page 23

...more  radiant than stars and moon it was 

So  ethereal  that enquired  all celestial  beings 

Where is that  enchanting face that lights up entire world 

I would get away from his  embrace 

His slow drawl    would simply say 

Dear stay safe 

His whole being from head to toe magic 

Incredible  unbelievable  wonderful 

Setting in my breaths

Listening to lovers tales

But never saying it's your romance 

Killed my love

He who resides in my breaths

Mesmer lover is tearing apart

As if heart is scooped out

But he is my  majnu

Whose all world I was 

If his  thoughts arise  it feels 

He is speaking softly again 

Dear stay safe take care 

Forever  take care 

from previous

....rest of the day  almas  spent teaching  baby and then thinking about  minai whose wife gave him a divorce  and whose daughter was murdered in the flat,  police still was trying to solve the case,   she wondered when did all this happen  , almas had forgotten to find out the details from  him 

She was feeling sorry for minai, how  he managed to  hide his  sorrows behind his smile,  finally he burst out emotionally  before her people say the dead never come back  but he was certain tabanda shall come back to him one day,  his love for her will  bring her back  to him from wherever sge gad gone 

It was  a sentimental statement of an unhappy unfortunate father  but almas couldn't  tell him  sentiments don't help anyone 

She had supper with baby  in a restaurant  and on her return she met minai 

Dear girl wherever have you been 

To have supper in a restaurant 

I realized  as an afterthought  about your supper,  I didn't see any kitchenware with you,  I had come to invite you to have your meal with me

But you have   sent away the cook

Minai smiled gently  and explained he cooked  for himself,  minai  extended the invite to have their morning   breakfast at his place  instead of at a restaurant 

from previous

....go and play  said almas  before going to her own room,  she lay down and kept on thinking about minai, his feelings for Sofia  and then telling her to stay away from him,  it sounded  so weird to her 

From the following day  advertising agents began calling her up , sge was invited  everywhere,  sge understood they all wanted her to work for them,  but sge was still reluctant  and didn't want to mix up with anyone,  her mind was heavy with the black mailer  who was  bothering her , sge could  only  work  with a free mind after his arrest , her ficus was shattered 

Three days passed,  baby  again started going to school,  she  came to know of a restaurant located on the  first floor of the apartment complex,  she   became upset why minai never told her about it, he laughed  because sge would be getting several more surprises about the apartment complex,  there was a garden  too he told her but he wanted her to explore  things for herself 

Almas spent  most of the time reading American   writers ,  twice sge went to the restaurant,  once she took baby with her,  on other times she went on long drives  her old passion 

from previous

....appi, baby's voice rse from one of the rooms 

Yes it's me replied  almas  going to the kitchen  , she had to cook something 

After the meal she thought of going out on a long drive  to pass time,  it was then  the mobile phone rang,  she noticed it was an unknown number,  thinking it must be a promotional call  she picked up the phone   but hearing the voice on the phone her breath was taken away,  it was the same mysterious caller,  sighing he spoke  she gad broken his heart  by going so far  away from Lahore  he will have to reach Karachi as soon as possible or  execute a scheme  so she would  herself come back to Lahore 

You will never escape the law  she was enraged awfully  now besides the police in Lahore  the Karachi police was also looking for him 

I know you have  filed a report against me everywhere  but I am beyond   that,  I hope you quickly  give your consent to get married to me  and withdraw all your baseless complaints 

Shut up she screamed and  disconnected the call,  that call had knocked her off  , she fell  weakly on her bed and stayed there 

page 9

...   almas spent money  like water  on her parents treatment  but with time  their condition  kept on falling,  her late father  had  stored her dowry  and  in the bank  enough money was   kept for her marriage  but all was used on mother's  treatment  , amma didn't  survive and almas  failed,  nature was absolutely working against her,  then she decided to  take up a job and support herself,  from her early childhood days she was attracted to movies and acting world, she was quite attractive but  her parents  objections  never let ber dare  but now there was no obstacles  but nobody gets acting  jobs easily,  she wanted a job to be closer to baby and raise her and also take care of her ,,  fortunately she git a job from morning eight to afternoon two 

Baby was attending school,  sge would drop her to school in the morning and  on her way back from  her job picked her up too

Sge didn't  sell off the car when all her savings were  finished  because  it was ger practical daily necessity,  it was ged wise decision 

During  the  following days  she began  calling up film industry  people,  everyone  wanted her for their personal matters  , she had to  see industry people  to develop  her professional career,  for three hours sge would  go about  seeing  new people  after baby was home after school  but very soon she realized  tge evil intentions  of such men , sge would quickly escape  promising to return  , ger mobile number was with all of them,  she had  to choose to  drop the idea of making a career in the film industry or to go on seeing  manipulative people 

page 8

....almas  driving her car looked into the rear view mirror,  the car that had been following hers was still there

Her younger sister was with her in the passenger seat,  she angrily asked  appi what's wrong with you why are you driving so rash 

You play with your dolli am in a great hurry 

Baby was holding a rather  large sized doll in her lap,  baby's real name was different  but in her parent's house sge was affectionately called baby , now real name was forgotten  and sge  was simply  known only as baby 

Their journey had started from Lahore,  they were  stopping  on their journey  in cities,  they spent the night in a hotel  now they were headed towards Karachi from Hyderabad 

That chocolaty colored car started following them from Lahore  but it never came  closer and always maintained the same distance 

Baharon ke musafir

...just look at the video  it's amazing  and you look awesome,  parishes was being shown tge video on mobile by zoha, it was made just the day before  by them both  at zoha s place,  but sge became   suddenly worried  after seeing it and quickly asked zoha to delete it  and don't upload it on the Facebook  at all 

Are you mad  asked zoha surprised 

I won't upload it on Facebook you stupid fool,  it's for tik tok   zoga finished her statement with a laugh 

Nowhere  not on tiktok nor on Facebook  it's my video  I don't want anywhere online  pleaded parishe, I am dead scared of my family  what if someone sees it , then you know them well enough what they will  do with me , her tone was  frightened 

But why are you so afraid of your family,  zoha was really surprised  

Zoha  comforted parishe nothing wrong with her will happen  but anyway  I won't  upload it on tiktok  but on a special app where your family can never reach and find out 

What do you mean where do you want to upload  asked sharply pareshe

On snack app zoha replied with relish as she took a deep swallow of Coca-Cola