Umeed

Chapter 3

Faris parked the car outside the brightly colored playschool and checked his watch. Children were pouring out, their faces a mix of excitement and exhaustion. His niece Ain was among them, her energy seemingly boundless.

“Chachu!” (Uncle!) Ain’s voice rang out as she spotted Faris. She sprinted towards him, her pigtails bouncing with each step.

“Hello, little troublemaker,” Faris greeted her warmly, lifting her into his arms. “How was school today?”

“Chachu, aapko pata hai aaj kya hua!” (Uncle, do you know what happened today!) Ain said with a cheeky grin. “Miss Saira ne hume painting karne diya, aur maine ek bada rainbow banaya!” (Miss Saira let us paint today, and I made a big rainbow!)

“Really? A rainbow? That sounds amazing!” Faris responded, genuinely impressed.

“Aur suna, Nazia ne glue galti se khaa liya. Usne kaha ki yeh bahut bura tha!” (And listen, Nazia accidentally ate glue. She said it was very bad!) Ain leaned in, whispering with exaggerated drama and making a disgusted face.

Faris laughed. “Oh no! And Amir was making funny faces at snack time. I complained to Miss Saira, and she scolded him.”

“Hamari troublemaker ne pehle din hi kisi ko daanta bhi dilwaaya,” (Our little troublemaker got someone scolded on her first day too,) Faris said, smiling.

As they headed to the car, Ain kept up her animated storytelling. “Aur humne tag khela. Aaj main sabse tez daudne wali thi! Ahmed ko bhi maine haraya.” (And we played tag. Today, I was the fastest runner! I even beat Ahmed.)

“You’re becoming quite the athlete,” Faris commented. “But remember, don’t run too fast and stay safe. It’s all in good fun.”

“Yeh to hai,” (That’s true,) Ain said with a mischievous grin. “Lekin mujhe jeetna achha lagta hai!” (But I love winning!)

Faris chuckled as they drove away, enjoying Ain’s lively recounting of her day.

Once home, Ain could hardly wait to share her day with her Daado. (Grandmother.) She dashed inside, her shoes clicking on the floor.

“Daado! Daado!” (Grandmother! Grandmother!) Ain’s excited voice filled the room. Her grandfather looked up from his newspaper, a warm smile spreading across his face.

“Hello, meri chhoti princess,” (Hello, my little princess,) he greeted her warmly. “Aaj school kaisa raha?” (How was school today?)

“Bohat maza aaya, Daado!” (It was so much fun, Grandfather!) Ain said, settling beside him and starting to change out of her school clothes. “Miss Saira ne painting karne diya, Nazia ne glue kha liya, aur Amir bhi silly behavior kar raha tha…” (Miss Saira let us paint, Nazia ate glue, and Amir was behaving silly...)

Her Daado listened with interest, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “Aapka din to kaafi interesting raha.” (Your day seems to have been quite interesting.)

“Haan!” (Yes!) Ain agreed, nodding eagerly. Faris reminded her to change clothes, but Ain stuck out her tongue at him and said, “Maine Daadi se baat karni hai. Main baad mein kapde badloongi.” (I want to talk to Grandmother. I’ll change my clothes later.)

Ayesha chuckled at Ain’s determination. “Achha laga sun kar ke aapka din accha gaya.” (It’s nice to hear you had a good day.)

As Ain finished her stories, she snuggled beside her Daado, clearly content. Faris watched from the doorway, smiling at the joy her unfiltered enthusiasm brought.

Later, Shahzain returned home from work, looking tired but cheerful. He saw Ain bouncing towards him, her energy still high.

“Baba!” (Daddy!) Ain called out, rushing to him.