Aangan: One shots

6 Years later...

Part I

6 Years Later...

It was around 5pm and Little Gurya was sitting with her Abba who was busy reading the newspaper while keeping an eye on her homework as well. Although it was March and Amabala was not as cold as it usually is in January and February, the evenings were still quite chilly. The sun had started to paint the sky with hues of orange and golden as it got ready to make way for the moon. Soon the night sky was going to cover the town with its starry blanket and although the nights were long, the residents of this home were finally relieved from the darkness that had engulfed them for years. The knock on the door alerted gurya and her Abba.

Gurya, after double checking her notebook to make sure she completed all of her homework questions, started picking up her books as her abba went to the door.

Kitchen..

Chammi was busy working with Bua putting final touches to dinner. Her husband was finally going to be home for dinner tonight and she had prepared all his favourite dishes. She liked the proximity of living in Ambala Cantonment with the rest of the army families, it saved her from the heart ache of sending her husband away for months and not seeing him. Their home was close to the base he was assigned at and he was able to come home after training or when he was done work. Her, Bari Chachi, Bua and Tameezan, who Jameel affectionately called gurya, now lived in the quarters provided by the Indian Army. The home was big, bright and peaceful, completely dissimilar from their home that they left behind. They were trying to build new memories as a family to hopefully replace the painful ones that they held.

Jameel walked in to the kitchen area looking for Chammi begum

Jameel: Begum, ek cup chai milegi

Chammi who had her back to the door, turned around hearing his voice

Chammi: Bari Chachi aangan main bethi hain bahar, main wahin le ati hon chai.

Just then gurya ran into the kitchen looking for her ammi

Gurya: Ammi main bahar jaon khelney?

C: Bilkul nahi, shaam ho rahi hai, ao or meray haath banto

J: Tch, janey do isko bachi hai, kya kamoon main laga rahi ho. Jao gurya, ziada dor nahi jana or andheray sey pehlay ajana.

Gurya, who knew her Abba was there to distract ammi, ran off before Chammi could protest

C: Apney isko buht bigar diya hai

J: Bigara to mainey tumko bhi tha ek zamaney main, tum bhi theek ho gayi naa.

A glorious smile broke on Chammi's lips as she heard that, she turned her attention back to the stove as a slight shade of pink tinted her cheeks

J: Haye begum ap aisey sharmati rahein gi to hum ja nahi payen gey.

C: Ab kahan ja rahe hain ap? Abhi subha ko to wapis aye thay? Chammi turned back to him startled

J: Fouj ki nokri hai kabhi bhi bulava asakta hai to agaya. Thori der ko daftar ja raha hon ata hon raat ko.

C: Fouj ki nokri hai to iska kya matlab hai, har wakt be wakt bula leingey. Ghar walon ki koi ehmiyat nahi hai? The firecracker Chammi was back for a few seconds. She did not always make an appearance, but whenever she did. It was almost always in front of her husband.

J: Tum logon ki ehmiyat hai tabhi to yahan saath main lekar aya hon. Pehlay tarraqi ki duaein karti ho phir jab masroofiyat barhi to naraz ho rahi ho.

C: Dua kyon na karon? Hamari duaon sey hi to ap aj Captain hain to kya ab hum apke saath bhi na rahen? jo bhi ho iska yeh matlab nahi ke ap har wakt apni marzi chalayein.