Noor waited at the hostel for someone to come pick her up. The warden and Riya joined her at the veranda. They stared at the long road leading to the hostel gate. The sky displays various shades of purple and red. Darkness will soon engulf this beauty. Suddenly, a car with bright headlights made its way through the hostel gate. The car stopped in front of the hostel. A man got out of the car. Uncle Majeed. Noor rushed to him and hugged him. Majeed uncle is the youngest brother of her mother and her favorite. Majeed hugged Noor back and then walked to the warden holding Noor's hand.
"Sr. Rita?" asked Majeed. Warden nodded. "I am Majeed. I am here to pick Noor", Majeed continued.
"Yes, her father told over the phone. You can take Noor with you."
Noor looked at Sister Rita. "Take care", Sr. Rita told Noor.
Noor waved at Riya and got into the car. Majeed got into the car and drove away with Noor.
As they drove a few meters Majeed turned to Noor and asked, "How is hostel? You look thrilled."
"Yes, Uncle. The hostel is great. I love it here."
"That's nice, Noor."
"Uncle, how is Fahad?"
"Oh, he is good. You can meet him soon".
"Wow. That's so great. I miss him a lot. I can finally meet Fahad." Noor felt excited.
The drive continued in silence. The super fast buses, motor cars, and rushing people welcomed them into the busy highway. Noor looked outside to the shining billboards and posters. She realized that it has been days since she went out at night with her parents. At least once in a week, Noor's parents take her out at night to the main city. Noor loves to travel at night. The glittering city at night always thrills her. She always wonders about the lives she meets looking beyond the car windows and some lives which hit at the car window at traffic junctions. They always visit the city walkway at night. It's a beautiful and well-maintained walkway by the sea. The night is thronged with people and street vendors. They drive by the walkway slowly until they find a place with an empty bench to sit. Noor rushes to the bench as soon as the car stops before anyone occupies it. They sit there for a long time, watching the beautiful sight of the calm sea and all the ships and vessels that visit the shore. Noor always gets her special ice cream and enjoys sitting there with her parents.
Noor woke up from her sleep, hearing a thud at the window. There stood a person with shining pens, shining balloons, and wrist bands. Majeed uncle shooed him away. Noor watched the man move to the car window in front of them. The car is at a busy traffic junction. The vehicles rushed to all sides possible at the junction. Noor looked up and saw a metro train passing by. Many more people; men, women, and children approached their car with cute and shiny objects in their hands. Her father never allowed to purchase from them. Noor wondered, "Do these kids go to school? Where do they sleep and study?". The car started moving again and Noor carried the kids with her in the mind.
"We will eat something. What do you want?" Majeed asked.
"Masala dosa", Noor replied. She was hungry. It's been two hours since they left the hostel and it's past her dinner time.
Majeed stopped the car at the nearby restaurant and they both had Noor's favorite masala dosa.
"How long will it take to reach the hospital?", Noor enquired. "Three more hours, dear", Majeed replied as they got into the car.
"May I turn on the radio, uncle?"
"Yes, dear".
Noor turned on the radio and selected her favorite channel. She stared at the world outside and got immersed in her thoughts. The station played a new song and Noor got drawn into it. "Kajra re, kajra re.....", the music flowed out from the radio. Noor increased its volume. "Uncle, this is a new song. Fahad loves it. He told me about this last time he called me." Noor became super excited. Majeed nodded. "It has been two months since he called me. We haven't remained silent not more than a week ever." Noor felt sad. Majeed remained silent. "I hope he can talk well now. I have a lot of stories to tell him. My hostel, new friends, and everything. I will talk to him non-stop when we reach there. He will be elated. Why don't you talk, Majeed Uncle? asked Noor. "Nothing dear. I was just listening to you. Since I am driving I just concentrated on the road. That's it. Ya, you can talk to him once we reach there. Why don't you sleep? Or else you will be tired."
"Hmm, you are right." Noor turned off the radio. Majeed stopped the car on the roadside. He adjusted Noor's seat so she could sleep better. The car moved again. Noor turned towards the window and laid down. The lights have given way for the darkness outside. Noor couldn't see anything outside other than darkness. She eventually fell asleep.
"Noor, get up". Majeed woke her up. Tired, Noor opened her eyes to see her father standing in front of the car. Noor looked around. The place looks familiar even at night, but definitely not the hospital. Majeed got out of the car. Her father walked towards the car.
"Why are we here?", Noor thought to herself.
