With fifty cheerful souls, from one year olds and hefty teenagers, the dining arena seemed nothing short of a circus.
With butterflies in their stomach, they were munching down their evening snack and sipping their cup of milk.
Azaan was eating his share of bread-butter when his eyes drifted towards the little girl in the pink frock.
Her eyes seemed dry, perhaps due to the overflow her eyes had to undergo. Every breath of her's was a silent sob. While the other kids at Abdul Gafoor Orphanage always tried to find ways to avoid drinking milk, she drank it all in a gulp.
Azaan placed his cup on her table and smiled. "You can have it."
She tried to speak, but her drained voice didn't let her to. Thank you, she mouthed. Azaan watched as she drank yet another cup of milk without refusing, without any drama.
"Did your parents abandon you?" Azaan asked innocently, almost familiar to the answer.
The girl simply nodded.
"Are you hungry?"
She nodded again.
She watched as the unknown guy walked to the matron and came back with a plate of paav bhaji.
"Khaala is very sweet. Since the day I've been here, she's been like a mother to me, even though I don't recall having one. If you need anything, you can talk to me, okay?"
"Did your parents abandon you, too?" She asked with a broken voice, wiping her tears.
Azaan nodded with a dim smile.
"I used to wake up to nightmares. The ugly one's. The one's that make you feel you are better off without a family. My mother always complained about the luxuries we missed out on. She was like a music-player only with one file. Complaints. My father was content with a fan, my mother wanted an AC. They fought endlessly, there wasn't a single matter they didn't disagree on. From day to night, from night to day, it was a vicious circle. My father reached home late, my mother doubted he was with another woman. But one day when I came back from home, I found another man at home." His voice began to crack. "That day my parents fought a lot, they cursed each other's family, mother, background and what not. The fight was so filthy that my mother spat on abbu,and he slapped her. The next day, they decided they were better off without each other, but neither of them wanted me. That's how I ended up here."
"I didn't understand." Said the confused girl.
"You are too young and innocent to understand such filth."
"Bhaiyya, what is your name?"
"Azaan. It used to be Azaan Khan." He laughed."What's your name?"
"Mariam." Her eyes gleamed.
