chapter 7

Usne ghoom kar apne shaiqeen ko pyar se salam kiya. Musicians ne is baar kuch nahi bajaya aur tej gaane ki recordings bajayi gayi. Performer ne dance shuru kiya. Uski performance se pehle jo khamoshi thi woh taaliyon se toot gayi aur mardon ne uske dance ko pasand karte hue shor machaya aur drinks chalu ho gayi. Kuch zyada nashe mein mard uth kar uske saath dance karne lage. Sirf pehla ladka. chup chaap performance dekh raha tha.Uska chehra be izhar tha, magar agar ghoor se dekha jaye to yeh saaf tha ke woh maze le raha tha. Jab actress ka dance do ghante baad khatam hua, toh zyada tar mard hall mein behosh ho chuke thay. Wapas jaana unke liye masla nahi tha kyunki woh waapis jaane ka irada lekar nahi aaye thay-woh raat guzarna chaahte thay. Chaaron ladkon ne bhi wahan raat guzari. Agle din, wapas jaate hue, ek ladke ne pehle wale se poocha jo gaadi ke bahar dekh raha tha, "Toh, kaisa tajurba raha?""Theek tha," usne casually jawab diya."Theek tha? Bas itna? Waise..." Naraz hote hue, usne beech mein baat chor di."Yeh jagah kabhi kabhar dekhne layak hai. Aur kya keh sakta hoon? Magar isme kuch khaas nahi tha. Meri girlfriend us aurat se behtar hai jiske saath maine raat guzari," usne jawab diya.***********"***************Hashim Mubeen ki poori family dining table par mojood thi. Wo khushgawar guftagu kar rahe the jabke wo khana kha rahe the. Imama unki guftagu ka mawzu thi"Baba, kya aapne dekha hai ke Imama din ba din zyada serious hoti ja rahi hai?" Waseem ne usay provokingly dekhte hue kaha."Ha...maine kuch mahino se ye notice kiya hai," Hashim Mubeen ne jawab diya, aur unki nazar Imama ke chehre par thi.Imama ne Waseem ko ghoor kar dekha jab usne chawal ka ek niwala uthaya. "Imama, koi masla hai?""Baba, ye bakwas karta hai aur aap uski baat mein aa jate hain. Main serious aur busy hoon apni padhai ki wajah se-akhir har koi Waseem ki tarah bekaar nahi hai," usne kuch chirchira kar kaha aur Waseem ke kandhe par halka sa thapki di. "Baba, jab ye doctor ban jayegi to kya banega agar isne apni padhai ke shuruati saalon mein hi ye haal hai," Waseem ne mazak urate hue kaha. "Miss Imama Hashim ko muskurane mein saal lag jayenge.."Sab log table par muskurane lage: aisi nok jhok aksar hoti rehti thi. Imama aur Waseem ka jhagra na ho, aisa kabhi kabar hi hota. Magar Waseem bhi Imama ka sabse acha dost tha-shayad un dono ka umar mein kareebi hona unki dosti ki buniyad thi"Aur socho ke Imama..." lekin usne is baar usay baat poori nahi karne di. Usne ghuma kar uske kandhe par zor se mukka mara. Us par koi asar nahi hua."Hamare ghar mein ek doctor ke ilawa aur kya ho sakta hai jo 'healing touch' rakhti hai? Aapne abhi demonstration dekhi hai aur andaza laga sakte hain ke aaj kal doctor apne mareezon ka kaise ilaj karte hain. Ye bhi un wajahon mein se ek hai ke mulk mein death rate kyun barh raha hai..""Baba, please usay rokiye!" Imama ne haar maan kar Hashim Mubeen se darkhwast ki,,"Waseem!" Hashim ne muskurahat dabate hue apne bete ki taraf dekha jo tameez se chup ho gaya.******************Usne paper bag ke tamam contents grinder mein dal diye aur grinder on kar diya. Us wagt cook andar aaya"Chote Saab, mein madad karun?" usne peshkash ki lekin usay haath se roka diya gaya."Nahi, mein kar lunga. Lekin mujhe ek glass doodh la do." Usne grinder band kar diya. Cook ne usay doodh la diya. Adha glass doodh mein usne grinder ka contents daala, jhat se milaya aur usay nigal gaya."Aaj tumne kya pakaya hai?" usne cook se poocha, jo usay batane laga ke usne kya pakaya hai. Uske chehre par naraazgi ka asar aaya."Mujhe kuch nahi khana. Mein upar sona ja raha hoon; mujhe tang mat karna," usne sakhti se kaha aur kitchen se nikal gaya.Wo bheja bheja lag raha tha, daari ugi hui thị, aur shirt ke do button ke siwa sab khule hue the. Apni chappal ko ghaseet-te hue wo apne kamre mein gaya aur darwaza band kar diya. Phir usne bara music system on kiya aur Michael Bolton ka "When a Man Loves a Woman' full volume par lagaya. Wo bed par moonh ke bal leta gaya, remote haath mein tha, aur paon music par hil rahe the.Bed aur uske ilawa kamre mein sab kuch theek tha. Kahin dhool ka ek zarra bhi nahi tha. Audio-video cassettes neat and tidy ek shelf par rakhin thi, aur wall par bhi kuch books aur computer table uski muntazim tabiyat ka izhar kar rahe the. Hollywood actresses aur mukhtalif bands ke posters walls ko saja rahe the, jabke bathroom ka darwaza aur kuch windows Playboy ke nude cut-outs se decorate kiye gaye the.Pehli martaba kamre mein dakhil hone wala shakhs hairan reh jata kyunki windows par life-size aur lifelike nude pinups the jo khaas order mein rakhe gaye the. Audio system ke ilawa ek keyboard, guitar, piccolo aur oboe bhi walls par latak rahe the. Yeh saaf tha ke kamre ka maqeem music mein bari dilchaspi rakhta tha. Bed ke samne ek television cabinet tha jiske shelves par shields aur trophies rakhi thi. Ek aur kone mein cricket bats aur racquets sports stars ke posters ke saath hunar mandi se latak rahe the. Aisa lagta tha ke Gabriela Sabatini ke haath mein tennis racquet tha, jabke doosra Rodney Martin ke haath mein, aur squash racquet Jehangir Khan ke haath mein tha.Double bed par woh silken sheets thi jo maali lag rahi thi. Kuch pornographic magazines, zyada tar Playboy, idhar udhar bikhri hui thi aur paper-cutter aur cut-out snippets is baat ka saboot the ke wo pictures kaat raha tha. Chewing gum wrappers, ek khaali coffee mug, Dunhill's ka packet aur lighter, ek ashtray aur idhar udhar bikhri hui raakh ne white silk sheet par daagh daal diye the. Kahin ghadi thi aur ek tie, aur pillow ke paas ek cell phone tha jahan woh shakhs moonh ke bal leta tha, shayad aadha soya hua tha jab uska haath bed par phone dhundta raha jo baj raha tha. Phone ki beep usne nahi suni aur remote uske haath se gir gaya jab uski pakad dheeli ho gayi. Michael Bolton ki awaz When a Man Loves a Woman' ke lyrics ke sath kamre ko bhar rahi thi-darwaze par dastak zor aur musalsal hoti gayi, magar wo bed par be-harakat leta raha.......****************"************"Don't tell me! Imama, kya tum waqai mangni shuda ho?" Zainab ne Javeria ke izhaar se heran ho kar kaha. Imama ne Javeria ko ilzam bhari nazar se dekha, jo sharmindagi se usay dekh rahi thi. "Usay mat dekho-mujhe dekho aur batao ke kya ye sach hai ke tumhari mangni ho chuki hai," Zainab ne Imama se sakhti se poocha. "Ha, lekin ye koi aisi extraordinary ya hairat angez baat nahi ke tum itni reaction do," Imama ne pur-sukoon jawab diya. Wo sab library mein baithi thi aur puri koshish kar rahi thi ke ahista baat karein. "Lekin kam az kam tumhe humein batana chahiye tha Ye kya bara raaz tha?" Rabia ne kaha."Koi raaz nahi aur na hi ye itna zaroori hai. Waise bhi, humari dosti abhi haali mein hui hai aur ye mangni saalon pehle hui thi," Imama ne wazahat ki. "Tumhara matlab hai 'saalon pehle'?""Mera matlab hai do ya teen saal pehle.""Lekin phir bhi tumhe humein batana chahiye tha..." Zainab ne zor diya. Imama ne usay muskurahat di. "Jab meri dobara mangni hogi, to zaroor bataungi-chahe kisi aur ko bataun ya nahi.""Bohat mazaaq." Zainab ne usay ghoor kar kaha."Kam az kam humein uski tasveer to dikhao... Wo kaun hai? Uska naam kya hai? Wo kya karta hai?" Rabia ne hamesha ki tarah ek saans mein sawalat barsa diye. "Wo mera pehla cousin hai... uska naam Asjad hai," Imama ne dheere se kaha aur soch mein pad gayi. "Usne apna MBA mukammal kar liya hai aur apna khud ka business chalata hai."Wo dikhta kaisa hai?" Zainab ne poocha. Imama ne usay ghur kar dekha. "Wo theek hai""Theek hai? Main tumse pooch rahi hoon ke kya wo tall, dark, aur handsome hai?" Imama ne Zainab ko bina kuch kahe muskurahat di. Javeria ne uski taraf se jawab diya."Ye Imama ki choice hai... wo kaafi achha dikhta hai.""Ha, humein pata hona chahiye-akhir wo Imama ka pehla cousin hai. Ab Imama, tumhara agla kaam hai humein uski tasveer dikhana, Zainab ne hukam diya."Nahi, uski pehli zimmedari hai humein treat dena," Rabia ne dakhal diya. "Lekin ab chalo, mujhe hostel jana hai." Imama uth khadi hui aur wo sab saath nikal gayi. "By the way, Javeria, tumne pehle humein ye baat kyun nahi batayi?" Zainab ne usse poocha."Suno, Imama nahi chahti thi-isi liye maine kabhi zikar nahi kiya," Javeria ne kaha Imama ne ghuma kar Javeria ko warning bhari nazar se dekha. "Imama kyun nahi chahti thi? Agar meri mangni hoti aur wo bhi meri pasand ke larke se, to main chhat se chillati. Zainab ne zor se kaha.Imama ne usay nazarandaz karna behtar samjha.********************Aapka beta duniya ki 2.5 percent abadi mein se hai jinka IQ 150 se zyada hai. Is level ki intelligence ke sath, wo jo bhi kare, woh extraordinary hoga, lekin unexpected nahi. Salar sirf aik hafta hi International School mein tha jab Sikandar Usman aur unki biwi ko school administration ne bulaya. School ke psychologist ne unhain Salar ke various IQ tests ke bare mein bataya jin mein uski performance aur score ne uske teachers aur psychologist ko hairan kar diya. Wo school ka akele bacha tha jiska IQ itna zyada tha aur jald hi woh sab ki tawajju ka markaz ban gaya.Mr. aur Mrs. Usman se milte waqt, psychologist ko Salar ke bachpan ke bare mein zyada maloomat lene ka mauka mila. Woh Salar ke case ko personal interest se study kar raha tha, professional ke ilawa, kyunki pehli dafa usne itni high IQ level dekha tha. Sikandar Usman ko achi tarah yaad tha ke jab Salar sirf do saal ka tha, wo apni age ke dusre bachon se mukhtalif tha aur aksar cheezen aisi kehta tha jo unke liye hairat ka sabab banti thi.Ek din wo apne bhai se phone par baat kar rahe the jab Salar ne phone uthaya aur kaha, 'Hello, Uncle, ye Salar hai. Sikandar ne dekha wo khushi se baat kar raha tha "Main theek hoon. Aap kaise hain ? Continue ✍️✍️✍️