Woh gehri neend mein thi, jab koi awaaz seeti ki tarah uski samaat mein goonji. Kaafi der baad usne bhaari papootay ba mushkil se uthaye aur andhere mein jalte bujhate roshni ke manba ki taraf dekha.
Mobile.
Baddiqat usne baazu barha kar bajta hua mobile uthaya.
Jihan calling.
Uski saari neend urr gayi. Raat ke teen baj rahe the. Woh ek dum uth baithi aur call pick ki. Saari narazgi raat ki khamoshi mein tahleel ho gayi thi.
"Jihan?" Uski awaaz abhi bhi neend se bojhal thi.
"Haya..." dheemi awaaz mein kehta ruk gaya. "Kaisi ho?"
"Main theek hoon, aur tum?" Bed crown ke saath tek lagate hue usne remote uthakar AC off kiya. Kamra bohot thanda ho chuka tha.
"Fine. Tum so rahi thi?"
"Haan!"
"Is waqt main football to khelne se rahi," usne socha.
"Mummy so rahi hai?"
"Zahir hai! Uthaoon unhein?"
"Nahin, nahin! Unko disturb nahin karna chahta. Mamu hain ya driver?" Woh jaise soch soch kar bol raha tha.
"Nahin! Abba aur Amma shaam mein Lahore gaye hain. Koi fotgi ho gayi thi. Subah hi aa jayenge, kyun?" Woh ek dum chonki.
"Tum kahan ho?"
"Main airport par hoon aur mujhe tumhare ghar ka rasta maloom nahin hai. Tum mujhe lene aa sakti ho?"
"Oh haan! Tum ruko. Main aa rahi hoon." Woh lihaf pehen kar tezi se bistar se utri.
Munh dho kar abaya pehn kar woh chaabi liye khamoshi se bahar nikal aayi. Driver abba ke saath gaya tha. Waise bhi woh part-time tha. Aise mein woh khud jaye, iske ilawa doosra koi hal nahin tha. Islamabad ki khubsurat, saaf suthri sadkein khaali padi thi. Abhi raat baaqi thi. Street poles ki zard roshni sadak ko jagmaga rahi thi. Airport par pohanch kar usne Jihan ko call kar ke aane ka paighaam diya. Uska Turkey ka number roaming pe tha.
"As-salamu alaykum!" Chand hi minute baad woh darwaza khol kar front seat par baitha. Ek chamray ka bhoora dasti bag apne qadmoun mein rakha aur seat belt pehenne laga.
"Wa-alaykum as-salam!" Ignition mein chaabi ghumate hue Haya ne zara si nigah pher kar usay dekha. Woh siyah pant pe aadhi asteen wali grey shirt pehne hue tha. Wohi maathay par girte zara bikhray bikhray baal. Airport ki batian andhere mein uske chehre ko neem roshan kiye hue thin. Woh usay pehle se zara kamzor laga. Usay Turkey se aaye dedh hafta bhi nahin hua tha, magar phir bhi farq wazeh tha.
Car sadak par rawan dawan thi. Dono khamosh the. Aakhri mulaqat ka tanav aur bojhal pan abhi darmiyan mein haail tha.
"Mummy uthein to nahin?"
"Nahin!" Woh zara der ko ruki. "Tum aaye kyun nahin? Sab pooch rahe the."
"Masroof tha." Woh gardan zara tirchi kiye bahar viran andheri sadak ko dekh raha tha. Woh khamosh ho gayi. Kehne ko jaise kuch nahin tha.
"Kya tum pehle mujhe qabristan le ja sakti ho?"
Haya ne sar hila diya. Qabristan ghar se zyada door nahin tha. Jald hi woh pohanch gaye. Bahar neela sa andhera chhaya hua tha. Sawaliya nishan ki surat bane saat behan bhai, sitare aasman pe chamak rahe the.
"Phupha ki qabr aapke dada ki qabr ke saath hi hai," Haya ne usay bataya.
Ihaatay mein Jihan ke walid aur dada ki qabrein dakhli darwaze ke saath hi ek taraf thi.Ek darakht uske dada ki qabr pe saaya kar raha tha. Woh seene par baazu lapete qabristan ke darwaze par hi khadi ho gayi. Yahan se woh Jihan ko ba asaani dekh sakti thi. Jihan aahista aahista qadam uthata dono qabron ke paas aaya phir dheere se woh Sikandar Shah ki Qabr ke samne ghutnon ke bal baithta gaya. Dono haath dua ke liye uthaye ab woh dua maang raha tha. Haya uske aqab mein thi, so uska chehra nahin dekh sakti thi. Dua ke baad woh kaafi der sar jhukaye, ek panjay ke bal qabr par baitha raha. Ungli se woh mitti par lakeeren kheench raha tha, phir jab woh utha to Haya janay ke liye palat gayi.
