Part: 2bNew character: 'Vikram Oberoi'Vikram works for Ghaffur.After saying 'Allah Hafiz', Ghaffur disconnected the call and immediately dialled another number.
"Hello! Vikram?" He spoke into the phone.
"Yes sir?" Vikram replied in a sleepy tone.
"Are you working on the task i gave you?" He asked urgently.
"Absolutely sir! Actually tomorrow when I'll come to meet you, I am sure you would be very happy with the output of my work" Vikram replied proudly.
"Oh, is that so?" Asked Ghaffur.
"Undoubtedly" Came a confident reply by Vikram.
"Ok, Then come to my office early in the morning"
"Sure sir!"
______________
"Asad! wake up. We have to reach Nikhat's home before 9 o'clock or else we would get late for the Milaad beta"
Aaad woke up listening to her mother's sweet, loving voice.
"What time is it, ammi?" He asked.
"It's 8:30 am already. You need to hurry up "
"Don't worry Ammi. I will only take 10 minutes to get ready. You know that."
Dilshad smiled. "Yes, I know but you'd be ready in 10 minutes only if you would leave your dear bed and get into the bathroom. Asad smiled sheepishly at her mom and walked towards the only bathroom in their house. Dilshad shook her head at her son's antics and exited the room.
Nikhat's mother knew Dilshad from a long time so she has invited all three of them to her home for the Milaad.
In about 15 minutes they left their home. Nikhat's place was at a walking distance from their own so they reached there on time.
While returning from the Milaad. Asad, Zeenat and Dilshad were walking back towards their home when Zeenat saw an ice-cream man standing at the opposite end of the road and asked Dilshad "Ammi can I have an ice-cream?"
Dikshad looked over at Zeenat's face and then at the ice-cream man.
"Sure beta" Dilshad smiled. "Asad, take these 20 rupees and bring one ice-cream for your aapi and one for yourself."
"And what about you, Ammi?" Asad asked.
"I don't feel like having an ice-cream." Dilshad replied.
"Okay!"
Asad went to the opposite side of the road to buy two ice-creams while Dilshad and Zeenat waited for him to return.
Asad bought tge ice-creams and was crossing the road when he heard his Ammi shouting his name "Assaddd" He looked up from the road and saw Dilshad running towards him with both her arms stretched out towards him and her facial expressions were horrified.
Dilshad pushed Asad just in time and they both fell at the end of the road. That was when realization of what just happened dawned upon Asad. He was going to get hit by a car which was advancing towards him in full speed and that is why his mom has pushed him aside.
He quickly got up and helped her ammi to get up on her feet. Dilshad immediately cupped Asad's face with both her hands and asked urgently. "Tum theek ho na?" Asad simply nodded his head. Dilshad pulled him in a tight hug.
Zeenat ran upto both of them and asked, "Asad! Are you alright?" Asad released himself from the hug and again nodded his head as an answer to Zeenat's question.
Asad looked down at the ice-creams which were wasted as expected. He sighed and looked aplogetically towards his aapi. "Sorry about the ice-creams, aapi."
"Don't be silly Asad. It was not your fault at all aur waise bhi I guess vo ice-cream meri kismat mein likhi hi nhi thi" Zeenat sighed dramatically and Asad shook his head at her aapi's antics. They both were busy in their silly talks while heading back to their home and that's why they didn't notice the the blank expression on Dilshad's face.
They reached home in less than five minutes. Dilshad went stright to the bedroom. A few minutes later Asad and Zeenat heard someone sobbing, they first looked at each other confusedly and then at the source of the sobbing sound. They both ran into the room and saw Dilshad sitting on the floor, her back was resting against the bedside, her face was covered with her hands and she was crying bitterly. It was the very first time they were seeing their Ammi cry in front of them, openly.
They sat near her, on the floor and Asad removed her ammi's hands from her face. "What happenend, Ammi?"Asad asked.
"Don't tell me that you're crying because of that silly incident took place a few minutes before." Asked Zeenat.
Dilshad didn't respond to any of them. She kept crying, after few minutes when she finally calmed down a little, She whispered "Your abbu died in an accident"
Saying that Asad and Zeenat were shocked would be an understatement.
It was the first time Dilshad was telling them the reason behind their abbu's death. Before, whenever they asked her questions like 'What caused abbu's death', She had just avoided the topic but today, she was mentioning about Rashid Ahmed Khan's death to them on her own, without their insistance.
They were staring at their Ammi's face with disbelief. When Dilshad got no response from them, she continued...
Zeenat you were 8 years old at that time while Asad, you were just of 4.
Flash Back: (11 years back)6:30 am in the morning.
"Rashid! Will you drop me off at the market after dropping Zeenat at her school?"Dilshad asked.
"What about Asad? who'd take care of him if you went to the market?"Rashid asked concerned for his 4 years old baby.
"He is sleeping and I just need to buy few vegetables for the dinner, I would be back before he wakes up." Dilshad answered calmly.
"Are you sure?" Rashid asked once again, just to reassure.
"Arre haan baba, I'm 100% sure. Now shall we leave?"
"Okay!" He shrugged.
Dilshad, Rashid and Zeenat settled themselves on Rahid's cycle. Rashid first dropped Zeenat at her school.
"Allah Hafiz, Ammi" "Allah Hafiz, Abbu"
Rashid bent down and kissed Zeenat on her forehead whereas Dilshad just smiled and waved at her daughter. When Zeenat entered her school gates, Rashid started paddling his cycle.
"Aaj toh night duty nhi hai na aapki?" Dilshad asked.
"Nahi! aaj shaam tak ghar aa jaunga" Rashid turned his face backwards to catch a glance of Dilshad. At the same time Dilshad saw a truck coming staright towasrds them from the front and she screamed "Rashid watch it". Rashid instantly moved his gaze to the front and his eyes grew wide, He immediately pushed Dilshad off of the cycle and himself got hit by the truck.
Dilshad rolled off towards the side of the road and hissed in pain, her right knee was hurting badly. She looked up
and witnessed the worst sight in front of her eyes. Rashid was laying on the other end of the road, blood was freely ozing out hid head and fore arm. His body was drenched with his blood, His left arm was injured severely. Dilshad got up immediately but fell right back on the road as fast as she had stood up. Her hurting knee was not allowing her to stand on her foot. She tried to get up once again, this time putting all her weight on her left leg and she successfully got up. Soon after she got up she walked toqards Rashid's body by not stressing her right leg much.
She sat beside Rashid and shook him several times. "Rashid? Rashid open your eyes, Rashid?" She managed to speak
between her sobs but Rashid didn't respond, She got tensed 'Why was he not responding?' She quickly checked his pulse, heartbeats heaved a sigh of relief. He was alive yet. People gathered around her when a car stopped by her side, Two men came out of the car and hurriedly neared her. One of them asked, "Behen ji kya hua?"
"Bhai *sob* Bhai pl...please help, My husband.. acci *accident. ..hospital?" Dilshad tried to answer him but she was not able to form a proper sentence but it seemed like he understood what she was trying to say.
"Don't worry, come sit in the car, we will drop you and your husband off to the hospital" The other one offered.
Dilshad looked at both of them with grateful eyes. She stood up yet again putting all her weight on her left leg while those men carried Rashid into their car.
*Scroll down for reading further* Edited by Kyara.95 - 11 years ago
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