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  “Afrin is in a rush to visit Zaib’s house,” one of their friends Ravi, teased Afrin. Hearing this, a smile lit up on Zaib’s face but Afrin ignored the comment and kept looking out through the window.

  “Who do you think is going to top the class this year?” Zaib put up the question to his friends.

  “I bet it will be Afrin because even last year she had topped,” Sejal quipped.

  “Oh yes! Who else can even dare to break the records of Miss Studious!” Zaib tried to involve Afrin in his conversation.

  “Oh my funny friend, even you have good brains,” Afrin answered back.

  “Oh no, no! I am not interested in taking your position. You were, are and will remain at the top,” Zaib replied with an honest grin.

  As the car approached a housing society, Afrin’s eyes wandered around. She murmured to herself, “I think I have been here before.”

  “Guys, this is my home,” Zaib told standing in front of his building.

  “I wish I lived here too,” Sandeep said, looking at the huge flats of the society, facing the tranquil sea.

  Ever since Afrin had entered the society premises, she had been getting a nostalgic feeling that she had visited this place earlier too but was not sure about it. When she entered the wing of the society where Zaib lived, the feeling of being at that place became stronger.

  Zaib asked them to go inside while he went to order food from the society’s restaurant. Afrin and others stood outside his house and rang the doorbell.

  After a little while, a blind lady opened the door, saying something softly. Afrin was standing close to the door and she heard the lady say, “I do not understand why the maid is never doing her job?”

  Afrin and the others marveled at Zaib’s beautiful, big house with all the luxurious comforts, beautiful paintings and artifacts adorning it. They were ushered indoors and made to sit comfortably near the balcony facing the sea. Its cool breeze made everybody feel fresh.

  Finally, Zaib arrived, carrying food from the restaurant. “Zaib your house is lovely. I wish, I too lived in such a beautiful place,” Raghav said innocently.

  “Come and stay with me, anytime you wish,” Zaib smiled and patted his back.

  Just then, a middle aged man opened the door of the room which was opposite the hall. He had worn short pants and looked strangely at Zaib and his friends. Zaib went to him and said, “They are my close friends and we have decided to enjoy our day together.”

  The middle aged man looked at Zaib with his sleepy eyes and after yawning said, “Do whatever you want but do not enter my room to disturb me.”

  Then, the man headed towards the kitchen. Soon after, a young lady too, in a beautiful silk gown, came out of that room. She too went into the kitchen. After sometime, the middle aged man went back to his room and that lady followed him. Then, the door of the room was closed from inside.

  Nobody had noticed all this because they were busy chatting at the balcony but it didn’t go unnoticed from Afrin’s curious eyes. Afrin, after seeing all this felt a certain familiarity with Zaib’s house, the middle aged man and even the blind lady but she did not recollect when she had seen them. After some time she could recollect an unfortunate event of her childhood at this place.

  Afrin felt thirsty and asked Zaib to show her the kitchen. Zaib took out water from the refrigerator and handed it to her. Afrin took the glass in her hand and kept staring at it after drinking the water.

  She looked at Zaib and asked, “Can I ask you something?”

  Zaib looked at her with surprise but he tried to be normal. He said, “Yes.”

  After taking a deep breath, she asked, “Who was that middle aged man?”

  “He is my……. father…,” Zaib stammered while answering her question.

  “Oh, then that lady in the silk gown is your mother, right?” Afrin asked with an intention to know if Zaib’s father was having an extra marital affair.

  Zaib’s face turned pale and the pain in his eyes could be read out. He controlled himself and replied, “No, she is not my mother. It’s been some years that my mother turned blind. In order to take care of her, a maid was appointed. The young lady in the silk gown you saw was the maid.”

  “Appears like the maid has forgotten that she has to take care of a blind lady and not her husband,” Afrin muttered to herself.

  They went back to the hall and joined their friends. Zaib got busy chatting with his friends but Afrin was lost in her thoughts. This did not go unnoticed by Zaib. He went to her and said, “What happened to you, Miss Studious? Why are you not in a cheerful mood today?

  At this, Afrin angrily retorted, “My mood and I have got nothing to do with you.” She then turned her face away from Zaib. He was unable to fathom the reason behind her bad mood.

  He went to his friend Bijli and asked, “How do I bring a smile on this girl’s face?” At this, Bijli understood the situation and said, “The girl will smile only when she is happy. If a person is not in a good mood then it is advisable to leave them alone so that they can recover peacefully from the stressful situation.”

  Hearing this, Zaib nodded his head.

  The next morning, Zaib felt that Afrin’s mood might have changed and she would apologize for speaking rudely with him. So, he took out his mobile and typed, “Afrin, how are you feeling today? Hope you are not angry any more. You do not look good with a resentful face.”

  After an hour, he got a message from Afrin which almost gave him a blow. She had texted,

  “Zaib, I no longer want to be your friend. If at all I run into you, my mood is going to be foul. So, please for God’s sake never try to meet me or speak with me, nor be my friend anymore. This is my last conversation with you.”

  Zaib was shocked and his eyes teared up. Countless thoughts started troubling his mind. He asked himself, “Why had Afrin changed all of a sudden? Is it because I wasted her time by sending her messages? Is it because she did not like me showing my beautiful house to our friends? Does she not like my behaviour?” Then, as if his head had given a firm reply, Zaib concluded to himself, “All these are just silly reasons which are nothing else but just unrealistic imaginations. My mood is spoilt after reading the text. My mind is acting up and so endless thoughts are occupying my mind.”

  Just then he heard the landline phone at his home ring. Zaib snapped out of his thoughts and absentmindedly answered the phone but kept quiet. Finally, the person from the other end said, “Hello! Good morning. May I speak with Zaib King?”

  Zaib regained his composure on hearing the voice. He said, “Yes I am Zaib. Who’s this?”

  “I am your friend, Sam Smith!”

  “Oh Sam, how are you? When did you arrive from Switzerland?”

  “I am fine. I arrived yesterday evening and met your father. I asked him for your number and that’s how I got your residence number.”

  “Okay! Good that at least you remembered me even after being away from India for so many years.”

  “Obviously, friends are part of our lives. How can I forget you just because I was away from India for my further studies? Anyway, I am coming to meet you at your place. Should I come by evening?”

  “No, not at my place,” Zaib couldn’t help screaming. He then continued, “Sam, my father will not like it. You already know that he doesn’t like anybody coming to our house. Last time, I had called my college friends to my place and after they left, he expressed his displeasure about calling them home.”

  Sam softly said, “Yes Zaib, I understand. We can’t change anybody’s nature.”

  “How about if I come to meet you at your place? Or, let’s meet at a restaurant or a club?” Zaib tried to figure out ways to meet his childhood friend.

  “Come over to my place when you are free,” Sam replied.

  “I’ll come after lunch,” saying this, Zaib disconnected the phone. He
felt much better after speaking with Sam. At least, it helped him stay away from Afrin’s thoughts.

  CHAPTER 5

  SAM COMES TO TOWN

  Sam lived in the next society and Zaib reached his house soon. He rang the door bell and Sam opened the door. The boys hugged each other and Sam welcomed his friend in. He took Zaib to the balcony which faced the garden. He looked at Zaib and asked, “How is life?”

  Zaib looked at Sam, and trying to hide his pain he smiled back and said, “I am absolutely fine and life is good.”

  Sam kept looking at Zaib and said, “Buddy, I know you are lying. Your eyes have a different story to tell. Tell me what happened? Every problem has a solution, my friend. Tell me, so we can find a solution.”

  These words from Sam convinced Zaib to open his heart. He told his friend about Afrin and everything that happened.

  Sam heard everything carefully and after thinking deeply, he asked Zaib, “Did you figure out the reason behind her getting angry at your house, and finally today telling you not to speak with her?”

  “I gave it a lot of thought, but I am as clueless as you are,” Zaib replied with confused looks.

  “Zaib, I want to know if you have directly asked Afrin about her problem.”

  “No Sam, I haven’t…”

  “That is silly, Zaib. There is obviously some misunderstanding and only she can clear the air here. If you don’t ask, you will never know!”

  “So, what do I do now?” Zaib asked with a sad face.

  “Call her! Call her and ask her the reason. Assure her that if you’ve done something, it was unintentional and you’d want to rectify it,” Sam tried his best to help Zaib.

  “No, I’ll not speak to her because she asked me not to…”

  But before Zaib could do anything Sam took out Zaib’s cell phone and dialed Afrin’s number. He gave the mobile to him keeping the speakers on.

  Sam commanded, “Now! Talk to her!”

  Zaib’s hands started trembling when Afrin received his call.

  “Hello Zaib, I think you didn’t get my message……” Afrin spoke loudly.

  At this Zaib started weeping and couldn’t open his mouth. So, Sam took the phone and conjuring a voice similar to that of Zaib, asked Afrin to calm down.

  “I was all calm until an idiot like you called me again…..”

  “Afrin, I’ll never call you again but please for once let me know the reason behind your hurt. If I have unknowingly done something wrong then please tell me my mistake. Punish me, but at least let me know!”

  Afrin cut him short and said, “Some mistakes cannot be forgiven even by brutally punishing someone. Those mistakes can never be forgotten. At every stage it hits the victim’s mind. If you really want to know the reason behind my harshness, then listen. It’s one of your family members because of which I am very upset and angry. Now do not try to come in my life again and disturb me.” Saying this, she disconnected the phone and both the boys kept staring at each other.

  Sam went to the kitchen to make coffee for both of them. Zaib followed him. Taking two mugs out of the crockery cupboard, Sam said, “Zaib, we don’t get everything we want in life. At times we are refused something good and then destiny offers something that is best for us. When God takes away something that’s close to your heart, he does arrange for something better than it. Life never leaves you empty. Even when a tree loses a leaf, it gets a new one. Our life is like a tree and our friends, family, our partners are just like leaves. So if one leaf falls down do not get sad because you will still have other leaves on you and a new leaf will ultimately take its place.”

  Zaib kept staring at his friend and said, “I am glad I met you today. I do feel better after speaking to you. But I really love Afrin and I don’t know which of my family members has hurt her sentiments.”

  “Zaib, we must find out the exact reason. But for now, don’t do anything. Give her some time, and prayers are the best healers in pain. She might feel better after a few days and decide to talk to you. Give it some time.”

  Adding coffee powder to milk and heating it, Zaib said, “Sam tell me something about you. Did you enjoy in Switzerland? How is life over there?”

  Sam added sugar in the boiling coffee, shrugged and said, “It was okay.”

  “Just okay?” questioned Zaib. “C’mon, tell me more!”

  “Buddy, everybody faces struggle in their lives. It doesn’t matter where you stay or how wealthy you are or how good looking you are. Everybody’s life is full of hurdles. We have to cross the obstacles to reach the goal of our lives.”

  Zaib took a spoon and started stirring the coffee. He looked at Sam and said, “I have been in love only once. Not only had she rejected my love, now she has rejected my friendship too. What about you? Did you ever like anyone?”

  Sam heard this question and his face fell down. He looked out of the balcony and after some time replied, “Zaib, we all are humans. Everybody will like someone in their life, but very few will get their love in return. If you love somebody then may be that person will reject you. But suppose that person also loves you back then the whole world will come in between to break your heart in the form of poor destiny or cultural barriers or family, or caste, etc…”

  Then Sam took out his phone and showed a photograph of a girl and a boy to Zaib and said, “See Zaib, this girl is my love.”

  Zaib’s eyes widened with despair on looking at the photo. He said in a worried voice, “But Sam, the guy beside her is somebody else!”

  Hearing this Sam looked sad and turned his face away from Zaib to hide his emotions. Zaib kept his hand on Sam’s shoulder and asked, “Sam, what happened with you? Sharing the pain will lessen its hurt in your heart.”

  “I’ll tell you my story in short.”

  Saying this Sam gulped down the entire coffee from his mug and said, “In Switzerland, I fell in love with a girl named Alina. She was very tall and had an innocent face. We were in the same school and were friends. We both liked each other in the beginning. Later on she behaved rudely, insulted me, blamed me wrongly and what is worse, she was unfaithful to me. She started dating my friend, Rody.”

  Zaib said, “So Alina went away with your friend Rody. How unfaithful can some people be.”

  “No Zaib!” Sam interrupted him. “Initially, Rody knew nothing! He told me that he would have never dated Alina if he had known everything. But when he came to know about it, it was just too late. And by then, Alina had started poisoning his mind against me and he chose to believe her.”

  “But Sam, how did you react then?” Zaib started taking interest in Sam’s love story as it sort of helped him to be away from Afrin’s pain. Even Sam didn’t mind him interfering in his past life.

  With a heavy heart Sam said, “When I came to know the truth, I stopped speaking to Alina and Rody. But that was my silliest decision.”

  “Sam, I understand you hate both of them,” said Zaib comforting Sam. “They have hurt you.”

  “Yes Zaib, they have both hurt me a lot. Alina kept on putting wrong allegations on me and caused me a lot of distress. I used to hate her with all my heart and even Rody left no opportunity in hurting me.”

  “Oh my God Sam, how could you tolerate such traitors? I mean, they might have made your life miserable by torturing you mentally.”

  “Yes, they did torment me mentally. In the beginning, I even found it hard to live. I couldn’t concentrate on my studies and exams were just a month away.”

  “So how did you handle the situation?” Zaib was curious about Sam’s way of dealing with life during such situation.

  “I had turned into a zombie; I had also lost weight. But I knew that it was not my mistake. I was just suffering because of those unfaithful people. So, I started thinking and reading positive. Meditation helped a lot. I read good quotes and novels. My life gradually changed. Prayers healed
my hurt and my heart.”

  “If you see them now, wouldn’t you get angry?” asked Zaib.

  “No Zaib, I have forgiven them. I’ve promised myself never to hate them again. I believe that whatever happens is for our best. I liked Alina but I also know that she doesn’t deserve me and it is good that God has parted our ways.”

  “Did they apologize to you?” Zaib asked curiously.

  “No, they didn’t. Even if one doesn’t say sorry, we must forgive the person for the sake of our own mental peace.”

  “If you are no longer upset with whatever happened to you then why did your face drop when I questioned you about your past?”

  “I was not sad because you reminded me about my past, but I got sad when Alina’s face came in front of my eyes.”

  “Why is it so, Sam?”

  “Because whenever Alina’s face comes in front of my eyes, I fall in love with her again. I can never forget her,” said Sam with an unhappy face

  “You loved her truly; it was her mistake to ditch you.”

  “No Zaib, it was not only Alina’s mistake. It was my mistake and Rody’s mistake too. Alina and Rody proved unfaithful, but it was also my mistake to fall in love with the wrong person. We are humans and we all commit mistakes in life,” Sam was grief-stricken when Alina’s memories replayed in his mind.

  “But why did you leave Switzerland all of a sudden, Sam?”

  “Because every day when I would see Alina, my heart wanted to fall in love all over again accepting all her mistakes and even after knowing the fact that she was no longer mine. It was better to stay hundreds of miles away from her.”

  “Love really sucks away all the happiness from one’s life,” said Zaib, remembering Afrin.

  “No buddy, love is like heaven if you make the right choice of your partner.”

  “Hmmm…” Zaib did not know how true that statement was.

  “Zaib, I forgot to tell you that I’ve got admission in your college.”

  “Oh superb, good news Sam! I’m really happy to hear this!” Zaib was very happy to hear this news.