14 Daddy's back
For a long period since then nothing ‘perhaps’ happened in my life. Neither had I faced any terror threat nor any news of Aarti. My mornings, my evenings, they all went busy, busy in tight schedules of meetings, movements etc. About three years had passed and things were going as usual only until one day when I heard that call ring. I was in my bathroom taking morning bath. I quickly completed my bath and rushed to receive my mobile. It was from hospital. Their first words were, “We have found your father. When are you coming to receive him?”
My eyes got filled with tears and anxiety nerved me within. I did not cared to look into mirror nor did to collect the broken pieces of the flower vessel that fell down with collision with me in hurry. I hustled up to drive crazily off to the hospital. When I reached I shouted at the doctor desperately, “Where is he?” and he pointed his figure behind me. I turned down to see him. He was there. Yes, it was really him there sitting in the corner. Oh God! No words in the universe could describe the emotions that sprouted out from my heart but we all understand that warm feeling when you see someone so close to you after so long time. His condition looked like a poor, pathetic man. He was looking very weak and terrified.
“Abbu!” I said to him in heavy voice. He slowly raised his head to look up at me but did not react. Maybe he did not recognize me due to low vision.
“Abbu, it’s me Faizan. Faizan Abbu,” I said again to help him recognize me.
“Faizan…” he firmly held my hand and started to weep convulsively. I held him tight and could not help even myself from sobbing.
“Faizan… Oh! Thank lord you are alright. I thought I lost you…Oh! He(Allah) is great,” he said sobbing continuously as I tried to convince him but somewhere I thought better to let him weep today and let all his grievances come out.
Meanwhile, police came there for legal works. The doctor informed the police and me that one of our junior doctors found and recognized him in Shailpur. His situation was critical so she brought him here for better medical facilities.
The police officer enquired my father if he could give statement about everything happened with him. Abbu replied, “I do not clearly remember but just starving from one place to another until that humble woman got me here. I am very thankful to her and Allah. She is a good woman. That’s all I can say.”
“Doctor, Can I thank the woman please?” I requested the doctor to meet me the humble woman and he asked his nurse to inform her to come.
When she came and when I saw her I could not believe my eyes. All I can say is that as soon as I saw her a content smile stuck to my face. I cannot explain in words but just forget about everything for a moment and think that how much a man like me should be happy that day when he suddenly realized that the almighty had not only revived him his every happiness back but also fulfilled his ultimate desire because the doctor was no one but Aarti herself. Of course, I was surprised; of course I pinched myself to confirm if I was dreaming. But who cares? I did not care how did it happened, by magic or just a coincidence. All I cared was that now I had both of them before my eyes.
“Aarti?” I responded surprisingly and held her in hands with happiness. “Aarti where were you? Thank god we met again,” I expressed my happiness seeing her but she did not say anything. Moreover, she did not look excited or happy seeing me.
“You know each other?” doctor asked me surprisingly.
“Doctor…” I addressed him contently. “Today is the most prosperous and fortunate day of my life. Just take it as that God has showered all the happiness of the world to my bucket today,” I replied to the doctor and took Abbu home with a content heart.
That night after Abbu slept, I took the address of Aarti from the doctor and went straight to her home. I rang the bell and she opened the door but she did not ask me to come in.
“Why have you come here Faizan?” she asked to me. I figured out that she might be still angry because I did not return to Shailpur in time. I got into the house without asking her but she still kept ignoring me. Irritatingly I held her hand from behind and tuned her towards me.
“Aarti if you don’t know then let me tell you that I had come to Shailpur but you had already left. That’s what Balvinder informed me. I was abducted by naxallites, everybody knows that, come-on,” I said to convince her.
“Faizan I am not angry with you and why should I be? Everything’s fine now in your life. Go enjoy it but leave me alone,” she replied.
“What? What do you mean by ‘go and enjoy your life’? Aarti if you are not angry then God dammit why are you ignoring me since morning? What is wrong with you? Why are you not happy seeing me? Answer me dammit answer me,” I said frustratingly to her.
“Faizan what do you expect from me then? What should I do? Dance? Party? What?” she shouted at me as if I am some kind of outsider in her life. Like I do not hold any importance in her life. I was not able to understand what happened in 3-4 years that she does not want to even talk to me.
“Do you love someone else?” I asked tensely.
“Oh! Come on Faizan. What you mean by that now?” she said frustratingly.
“Nothing, just answer it do you love someone else?” I asked her again.
“No Faizan, no. Just stop all that non sense now, please” she replied. I sighed and tried to convince her one more time.
“I don’t understand why’re you doing this. I just don’t…” I said as she started to sob mournfully.
“Where were you these years when I needed you? Where? I was so alone; waited so long for you but you did not come… ” She wept leaning against a wall while I mutedly listened to her. “I even came to Saharabad to find you but couldn’t…”
“I know…I’m sorry. My house was sealed. I had moved to my friend’s house for some time…” I replied to her.
“I had no contact of you. Neither your phone number, nor address, nothing. And you never gave me too…neither you ever came to look for me” she said sobbingly.
“No it’s not true. I did but you were gone by that time…” I said but it was all useless as her tears did not stop. “Aarti, oaky leave all that right now. Tell me what happened with the child. I hope nothing bad happened with him, right?” I asked her trying to change the topic.
“What do you think?” she asked me.
“Just tell me,” I said.
“He died,” she replied.
“What? But …and his father?” I asked worriedly.
“He too killed himself,” she replied.
“Shit! Damn it. No… What the hell happened?” I replied desolately.
“I think you should leave. It’s already midnight,” she insisted.
“But…”
“Please Faizan…”
I stopped when she insisted further. Perhaps she was right. It had already been too late; I thought better to leave but promised her to meet soon. That night, on the bed, many things moved in my mind- that poor child and his father, Abbu and Aarti herself. A lot of questions revolved over my head while the day had the answers.
Next morning I got up ready for my ‘work’. Before leaving I went to Abbu’s room to inform him. The maid had prepared the breakfast, so I took his breakfast too with me.
“Abbu, your breakfast is ready,” I said to him while he was still asleep.
“Let me get fresh first, son. You are dressed up. Are you going somewhere?” he asked waking from sleep.
“Yes Abbu, I am going for my work,” I said to him.
“Work? What work?” he asked astonishingly curving his eyebrows.
I sat down before him and held his hands firmly. I was confused from where should I start but I thought better to tell him everything. So I told him, “Abbu, I want to tell you something but I don’t know how you will respond.”
“Tell me Faizan. I am your father,” he replied.
“I work in the supervision of Syed Younis Khan” I said as his face turned down. And so I tried to clear it to him “But Abbu, I have not joined his party, in fact I have no role in politics. Neither I neither participate in elections nor give speeches. It’s tough to make you understand how things went in past”. I said convincing him. I paused for a while but he did not speak anything. So I continued.
“Abbu, I know this might have hurt you. They were your companions. In fact people say that the riot was spread by none other than them themselves to hurt Muslim Samaj party main leaders. Abbu, what I do there is an effort to renovate back our town and our dream. But if you do not want me to go there then I will resign from the post. You know that,” I said to him.
His head was low and he was still quiet. But then he smiled and said, “I am not angry but proud of you Faizan and I want to come with you.”
“Really Abbu, do you really want to come with me?” I asked him happily.
“Yes, yes I do” he replied again.
“But, you are not still well enough. You should rest Abbu,” I said concerning over his weakness.
“Faizan I am perfectly alright. And you will be there to look after me, so why worry?” he replied over my concern.
“Fine Abbu, now you get ready fast” I requested him. “We will go together now,” I told him and he got up to get ready.
Meanwhile, when Younis Khan came to know that Abbu is still alive he became worried about his case. He immediately asked Junaid khan to meet him.
“Janaab, just do not worry. Even if he is alive does not proves that we were behind the riots. We left no clues behind,” convinced Junaid Khan to Younis Khan.
“How can you be so sure Junaid? How can you? It is already in the air that we were the masterminds of the riots. And if it is proved not only our government will fall down but we may face life sentence Junaid, life sentence. Don’t you get that?” shouted Younis Khan at Junaid Khan.
Junaid khan too became worried but he held his nerves and started to think.
“Janab, the only way to suppress this matter is to shake hands with Ahmad khan,” suggested Juanid Khan to him.
“What? Why will Ahmad Khan befriend us?” asked Younis Khan.
“He wills Janaab, he will. His son is already in our control. What we need to do now is to pretend well enough to make Ahmad Khan feel that we are his well-wishers and we are very sorry for his family,” suggested Junaid Khan.
“Will he believe us?” asked Younis Khan.
“Only Allah knows, but we have no choice so we must try to win his trust. And once this is done not only the cases registered against us will be taken back but our image will improve before the public,” said Junaid Khan.
“Amen” wished Younis Khan.