Lost and Found

Chapter 51

Sabih's POV

Turning on my laptop I rested my back on the leather chair picking my cell phone, being late today I didn't get time to check my emails and neither did  I called my parents so deciding on getting done with both the tasks I was scrolling down my contact list when the screen shone with Wali's number, my eyes went towards the wall clock as I mentally calculated the time and picked up the call.

"Sabih?" I heard his anxious voice and all my senses got alarmed, pulling myself up to sit straight I answered with salam.

"Is everything alright, Wali?" I asked hiding the sudden worry which was consuming my heart, my eyebrows were definitely furrowed.

"I need you to listen to me carefully," his voice was definitely strained and I found myself holding the arm piece of my chair firmly. "Sabih, you need to return to Karachi now, I have already talked to Mr. Riaz. He is arranging flight for you, chachu and everyone else. You guys have to get here."

"What happened, Wali? Where is everyone? What's going on?"

"Sabih it's urgent, man."

"God dammit! Tell me!"

"It's Yahya," his grave voice reached my ears and I fell back on my seat.

A tear slipped down my cheek as I turned the page of the Para I was reciting in one of the many guest rooms of Wali's apartment in New York, it had been two days since that unfortunate call, and complete twenty four hours since I landed here. Every single wall was carrying the weight of all the tears which had been shed in the last two days; they have heard all the cries of agony and loss. Every single person present under this roof was in their most vulnerable state, some more than others.

I raised my head as the door creaked open and Zaydan entered the room, dressed in creased white kameez shalwar with swollen red eyes, he looked at me as he closed the door and made his way towards the bed.

"Get ready we have to leave for the cemetery," he said as he sat at the edge of the bed, supporting his elbow on his knees he rubbed his face with his hands and then turned his head to look at me. "Can't this all be some sick joke?" he whispered as his voice broke and in few quick steps I took my little brother in my embrace and for the first time in many years my shoulders were getting soaked with his tears.

***

One by one we all entered Wali's apartment again after coming from the cemetery and masjid. I was at the back with Jibran who was following me closely behind. I saw baray abbu asking everyone to join him in the study, Wali was asked to call Khadija bhabi along with Ahyan, nodding his head he made his way up the stairs, while Murtaza went to the living room to get phupo. Both the women were the one most affected by the loss, Khadija bhabi had stopped talking and barely came out of her room, she just keeps Ahyan around her and if the child is taken away from her for even few minutes she starts panicking, phupo on the other hand had become equally stressed and doesn't let Ahyan get away from her sight.

Entering the study I noticed baray abbu sitting behind the desk, his fingers rubbing his tired eyes, bari ammi sitting with phupo and phuppa on the leather couch. Dad and Irfan chachu were sitting across baray abbu and the rest of us were standing, waiting for Wali and bhabi to come. After few minutes of silence the wooden doors opened and with hunched shoulders Wali entered and turned to open the doors wide for bhabi, with her head elegantly covered bhabi entered with slow tired steps, her hands were carrying Ahyan who was calmly sleeping unaware of the storm which has created havoc in all our lives. Both of them crossed the room to sit on the couch across phupo and phuppa, all the eyes were on baray abbu now as he gave one glance to his son and daughter-in-law and then phupo.