Chapter 27: Dolly to the rescue

It was the loud sound of the whistle that pulled her out of her thoughts. She got startled and raised her head. There were 3 boys wearing jeans and jacket and they were coming towards her from three directions. The place was exceptionally silent, her heart sank. She turned to escaoe from them but there was a fourth boy approaching her. They were teasing her and making suggestive actions and approaching her. She bent her head and tried swifly leaving their circle but one of them quickly held her hand. Haya was about to shout when the boy himself got stunned and moved backwards.
A loud sound came, someone hit the boy on the back of his head.
"Idiots! You dare trouble baji. I am not going to leave you." Long, broad, healthy Dolly was swinging his frying pan and hitting the boys. Haya looked on in astonishment and moved backwards.
The boy who got hit, held his head and tan away. Two other boys also ran away from there. The fourth boy was adamant in fighting Dolly but he hit the boy on the kness with such force that he ran away limping.
"These idiots dare come and provoke Dolly!" He dusted his hands with a sense of victory and turned towards Haya.
His face looked like it was covered with white flour. He was wearing greenish blue lenses and applied eyeliner and glittery eye shadow and lipstick of the colour of red beak. Brownish golden fringes looked through the dupatta he was wearing on the head. He was obviously wearing a wig.
The first time Haya saw Dolly she felt disgust, the second time fear and third time at the traffic..anger. Today she felt nothing. She was quietly looking at Dolly and panting.
"Leave those bastards Baji! This is all they do, I have been observing for a while, but who would have thought they would trouble you...those idiots!"
She did not listen the entire thing and turned away. She bent her head and quickly walked towards the platform. To stand with an enunch in the middle of the road so late atnoght was wrong..
"Arey Baji ji.....listen to me." He ran towards her. Haya stopped, turned back and saw him.
"What?" Her face was shining in the reflection of lights.
"Hai rabba! Baji ji you are so pretty." He kept both his hands on the cheek and exclaimed happily.
She felt no disgust or anger. She quietly kept watching him.
"Atleast say thank you ji"
"Thank you..anything else?" She said flatly.
"You look angry ji.."
"Dolly, why do you always come behind me?"
"Yes, but its not like I give you any tensions. I have always helped you."
"Has anyone asked you to help me? Has amyone asked you to follow me? Say!! Answer me!!" Dolly opened his mouth in shock. First his eyes looked surprised but then tears started forming in his eyes.
"No one ji." He replied sadly after sometime. "I like you, thats why I take care of you, if you feel bad about this I will not come."
Just then Haya's phone rang. She got startled and saw her phone. "Private Number calling".. She stomped her feet and walked towards the raised platform and sat there. The phone was still ringing. She looked at Dolly who was walking sliwly towards her while sobbing.
"Hello."
"Helli Miss Haya....how are you?" It was Major Ahmed...there was a lot of noise behind him. Dolly came and sat on the platform keeping a distance from Haya. He was wiping away his tears.
"For God's sake don't call me. And these men that you have assigned behind me, I will kill all of them and you will be responsible for all of this. I am married and very soon I will be joining my husband. You leave me alone, do you understand?"
Without listening anything else she switched off her phone.
"Are you married ji?"
"Yes. Didnt your major tell you? Isnt he the one who has assigned you behind me?"
"Allah promise ji, no major vajor has sent me, I come to you on my own accord." He said while weeping.
Haya felt he was saying the truth.
"I don't go and speak about you to anyone. I just like you a lot, I swear." She blankly stared at him...there was something about him..strange, frightful but pitiful.
"Ok. Ok. Don't cry."
"I really like you a lot....thats why I come, but you are accusing me." He cried while banging his head.
"Acha....acha. Now stop it!" He silently watched her whike she was blankly looking ahead.
"Are you going somewhere?"
Haya looked at him puzzled.
"You told on the phone." He explained.
"Yes, I am going to Europe."
"Oh, where there is Amrica..the one in English movies?" He forgot he was crying and said enthusiastically. Maybe he was really a normal enunch or a ver cunning actor.
"Yes..that one." She didn't correct him.
"Who stays there ji?"
"My husband." She was now looking at the shops ahead.
"How is your husband ji?"
"I don't know Dolly....If I woukd have known I wouldn't be sitting here."
Her long eyelashes started getting wet. Her eyes filled with tears.
"But ji....."
"You pray Dolly, that I find him." She hid her tears and stood up. Dolly looked at her. She wiped the corner of her eye with her finger and walked towards the door.
Dolly's eyes filled with sadness.

"I pray that you never find him Haya Sulaiman....I pray that you be disheartened by him and come back soon. And I pray may you never be able to even leave for that place."
She was walking quickly when she heard Dolly speak, but this didn't look like Dolly's voice..it was a man's voice. Mature, beautiful and sad voice...she had never heard this voice before. This voice was more attractive than Major Ahmed's voice and it did not even hold Jihan's rude and arrogant tone.
Haya's legs stopped. She quickly turned behind. For the first time in life she felt like meeting Dolly again. She wanted to know who was Dolly, what was he and why!

Chapter 26: Impact of Broken dreams

The light from the shops brightened the darkness of the night. The yellow lights glimmered the long, straight road where on the side was a space for parking the cars. On the other side was a small raised platform on which during the day it was occupied by book fair stalls. Those were closed these days. This was Jinnah Super and now she was walking on the long road under the gleaming lights.
Her hands were in the pockets of her black jacket, and her long hair sliding on her shoulder, with her head bent down she was silently walking...her parent's voices were echoing in her ears.
Who was Jihan Sikander? Her love, cousin, husband....that person whom she had dreamt of for her entire life, how could she easily let him go? Didn't mom and dad know if dreams were broken with our own hands, then it is our fingers that will be injured...then how could she hurt herself? Is she was an unwanted relation for Sabeen phuphu and Jihan then how would she break the relatiin without giving them a chance to clarify. This wasn't smooth like butter from which you had to remove a strand of hair. This was like a cloth stuck in thorns. If it was to be separated forcefully then the cloth woukd be torn. And if you would try to remove the thorns, the fingers would be injured..... but who knows maybe in this thorny plant roses could bloom....red roses....green leaves....of colourful and happy dreams.

Chapter 25: Irritating Company

That girl met her outside. She was holding her files when she stopped Haya.
"Listen Miss Sulaiman." Looked like she was forcefully talking to her. Haya irritatedly turned to face her. Khadija Rana was standing there. Huge glasses on her eyes, a high pony and hugging her files. DJ....only her friends were oermitted to call her DJ...and she was not her friend, nor did she want to become one.
"Yes, Khadija?" She replied haughtily.
"Have you applied for the visa? Actually Madam Furkhanda has said that we have to apply for the visa as soon as possible because we have to join Sabanji in the first week of February and today is thirteenth. We just have fifteen days and you can never get a Turkey's visa within fifteen days."
She looked worried and she was speaking very fast. Hearing this Haya got serious or else she was still disturbed by her dad's conversation.
"Oh....then what are we supposed to do?"
"Tomorrow definitely we have to visit the Turkish embassy to apply for the visa. You know the Turkish embassy has a strange rule that every morning only the first fifteen participants are interviewed. The embassy opens at seven in the morning and there is a long line of people. If we are late even by a minute they will shift us to the next day. Are you listening?"
"Huh....yes." She couldn't understand what Khadija was speaking.
"Give me your number so that we can co-ordinate."
Reluctantly she gave her number. Khadija noted it down in her phone.
"Ok, tomorrow reach Diplomatic Enclave by morning six thirty. I will be there."
She agreed and nodded her head like shexwanted to get rid of her.
"And please don't be late. Let it not be such that I loose my visa because of you Miss Sulaiman!" She raised her nose and showed Haya after all she is Khadija Rana.
"What company have I got! Uffff!" Haya stomped her feet and moved forward.
She was so disturbed by Abba's conversation that visa was the last thing that she coukd think of.

Chapter 20: Nightmare comes true?

[**Chapter 20 got deleted earlier. Sorry for the inconvenience**]

"Haya.......Haya.....!!!!" As soon as she entered the house, Sulaiman sahab who was sitting in the lounge barged towards her. His face was filled with furiosity and anger.
She got scared and took a step back.. From behind she heard phone ringing.
"Is this video yours?...You do dance items?" Rohail who was sitting on the sofa suddenly stood up and threw a lot of cds at her. Everyone was present there. Taya Furqan, Dawar bhai, Rohail.....everyone..and on other side Irum was sitting on the ground and crying. From faraway she could still hear the phone ringing.
"No......no....." anxiously she wanted to explain. Her lips moved but no voice escaped. It looked like everyone wanted to kill her.
Just then Sulaiman sahan moved forward and slapped her harshly across the face.
"Behaya....behaya" (*shameless). Sulaiman sahab said continuously while slapping her. His lips were moving but the voice...it looked like Dolly's. It wasn't Sulaiman sahab but Dolly who was talking.
Dolly......Dolly.....Pinky.....behaya......Pinky's injured fingers.....the phone ringing.
She jerked and woke up.
It was dark in the room. She switched on the table lamp. Orange light spread everywhere. She suddenly touched her face. She was fine. Everything was fine. No one knew about anything. It was all a nightmare!
"Oh God!!" Fatigue took over her and she slumped against the bed crown. She was palpitating and was drenched in cold.
The phone was ringing just like in her dream...exactly! Only this ringing wasn't a dream.
"Private Number Calling"
She took some seconds to arrive at a decision and then she received the call.
"Major Ahmed! I am ready to come to your office and file the report, tomorrow morning at nine send your car to the entrance gate of the ground present at tge backside of my home, nine o clock, sharp."
"Sure!" She sensed victory in his voice. She slowly ended the call.
She had never met any man in private like this before, but if she didn't take this step there were more chances of the video getting leaked and that was more devastating.
She shrugged..that nightmare forced her to do all these things. Now she had no other choice. And that Major Ahmed, she would take care of his matter.

Chapter 24: Determined for Jihan

"Okay, coming." She wore her dupatta and slippers and went out.
"Abba?" She knocked the door.
"Come in Haya."
She opened the door. Sulaiman sahab was sitting on the bed. He was thinking deeply and looked worried. Fatima Begum was sitting on the sofa. Her eyes looked sad and her face looked gloomy.
" Did you call me abba?"
"Yes, come sit."
She silently entered the room and sat by the corner of the bed. Sulaiman sahab kept quiet for a few minutes and looked like he was thinking of a plan but it looked like he will talk plainly without any plan.
"I have taken a decision."
She raised her head. He was looking very serious.
"Now you should take a divorce from Sabeen's son through the court."
She wouldn't have felt so much pain even if someone would have whipped her face, but she fely extremely pained now.
"I have spoken to the lawyer. In one session at the court you both can be separated and looking at how much they despise us, I am sure they will be happy."
She was shocked. She looked at her mom who shrugged helplessly.
"Your dad is right. We have no other option except this. It is very clear from their attitude that they don't want to proceed with this relation."
"Abba, is this the only solution?" She spoke after sometime and her voice had the feeling of shattered dreams.
"Is there any solution apart from this? Haya, no father in this world wants to breal apart his daughter's home and I woukd never have told you to do this..but at what cost? At what cost should we continue this relationship when they are showing us no hope!"
"If you really want to see me setteld then allow me to go to Turkey, I will definitely find him there and will ask him if he wants to be with me. If not he can divorce me. If he does not want to I will go to the court there itself but let me try once, Please!"
"Abba give me five montg's time. Even after this if you feel like I should divorce him I will agree to whatever you say."
She stood up and without saying anything she left the room.

Chapter 23: Haya's dilemma

"Haya, Haya" in the evening Irum came running towards her room. She was beaming with happiness. "That video has been removed from the website!!" She was so emotional that she almost shook Haya who was sitting on the bed with her back resting by the bedcrown. "But how did this all happen?"
"Maybe that website owner had a moment of fearing God, how would I know?"
"Oh maybe, good if that happened, when is your flight for Turkey?"
"I don't know, first I have to receive the passport, only then can I get the visa." She was feeling irritated because of Irum's presence. It was very obvious from her attitude. Irum quickly left her on her own. She was again lost in her thoughts.
Major Ahmed....his half burnt face...his hiding ....him talking behind a screen...and his strange philosophy talks....mention of jannah...and then his proposal....oh God....what a strange man...and...and that question that she couldn't answer becsuse she was so flustered..
"I know your phuphu's family who will never even look in this direction because of shame and insult. Afterall they had done a shameful deed."
Why did he say such a thing? What kind of shame and insult? What shameful deed?
Phuphu's family had actually not returned, so the reason was not because they hated their family or country, like she had assumed but it was something else? Some shameful deed that they had done? And who? Phuphu? Her husband? Or Jihan Sikander? What was this riddle?! But she couldn't confront Major Ahmed...nor dod he call back again....then?
And those letters......and bouquets....he had sent those. How did he come to know that she was going to Sabanji University? Definitely he had tapped her phone when she told Zara about it and he was most probably outside her home, but the bouquet was on the kitchen table. Does that mean he could even enter her home?...and even in her room?
She felt a wave of fear engulf her. She got up and was about to lock her door when Fatima Begum opened the door and entered her room.
"Haya....your abba is calling you."

Chapter 22: Leaves of Jannah (Jannat ke patte)

"Fine! You are right." He took a deep breath and spoke again. "Can I ask something?"
"Ask!" Now his voice felt a bit distant.
"Has anyone ever brought the leaves of paradise for you?"
"When have the worldly people seen the paradise Major Ahmed?" Her face looked strained.
"That's why we worldly people don't know what the leaves of Jannah look like. If someone ever gets them for you, treasure them. They will not let you go astray."
The strain on her face relaxed gradually, she became alert...who was on the other side of this frosted glass?
"Are you listening?"
"Yes,.....yes" startled she tried calming down. "I will leave now." She was removing the receiver from her ear when he spoke again.
"One minute, I have to ask one last question."
She settled down again."Yes ask."
"Will you marry me?"
She felt a huge blow. Startled she kept staring at the frosted glass.
"Tell me Ms. Haya!!"
Her lips turned into a frown. More than being shocked or surprised, she was angry.
"Not Ms. Haya, Mrs. Haya!" She gritted every word through her teeth. She grabbed her purse and stood up. She was still holding the receiver.
"What do you mean?" He looked shocked.
"Too bad you have so much information regarding me but you don't know about the nikah that already took place in my childhood. That nikah which took place with my cousin Jihan Sikander in my childhood. I am married and my husband stays in Turkey."
"Oh those relatives who never visited Pakistan? I know your phuphu's family who will never even look in this direction because of shame and insult. Afterall they had done a shameful deed. You are waiting for them? Oh! and the nikah done in childhood is over in one hearing by the court."
"SHUT UP! Just Shut up Major Ahmed!" She shouted. "How dare you speak like this? To hell with you and that video, i don't care even if you run it on tv. To do one task you are asking for something so big in return. And as far as Jihan Sikander goes, he is my husband and I love him. No one can enter my life except him. Do you understand?"
Before slamming the phone she heard him laughing loudly. She stomped her feet towards the door. Just then the officer who had earlier accompanied her entered inside, as if he was instructed immediately. The meeting was over and it proved very difficult for Haya.
"The car is waiting for you ma'am! Please come." He moved aside to pave a path for Haya. Haya turned and looked towards the frosted glass.
Behind the frosted glass, the half burnt face man was bent and doing something. Maybe he was writing something. She felt like she saw somethjng that was red on the desk. Maybe it was a bouquet of red roses or maybe it was her imagination.
The moment she sat inside the old mercedes car, the officer bent down and gave her the bouquet of roses. Though there was no letter alongwith the bouquet and the roses were not white but she was sure that the nameless letters that she had received were from Major Ahmed and he knew her from much before.
"Take this away and throw it on your Major Ahmed's face." She threw the bouquet in the officer's hands and closed the door. The Mercedes then sped away.

Chapter 21: Solving Problems

 Haya leaned on the tree near the gate of the playground. She wore a long red A-line shirt and chudidaar pajama and on that a red stylish sweater whose sleeves reached her fingers and a brown stole on her shoulders. Her long hair fell on her back. In the mist and cold, her nose turned red and she was rubbing her hands for warmth.
Irum or Zara.....she did not inform anyone about this. She had to face this danger alone. Restlessly she moved her sleeve and took a look at the time in her watch. It was one minute to one. Just then a black, old Mercedes sped and halted right in front of her and like a statue there was a driver sitting in the front.
She quietly moved forward, pulled the backside door and sat down. The driver started the car as soon as she closed her door.
After one and half hours she reached the safehouse. It was surrounded by white walls with a wooden chair and bench in the centre, on which she sat down. There was a telephone on the table. Apart from this, the entire room was empty.
She curiously kept looking at her surroundings. There were walls on the three sides and on one wall was the door through which she came inside. However right in front of her there was a glass wall...more like a glass screen from ceiling to floor. Maybe this empty small room was a part of the big room in which they partitioned by using this glass screen.
She looked closely at the screen. The screen was completely frosted...it looked like someone used a machine to frost it. Behind the frosted glass was a vague image...and she could not picture it. Definitely this room was divided into two and the other side was rest of the room.
She could understand a vague picture.. The other side of the screen was a lavish office. And behind the office table there was someone sitting on the revolving chair. That person was facing Haya. The face was not visible but she could only figure out an outline. Khaki uniform, cap on the head, reclined on the chair, he was spinning something that was placed on the table with his fingers. She could not judge where he was looking. Though he was facing Haya and probably even looking at her but his eyes were not certain. Only one thing was certain.. on the left side of the unclear face of the officer there was a black mark, like half of his face was burnt.
The officer bent down and picked something from the table...could be the receiver of the phone.
"Trrrriiing...triiinnngg"
Suddenly the phone kept in front if Haya started ringing. She got startled. The phone was continuously ringing, that person was calling her? With a racing heart she picked up the receiver and placed it on her ears.
"Hello!"
"Assalam Alaikum Miss Haya Sulaiman! This is Major Ahmed." The same soft yet strong, deep yet beautiful voice.
"Walaikum as salaam!" Holding the phone in her hands she was constantly looking at the screen, behind which there was an officer sitting with a half burnt face...was he Major Ahmed?
"I hope we haven't troubled you."
"Ji.." she felt suffocated.
"In front of me the entire system is present in the laptop. I just have to click once and the entire video will be erased like it never existed."
Behind the screen she could analyse the officer also had a laptop placed in front of him..so was that Major Ahmed? But why wasn't he appearing in the front?
"And I have erased the video from every person that possessed it. Tell me Haya! Should I cick it?"
"But.....the report?"
"Assume it has been filed."
"But....you told that if I had to file....."
"I lied. To make an excuse. Sometimes excuses are made when all patience is lost. Understood?"
She strongly gripped her phone, her hand was drenched in sweat. Why was this person speaking so strangely?
"Please click." She could hardly speak. That person bent..maybe to click a button and then moved back to sit.

"Done!"
"Oh, Thank you Major Ahmed." Her throat was drying up.
"Can I ask you one thing?"
"Yes?"
"Was this video fake?"
"No, it was real"
"So why were you so afraid?"
"Obviously this was a family video and we dont film the dance in our wedding videos."
"Why?" He was constantly questioning her.
"What do you mean by why? Wedding videos are circulated everywhere, does it look good if our dance is seen by strangers?"
"But strangers can watch live? I could see waiters, moviemakers and dj in the video, even they are strangers, right? I could not understand if dancing like that is alright then why were you flustered about the leaked video? Wether it is seen by waiters, movie makers , dj or men on the internet it is the same thing. And if you think this is wrong why did you even do it?"
"I am not answerable to you." She replied angrily so there was silence for a whlle.

Chapter 19 : Pinky and Dolly

Very tiredly she came out of the passport office. She had travelled so long from Islamabad to Pindi in the heavy rush to pick her passport from the office, but when she reached she got to know that she will receive the passport only on Fourteenth January..and it was a week away. There was some technical problem in the Islamabad office because of which they were not issuing passports. Because of this she had to apply in Pindi.
It was the same rush even while returning. After some shopping when she came on Murree road it was almost Maghrib. The road was filled with cars and the movement of the cars was slow. She stopped the car at the signal and opened the windows. She was still worried about the passport.
Even if she receives her passport by fourteenth, it will take long for the visa to be processed. The tickets had not arrived yet but she did have an idea that she had to leave for Turkey in the beginning of February. That means she had just fifteen days on her hands and the visa for Turkey would take longer than that. What was she supposed to do? She was worriedly thinking about this when someone bent down by her open window.
"Beautiful.....what are you thinking?"
She got very startled and looked up.
It was him...Dolly, in glittery clothes with wig hair tied up and heavy makeup.
Disgust spread across her face. She forgot that she was indebted to Dolly.
"Move away from here." She said angrily. He was resting his hands on the window such that she could not close her window.
"Oh Baji! I had just come to exchange greetings and you are scolding me." The stern expression from that day were not present on his face. Instead his makeup filled face looked simple and innocent..... Disgustingly simple and innocent!
"Move away from here, or else I will call the police." She was feeling angry as well as helpless. He could do something inappropriate.
"Hai Baji! This is the way you talk to Dolly? And Dolly praises you so much that I start getting a headache." She turned her head and saw there was one more enunch standing by the window of the front seat. Compared to Dolly this enunch was fairer. However on the face even he had applied a thick layer of makeup. Wearing a shocking orange dress it looked like he forgot to put on something on his hands..he was bent and kept both his hands on the window.
"This......who are you? Move away from my car." She was drenching in cold sweat. She was alone and the traffic was blocked, there was no policeman present either.
"This..is my sister ji, Pinky. She really wished to meet you. There was something important that we wanted to talk with you."
"Get lost!!" She moved forward trying to close the window. Just then Pinky moved her hand forward. Haya noticed that there was a pink coloured, one inch scar....like it was burned.....or was it a birthmark..
"Move...I said get lost!!" Angry and scared she quickly tried closing the window but Pinky kept her hand on it and it wasn't closing.
"Baji, don't do like this with Pinky. Her hand will get injured ji." Saying that Dolly kept his hands on Haya's shoulders trying to stop her, Haya swifly turned and pushed Dolly with all her force. Dolly wasn't ready for this attack so he stumbled and moved back. Haya got a few seconds to pull up the window on her side.
"Now you move away from here or I will gather people around!!" Saying that she started pullinh up the window but Pinky refused to budge.
"Baji ji I came here to tell you about Dolly's feelings for you and you are behaving like this..This Dolly, she likes you a lot but cannot express." Pinky was acting coquettishly and speaking. The accent in which they spoke was a bit punjabi. On the other hand Dolly started banging the door.
"Shut up and Get Lost!!!!!" She screamed and with all her strength started pulling up the window.
"Baji ji.....just listen to me." Dolly joined Pinky on the other side.
Just then the signals opened. Cars started moving forward. Haya's car was the only one at halt. Cars started honking on the sideways. Faraway a policeman was quietly standing and looking at the commotion but didn't come forward to help.
Dolly patted Pinky's shoulder and signalled him to leave. Pinky turned to look at Dolly when his grasp on the window loosened. Haya quickly took this chance to pull up the window. Pinky got startled and tried pulling away his fingers but Haya persistently kept pulling up the window. Pink's fingers got stuck in it.
"Oh!! Leave Baji ji!!!" Pinky painfully shrugged and tried removing his fingers but they were stuck badly.
Dolly angrily started banging the window but Haya kept looking at them with hate and pulled up the window till the end... Behind her the cars kept honking and many cars started leaving from the sides.
Just then blood started dripping on the window from Pinky's fingers and Haya came back to her senses. Quickly she pulled down the window. The window went down an inch. Pinky angrily pulled his fingers out. Before she raced the csr she closely examined Pinky's hand. The wrist which had the mark on that same hand his forefinger was injured and on other fingers a brown line had formed. His hands were definitely injured but she didn't care.
She swiftly sped away her car, then she saw in her backview mirror. The two enunches were constantly turning and glaring at her angrily. Dolly was holding Pinky's injured hand and looking at Haya's car he was saying something. She ignored them and increased the accelator. As of now she hoped that Dolly will not trouble her anymore.
Very soon she was going to be proven wrong.