Railway Tracks|✓

Chapter no. 4

Faisla le le, Hosla de de,
Tere rang menu rang Auliya!

I was listening to 'Auliya' by Atif Aslam and was looking at the surroundings when my eyes sat on a particular building.

I prayed that somehow the car would stop so I would get a good look at it. Much to my surprise, the car stopped.

I turned to look at Hashir. He was smiling at me, "Take a good look at it. You're soon going there."

I didn't know why but his words made me feel confident. I suppressed a smile but nonetheless.

"How...how do you know that I want go there?" I asked.

He sighed, "I'm not blind, Hareem. I've got eyes. You think that no one notices that whenever we pass this way you look at this college. Quaid-e-Azam Medical college. Your dream since day one is to get into this college. Sir Hamza were also in the same college, right? Sir Talha, Sir Hamza, Your parents, Grand parents Everyone had that belief in you that your going to be a successful doctor one day."

I stared at him strangely as If he was talking in some other language. He continued;
"Uncle had this dream and when he couldn't get it, he decided to pass it on you. You took care of his dreams very well and made it your dream. All of us cousins had been carefree because either we didn't have a specific craze to achieve something or our parents didn't force us."

My lips were parted slightly. I was looking at him but he wasn't looking at me. He was looking at the road ahead us thoughtfully.

He sighed softly, "I know Uncle would never say it but he's so proud of you, Hareem. And I had never admitted it but I also trusted you."

My eyes went glossy. I remembered one time I had asked him if he trusted me or not. He just laughed it off and never told me the answer. But right now, sitting in front of me, he answered me.

"I am also proud of Hareem." He almost whispered.

I lowered my gaze as his brown eyeballs stared softly in my thick black ones.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

I was clutching the milkshake glass too close to my chest that it might fall any minute. My eyes went wide as I stared at the screen.

My breathing was coming out unevenly. My entire body was on fire right then. And my heart, it felt like it would jump out of my ribcage at any moment.

5 balls. 15 runs.

You can do this Shoaib Malik! You can do this. I trust you!

The player from South African team threw a swing ball in his way and he hit it. And it was a four!

Another ball, they took a run. Now only 10 runs were remaining on 3 balls.

This so hard.

Now the players were switched, Shadab Khan was standing at one end of pitch and Shoaib Malik at other. The ball came and it was ...

"Four!" I jumped with excitement and nervousness.

2 balls and 6 runs.

They took another run. One ball and six score left.

Shoaib Malik hit the ball with his bat but his arm twisted in a painful way. Nevertheless he hit the ball, next moment the ball was flying in the high air of Stadium.

"Six. Six! Six! Six!" I muttered it like some mantra.

It happened in slow motion, the ball didn't cross the boundary and fell in between the ground. African was standing right there and he caught it!

I silently watched the scene they replayed over and over again.  The African crowd went crazy, whilst I sat on my Sofa with tears burning my eyes.

"Crazy. Insane. Lunatic. Stupid. Childish." I wiped away my tears and looked at Hashir throwing insults at me constantly.

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