Mehendi

When they had Mehendi...........................

“Chacha papers agay hog aye, paanch din ki chute! mera naam likhwa dein!” (Chacha! Ppaers are postponed! Five days of holiday! You write my name now!), and there the CEO could hear on television “Khawateen o Hazrat! Mutahida Quami Movement k ek karkun jaanbahaq! Imtehaanat multavi!” (Ladies and gentlemen! Worker of Mutahida Qaumi Movement is killed! Exams postponed!)

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“Begham khushkhabri!” (Wife! There is good news!)

“Kiya ho gaya” (What happen?)

“Ppaers aagay hog aye bachay k, pooray ek hafta aagay” (Papers of son are postponed for one week)

 “Kiya hua ammi” (What happen, ammi?)

“Fajahad k papers aagay ho gaye” (Fajahad’s exams are postponed.)

“Chalo jee phir shru ho gaya Fajahad melodrama, aba ko bolein issi baat par gulab jaman lay aayein, unka beta aa gaya hai wapis after all” (Again Fajahad melodrama started. Ask Abba to bring Gulab Jaman on this news after all his son has returned.)

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And there the mehendi begins

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Sandals dabbing downstairs, white shalwar was pumping due to speed and lounge’s being airy, the hands stopped the whole physique because eyes went at keys. The phone jumped into the pocket of black sherwani and Mr.Fajahad who wanted to to travel by bike ran the car behind because of BARI and baskets of mehndi, ubtaan and meethai.

In the traffic, the car was echoing his voice.

“Asad bhai k saath mil kar lightein yahan lagao Gulsher……Pathan Sahab rotiyan taiyaar hain, ab jo tandoor banaye uss mein ghee kam……..tu aa hum dono mil k stage kar letay hain…..Bilal tu stage par phool laga….Saadiq sahab lightein dekhlein stage par…..aur yeh batao doli ready hai??....Parveen auntie aur Furqan bhai khana lay aayein…Jao Jibran tum khana lay aao, balkay hum dono saath chaltay hai, kareeb mein hi tou hai” (Gulsher hang lights here with brother Asad……Are breads ready, Mr. Pathan? Apply less ghee in tandoors which you will cook now……..You come, we will do stage together…..Bilal, put flowers on stage….Mr. Sadiq, see lights on stage…..and tell me is doli ready?....Have Parveen auntie and brothedr Furqan brought food?...Jibran, you go and bring it, actually we both go together instead, it is very near, by the way.)

Food arrived, food was being managed, and the boy went in the bridal room. He was sitting with one leg folded and one leg making a resting table for his chin. He was studying for his next paper when he heard the yelling. His anger boiled up when he saw who was there and flooded out

“Tum yahan kiya kar rahi ho? Kis ne tumhein bheja hai…..bhaiya aap sub apna kaam karein jaisay kar rahay thay waisay hi kar rein” (What are you doing here> Who send you here?....Brother you do your work the way your ding it before.)

“Tumhein koi masla hai meray aanay se?? agar hai tou wo tumhara department hai mera nahi main tou aaoon gee jab dil karay ga tab tab aaoon gee” (Do you have any problem from my coming over here? If there is any problem so it is your department, not mine. I will come whenever I want to.)

“Sharafat k saath gari mein baitho!” (Sit in car silently!)

“nahi baithoon gee” (I will not sit!)

“Main ne kaha baitho! Chacha ko phone karoon! Ek tou sanatay mein yahan aa gai aur oppar sey phir tum ne sleeveless pehan rakhi hai” (I say Sit! Do I phone Chacha! You have already came here in haunted house like silent road alone and on the other hand you have worn sleeveless!), he was murmuring

“kiya ho gaya hai issay?” (What happen to him?), she was thinking

“Baitho gari mein jaa kar, jab dekho jahan dekho aa jati ho, na time dekha, na mauqa dekha aur na jagah o mulk! Bhai ki shaadi jo hai! Tum ne apni chala li na aa kar! Ab meri suno! Gari mein baitho! Farah ki dost yahan drop kar raha hoon, sharafat k saath utar jana! Ek tou waisay hi halaat itnay kharab hain, aur akeli larki ek masoom bachay k saath yahan khari hai! Kahabar dar uss waqt tum ne jo nakhray kiye” (Go and sit in car! You come everywhere everytime! Not the time is seen, not the moment and not the area and country! But why she will ask! It is her brother’s wedding, after all! You have played your part by coming here on your choice! Now listen to me! Sit in car! I am dropping you at Farah’s friend’s place, silently step down there from car! City’s situation is already worse! And alone girl with innocent child is standing here! Don’t create any disturbances there! I am warning you!)

She sat in car. Bilal was crying. He pushed the box. The box had chocolates “Issay dey dou, chup ho jaye ga”. (Give him, he will then stop crying.)

She was dropped.

“Acha khasa iss Sadaf ne mera time zaya kar diya, pagal” (Sadaf has wasted my plenty of time, idiot.), he was murmuring while entering into the hall.

“Waah, kiya kar kardagi hai!” (Wow! What a creation it is!), he was suddenly overwhelmed when looked up and found the strands of golden lights joining from each point making a triangle up where they all were under the roof of pink and yellow cloths and very down, very much in front he found a red carpet between the yellow carpet that leads to a cute yellow stage. He could see the food flooded into the pots that were being burned on stoves on the table decorated with dark green cloth which made the roof and fall of yellow.

“Mast hai!!” (It is awesome!), as he was looking pleasingly, he turned round, saw his sister in the shiny crowd, dominated with green and yellow colours, of all females of their family, dressed in green sleevless sharara having messy side fish tail resting on her neck that broaden to face decorated with make-up, necklace, teeka, bangles and rings, who was roaring with utter excitement “Sachi mast hai cheetay” (Truly, it is awesome, my Cheetah!)

“Ab tou aa jao!!” (Now, please come!), the dhol was being beaten on full Punjabi tunes of “NACH PUNJABAN” and all females called the dancer of their family. 

While dancing his eyes glanced at doll like eyes enhanced by fair skin and light brown hair and there his feet stopped and smile came automatically with bright imagination but all imagination and that smile went in vain when tall, black haired, almond eyed and wheat skinned Sadaf, dressed in sari having green blouse and off white shirt, waved her hand between them. Her red lips, due to dark lipstick, angered him that were smiling to tease him. His grin made him “Chalo chalo sub kharay ho jao, larki walay aanay walay hain” (Okay, okay! Everyone stand up! Girls family is going to come, right now.)

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Dressed in all yellow from top to bottom in sharara having dupatta on head, Marium who was wearing no make-up on her white skin either due to stress or lack of sleep, walked to the stage and sat on wooden carved swing and that is why everyone

 was gathered around stage to put ubtan on her face that was placed on BAITHAK in front of swing and feeding her with loads of gulab jaman 

while dj was playing “Mhendi ki hai raat” of Jawad Ahmed 

and poor Fajahad was sitting near entrance for security and also eyeing on what is going on from waitresses site which were now there and all men left. DJ was also female.

Dandia played, skirt flowed on tunes of “dum dum bajay dhol” and “Maahi ve”of Kal Ho Na Ho, “Pretty Women” and “Chitta Kukar” but Fajahad was left with walking legs. He was looking at them with eyes that were watery from the side of brain.

While the dance was carrying on, he was studying. But he could not hold books for more than 10 minutes. And what happened?

Cricket was being played outside.

“Kaun hai kaun hai!!!” (Who is there? Who is there?), He joined them. He played with them. He hit the ball and ball hit him too by breaking the flower pots behind the bowlers and fielders.

The females who were enjoying gol gapay, halwa puri, maal pooray

 came out and questioning “Kiya hua? Kiya hua?” (What happen? What happen?)

“Mera gamla in bacho mein sey kis ne tora hai?” (Who break my pot, out of you children?)

All pointed at black sherwani.

“Hum issay nahi jantay, yeh saaray bachay tou humaray ghar k bachay hain par iska humein nahi pata…aur tum sub, kitni dafa mana kiya hai strangers k saath mat khela karo” (We don’t know him. All these children are of our house but we don’t know of him…And to all of you, how many times have I told you not to play with strangers!), Sadaf, who came first at scene said. She flooded out their old envy that day.

“Kiya ho gaya hai tumhe, yeh humara hi bacha hai, humaray ghar ka bacha hai,” (What happen to you! No No! He is our boy! He is our family’s boy!), but her mother came soon and expressed her motherly affection for him.

“Haan yeh mera cousin hai” (Yes, he is my cousin.), and his smile arose involuntarily.

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“Nahi mummy gari wahin rahay gee, sahi karwanay dee hai is liye Fajahad humaray saath aaye ga” (No mummy, car will be parked there to mend. That’s why Fajahad will come with us.)

And he saw her with narrowed eyes and freckled head because his old foe or his talebearer when he used to visit to Ateeq Sheeshay aur Fridge wala to observe friction in fridge’s machines again came on vacant seat which he saved for that light brown haired cousin who saved him.

“Haan uncle main wahan aata hoon raastay batanay k liye” (Yes uncle I am coing to tell you directions.), and he left the seat to sit near driver pretending that he was going there to guide driver where to go first.

“Aray sara tum bhi saamnay baith jao, takay chand dekhnay ko milay” (Sara, you also sit in front one seat so that moon will be given to see.), sadaf said. Fajahad stared angrily. And she grinned.

“Matlab?” (Meaning?), Sara asked

“Bhae tum itni khoobsurat ho aur saamnay baithi ho hum sub k tou chand tou mil gaya na hum sub ko dekhnay ko, ab bahir dekhnay ki kiya zaroorat” (You are so pretty and being sat in front of all of us is like we get moon to see in very front. Now what we need to look at sky.), Sadaf pretended.

“Sadaf baji aap bhi na” (Sister Sadaf!), and the 15 year old Canadian girl who came here on Saturday laughed.

Her laugh brought the cold breezes towards him who was sitting beside her.

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Author's Note

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