chapter no: 5

"Someone, O my gloomy heart, seems to come again...

No, there is nothing so;

Must be just a passerby,

Somewhere else to go.

Carrying along the dust of stars,

The night has passed away,

The drowsy candles in the chambers

have begun to sway,

Weary with a long wait,

Every path has slept,

Over all the foot prints,

An alien dust has crept.

Let me put the candles out,

And clear the board,

That tonight I laid with chalice, flagon, wine.

My sleepless doors now I must lock,

As no one now will come to knock,

As no one now will come to knock.

Poet: Faiz Ahmad

Translator: Associate professor Rashad Butt

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He was sitting in front of his desk studying some papers. His pink lips were tightly pursed, making his chiseled jaw more visible. His tie was loosened around his neck, white shirt sleeves were folded high. The navy blue coat was spread over the back of the chair.

It was a hot afternoon, but the AC in the room was making it pleasant.

The glass door suddenly opened and someone entered diverting his attention from papers.

"How are you, friend .....I'm sorry, I've got an important job today, so got late" Tabriz said to him frankly grabbing the chair opposite to him.

"Bring it up," Hisham said three words with seriousness.

Silence filled the room again. He, who was flipping the pages noticed it surprisingly. Tabriz was never a quite person.

"Everything alright?" He asked synchronously.

"She really has grown up yar! A couple of years back, she was a little girl with piggy tails, and now she's a complete woman, attending the college." Tabriz said thoughtfully. His eyes were fixed on the photo frame placed on the right side of table .

He had known that family since childhood. Tabriz was his best buddy forever. He loved her like his own sister.

"Yeah, but she still likes to act like a baby. " He smiled for millionth of a second but the aching in his heart mad his attempt fail. Tabriz was unable to notice that.

"You pampered her too much, but she really needs to get along with/without you all, so you did the right thing at that time." Tabriz tried to comfort him.

He placed the papers on the table and put 'Her' pic in the drawer, paying a little glance. He didn't like to discuss it further. Tabriz got the message, clearing his voice he changed the topic.

"--- J Groups came to say that they have received a call from Ehsan and yes they have approved our design and they are ready to work on it."

His nerves calmed down and relaxed.

"That's Great! Get the team together to have a meeting, I'm coming in half an hour. I've to wrap it all up." He pointed to the papers scattered on the table.

He left the office smiling and shaking his head. Instead of folding the files, he bent over the table and opened the drawer and took out the frame.

Seeing the picture of the little girl in the frame, he turned around and took a deep breath. His back was turned towards the door. His seriousness was now taken by tenderness and love.

"You've really grown up enough to get to college and I really can't beleive" he smiled as he touched the face of the girl.



Then, remembering the meeting he placed the frame back in his drawer and locked it.

Putting the files together, he wore his coat, put his phone in his inner pocket of the coat. Looking at his reflection in the floor mirror placed by left side in his office. Straightening the knot of a tie and removing the wrinkles of his coat, he Fixed his dark brown hair with one hand. He left his office, heading to the meeting room.

Like other businessmen, he did not keep a beard, it was clean shaved.

His brown eyes were dry and cold, in which there was sometimes a gentle tenderness, that too in the case of 'hers', otherwise he was found always among files and with his laptop that one would get dizzy.

At the age of twenty-six, he was considered among top 20 businessmen.

His company made Automobiles Designs and exports were also done internationally.

He started this company together with Tabriz. Which started four years ago, and now was known everywhere.

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"Come to my room, immediately!" He ordered and moved towards his room.

"I'm not his servant, 'come to my room .'" She grimaced. She hadn't forgotten the previous encounter.

Being stubborn as usual, she opened the laptop and searched for some movies.

"It seems good." She selected an action movie.

Getting up from her bed she took out some snacks from the cupboard and take cold drinks from mini freezer on one side of the room.

By pulling down the curtains and turning off the lights, she created a complete atmosphere, now she was enjoying the movie.

The door was knocked.

"Bibi----saheb is calling,'' the full-time employee reported.

"Keep calling," by pausing the movie she threw imaginary staggers at him, like he was there.

Resuming the movie she rolled her eyes. She was completely lost in Movie when the door opened. And she could not hear it.

She felt it when someone sat down and turned the screen to him.

She was stunned to say anything.

"This was the reason for you to ignore my words" It was asked in a harsh tone. She kept her lips sealed.

"Relax, Amy, relax, cool down." She mentally patted herself.

"Do you have something for me to do?" She asked pretending to be ignorant.

"Don't be smart, Amy. I'm being casual so don't try getting on my nerves."

"So, why you called me?"Seeing his bad mood, she took a deep breath.

"I have to talk about 'that thing.' "

"What 'thing'?---- oh---that 'thing'! but I'm your arch-nemesis." she said with a sarcastic smile and a wave of her hands.

"I'm sorry," he apologized in a soft tone.

"What!!-- perhaps my ears are bad. The Great Sha'ban is apologizing, and that too to his arch-nemesis.", by jabbing her index finger in her ear, she tried to clean it for clear hearing.

"I know I have work to do, so you are being that apologetic and mr.two goody shoes. If you've let your ego flag lowered a little, I'm willing to accept a little apology and listen to your work. Now it depends on the nature of the work whether I do it or not."

She spoke with full confidence. He Lowered his gaze at her seriousness. She just looked like Hisham when she got serious, cold voice and stern expressions. Her naughty character vanished somewhere.

"Would you do this or not? No, you have to do this." He rose from his seat.

"what's the job?" Amy asked seriously.

He sat by her side. Then he started telling her the details of the work. She was listening to him attentively.

She started playing with her hands.

"I'll do it on a condition."

His expressions changed, he knew she would make things worse if he tried to say something, so nodded his head.

"K, brother!" Suppressing her desire to laugh on his expression she said; "I want your favorite princess for some days."

"Whhhaaattt!" He was really in 'shik,shak,shock' as he jolted from his seat as he had touched an electric wire.

"Yeah, atleast for weekend. " she asked getting up, straightening her knee length baby blue shirt, ruffled her hair, sorting them.

He, putting hands in his pants pockets, was rummaging around.

His eyes were popping out at her words. It was like she had asked for his life.

"That's my princess!" He exclaimed.

"So what! I'm doing your job and important one, obviously....."

"My princess!" He was about to cry.

"I wouldn't do the task. "

"But you're phobic of roads, aren't you?" He smirked.

"I've overcame it, that's why I'm attending college at city." She said with bright eyes.

"Okay, okay. But just for weekend. That means just for two days, ok?" He more likely asked.

She nodded her head .

He breath loudly and left the room saying, "I'll text you the other details. "

"Okay, huh, I said no one can beat me." She was too happy.

She closed the door and played the music on her phone, taking dance steps perfectly.

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 Hey! You deserve to be loved, and feel happy.

Author's note:

 I hope it's going well. Umm.. if there are any mistakes feel free to tell me. And please share, vote and comment.