Crave

🦋🦋🦋

She was sitting on the stairs crying. Since when? For how long? She had forgotten herself.

Remembering, just his face. All were present in front of her, but he wasn't.

She was praying for hearing his voice in all voices.

Life makes man learn a lot. When it comes to a difficult time when a person finds himself, his family. But what you would do when you have no one?

She could not understand much because of the age she was going through. She never understood anyone. Who she could hear, could be understood, was not present before her.

All were engaged in their works, no one cared for her. The one who was left with nothing was only eleven years old, but the world was still troubled by it. That day, everyone whom she could call hers, left her alone in the hands of the cruel world.

Her big teary eyes were waiting for him, getting impatient for him who was hers after her parents.

She was sitting on the stairs looking at the door where a lot of people were coming in and out. She was looking for his face in all of them and then finally she saw him. She could not find herself knowing when she stood and moved towards him.

She ran and went into his arms that were already opened to her. The coming one took her from the ground, putting her with him. He knew that her little soul had no place on earth except himself.

He brought her into his chest, caging her in his arms securely. Took her to his room, sat on the bed and pulled out the vet tissue from the side table, and cleaned her face which was full of tears.

"Zara, stop crying, see I am in front of you... don't cry like this."

"But now Tai Ami will throw me out of my house."

She was confused watching him while she held his fingers firmly, probably fearing he would leave her like everyone else.

"Who said that to you?"

He confiscated his anger, but the tone was a little harsh.

"Tai Ami was talking to the bari phopho that she didn't want to keep me with her. She wants phopho to take me with her. Ain I don't want to go." She again started crying.

Of course, he became furious.

"Zara this is not going to happen okay." He knew this would happen, but it would come so soon he didn't know that.

She slept a while later, but he was still awake. He knew he had to do something right away.

Life was never easy for anyone, life was made to give trials. From the sincere adoption of love and endurance above all that he had to do most at that time. He was only twenty years old but was a mountain of intelligence.

He made a decision but didn't know it was right or wrong. But when he heard the call from his Creator. He understood that he had to ask from his Maker.

There was peace in his heart when he was prostrating. When he was done with his prayers and turned away from prayer. What he saw made him know that he had received the answer to every question he had.

The innocent girl was prostrating in his shadow. He smiled powerlessly. She was only nine but understood all his words. Sometimes he even felt that only she was the one who knew him.

She finished praying, looking at him, and smiled adorably. He came close, holding her little face in his hands and read something under his breath, and breathed at her face in his hands.

"Will Zara do as I say and believe me in one thing?" He asked her in a whisper.

"You know, I obey you always Ain."

"So then right, in the morning, do as I say, you will not ask anyone any questions, and you will not tell anyone anything." Made her understand everything, asking her to sleep in his room. He went out locking the room. He knew he couldn't trust anyone at that time and never on that little soul.

He went straight to his bara Baba's room. Seeing him praying, he sat beside them.

Syed Sikandar Ahmed was the only person who understood him. He was his most beloved one. He knew him through his soul, which no one else could see.

He finished praying and smiled seeing him and that smile was just for him.

"Bara baba I had something to talk about." He was shocked at his unsteadiness. His eyes knew he was going to do something big.

"I know you won't say anything wrong, don't fear anyone, my child, never."

His Bara Baba was his courage, to give him the strength to do what he wanted to.

"I..."

And make him know what he was about to do and...

He did what he said.

He went through what he thought was right, without anyone caring.

He completed the settlement.

He cared only for her.

The thoughts were only of her.

---

Syed Muhammad Ahmed was a very tough man. Being in the army, his personality was such that everyone was afraid of him. There were three sons and a daughter.

The elder son Syed Sikandar Ahmed joined the army like his father. Never married because his life was all for duty.

The second son was Syed Taimoor Ahmad, who had his own business. They had one son. Syed Ain Ahmad, who was the dearest of everyone in the house. Intelligence and bravery were all inherited. A man living in his world. Who only knew to give the best.

The third was Syeda Fatima, the only daughter of the house. Two daughters were Jannat and Arwa.

Then the youngest Syed Noor-ul-Hadi, who was the only person in the house who made that house feel to be home. His mother died on his birth. Syed Mohammad Ahmed did everything for his children. Taught every aspect of life. Every morality was verifiable, but the one thing he couldn't do or teach them was loving and caring for each other.

While they lived together, they lived as students of the same class. There was one man who dared to love. And perhaps for the same plea when Syed Noor-ul-Hadi took his love's name, she was accepted with a great heart.

But shortly after the marriage, God's commandment came. Noor-ul-Hadi had one daughter Seyda Zara Noor-ul-Hadi. She was only nine years old when they both left the world.

At that time, Muhammad Ahmad came to know what he forgot to teach his children. But it may have been late then.

Zara had much more to suffer after her grandfather's death. The suffering she had to go through after her parents. The anger of her Tai Ami was the resentment of her eyes, the scourge of her words that was counting her bread bites. The silence of her Taya Abu was whacking her from inside.

The sight of Phopho, where there was always disgust, resentment, and dread. The signs of Arwa and Jannat made her inferior every time. The only difference was that she no longer had a mother in front of her to kiss her face, not her father who would pull her to him and shut everyone with one word of his own.

It all felt more when her parents were gone. Years passed. Seasons testified to her existence. Thunderstorms hurt her documents.

Soon her life was placed with death in her eyes...

---

"These are her university reports." A man showed him one file where every bit of information was written. Her friend's information, their grades, families, other activities.

"These are her monthly expenditures." Again one another file was transferred towards him. In which there was a single page, only about two books, one register and that was it. He was nothing but furious. The man in front of him emotionlessly gave him another file.

"This was her routine schedule and outgoings." He didn't for once bother to open another file.

He knew well what exactly was in them. Like every other time he knew. A little pain of frustration arose in his chest. The heat-strengthened in his throat to his head making hard pain in his head.

"Leave." His voice was a mare whisper but a hard one. Without any other movement, he took a deep breath...

"Sir, there is something you should be informed about." He gave him just one look at which the man in front of him cleared his throat, and continued...

"Your mother will send her to your aunt's place, possibly next week." His jaw clenched as he blinked twice to control himself.

"Last week, a boy from her university came to your father for her hand. He lied in front of your father that she was involved with him."

Looking out through his immense office glass window he was very close to destroying everything. From inside he was brimming with hostility. He wanted to only focus on taking as many normal breaths as he could.

It was usual for him to get this angry but he was the one who would generally stay in control. He looked at the man in front of him again to give him hard look.

"Make sure of her security." After giving him a dismissive nod, he moved his eyes towards the files in front of him. By looking at his dark grey orbs anyone would not be able to stand.

But there was someone on the other side of the world who was the only one who could...

---

"I told you to shift this stuff to your room. Move it aside."

She quickly picked up her father's stuff and ran towards her room, somewhere between stopping her tears.

After half an hour she took everything in her room which was already full. Dust was everywhere as she was cleaning everything and then placing them on the shelves and the corner of the floors.

She didn't want to put anything in the boxes and leave them somewhere in the storeroom. She had a full wall of paintings that were made by her mother. Every crafted piece was present in that room or in her wardrobe, where a small bundle of clothes was kept on one shelf.

"Zara your Tai Ami is calling you." Their maid came to inform her. But she already knew what she was going to say.

After some moments she was in front of her Tai Ami room. She entered after getting permission, moving forward she stood in the middle of the room. Looking straight, head held up high, her straight nose was telling she was not some weak human.

Yes, she had many hardships in her life. She had to go through many sleepless nights, but she was taught to never look down.

Yes, she had panic attacks while crying but she knew everything will be all right. She knew when to cry and when to keep quiet. Sometimes no matter how much you try to speak your heart out, words are not just enough to describe how you truly feel.

"Pack your bags, you are going to your Phopho place in a week." She nodded without any response or any reaction.

"Make sure to take as many things as you can because no one from there will let you come back and take them." A single node was given again.

What thing she was going to take with her. Her countable piece of clothes, her three pairs of shoes, her old abaya, her books maybe, her mother's jewelry. They simply didn't want her in their lives. Why would they? She was not important to anyone in that house.

Yes, she knew, she was important to someone. But was that importance any different from being unimportant? NO, it was not different. It was sad when you realize you weren't as important to someone as you thought you were.

While packing every stuff, every single she was putting her hands on, she remembered why and when she was given those. Some things were used by her cousins. They didn't want to wear them more, that was why they were given to her. Some were new especially her study items.

"ZARA" She came out from her thoughts and ran downstairs as the shout from her Tai Ami was very loud and full of anger. She made herself ready for that long scolding lecture of how much she was useless, wasteful, unlucky, and a burden she was.

"I told you to dispose of all those old tea sets and set new ones there. Now tell me what all of these are still doing here." Her Tai Ami came in front of her, holding the cups in her hands. It was above twelve and she was there to answer those questions this late just for her satisfaction of insulting her in front of all the servants.

Without any second her Tai Ami was throwing every piece on the floor.

"What you were thinking? That you can live here, in my house just like a princess. You will just spend all our money, our food, and have a comfortable life that you don't even deserve? You thought that you will only eat and sleep, Will only do dirty behind our backs all the time." She was saying all that between breaking those cups, knowing well what else she was breaking.

"You will clean this all before going to bed." Another punishment like always. She was used to it but that didn't stop that tugging happening in her heart.

While crossing her she stopped beside her...

"You are useless Zara, a very spoiled brat." She pushed her to the side, walking satisfyingly upstairs.

She sat down on the floor collecting pieces, taking long breaths to calm herself down. It was getting worse day by day for her to stay there. She was planning to run away from that house.

How? She had planned everything already, even where she was going to live next. She was only going to live in this city for the next few months and then she would go somewhere else. She first had to complete her graduation which would be done in two weeks.

No one was going to go after her, she would be free and would live her life freely.

But as returning to her room she thought about how she will attend university while staying at her Phopho house.

And in answer, only one option was coming to her mind. To not go there in the first place. She would cry every single night, would not be able to sleep at all. It was not the story of one day, it was happening for many years.

Growing up she knew, she had to leave, no matter what happened. About midnight she was able to clean up all the mess, after getting many cuts on her palms.

---

To be continued