Eleven years old Zulaid dressed in school uniform walked into the house holding the packet of sweets his father bought on the way.
"Mama! Where are you?" Zulaid didn't find anyone in the lounge unlike usual.
"Papa where is everyone? You said that the baby has finally arrived" He questioned his father who walked behind him. He knew his uncle and aunt were going to be parents for the first time.
"Everyone must be in the guest room. Go there!" Ayub pointed at a room where his brother and his heavily pregnant wife shifted recently.
"Mama! I am home" Zulaid rushed to the room screaming.
As he opened the door he actually found everyone there. His chachi was lying on the bed. She looked exhausted. His mother was feeding her soup. His grandmother was sitting on the bed beside chachi holding the baby in her arms. His chachu was playing with the hands of his newborn daughter.
Hamad was playing on the floor. His toys were scattered at the floor. He was lost in playing and not bothering anyone.
"Aslamo alaikum!!" Zulaid greeted loudly as he was done with the inspection.
"Walekum salam! My son came back" Ibrahim smiled at him.
"Yes chacha! Papa told me you got a girl" He smiled at him.
"Yes!" Ibrahim laughed.
"Come beta! she is here" His grandmother asked him to come closer.
"No. First go and wash your hands" Saman pointed towards the washroom.
"Okay" He rushed to get done in a minute then came to his grandmother who was holding the baby wrapped in white baby blanket.
Ibrahim gave him a place to lean forward. He leaned down at the baby and saw her face. She was sleeping peacefully. He smiled lightly while watching her little hands.
"She is so cute" He touched her puffy cheeks. Her skin was as soft as cotton candy.
"What's her name?" He didn't avert his eyes from her cute face.
"Inara!" Ibrahim told him happily.
"Such a nice name. Mama I want to hold her. Can I?" He spread his arms in the air to hold her but didn't forget to ask his mother's permission.
"Be gentle!" Saman instructed.
"I will" He nodded.
"She is so fragile. Be gentle!" His grandmother carefully placed her in his arms.
"You are so cute baby Nara!" He kissed her cheeks.
"No she isn't cute. She was crying before you came" Hamad shared his thoughts, holding Zulaid's legs. He didn't realize when he came behind her.
"She is as cute as you" Zulaid changed his statement to make him happy.
"Okay. I want her too" He also wanted to hold her now.
"You have already held her Hamad! She would cry again what would you do then..." Saman gently made him understand that he couldn't hold her again.
Zulaid was sitting on the bed holding her in his arms. His eyes fixed at her. He carefully placed her next to Farida and held her tinny hands in his bigger one.
Zulaid found a new thing to play with. Even though he was realizing that everyone's attention was averted to the baby he still liked her. He had accepted this dividend attention long ago when Hamad was born. It didn't affect him now. He was happy to spend his time with her, to hold her.
He would rush to see her after coming back from the school. He was getting older, his time was divided into tution, masjid, cricket and homework but he still used to play with her anytime he would get some time.
"Uff Gandi bachi" He distastefully saw her who was now relieved after throwing milk at his favorite tee shirt.
(Dirty)
"Chachi take your daughter. She is stinking. She spoiled my shirt too" He said loud enough to get heard by her mother.
"See she isn't cute" Hamad was laughing at him.
"Idher aao btaoon tumhain" He just acted to rise up from the sofa and Hamad had already rushed to the kitchen to be safe around his mother.
...
It was Zulaid's last day in highschool. He was giving board exams of Matriculation. It was his last practical tomorrow. He was busy studying at his study desk when a little girl of five years sneaked into his room like a cat.
Zulaid noticed her presence immediately.
"What's the matter?" He asked softly looking at her.
"I want to play" She pouted.
"Go play with Hamad!" He suggested.
"No. He is sleeping. You play with me!" She pointed at him.
"I can't. I have exam tomorrow. Nara please can you go upstairs!" He wanted her to leave otherwise she wouldn't let him study he knew and he didn't want that.
"No. I want to play" She said adamantly.
"Alright! You go do drawing. I will see you in a few minutes" He tried to make her leave.
"No. Zoi bhai! Please play with me" She cried out.
"Nara! I have an exam tomorrow. Don't disturb me!" He said seriously this time and rose up from the table to find a register of his.
Little Nara didn't like his diverted attention. She moved to his study desk and took hold of a ink pot. Zulaid was engrossed in finding the register in his bag, he didn't see her picking up the ink pot otherwise he would have grasped it from her hands. Moment later, his practical notebook was covered in ink. She swiped the pages and made them dirty with her hands filled with ink.
He looked around only to find her sitting on the floor. Her little hands were covered in ink and so was his precious notebook. She torn down pages of his book as he turned to see her.
"Inara!" He screamed unbelievably.
She giggled and put her dirty hand on her face that made her cheeks marked with ink as well.
"What the hell have you done!!" He roared.
She stopped giggling. Her eyes widened and she got scared of him.
"Chachi! See what your daughter did to me!!" He yelled.
"MAMA!!!" He kept yelling. He was a teenager. Full of rage. Watching his hard work going wasted made him mad. It was his exam tomorrow what he would do now.
Both Farida and Saman rushed into his room where he was fuming in anger and Inara was crying sitting on the floor in not so good condition.
"What have you done?" Farida was shocked to see her daughter. She slapped her head in shock.
"What was she doing in my room chachi? Can't you just take care of her for one day. You know it's my exam tomorrow but you still didn't bother to keep her with you. I am not her babysitter for God sakes!" He never raised his voice before at any of them but today he couldn't control himself.
"Zulaid! Don't shout beta!" Saman tried to calm him down.
"What calm down mama! This little mischievous child made my whole year's hard work wasted and you are asking me to calm down. Why don't you ask her to keep her daughter under control. Not just her. You also leave Hamad to me. I am not your babysitter and I have my own things to do. Why don't you understand!!" It wasn't possible for Saman to calm down an enraged teenager.
"Sorry beta!" Farida mumbled but deep knew she knew herself that it was of no use. It was his exam tomorrow and he had no notebook to present.
"I am done with you all" He stormed out of the room in anger.
Saman rushed behind him but he was quick to leave the house.
Farida held her crying figure and walked out of Zulaid's room.
"Bhabi! I am sorry. I didn't know when she sneaked out. Zulaid asked me to watch her but-" Farida didn't know what to say.
"It's okay. She is just a child. Pata nahi ye larka gussy main kaha nikal gaya" Saman pressed her forehead.
It was night time. Zulaid still hadn't reached back home. They didn't know where he left. There were no cell phones at the time. Saman had no way to contact him. She had already called his friends from landline but he wasn't with any of them.
Meanwhile, he was strolling through the old urdu bazar in search of a written practical notebook. It was famous that poor kids would write these notebooks and sell them in bazaar to get money but Zulaid couldn't get even a single copy as if the whole city's youngsters bought these copies already.
It was past 7 o'clock when he reached back home.
"Zulaid! where were you?" Ayub rushed to him.
"Nowhere papa!" He mumbled and silently walked into his room.
"Zoi bhai!" Inara called him from behind. Right now Zulaid wanted to hit her chubby cheeks for what she did to him but he couldn't do it in front of the whole family.
It was only Ayub who could deal with him. He made him eat his dinner and handed him his notebook which was a little better in shape as Ibrahim and Farida spent hours rubbing the blue ink with the remover but still it wasn't presentable.
"She is just a child beta. I know your chachi was being careless but it wasn't nice of you to misbehave with her. You will apologize to her tomorrow!" Ayub patted his head and he just nodded in response sadly.
"I understand you beta. Don't worry your marks won't be affected. You have already wasted much of your time in bazar. Just study hard tonight Inshallah you will ace the exam" Ayub tried his best to cheer him up.
The next Zulaid's heart crushed down under the feet of examiner's feet.
"Is this a way to make a notebook? What are you. A five year old kid playing with ink. Pathetic!" Examiner watched his notebook distastefully.
"Sir! My little cousin did this" He explained.
"Enough of excuses. You can leave!" The rude examiner asked.
"Sir! But my practical. You didn't ask me to perform" Zulaid asked.
"I am done you young man! You can leave" He gave him 18 out of 30 without giving him a chance to perform any practical.
That's how Zulaid's dream to study in the one of the finest colleges of Pakistan, shattered just by the margin of two marks. If the examiner wouldn't behave like a leech to him he would have got the seat in his dream college.
His eyes were teary when he watched the merit list. His heart ached going out of the college where he dreamt to do his FSC.
Just because of that little cousin of him he couldn't achieve his dream. From that day, he didn't see Inara like before. He wouldn't play with her any longer.
He had already ignored her a lot of times but this particular time his heart wasn't ready to forgive the little child.
..................................................................
Who among you ever faced injustice at the hands of examiner during the practicals in board exams. I personally faced this. Board exams sucksð¥¹
Share your stories of board exams.
Teenager Zulaid was different.
How was the glimpse of their childhood?
Other Book
Guys! I am writing another Long story called "Uncherished Love". I want you guys to check it out. I have already updated 8 chapters of this book. And I am updating it regularly. Kindly check it out, add it in your reading lists and share it with your friends!
Need your support on this book guysð
Tropes:
Agegap
Feudalism
Bodyguard
Grumpy à sunshine
Synopsis:
In the turbulent village, the story introduces us to Zardan, Zartaj, Zartasha and Yazan whose lives take unexpected turns as they navigate cultural traditions and societal expectations.
Meanwhile, in the chaotic city, Shahneela, a spirited business woman, finds herself entangled in a complex web of relationships with Dayan and Tashfeen, each harboring their own secrets.
Let's read how their stories are linked together!