Time for Halwa Puri - Short Story

A light hearted story of what happens when a little girl's wish crashes headlong with reality when she is confronted by her neighbour, a retired army captain who decides to take her under his wing. A light-hearted tale of friendship.

BRIEF CONVERSATIONS 2: Time for Halwa Puri

The seven year old girl, quietly as she could, slipped out of the house. It was not quite light outside yet and she stumbled at least once before she was properly out on the street. One houses down, the 50 year old neighbour was opening the curtains ready to begin his morning routine. It would be dawn very soon. He was accustomed to rising early due his earlier life as a soldier. He had just opened the window to aerate the room when his keen eyes noticed the little girl from next door, creeping down the street. Immediately his curiosity was aroused. Why was such a young child out on her own at this time of the morning? From the window he called out to her.

"Ayesha betya!"

The girl pretended she hadn't heard and kept on walking.

"Ayesha betya! Where you going?"

The girl stopped and looked up at the neighbour at his window, lit from behind by the room light. She felt guilty and embarrassed at having been spotted by Captain Saab.

"Stay right there! I want to talk to you," said the man and then disappeared from the window. A moment later he emerged from the front door of his house. He walked with a slight limp. A permanent souvenir from an enemy bullet some years earlier and the cause of his early retirement from the army.

The child was anxious as to what was going to happen as the man approached her. From a few metres away he greeted his neighbour's daughter with "As-Salaam-Alaikum, Ayesha betya."

As the man approached, "Wa-Alaikum-Salaam, Sharif Mamu," replied the girl, remembering the manners that had been drummed into her from a very early age.

She not only knew the man well, she was actually rather fond of him. The retired army captain known to all the grownups in the basti as Captain Saab, was a kind soul and had lavished a great deal of attention on her and some of the other children in the street. He often told exciting tales of adventure and bravery. Sometimes the stories were of his own life in the army and at other times famous battles drawn from history. The children particularly enjoyed hearing about Hannibal crossing the Alps with his elephants to attack Rome. Many of the boys in the basti admired him and dreamed of joining the armed forces when they grew up.

Laying a gentle hand on her shoulder, Captain Saab slightly stooped over her tiny frame and said in a concerned but soft voice, "Where are you going on your own, this early in the morning?"

"I can't tell you, Sharif Mamu."

"Why not?"

"It's a secret."

"I see...But soon you'll have to get ready for school."

"I'm not going to school today," the girl announced.

"Are you feeling poorly, betya?"

"I'm feeling fine, Sharif Mamu."

"Are your Mommy and Abba unwell maybe..?" the man inquired solicitously.

"No, they're fine."

"So why are you not going to school today? I thought you enjoyed going to school."

"I'm not going to school today because of the secret."

"Must be an important secret."

The girl nodded. "It is, Mamu."

"Secrets can be a heavy burden to bear, child."

She was momentarily vexed as how to reply then decided so stick to her guns. "I can't tell you my secret."

"You know don't you that as a soldier I defended our country against enemies?"

The girl nodded.

"I'm fearless. I'm afraid of no one - except Allah of course. If you share your secret with me, you can be certain no one will be able to make me reveal your secret."

Everyone in the basti held Captain Saab in high esteem, so when he made that kind of declaration she was inclined to believe him.

"OK, I'll tell you my secret - but you mustn't tell anyone else," she insisted.

"Of course not. A Muslim's word is as good as a promise...So betya, what's the secret?"

"The reason I'm not going to school today is I'm running away from home."

"I see..."

"I'll be going now, Mamu."

"And I won't stop you, child. But can I ask you something?"

"Yes, Mamu."

"Are you having trouble at school with your teacher or classmates?"

She shook her head.

"Trouble at home, maybe?"

She hesitated about whether or not she should tell. In the end, she nodded and added an explicit, "Yes."

"Did your Mummy scold you or maybe smack you for being naughty?"

"Of course not! I'm a good girl," was her indignant reply.

"Then what's the problem?"

"My two brother."

"But, the youngest is only 6 months old and the other one is three. How can they be causing a big girl like you problems?"

"That baby's no use at all," Ayesha declared. "All he does is sleep. When he's not sleeping, he's crying."

"That's what babies do, betya."

"You know, the other day Mummy let me hold him and he peed all over me!"

The old man stifled his urge to laugh at that.

"Well what's wrong with Imran?"

"He doesn't even know how to play hide-and-seek."

"I'm sure he'll learn as he grows a bit older."

"He's always stealing my toys. And he pulls my hair!" the girl complained.

The old man had difficulty keeping a straight face when tried to show empathy for her situation. "That's terrible...Anything else?"

"Worst of all, he bites."

"And what does Mummy have to say about that?"

"Mummy is so busy looking after those two, she's got no time for me anymore."

Captain Saab realised that the nub of the problem was that Ayesha felt neglected and had lost pride of place in the changing family dynamics.

"In that case, I don't blame you for wanting to run away from home," he commented ostensibly sympathising with her plight.

"Allah hafiz, Mamu ...I have to leave now."

"Hold on a minute. If you're taking such a big step you need to be properly prepared."

"Prepared how?"

"You have to start off the day with a good breakfast. A good soldier would never start a mission on an empty stomach. And it looks to me you skipped breakfast this morning."

"I was in a rush."

"Come with me, child. Your Sakina Mami is preparing breakfast for me at this moment. I'm sure there'll be enough for both of us."

"Won't that delay things? I wanted to make an early start."

"There's always time for halwa puri," commented Captain Saab with a cheerful smile.

Ayesha was feeling hungry and Captain Saab's suggestion was tempting. The young girl followed the retired army captain as he limped into his house and made his way to the dining area.

"Sakina begum! Where are you?" the captain shouted to his wife.

It took nearly a whole minute before the woman appeared. She was pleasantly plump, a little on the short side and dressed in a purple shalwar kameez, and wore a grease-stained apron.

When her husband set eyes on her, he announced "We have a special guest for breakfast this morning. So it will be halva puri for three, instead of the usual two this morning."

When the woman caught sight of Aisha she was so delighted her face lit up. "Aisha betya!"

She loved children but sadly she and her husband had not been blessed with any. They were childless. Often she lavished all that motherly affection brimming up inside her on the children in the neighbourhood. She was particularly fond of Aisha who used to visit regularly with her mother before the new baby was born. Often she had looked after Aisha and her brother Imran when their mother was required to run an errand.

Sakina went up to the child and cupped Aisha's face gently in her hands and kissed the girl on the forehead. Then she affectionately stroked the girl's head. Such a lovely child, she thought. If only Allah had granted her the same.

"I'd better hurry with breakfast, otherwise you'll be late for school, betya," she remarked pleasantly.

The little girl was about to say that she had no intention of going to school when she noticed the Captain put his fingers to his lips, signalling her to say nothing. They waited until the woman wandered off to the kitchen before they resumed their discussion at the dining table.

"While we're waiting for breakfast, tell me your plans about running away from home," said the man sounding serious and formal.

"I'm leaving home. That's all. Why do I need plans, Mamu?"

"Well, when you leave home where will you go?"

"How should I know?"

"If you set off on a journey, you need a destination, child."

"I hadn't thought of a destination," confessed the girl.

"If you have a destination you can then decide whether you need to go north, south or east...So in which direction are you going to go?"

"I don't know."

"It is always sensible to choose a destination before you leave home so that you know in which direction to head. Have you any idea where you'd like to go?"

Yesterday when she had decided to leave home, she hadn't realised it could be this complicated. It took her a few moment of hard thinking before an idea came to her. When she had made her decision, her eyes visibly brightened.

"I'm going to Lahore," she declared.

"That's good choice. Lahore is a beautiful city."

"My Nana and Nanima live there," added Ayesha excitedly.

"I'm sure they'll be very pleased to see you. But I think they'll wonder why you didn't bring your suitcase with you."

"I don't have a suitcase."

"Well you need something to carry your change of clothes, some of your favourite toys and of course a toothbrush."

"I hadn't thought of that, Mamu."

"Not to worry. I'm sure your Nanima will buy you some new clothes to wear when the ones you're wearing get dirty."

The little girl suddenly remembered what else she had failed to take into account.

"But what about Billu balu?"

"Who's Billu balu?

"He's my teddy bear."

"You'll have to leave him behind - unless you change your mind about running away from home."

"No, I've made up my mind. I'm leaving this morning."

"Good. I like your determination."

The girl smiled at being praised although deep down she was distressed at leaving her cuddly Billu behind.

"How are you going to get to Lahore?"

The puzzled expression on the little girl's face suggested she didn't quite understand the question.

"As a soldier I'm used to walking distances, but even for me, Lahore is too far to walk in one day."

"Mamu, how far is Lahore from here?"

"The distance from Multan to Lahore is 350 km."

"I didn't realise Lahore was that far."

"You could take a bus or a train, I suppose."

"I don't like buses."

"Then you should take the train. An A/C compartment will make the journey more comfortable. So make sure you buy a first class ticket," Captain Saab advised.

"But Mamu I don't have the money to buy a train ticket."

"Well in that case, I suggest you take the bus. It's a lot cheaper."

"Uncle, you don't understand. I don't have any money at all."

"Well betya that is a very big problem."

"Are you sure I can't walk to Lahore? I don't mind if it takes a few days."

"In the army, when we march a long distance, we pitch a tent each night. We also have army rations to eat."

"Really?"

"Yes. Ayesha betya, do you have a tent you can take with you?"

The girl shook her head, clearly dismayed. Running away from home wasn't at all easy as she had first thought.

"And since you don't have any money to buy food, you'd have to do without food for a week."

"As long as that?" she asked in disbelief.

The retired captain assured her that it could be even longer than a week without food.

"I really wanted to run away from home today," said Ayesha feeling dispirited.

"I know you did, betya," commented Captain Saab sympathetically.

"Mamu, you have to help me. What should I do?"

"My advice, betya is you delay your journey. Wait until you've saved enough money for a train ticket. Besides, what's the rush?"

"But I wanted to go to Lahore today."

"You can always run away from home next week, next month - or even next year. Lahore will still be there. When you do decide to leave home, just make sure you've planned and prepared yourself for the journey."

"So, I should go home now?" Her question was basically rhetorical but her disappointment very real.

"Yes betya, you should go home, but not before you've had breakfast. And talking of breakfast, here comes your Sakina Mami with the halwa puri!"

At the sight and smell of the breakfast tray being carried by Captain Saab's wife, the little girl quickly forgot her disappointment.

(The End)