leather sandals  on his feet,  dusty complexion  and rather tall but unfortunately dead quite dead,  he  lay there on his back  motionless  a dagger blade   sunk into his chest upto the handle , around  tge spot where the dagger   was stabbed  some blood gad spread around on his shirt not falling  down much, this was apparent  at first sight,   that the victim was stabbed to death,  but when the detective  to investigate  turned the dead body  over  he saw his skull was cracked badly  but the blood had bot wetted the muddy ground at all instead his collar was stained a bit

sarfaroshi si muhabbet

.... the season s first snow fall  had started,  , he didn't realize he had walked out from the bar   to slowly  reach the roadside bench to sit down on it . some distance away  a  street light struggled  very hard to reach its faint light  to him , moment by moment  the  dripping  night got deeper and deeper,  his innerself  heavily resonated   with the outer  profound  silence 

He was stung to his soul    regretful,  his past memories  rise to such a noisy crescendo he collapsed  onto the ground  pressing his ears hus elbows resting on his  folded knees 

Someone laughed  and kept on laughing  mockingly,  thus was nobody else's but his own  rebuking laugh  mocking  humiliating   himself 

Are you mad 

Asked the couple  walking past the bench  looking at him in sheer surprise 

hadsa

..that  morning at breakfast table  both amna and dilvar picked up an argument,  children had left for their schools  and before  going to the factory they sat facing each other,  amna was supposed to leave  by eight thirty to reach  her children  s school,  parent teacher  meeting was to start at nine  , reading early  was advantageous because the teachers were  cool and fresh early morning  hours  , they  were ready  to explain and talk in detail 

The reason of argument between them was their children's  school 

Monthly   school fees was rising high,  his  suggestion was to  remove their two children from this over expensive school to get them admission in tge school where his other three children were studying,  where tgeir all expenses including commuting  tuitions  and extras were less than half of what this school was charging  but sge didn't want her two children to go to the school where  the other three were  students 

from previous

...he  was prepared for the classes,   the happening in the canteen  had spread , every other student around had been told about it,  the classrooms  buzzed with gossiping  till the end!  Farha was as usual present in the lawn  outside  , speaking to her for a few minutes  he left for his hostel 

That night after dinner  all the friends emerged from the dining hall  to go to their rooms,  the same  boys were  seen standing in the  corridor,  he recognized them all in the first glance,  this time they were ten in number and  he  carried a pistol, he decided  come whatever may he will  at least give them a thorough smashing  even if he was injured himself  , he didn't care for the consequences,  for  some unknown reason he felt  humiliated,   insult  mixed with rage,    he had to avenge   what was forcibly imposed upon him to make sure they never again would take him for granted 

He stood directly  in the middle of the corridor,  some of his friends had come out from the dining hall,  he was ready for action  mentally,  he started moving purposely towards the group of attackers , when he reached them the same boy   flicked before him  , the same boy farha had slapped yesterday 

jungle

....the local annual fair was an event,  he stood  before a factory  watching the  scene presented  out there,  it was the final day of the event and  as if the whole place  and people of the area had poured into the fair,  the sun was slowly  moving towards the western horizon  yet crowds were following crowds in waves , somewhere  on the speaker  film songs were  playing loudly  adding to the fun element to the decorations of the  ground  in the fair ,  strange and  unusual  voices would  ruse sharply  attracting the crowds,  from somewhere  drum beats  filled the  air  from some other corners  shehnai was heard  playing  folk  in between  irregular gaps random  snake charmers been pipe would  melodiously   draw attention,  the  noise was mesmerizing,  each  one  was seemingly enjoying  the event  and had an  exciting experience of fulfillment 

muskuraein

...a fierce verbal battle  was heating up the family atmosphere,  the husband  said something  that changed the heated argument to calmness,  he suddenly  screamed just because she was so beautiful sge ought not to take advantage 9f it

The smiling wife  ended the argument serving biscuits with tea 

.

.teacher,  if you pray sincerely  your prayers are answered 

Student,  nit at all or you would be my wife 

..

In primary school days it was earthquake 

During matric  it was floods 

college time experience was dengue 

On the job corona