Chapter 4

Aditi

@desidillse

After four months of Haider’s demise

“Good Afternoon Mary is there any call for me?”, Asad interconnected a call to his P. A. Mary D’costa as if wasn’t in the mood to take any work call being already busy.

He licked his lips reading on a framework of the too be famous bungalow of the nearby town, “Yes!”

He rolled his eyes, “Who is it, the freaking id…”, being informal, working in California asked he but got intervene, “ ahan! Don't continue Mr Kan!”, Mary in her U.S. accent continued, “It is … It is your sister”, and giggled.

Asad snapped his head, “What is the demand now?”

“Come home soon!”, Mary has just blurted and this was not less than an emergency to him. Throwing the pencils over the working on which he was working over, snatched his blazer and wearing it in mid way he almost ran jumping over the pebbles which was nothing new happened in front of them.



He wore his seat belts and creased his Audi tiers on the mud floor crushing the small autumn flowers, ruthlessly.


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Haider’s demise has made Zoya disheartened, soulless and full of turmoil. She was in search of life which has been snatched by circumstances and the will or wishes of the God, in the name of Haider, her husband. She always used to prove everyone that she is perfectly fine, but they knew that she wasn't.

After the funeral of Haider, she has never cried but never smiled too. She rarely talked what she only used to do was keeping herself in her room and get busy with her husband’s memories. Indeed, memories are precious things, but she has overburdened herself with them after the incident.

The kitchen was running for the food, waiting for Gaffur,but it was a sleeping and medicine time for Zoya. The maid filled the glassful of milk for Zoya and was knocking the locked door of Zoya’s room, but she wasn't opening it.


Humeira eyed the maid to handed over the tray to her and leave. She too knocked and requested to open the door but she didn’t. The intention wasn’t avoiding to avoid the milk or medicine but to avoid everyone, so she kept resting on a stole and continued her sketching work.

“Aapi!!”, Humeira again called sweetly but no reply.

She does the same twice again, “Please gate kholiye na”, but she didn’t respond.

Everyone knew that she wasn’t missing, she was there like always but she will not unlock the room, regarding avoidance of everyone and continue giving tone to a certain portion on her canvass and the same time her hand stopped, when she heard….


“Lakdi ki kathi…kathi pe ghoda…

Ghode ki Dum pe jo maara hathoda…

Dauda ghoda dauda ghoda

Dum daba ke…..!!”

And it stopped without completing the song, she confirmed that voice was coming from outside, and immediately unlocked the door as was in search of something….

And the song again started,

“Dauda!!!

Dauda Ghoda Dauda Ghoda

Dum Daba ke Dauda!!!”

She looked here and there but there were no one but she found her old childhood small Walkman which her mother gifted her last, but it got lost after few days and she cried for it, many days and then she came to know it was with Humeira, but she was satisfied that it was with her own sister, not with unknown person and the very second day of knowing this her mother expired in an accident.

She picked up the Walkman and kissed as if she was kissing her mother, on a nook Humeira was cursing herself for stealing it from her own sister, in the foolishness of a childhood.

The tears were coming from Humeira’s eyes and she gulped the fresh saliva formed, wiping her rolling down tears that Zoya just kissed and kept near her heart. She thought that she will cry by witnessing it but keeping it to her heart for long time and closed eyes.

But the same time she kept it back on the same place and was about to close the door again when a hand came in between the edges, it was Humeira’s. She again thought that she will ask for her well being but she didn't and continued sketching again.

Humeira forced herself to not cry and asked, “Why were you not opening the door”

*No answer*

She took a sigh, “Why didn’t you keep with yourself?”

*No answer*

She kept the tray aside on the corner table, “Why can’t you forget Jiju”

The pencil dropped from Zoya’s hand and she only said, “Tum dawai dena kyu nahi bhulti”

Humeira replied, “Because it is …. It is important for you”

“To Main Haider ko kaise bhula du”, she crossed question handmade Humeira speechless who was not in the condition to utter a single word beyond that about Haider as per psychiatrist’s instructions.

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California

Khan Mansion

“What happen Tamatar?”, Asad asked putting his hands on historso.

The worried Najma gasped, “Bhai Ammi behosh ho gayi thi, I have called Sharma ma’am”

“Dr. Sharma!”, Asad looked at the Dilshad’s psychiatrist doctor-cum-senior of Najma.

Asad licked his lips when the doctor asked to come to the garden to drop him and share a discussion meanwhile.

“What has happen to Ammi?”,asked Asad in the garden.

Dr. Sharma smiled, “Mr. Khan, Dilshad ma’am is a normal person,not physically unfit but mentally”

“Main kuch samajha nahi”, he frowned.

She smiled, “Main unhe aur dawai nahi de sakti Mr. Khan,physic patient ko khud bhi efforts karne padte hain jo Mrs. Dilshad nahi karna chahti …. I hope you are getting me?”

Asad nodded his head and mumbled, “I’ll take care of it”

He dropped the doctor to her car and immediately turned in equally more velocity of light and entered in Dilshad’s room, “Why can’t you forget him?”

“Asad”, she mumbled.

He came closer to his mother and set the pillows to help her to get seated, “Ammi! Kyu jaana chahti hain aap un kadwi yadon mein aapki”

“Kyuki waha Rashid hain”, she replied with a peaceful smile.

“Aap abbu ko bhulti kyu nahi hain, unki wajah se humne kyakya nahi dekha”, Najma requested her and Asad too agreed with her.

She touched Najma’s cheek, “Who bahut acche the bas thode kamzor the … she nahi paye karz aur…”, she remained incomplete and Asad completed her, “Aur suicide kar li…..Ammi tamatar ne unhe dekha tak nahi hai….koii tna patthar dil kaise ho sakta hai”

“Shhh! Mere Rashid ke bare mein kuch nahi”, she eyed her son and smiled, “Mujhe wapis Delhi jaana hai bas, tum dono jaoge mere sath to main jaungi….akele”

“But why?”, Asad screamed a little.

She was louder than him, “Because your father’s bloody grave is there”, and closed her eyes to control her angst, “Ab ise meri pehli wish samjho…..ya akhiri”

This remains both the siblings stun and they were left with no option.

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Loads of Love

Aditi