Fizah

چاند|Chand

"ساری خوشیاں ملا کر دیکھی ہیں
"‎تیرے جانے کا غم ذیادہ ہے

Fizah stood near the delivery counter with her hands rested above the glass, reading through the new menu card with added delicacies and starters. Her eyes lit up, a bright smile adorned her face. Her friend was indeed progressing and growing. The beige dupatta was snaked around her neck, setting her locks to move freely and recklessly by the wind. Had she not been so focused, she would not have allowed it to happen. She felt safe when the thin cloth of dupatta stayed over her head, it was nothing less akin to what girls with father felt, protected.

In her case, it wasn't the father she had so lovingly called baba, he had snatched his hands away from his child's head and watched her adjusting to toxicity. He had turned his back on her when she needed him to pat her back and comfort her with his soothing words. He stood silent, without uttering a word but she knew he wanted what his wife wanted, to have the girl, their own girl out of their lives.

The rain decided otherwise, it had been pouring since the break and it was one of a task for Fizah to hire a rickshaw to the cafe, her usual way of returning back was certainly no help and she intended to not be drenched. Her body tended to catch cold quite fast. Although it was her idea, she had been continuously cribbing about the fare she had to pay, it was hefty.

"Izah, idhar aao." Hamza shouted from across the cafe with a newspaper in his hand, his eyes widened to the size of a soccer ball, the joy in her face was replaced with concern and worry. As soon as she was next to him, he passed her a sheepish grin and blinked innocently.

"Kaam toh kuch tha nahi khaas waise, I was just viewing news about sports, maine gol gappay khaane hain, khilaogi?"

Fizah stared at him deadpanned, looking dead in the eye. She thought- she feared it was something serious. A sickly sweet smile enveloped her face as she watched him flinch away, he definitely knew what that smile of hers would mean. She took the paper from his hand and rolled it, all ready to attack the boy for scaring the daylights out of her. Hamza took off to save his life from the accident.

"Hamza, stop right there!" Fizah yelled and paused but thankfully there was no customer present to watch their show. He ran a marathon around the cafe, jumping up and down the tables, Hamza should thank Allah for Ayda was not there to see what his sister and brother had made out of her pristine workplace and when she was about to hit him with the paper, he fled away and the newspaper went flying and hit a customer in the cheek. He yelped, his palm involuntarily went to grasp his cheek and rubbed it to ease the stinging pain. Fizah shut her eyes in embarrassment.

"You work here?" Fizah opened her eyes to find Ehan with a red cheek and who watched her amusingly.

"Technically, I do." She bit her tongue, stopping herself from revealing some more unwanted information. He was the only person apart from the two from back home, and seemed to be interested in her life.

"Technically?"

"Uh? I'm sisters with the girl that owns the shop." Fizah shot one of her graceful fake smiles at him while Hamza stood behind Ehan and made funny faces to irritate and to make her laugh. Fizah rolled her eyes.

"Sisters with- how?"

"Sisters like friends, so what can I get for you?"

Hamza sprinted back into the kitchen when the work mode started, he knew it was not a very good time to mess with, she would just rip his head off his body and feed it to dogs. Humming one of his favourite songs, he started to arrange things when he heard Ehan order for a coffee who also said he would prefer one more cup when his friend joined him. Fizah's earring shone in the light as she walked in.