Poora Chand

Laiyan Laiyan

Present

I tried to sleep, but I couldn't. I was trying to wrap my head around what had happened today. The few minutes between me and Noori. Did they mean something?

The next few day, she didn't show up by the gate, it was weird. It was confusing. I was getting impatient, I wanted to ask her directly but I never got a chance.
But then one day I returned home from work and Ammi had an invitation in her hand, she looked happy it was for a wedding.
I could feel my heart reach my throat. It felt as if someone had pushed me from a high storey building. Was it? Could it be? I didn't want to say it but what if it's something to do with Noori?

"Ammi what is this? "

"It's a Shaadi Card beta "

"Ammi ? "

"Rabia ki Shaadi hai! "

"Rabia Kon? "

"Rabia...beta...Junaid dada ki poti"

"Ohh! Rabia"

Rabia came once to Waseehbagh when we were 5-6 years old. That was the first and last we saw her. I wasn't even sure why was Ammi so happy.

"Ammi? Why are you so elated? You won't even recognise Rabia!"

"Because we have to travel to Rabia's town, I'm excited because it's been a while since we have been anywhere. It'll be fun for a change. Kareem, Ali ko bhi bulaya hai!" Ammi exclaimed

I wasn't sure I'll even go, but seeing Ammi so happy I didn't say anything. It's been over five years, since Abbu was gone. It was rare that she was so happy about something, perhaps it would be good to leave for a few day. It would keep my mind off Noori.

Then Shuaib chacha called me, he said that he and his family were invited too. But would only go if we were also planning to go.
I told him that were surely going.

We booked the seat for our journey next week and in no time, the night of journey arrived. Our seats had been here and there, thus Shuaib chacha was tensed, he had two daughters and a little son, he was concerned about their safety. I, ammi and Kareem bhai, Ali and his family, Shuaib chacha and his Noori's ammi were on one side, while Noori, her sister, brother and kareem bhai's wife were on the other.

Shuaib chacha then blessed by God, had an idea. He said that he trusted me the most and thus if it would be fine with me if I swapped seats with someone from there so that his daughters were safe. I thought it would be appropriate if Fatima baji moved with Kareem bhai as the couple would be together.

Anyways, now I got to be with Noori. I couldn't ask for anything. If this was the only thing I got out of this trip, it was enough. It was Rabia's shaadi but it felt like my fate had made it happen.

I went to their coach, and Noori looked at me like I had become back from being dead. She was trying to reach a expression between a smile and a scare. Her siblings were on the top berths which left the bottom berths for us. I sat there, ice cold, I didn't know what to say.
So once we seated, I plugged in my earphones to fade her out. She was reading a book with the reading lights on. It was 'Five people you meet in Heaven', I was never the book type but God I wanted to know about every word she read. I wanted her to tell me about which chapter she liked, the characters, the story. So I asked her,

"Is it spritual? The book?"

"Kind of yes"

"Like in which sense?"

"As in everything and everyone is connected."

"Makes sense." I said, thinking about the events of this trip.

"Chai peeyogi?" I asked

"Tum pilaoge?"

"Ji"

"Phir zaroor"

// Kainat e Jaga o Wafa me,
Ek tum ek hum rehgye hain //

I somehow found a chai vendor in the train, when I asked her I didn't realise that it was late night and mostly this wasn't the time for chaiwala's to roam around in the train.

I brought two cups of chai and we started talking. We talked about the people of Waseehbagh, I told her my stories about Mehfil, she told me about her childhood, we spoke about the things that had happened and the things the could happen. Talking to her was like reading Ghalib or Faiz, every things she said rhymed someway or the other. I wanted to tell her about me, but I wanted to listen to her even more. I wanted to lie on he lap, I wanted to watch her sleep, but instead I just looked at her talking, and it graceful yet charming, it was humourous and disarming. We talked all night, till dawn and then finally she fell asleep.
I kept looking at her, until I closed my eyes.
And from that day it became my dream, to live a life in which the last thing I see each night is Noori's face and also the first thing I wake up to every morning.