One day, Maira called her:" I told to Afrasayab that you are saved by marrying me otherwise if you have married Amraha then... Well... Leave this... By the way he'll be bankrupt and more than that... I don't know what will happen with him..."
She silently heard the fable of Afrasayab. At the end Maira said:" You also say something"
She disconnected the call, it was enough answer for her.
She was going to college regularly, but she sometimes talked to Dada. She was angry with him. Dadi and amma were not saying anything bad to her now. If something burned, dadi got sprain, Hamad met accident by motorcycle or Baba got loss in business; no one said anything to her. Because now this work had taken by outsiders with excitement. Amraha felt that there was a jungle of darkness, in which she was wandering. But she couldn't find any ray of light. She thought that people would forget everything but won't forget about her. She prayed that any kind of wind might be blown in the atmosphere which erased her name from the minds of people. And with that people would forget the incidents which was joint with her personality. If some guests came to home, she went to library. But she couldn't stay there after evening. Then she was wandering with Dada but didn't talk with him. Dada knew very well that she was afraid to face people. Specially from their relatives. And this fear was given by those people.
She was disappeared in the functions of relatives but she was still famous among them. She was the best topic for discussion and making jokes. She was player of the game of ladder and snake who was bitten by snake every time and she got the lower position... Everytime..
Jealous girls of relatives wanted to see the beautiful girl like Amraha in the lower position. But why only jealous girl? Who was not there; Who didn't want first number for themselves and last for others?
But human is one, no matter who praises himself but also covers the vices of others.
But this type of human isn't found in the crowd of people.
********************
She has become disgusting, sad and bitter by her environment and herself day by day. Doesn't know, it is any plan of destiny or any emphasis of nature that she's trying fast to derive out from this environment. In this one and half year, she applied in hundreds of foreign universities. Fifty percent, sixty, seventy percent, she didn't let go any type of scholarship. Dada tried his best to convince Baba to give some lacs for the study of daughter. But Baba had only one mantra:" Who spend lacs on the study?"
The student society of Manchester university was giving five scholarship from their personal fund. She also rejected by them. In this two years, she got these words almost two hundred times:" Sorry! You're a good student, but we can't help... Best of luck" then she leaved counting of emails. But it's clear that there's no limit of refusal and failure but loser always has limit to tolerate her failure.
Refusal from Manchester university also gave her tears. And she sent them last email in rage:" I know I'm unfortunate, I'll die with fire...so what? You all go to hell and your offer of scholarship also go to hell"
Next day, she received the email in which she got the long lecture about the people who faced many problems in their lives and they got the success in their worst conditions. Mohammed Ali Clay and Charlie Chaplin were on top of the list. Then they also told her that she got B-grade in matric, and F.Sc. With only A grade; in this situation, if she would do graduation with A+ grade, it would not make any difference. Because in this situation it would be unfair with those who had marvellous academic results; if they gave scholarship to her.
"huh! The supporter of justice" she said.
In last time, there was a short sentence:" By the way, we're thinking maybe we will do something for you, give some time to us"
She gave time to them, what type of object she was to give them time. In these days, her BA result was also out. But board association maybe forbid A+ grade on her. As much as she put effort but they never gave her A-plus. She stayed angry but what she could do? She wrote plus sign (+) on her degree and mailed it to Manchester university. And her cleverness worked this time. After one month of thinking, they replied to her:" We're giving you 70% scholarship. You've to repay 30% during two years degree of university. And remaining 50% you've to within coming 5 years. Your food and residency; you've to handle all these. We only provide these facilities in temporary basis.
Then the words of "unfortunate and I'll die" worked there. Pakistanis like brutish shivered with fear and offered her scholarship.
She went silently with dada to make passport. Dada took out some of his money and some borrowed from his friends for paying remaining 30% of fees.
Now she was chirping with dada and pampered by him. She forget about her anger of years with dada. Again they're become friends. She was like that she was going forever and dada was pampering her that after two years, when she'll come, she must have forgotten about crying, dying and beating etc.
She went with dada to upper and lower class hotels and glanced her surroundings like that she was saying goodbye to everything forever. Dada observed her style and says:" Amraha! You're going for study... Only for study... Be remember that I'm giving you freedom for study, not for the other decision. Still me and your Baba has the authority for taking decision for you"
"ok!" She nodded but she thought that she would study and would do job there and didn't know, dada started thinking. She didn't have any interest in boys and he could write on stamp papar about the same.
Both were ridden in the white horse-cart which was running on road of Mall. She noticed today that how much everything was beautiful and perfect. Sitting with dada and looking at the lights of surrounding, she was eating khoya qulfi(a kind of ice cream lolly) and putting her hands below to qulfi because whenever qulfi fell down on floor, it had messed completely on the floor. And this shock was more than anything. And this shock would not decrease after eating 5 to 6 qulfies. We only remembered that fallen qulfi..
Plain, bright and historical road of Lahore, which made melody by the hoofs of horse which was running on the Maal Road. They came back to home like happy kids who spend their three days Eid(Islamic festival) by collecting the Eidi(sum of amount which was given by elders to youngers on the occasion of Eid). And they didn't go outside of the home if they missed the Eidi of someone. And at the fourth day of Eid, those kids went outside and what the style of their coming outside would be! Marvellous....!
*********************
"Amraha is going after two days" dada announced at the dinning table.
"where?" Dadi asked, she thought that they often went to Baluchistan, might be this time she would go to Peshawar with dada.
Dada:" Manchester"
Everyone:" What's this?"
Dada thought that it would burst like bomb but it even didn't create the noise of cracker. We should take evil eye of their knowledge of geography. They didn't even know that the Manchester was the name of city and this city was located on England.
"is there any proposal come from there?" Dada got speechless after this question.
" your daughter is much talented that mayer of Manchester has asked her to come and study in our university" dada said in sarcastic voice.
"Amaraha is going abroad for study, her flight is after two days"
Now it made difference, Amma, Baba, dadi saw them with wonder.
" where do you get money?" Baba said with anger.
" she's going free, all expenses are carried by university" dada said.
Baba:" Baba! Why are you fooling me? Nowadays who do anything in free? Do you sale your plot? I have kept it for the marriage of Amraha and Daniya"
Dada tried to sale plot but it was located on depopulated place, so he couldn't sell it.
" plot is still there, you can go and check it"
Dadi:" She's not going anywhere, I have seen alliance for her, she'll get marry, it's enough"
"alliance...?" Amraha saw dadi and got up to go to her room. She was packing her bag quickly and also consoling herself that:" No one will stop me, I'll go from there.. I must go..."
Dadi, Amma, baba were arguing, now which type of alliance had come in this bad time she prayed that groom's family will know about incidents of her misfortune. Her family would cal her that how much this girl was unfortunate... Unlucky and black tongue.. Evil eyed girl. And moreover, someone might tell them about the incidents which related to her birth date. What was happened on Tuesday and 2nd of month?
Was this any time for alliance? Her fingers were pained by typing emails and filling the form of scholarships and now dadi and amma were preparing for marriage.
She was consoling herself and saying like that:" I'll go... I'll must go day after tomorrow.. Nothing will happen... Dada will do everything fine.." she packed her luggage and kept safely her passport that whether baba would burn it in rage.
Night was passing and she was hearing the noise from outside. After hiding the passport, she laid by lean with the door of her room. She got the nap bur she still murmured:" I'll go... I'm going.."
Dada opened the door and listened ups and down of her murmuring.
He put pillow below her head. She was so happy first time at that night. She was so much happy that without any mattress, she slept on the floor. Dada was sad about her. He wished that if this environment didn't give any pain to her then she might have slept every night peacefully. If she got happiness in her home.... Then she didn't sob to make her eyes red and didn't afraid from them. Dada sat with her and stared her.. That parrot which has soul of parents, name children... And for him, that parrot is Amraha.
This type of love, he didn't have for her father, even other children of him. Once Amraha asked him in anger:" Why don't you become like others...why do you love me so much?"
He couldn't answer that question. Destiny is always generous to human beings, even if all world is against her still somebody love that person from heart and soul. That love may be any in form of human, any bird, animal or any other creature.Always purposeless hatred produces unconditional love. As much as she got the hatred of everyone, she got the love of him.
God never forgets that if his devotee got so many quills in her life then god must give the fresh rose to her. Then his devotee will forgive about the pain of quills after getting that rose. Dada didn't know the secret of his love, only God knew about it and who knew very well then he must do very well.
Baba gave 10,000 rupees to her for shopping while dadi and amma were angry with her. She did shopping with dada. Daniya helped her for packing. Ali and Hammad looked at her with sorrow because she was going so far from them.
Dada also was controlling tears from his eyes:" She's going for study, not eloping... Parents are not getting happy... At least you both say goodbye to her with happiness... Whether plan will crush and she'll get lost"
Dada gave this lecture to Amma and dadi and both forgot about their anger. And said goodbye to her with prayers.
And she leaved for Manchester which would be waiting for her.
City of lessons
City of independence
And....
City of beloved (Yaaram).
