Short Serene Tales [A Collection Of Desi Short Stories]

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Her eyes were drooping and she wanted nothing more than to get under the comfy, warm bed and sleep. But somebody had other plans for her against her will. Her face was buried into her book and she had fallen asleep while reading the pretty lullaby on the pages of her book and it worked wonders on her.

Her face jerked up from the book by someone smacking her head with a book, the side of her face was red and a page was sticking against the soft skin of her cheek. It clearly declared that Gul e Nayab had taken a good power nap when he had gone to listen to a phone call.

"Gul e Nayab! Aik thappad khao gi na saari neend urr jy gi, utho aur jaa kr moo dho kr aao." She quickly stood up from the carpeted floor and made a bee line towards the attached bathroom. 

Tauba hai bhai! Yeh Zafar Supari aaj phir koi nai supari le kr mere sar pr baith gya hai. She turned on the tap and splashed cold water on her face. She walked back into the room and slumped on the cushion beside him.

"Haider Bhaijaan, raat ke do baj gy hain. Boht neend aa rahi hai." She whined but he paid her no heed and grabbed her book Macroeconomics, her nemesis. 

"Tum konsa sou rahi thi, dramay hi toh dekh rahi thi." Haider spoke with all of his attention on the register as he scribbled down some important points. 

Gul e Nayab whimpered, she dreaded the time she decided to watch her favorite Korean drama 'True Beauty' Mgr kya krti Cha Eunwoo lag hi itna pyara rha tha!! She squealed in her head. But her Haider Bhaijaan came inside of her room right on time when she was busy admiring Cha Eunwoo's beauty and dragged her to his room by ear. 

Now here they were both sitting on the cushions of her dearest Haider Bhaijaan room, still dressed in her white kurta and pajama, her hair up in a messy pony tail and a black chiffon dupatta covering her chest. Haider was also sitting in a black tee shirt and sweatpants

"Mein toh bas sonay hi wali thi, bhaijaan." 

"Han pta hai, ab moo band aur dehan se suno jo mein bol raha hun. Yeh macroeconomics ke key formulas hain, inhein achi tarha se yaad kr lo, finger tips pr hon tumhari yeh. Pehle measures of economic activity phir inflation and unemployment, economic fluctuations, fiscal policy, money aur last pr monetary policy. Samajh aa rhi hai jo mein bol rha hun."

"Pta nahin mgr neend boht aa rhi hai." Gul e Nayab yawned once again, Haider glared at her and she quickly sat up straight, opened her eyes even wider and they really were red. Haider handed her the register, "Iss tarhan ankhein phaar phaar kr mujhe nahin inn formulas ko dekho, inhein yaad kro phir mein test leta hun tumse." Haider grabbed his laptop from the bedside table and turned it on, putting on his reading glasses he got to his pending work.

Gul e Nayab pursed her lips tightly and looked at him with her eyes turning into slits, her hands clenching onto the register with her full strength and then she started crying. "Bhaijaan, aap ko Allah ka vaasta boht neend aa rahi hai. Nahi pardha ja rha aise."

"Itna barra moo khol kr rona tumhara roz ka bn gya hai. Jao ja kr do cup chai bnao aur apne moo ki peti zarra kam khola kro, barri ho gy ho, unees saal kam oomar nahi hoti." Haider firmly stated with his charcoal eyes still fixated on the laptop screen and his long fingers tapping on the keyboard.

She looked at him one last time and stood up from the cushion, her feet dragged her out of his room like she just saw a pond of fresh water in the middle of a desert and she ran out to the kitchen. By the time she started making tea, Tahajjud Azaan resounded in the quiet dark night and she covered her head with her black chiffon dupatta.

Now she just stood staring into the chai as it cooked, puri zindagi kharab ho gy meri iss ghar mein paida ho kr. Mere se poocha toh hota agr mein iss ghar mein paida hona chahti hun ya nahi. Agr mujhe pta hota yeh hitler bhi yahin rehne wala hai toh jab pehli baar chalna shuru kiya tha tab hi bhaag leti. She thought to herself as she poured tea into two cups and started taking slow steps towards his room upstaires.