"You naughty pest, sit right here!" The warden at the orphanage said to a fourteen year old boy with twinkling eyes.
It was seven years since Azaan's parents had abandoned him, fleeing to paradise.
Azaan grinned most innocently."But you told I could play ball after lunch."
"Most certainly. But I guess the deal was you complete your lunch."
The budding teen first looked at his plate of chawal, dal and sabji,
and then looked at the big clock hung up in the dining area.
3.35 pm. He had ten more minutes to join his friends for their gulli cricket. Knowing that the warden's eyes were on him, Azaan reluctantly ate his lunch, pausing over each morsel.
"May I go now? Please?"
"But come back for Asr namaaz."
