Aslan
I stared through the opaque glass window at the beautiful night. The lights from the houses appeared as if stars descended down the sky and spread on the floor of the earth. I like to pass my handful time staring out of the window.This gives me a delusion that some stars can even land on the earth. But it's only my delusion. I told you. Such things can never happen in reality. And those lights are just cheap bulbs like my life which could be replaced anytime. There’s a saying that - Behind every successful man there is a woman. In my case it’s no different.Today I'm one of the top ten businessman. The credit behind my success only goes to her. She is the star in my darkness. The star whom I watched every night afar from that bench. My Zara.My star.People in the society gossips that she was born fortunate. The fate of her parents changed when she was born and mine the day, I met her. This sumptuous cabin, giant office, deluxe hotels, extravagant resorts and clubs , luxurious cars, opulent mansion and elegant bedroom, I earned everything only for her. I knew she was raised affluent and I want to give her more than what she had. I want to bestow everything on her feet to prove my love.If she could feel how much I love her. She is the only woman I desired, craved and worshipped. She is my first love ever. After Allah, I prostrate my head only for her. But just like every time, she just stabs my heart. Every day and night I have to gulp down the glass of venom she offers me. And without any hesitation I do accept it. Because she is the only one who gave me shelter, rest of the world just disowned my presence.Till that night everything was going fine. That night changed everything. Even our destiny... Sometimes I ponder over the fact why I met her that day.That day she holds my hand and gave me a new life. From darkness to the light. *Flashback * I was returning back from my school. The sky was cloudy and the sun hides behind it. Maybe it doesn't want to be the witness of my misery.From that day my heart slumped into the darkness. I was heading hotel like any other day. My parents left me behind when I was ten years old. My mother died of cholera disease and after six months my father died while returning back from work. My father was walking absentmindedly when a truck hit him from the back and his body laid on the road lifeless. As my parents married despite being of different religions so, none of the family members bothered to join the funeral. And they never cared for me. Never worried how a small boy would survive in this brutal world. Nobody gave a fuck about my existence. From then on, I started earning my own bread working in a hotel. It wasn’t enough but I manged somehow. The cloud roared and when I just crossed the Holy place it started drizzling. My steps grew faster in search of some shelter when all of a sudden it began pouring water heavily.Already I was completely drenched but still I put my school bag over my head as a shield and started striding fast. I passed the St. Mathew school when my eyes spotted the bus stoppage. I rushed inside refuging shelter. I dropped the bag from my head and peered outside.The rain dropped on the ground like some missile and started filling the soil. Suddenly I heard a soft sound. My head followed and to my left side was a chubby girl munching an apple. On account of my exam, I didn't get time to prepare my breakfast and seeing her with an apple my stomach growled. The girl could feel my gaze because now her whole attention was on my physique. She was studying my appearance with keen interest before returning her gaze back on my face. Different kind of emotion covered her face. After a minute she passed me, her half-eaten apple. I peered at her with uncertainity but she was sure of what she was doing. Without wasting any further, I took and ate the last few bites. When I finished eating, I saw her watching me and smiled. "You are hungry." "Yes, I do." "Here, have my tiffin also," she searched inside her bag and brought out and forwarded her tiffin. Once again I looked at her and back at the tiffin. She was unreasonably being very kind towards me."How is it? " She asked looking at my chewing face."Nice... Tasty." I said in between and she giggled. "What happen? " I asked.“Nothing " saying she shook her head in denial. Although she stopped giggling but there is a satisfied smile in her face. Time passed as i emptied the box and she watched me in content. When I returned back her tiffin box, she offered me her hanky.Being a slum boy, I never felt its necessity. My shirt used to do the needful deeds but I didn't decline her offer instead I fully utilize it to rub my displayed face and hands. The hanky turned a bit brownish. Soon an expensive car stopped and a man in uniform walked out."Zara Beti, come, let’s go, what are you doing here. Don’t step out of the school gate." She stepped down from the bench and left with the man without taking her tiny piece of cloth. Next day I was waiting outside her school to return her washed hanky. After the departure of few rich kids, she came out busy talking with a boy.That rich lad left bidding her and she turned back. She gave a heart-warming smile and reached near me as soon as she saw."Are you hungry today? " The first thing she did was enquire about my tummy as soon as she reached near me. I smiled and shook my head declining. "Your hanky. " I forwarded her hanky."Keep it... I have hundreds, " she said with her big doe like eyes. There is a constant smile in her face. "Your mother doesn't give you tiffin?" She asked me out of nowhere."My parents are no more." I mumbled enough for her to hear. Her face appeared sad."Who cooks food for you?" "I eat sometime in the hotel where I work." She looked thoughtful. She was about to say something when the same car stopped near us. A man wearing sunglass stepped down. She turned and rushed towards the man. He crouched down and embrace her in his arms. "You came!!" Surprise and happiness reflected in her voice."Yes, my princess, but why are you outside and who is that boy? I asked you not to talk with strangers. " She turned back to look at me and again looked back at the person. "Dad, he is my friend. He has nobody. He has no food to eat. Please take him with us... Please daddy..." This time the man peered at me. Because of the sunglass I couldn't see his eyes. "What's your name boy? " The man's authorative tone boomed and my mal-nutritioned body shook. In fear."As.... Aslan Wali." Hearing my name, the men lips curled into a smile and said, "lion. Protector." Flashback ends –The knock on the door halted down my memory."Yes, come in." I knew Fahad entered. To reach such position one must have sharp sense organs. "Bhai, bad news, " his voice shows his hesitation and anxious. Without turning back, I asked, “What?" "Zara madam, she escaped and... " An evil smirk appeared on my face."And what? " I knew this was going to happen but after that what he said it shook my existence. "Met with an accident. The guards found the car but she was nowhere. I got information that, Rihan sir took her hospital." This time my face hardened. " Get the helicopter ready. Immediate! " My voice growled. Once I had let her go but not this time.She is mine. Only mine. ***********Whatever amount of milk you feed a snake; it never leaves its habit of biting.---------- Zara--------- "I WILL GO TO HIM. YOU CAN'T STOP ME. " " IN THAT CASE, LET ME SHOW YOU WHOM YOU BELONG TO. " "DON'T TOUCH ME WITH YOUR FILTHY HAND. ""LEAVE ME... YOU ARE A MAN-WHORE... A BASTARD ... I HATE YOU ...LEAVE... WHAT ARE YOU DOING? " "I'M DOING WHICH WILL REMIND YOU WHO IS YOUR HUSBAND."Beep... Beep... beep... My eyes flew wide open as if I had relived the scene just few second back. I started taking large gulp of air through the mask attached on my mouth. "Doctor, she regained conscious... She is conscious... " My ears filled with someone's desperate scream. Then I heard some footsteps approaching near me. I was staring at the ceiling fan which was moving rapidly. My eyes wide open as if I had a worst nightmare. My surroundings slowly come into focus. The white walls, the smell of antiseptic and the familiar smell of lavender mixed with bodily scent… my mother. Where a
Zara. "She doesn't want to meet you, " my mother snarled at him. "She is my wife. My legally wedded wife. Do you get it. Nobody can stop me from meeting her. Zara.... Zara... " He kept on growling. His distinctive manly voice echoed outside the cabin. He was behaving like an unhinged animal. In the past I never got to witness this kind of unrestrained behaviour from him. He was sweet and caring until he got me completely in his mercy and only then he showed me his true colours. His ugly face. "I will stop you. Wait, let me call the police commissioner. Two days in the lock will teach you a good lesson." My mother retorted to which he scoffed. "Do you think he can stop me?” My heartbeat increased drastically hearing him. “No power in this world can stop me.” My whole body shivered in fear. I refuse to get dragged into that hell. His voice and the way he declared war felt like whips against my ears. I don't want to hear these voices. Mostly I don't want to hear him. I
*Meeting *It's been two weeks after my discharge from the hospital. I didn’t return back to him as per my mother’s decision. It wasn’t only her decision but mine too, but she is been more vocalized in this matter when I was in emotions and pain. I was like take me anywhere but nowhere near him.Since then, I’m living with my parents. Both of them were taking good care of me. More than my dad it was mom who would run to attend me not waiting for the nurse whenever she heard a single sound of pain from my mouth. It was like her whole earth revolves around me.They tried their best to make me feel comfortable and I put an act to smile when I can feel the sense of void inside me. I can’t talk about it to anyone, not even to my parents. They will be in pain to know that I’m broken beyond repair.I stuck in a deep breath.With god’s grace my health has recovered speedily. Now I can freely move around the house without any assistance of my dad and mom. But still, I keep my movement slow.A
"How are you? " His fake caring voice echoed after some time and my eyes lifts on its own accord. After everything he did to me, he has the audacity to enquire about my wellbeing. "She is fine." Before I answer him, my mother did rather sternly. She has always lacked kindness for him. He clenches his jaw squeezing his eyes shut for some seconds and I know how hard he’s trying to stay calm. The moment he opened his eyes they measured me from head to toe and then back to my face meeting my eyes. His burning stare heating my skin. How much he hates to see me with Rihan. But I tried to remain unaffected. I looked at the lying papers on the table. The one side of the blank space holds my signature which I did two days back. The other side is still empty. I kept staring at the empty space. "Zara, come back home," he said with longingness. Home? Which home? That hell of a kind. Why? To punish me Force himself on me. Tie me up. My mind recalled all the bitter moment spend with him. “I’
*Secret talk *Zara Five more days passed after meeting him. These days I kept myself confined mostly inside the bedroom. Even this room reminds me of his essence. Sometimes dad use to visit me in the evening and recite some verse from the Holy book. He never inquired about what happened between us. Mayhap he wants me to heal my wounded heart without scraping. I want to flee away from all the memories which I have with him. Those bitter-sweet moments we shared in our childhood days.Whenever he saw me with Rihan, he goes insane whereas he is the one who has been cheating me. He can do whatever he wants and I have no right even to befriend with my childhood best friend. Double standard mentality. My trance of thought halted when I heard the knock on the door.“Come inside.”" Madam, dinner is ready, " the maid spoke after she closed the door behind her back. Nervously she walked towards my bed. I noticed how she was fidgeting holding her cell phone in her hands. "Madam, here is a ca
Aslan. My eyes travelled through the interior of the A-segment car. In my 11 years of age, I had never travelled in cars with my parents. We were not rich. We led a middle-class life until my mother felt sick. All the income of my father were mostly spent on her treatment. Although I had huge interest in cars but our condition didn’t permit us to afford a simple car. And today I’m sitting inside a lavish Mercedes Benz car. My body was stiff and my mind waited with an air of expectancy. The desire to own such cars buzzed inside my body. Maybe one day.The girl behind me who is sitting with her father was constantly chatting something. From her conversation it was clear that she was apple of her parents. Which is why her father agreed at her persuasion to bring me.Though I had agreed to live with them but my mind was anxious. Actually, it was difficult to manage the basic requirement of daily life. My days passed with only a one-time meal mostly which I get to eat in the hotel. So,
Aslan.I combed my hair placing them neatly. With the amount of coconut oil I put on my hair, it looks shiny and properly tucked. From the mirror, I saw Abdul chacha (uncle )wearing his cap. "Abdul chacha (uncle), is Zara ready? " I asked through the mirror. "Not yet... Big madam is asking for you. Hurry up." He took the car keys from the table and left. Looking at the mirror for the last time, I took my school bag and quit the quarter.On the way my mind was repeating the mugged-up answers from chemistry as today we are going to have a minor exam. Baba (dad) use to say that a man can only progress if he is learned. It’s been a day stepping in this mansion and seeing everything luxury and wealth I was thrilled and want to own such a lavish lifestyle. And that can only be possible if I study well. It was like I was in a pond for years and now exposed to the sea. That's all I knew with my age. As I entered the mansion, I saw Zara’s father engrossed in reading newspaper in the
Aslan."Boy, what are you doing here? "At first, I was startled and yanked my head up to find Nawab sir at a few distance from me. I was so engrossed that I didn’t hear his approaching footsteps. He had a cigarette between his fingers. Seeing my reaction, he studied me carefully. "Boy, what are you doing here at this time of night?” He asked once more. I gulped. "Sir, I'm preparing for upcoming test." I replied.His lips curled into a smile but he didn't say anything. He dragged a long pull of the cigarette and released the smoke in the air calming his nerves. Taking amble steps, he rests on the empty space beside me. He was wearing casual off white tee-shirt and black sweatpants. He was sitting beside me with calm and deep thought. His one leg rested on the other as he kept enjoying the burning sensation of the cigarette. He has grace of power and aura of dominance which can even make a king bow down on his knees. His well-sculpted body and the strong muscles of his biceps were