After some time...
Nobody kept the track of time...Razia was not in the condition to, and Pinaz lacked the will to. Both of them were lost in their own pain. It could have gone on for long if Razia wouldn't have broken the silence.
'I don't want to live...please let me die...I don't want this life.' Razia uttered in a feeble voice. Her face was still hidden in Pinaz's lap. 'I hate my life...I hate it.'
Pinaz ran her fingers through Razia's hair and spoke in a low and soothing voice, 'Why should you die...that person should die who did this to you.'
'Nobody can do anything to him...he is a powerful man...he will again find me...and...again...' uttering this much Razia again broke into tears as the memories of that terrible night again returned to haunt her mind. She wished she could just disappear from the world so that his lusty eyes can never see her again. But she was no angel to do so...hence she knew it was her fate to live with this fear...the fear of getting into his hands again...the fear of falling in his lusty grip again. That's why she decided to end her life. But due to Pinaz's strict instructions regarding monitoring, her plan failed miserably. And the attendants reached her in time.
'I want to run away from him...please save me...please', uttered Razia in a pleading voice. Her words made one thing very clear to Pinaz...'Whoever the culprit was...must be someone very powerful and influential.' But nothing can match up to their family when it comes to power and position! Hence she took the step forward and uttered in a low but confident tone, 'Whoever he is...can never breach our fortress. You don't need to worry at all. If my son would have been ok, I would have asked him to find out and perish that criminal...but he is...' Pinaz couldn't continue further as her voice got chocked with rush of emotion. She closed her eyes and gulped down the flow somehow.
After spending some moment to compose herself, Pinaz began again...'You know beta...life is never fair with women. The more it robs from us, the more it feels the need to rob again. We are always at the giving end. We can't change that. But we can put up a tough fight...we can prove before the world that, 'Look! I don't need anybody's support to stand tall. I can make my life on my own'. So don't let the cruel male chauvinistic life win over you. Don't ever lose the battle before you actually lose it.' With this Pinaz paused for some moments. Then she brought her face close to her ears and uttered, 'Promise me...you will never try to commit such stupid thing ever again...come on promise me...'
'Promise', Razia uttered in a barely audible voice, though this much was enough to spread a light through Pinaz's face. Now only thing she wished was Razia to return to a normal life...though she knew it would take time.
After caressing Razia's head for some more time, finally Pinaz uttered in a playful tone, 'pura din aise hi rehna hai...yah fir mujhe kuch kaam bhi karna hai?' This lightened the room temperature to some extent. Razia lifted her head from Pinaz's lap and looked at her face, 'Am sorry...aap jaiye...'. With this Razia returned to her place again. But this time, with a better mood. Pinaz stood up from the bed and was about to leave when something came to her mind and she turned to ask, 'You didn't tell me your name...did you?'
'Ra...Razia.'
The reply spread a smile through Pinaz's face. 'Seriously! Razia!'
'Yes. Why.'
'No...nothing...actually I have a son named Mirza.'
This brief exchange led to a silent moment in the room. Then Pinaz left the place.
After two months...
'How's your son?' razia asked a visibly broken Pinaz who was looking 20 years older only in the last 2 months. Continuous disturbing thoughts and never ending worries have started taking a toll on her health. Gradually every path was turning dark for her. No hope...no light.
It's been 2 months since Mirza was in coma. Still no improvement. With every passing day doctors were losing hope on him, letting Pinaz slip more into the agony of pain. Now the only thing she was praying for was Mirza's life...she wouldn't even mind if she has to see him all life without a limb. A mother will be more than satisfied with only her son's life! But even that seemed a fore lone dream. Now the only thing Pinaz could do was...wait. Nobody knows...for how long...
There was actually another thing she was concerned about...Razia's well being. In spite of being by the side of her son day and night Pinaz made it a point to visit razia regularly. Today she came to Dehradun for the same purpose. But she didn't know one revelation this afternoon would turn her world upside down and chop her every tie with her beloved son.
