IBTIDAA ابتدا

one

" Ammi?"

Gulaisha looked down at the harbinger of doom in her hands. That which is supposed to give them eternal happiness, is now proving to be their destruction.

" Ammi?"

She choked back a sob hearing that word.

" Ammi, Yaaseen ne mez par se Abbu ki kitaabein gira di hain or usse chot bhi aayi hain" the little voice informed her urgently.

Gulaisha was too numb for a second to even respond to her child's call of distress, seeing as their father will have bigger woes than scattered books when he comes back home.

A scattered life.

" Ammi chalein na, Yaaseen ke haathon mein se bohot khoon beh raha hain" the voice pleaded again and this time she reacted.

Gulaisha wiped her face and washed it with water. She washed it a thousand times and yet it wasn't able to wipe away the look of misery and melancholy that it reflected in the stained mirror. Sighing she dabbed at her face with the end of her dupatta and pulled open the door, totally forgetting her woes like always.

Gulaisha opened the door and looked at her child's tear stricken face, her heart wrenching at the mere thought of anything hurting her baby. Gathering her four year old son in her arms, she rushed towards the living room where her other son would be.

" Ammi, mein aapko kabse awaaz laga raha tha. Aapne jawaab kyu nahi diya? Aap theek toh hain na?" little Saifaan couldn't help but notice his mother's worried face.

" Ammi bilkul theek hain Meri Jaan. Aap pareshaan na hoye" Gul kissed his little baby head and peace flooded inside her for the first time since the morning.

" Ammi, Yaaseen mez par se uski ball le raha tha aur pata nahi kaise saari kitaabein gir gayin. Humne jaanbujhkar nahi kiya Ammi" his lower lip jutted out and wobbled with the efforts it took to keep the tears in and Gul felt her heart melting for her baby boy.

" Ammi jaanti hain Chanda" she finally spotted her youngest born and released a breath she didn't even know she was holding, seeing him all safe and mostly unharmed.

" Ammi?" The little two years old boy saw his mother and his tears flew unrestricted, sensing his mother's protective presence.

" Mujhe chot lagi hain" he showed his scraped elbows to his mother who just sighed before giving him a watery smile.

In those few seconds from the washroom to the living room which was hardly a few metres away, she had imagined the worst and too see her baby complaining so adorably, pulled at her heart strings and the familiar pang rose up in her chest again.

" Dikhao mujhe" Gul sat down on the floor beside her baby boy and placed Saifaan on his feet who hovered over his little brother to see his wounds.

" Ammi dard ho raha hain" Yaaseen crawled in her lap and snuggled her chest, fisting her kameez at the back with both hands, his tears creating a wet patch on the front.

" Bas chotti si chot hain Yaasu. Mere bahadur betey hain na aap? Itni si zakham par rou rahe hain? Bhai abhi bandaid lekar aayege aur dekhna kaise aap theek ho jaatein hain" she rocked his little body and kissed his head again and again.

" Saifu, Jabbar Chacha ke dukaan se ek bandaid lekar aayein, paise cheeni ke dabbe ke peechey rakhein hain" she asked her older son who was standing vigilant to abide by all and any orders that she issued.

" Jee Ammi" the boy ran inside the kitchen and dragged a wobbly wooden stool, with one of its leg hanging by a nail to the others and still fulfilling it's function of supporting the Prince of a collapsing empire.