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It was a cloudy day. I was walking along a narrow alley in our surroundings when my eyes fell on a man in his late 20s trying to shoot me with his camera. The thought of being shooted by a stranger didn't go well with me and thus I went to him for confronting about the matter. He said that he's the photographer working for the monthly glamour magazine "Parineeta". When I asked him about him clicking my pictures, he answered that "you have a beautiful face and I would love to have your pic in the cover page".
I was overwhelmed listening to him. I was attracted to the glamour world and had participated in some small beauty competitions and had the experience of winning some of them, but a offer from the photographer of the well known magazine "Parineeta", swept me off my feet.
Seeing me lost in thoughts, he gave his card to me, and I accepted it coming back to reality.
I looked at the visiting card. It was of Mr.Altunia Mirza
So, that's the name of the stranger. Mirza. Nice name it was. I thanked him for the offer and went on my way.
Now I think I should tell you something about myself too. I am Razia, I don't own a title as I never had the privilege of being with a family. I was brought up in an orphanage. The things which I got to know there were that I was discarded like a waste after I was born as my parents wanted a boy. Then some people saw me crying by the road and they picked me up and admitted me in the orphanage. Life in orphanage is another story in itself. I'll say about that later in some other story. The fact is I never knew that something called love ever existed in this world.
One weeks passed since this incident of my meeting with the stranger. One fine evening, the superintendent of the orphanage called me and said, "you are 18 now Razia. We can't keep you here in this orphanage for ever. You are an adult now. So now you have to find a job for yourself and also have to look for a house to live. I'm giving you one week time, arrange for a job and also a place where you can live. Now you can go."
Her words made the sky crash down on my head. Though a orphanage, but my room was my heaven. I was in extreme tension about where to find a job, as I knew nobody gives job to a class ten pass student, and moreover I had to search for a place to live also. It was then that the offer from "Parineeta" came to my head. I searched for the card in my handbag and found it. I dialed the number given there and contacted Mr. Mirza.
He seemed to be waiting for my call and told me to meet him the day after.
Next morning, I went to meet him in the address given in the card. It was the address of his studio. As soon as he saw me, he asked about the reason of my sudden acceptance of his offer. I discussed about my present financial condition with him and he seemed to understand me. He said that he can arrange for a rent house for me. I was so happy with his offer. I thanked him again for his help and left his studio.
After two days of our second meeting in his office, his friend Abdul came to my orphanage saying that Mr. Mirza has found a room for me. It was not a rent house, but a mess for working women. I went with him to have a look at the room. I liked it and the very next day, I shifted in the mess. The monthly rent was not very high and it was not very problematic for me to give this money as I had already started working for Mr. Mirza.
This help from Mr. Mirza, made his place in my life a very important one. He was a real friend for me, my first friend. I was so happy to have him as my friend in my life. One day I caught him staring at me, but when our eyes locked, he broke the eye contact.
Then after another week, one day he suddenly proposed me. I couldn't tell whether I was happy or sad at that instant. But nevertheless, I chose to ignore him. He proposed me again and again, but I refused him every time, as I was afraid of getting into a relationship.
I was a girl who was deprived of love all my life and I didn't want to get love ever, afraid of the fact that if the love once fades, I won't be able to withstand the heart-break. Thus I chose to ignore him
After some weeks of working with Mr. Mirza, I got the chance to get inside his lab, where he used to print photos. He was also with me then. While he was showing me his lab, his phone rang, and he went outside to answer the call. I roamed inside the lab. Moving my eyes over the things placed in his lab, my eyes went to a bunch of magazines kept above the cup board. I tried to lift my legs, and stood on my toes to reach the magazines and on getting them in my hand, I pulled them. The thing which I didn't notice then, was a bottle of Hydrochloric acid without it's lid, kept just beside the magazines. As soon as I pulled the magazines the bottled fell above me and a searing pain rushed through my body. My face was paining like hell! I couldn't help but gave out a loud shout of pain. I couldn't remember anything else after that as the violent pain numbed my senses and I fell into the world of unconsciousness.
I didn't remember anything else. My sense came back after four days, but I was said that, due to the accident, I had lost my eyesight and my eyes were to be changed so that I could again see.
After two more weeks, the operation was over successfully. My eyesight was back and my skin was also healed. The plastic-surgery helped to remove the stains of the accident from my face.
I was again the old Razia, but with new eyes.It seemed so easy...but no it was definately not...anyways,These were donated to me by some good heart person, whom I could never meet, as the identity was not revealed to me. I had again joined Mr. Mirza's studio, but I didn't get to see Mr. Mirza anymore. Though I didn't say yes to his proposal and wished that he maintains his distance with me but in his absense, I couldn't help but miss him, my first friend.
After two months, since my rejoining, Iqbal came to meet me again in the mess and gave me a magazine. It was "Parineeta" with my pic on the cover photo. At last my wish came true. I got see my self in the cover page of on of the top glamour magazines. I missed him that day. I asked about him to Iqbal. He said that, He wanted him to go from my life and thus he went away, giving one of his precious possessions to me. I was dumbstruck listening to him. I asked him about the precious thing. He replied, "you have it with you. Just keep it safe".
Saying this he left the room leaving me in confusion. I remembered his saying that Mr. Mirza has left me. I was somewhere sad that I won't get to see him again, but was happy for him thinking that may be he has got better good job and thus joined there.
Thus my days again started passing with the accident long left behid me.
I'm writing this after five years of that incident. I am now a successful super model. I started getting offers in films because of my beautiful face and eyes. I didn't get to see him or Iqbal in these five years.
Today while I was taking a walk in the Juhu beach, my eyes caught a man sitting in one of the coconut stalls with a paper in his hand. He seemed to be familiar to me. I went towards him to have a good look at his face when a sudden wind blew the paper towards me. I picked it up to look into my own picture from the cover page of "Parineeta" five years ago. It took no time for me to understand who is the man sitting there. I was so happy to get my first friend back after so many years. I was just about to go there to have a talk with him, when I saw Iqbal going towards him. I saw Iqbal help him to get up and found him trying to judge the road ahead with a stick, just like a blind man does!!!
Oh my God!!! Tears clouded my eyes understanding he has lost his eyesight. I saw Iqbal looking towards me once and then ignored me. He helped Mirza to walk through the sand.
Now every thing became clear to me. It was Mirza who gave up his eyes for me, so that I could see the world with his eyes... It was he, who chose to get blinded himself, just to help me achieve my dreams...
My mind questioned, why he did this and then itself answered that he LOVED me... I remembered his proposals again... I remembered my self declining them...
Tears clouded over my eyes... My vision became hazy... I couldn't see him anymore... I tried to gulp down a lump which formed in my throat...
My legs couldn't hold me any longer and I sat down on the sand. I started to feel dizzy and cleaned my eyes. I saw Iqbal helping him to sit in the passenger seat.. I understood what I wanted from my life.. I got up in my feet and ran towards the car.. Just when I was about to reach it, it's engine roared and it left taking MY LOVE, MY MIRZA in it... leaving behind black fumes...
I ran behind the car.. But at last got defeated and fell down on the road when my legs gave up...
I knew it was too late to utter these words but still my lips, as if in their own accord said..."I LOVE YOU MIRZA AND I LOVED YOU ALWAYS..." and I broke down crying over my fate...
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I hope you all will enjoy this os... waiting for your feedback... If you like this then please hit the "like" button...
Enjoy reading...
Shiv Shakti
