Shaahid got in with a smile. Adnan Sami stared at him in dismay.

" What do you want? "

" Explanation to your illicit activities. " , Shaahid took a seat.

Immediately his fat face lost color. And he stared in silence.

Shaahid smiled wider.
" Who suspends a child because he protested against you destroying his hard work? "

" Oooh....
So you are Azaad's lawyer now. " , Adnan looked relieved.

" I'm a lawyer of everyone who is wronged. " , Shaahid kept smiling.

" Now you will tell me what's wrong and what's right? "

" Why can't I? If you are the principal, I too am a teacher. If you can suspend people, I too can bring them back. "

" Oh really? Let's see what you can do. He'll remain suspended for a month. "

Shaahid got up.
" Fine then. It's a deal.
If you don't call his mother right in front of me, I'll predict something that might not be very good for you. "

" Hahah!! Are you threatening me with your bullshit again? "

Shaahid shrugged.
" I don't have time to waste. I'm leaving. But if you don't get him back within one hour, your uncle will start talking from tomorrow. "

Shaahid left the room.

Adnan Sami was sweating hard.
He immediately picked up the receiver.

____

Sakina stood alone on the roof, gloomily, when she saw a boy of around fifteen get in through the main gate, talking to the guard.

" Who's he Gafoor? " , Sakina shouted.

" He wants to meet you madam zi! He has some important message. " , he shouted back.

" Send him. "

Azaad put forward an envelope.
Sakina took it with a surprise.
" Who are you?
And who sent this? "

" I'm Azaad. Salman Sir sent it for you. " , Azaad said in a blunt tone.

" Salman??
He sent a letter??
Why couldn't he call or meet?? "

" I don't know. He gave it to me yesterday and told to give it to you. If you can see, it's sealed. So you might know why he couldn't call or meet better than me. "

Sakina wasn't convinced. She stared at the envelop in dismay.

Azaad turned to go.

But stopped midway.

" Were you his girlfriend? " , he turned.

" What do you mean by 'were' ? I am his fiance. " , Sakina frowned big time.

Azaad took sometime. Then broke into a large smile.

" Doesn't matter.

You are / were his fiance / girlfriend, only in your dreams. "

He ran straight out of the house, down the garden and out of the gate.

While Sakina tore open the envelop in rage, unable to gather the intent of that boy's delirious words.

____

Shaahid walked into Raqib Miya's clinic.
The old doctor of seventy five was one of the biggest hopes of Fareedpur.

His speciality was that, he would know exactly what's wrong with the patient just by staring at his belly.

Even if it was a headache, he would stare at their belly.
Even if it was toothache, he would stare at their belly.
Even if it was a fractured foot, he would stare at their belly.

And treat accordingly without any diagnostic test. Patients healed too without doubt.

Raqib Miya liked Shaahid a lot.

" After such a long time my boy! Where have you been? "

" Away from diseases. But not for long it seems. Having a bad feeling of uneasiness these days. " , Shaahid settled on the long bench before the doctor's table.

As usual Raqib stared at his belly for a long minute.

" Seems you changed places. Body is taking time to adjust. " , he said in his shrill old voice, exposing his absent teeth.

" Again, you are right. I wonder if you are a magician. "

" Says the one who can correctly guess upcoming events.
We all have very usual powers that look unusual. "

" We are lucky that usually people don't have these usual powers. " , Shaahid grinned.
" But chacha, you have gone bald. Where's your hair? "

" In the locker. I saved it for my wife. So that when she loses hair, I can stitch them to her head. People need to look at my bald head even though they don't like to, because they need my medicines.
How will I get the motivation to look at my wife when she turns bald? "

Shaahid broke into a long laughter.
But stopped because Raqib seriously prescribed medications.

" Where do you stay now? " , he asking pushing back his falling specs which never fit properly on his nose.

" At Saajid bhai's place. "

He looked up.
" That jeweller, with one big house, one small sister, and ten nasty servants? "

" You are right. "

" I now get the real reason of your uneasiness. Circus looks good for an hour. But you cannot live in a circus tent unless you are an animal.
The animals too are forced to stay there. " , Raqib looked heavily disappointed.

" Have you been there ever? "

" Only once. I'll never be there again. "

" For whom? I mean, who was ill? "

" Uhu, not ill. Attempt to suicide. Not even that. Attempt to create drama.
If you want to die, hang yourself, or fall from terrace. End it all. Why eat only five pills and trouble others? "

" Sakina, right? "

" Yeah. I knew immediately by looking at her, it was some love related crap. "

" Hmm. What was it exactly, do you know? "

" No dear. Who tells doctors the real thing these days?

As far as I know, she was into a teacher. Salman. A brilliant man in himself. But definitely not her cup of tea. "

" Did you know Salman? "

" Extremely well. He used to come to me many a times. I liked him. "

" He died, I heard. " , Shaahid said.

" It's sad. " , Raqib Miya looked sad.

" Anyways, why was he not Sakina's cup of tea? "

Raqib Miya let out a sigh.
And handed over the prescription to Shaahid.

" Because, not everyone can accept every flavour of tea.

Take these medicines as per instructions. And if you can, leave that house before you die too.

Now excuse me, there's pressure building in my rectum. "

Shaahid walked out with the prescription. Deeply in thought.

Everyone liked Salman.
Hardly anyone held good regards for Sakina, even her brother found Salman a better person than his demanding sister.

Hmm.....things were getting queerer, with the fact, that no third person outside that house, found Salman Sakina together, not good enough.

____

Shaahid's stopped at the end of the stairs because he heard violin being played in tremendous distress.
The high pitched tune with multiple clefts and troughs cut through the air making it evident that the player was in the worst of moods.

He reached Sakina's door. It was completely open. Sakina stood in the middle of the room, with the violin in hand, playing it beautifully but frantically.

Shaahid's eyes caught the unusual then. The covered wall was uncovered, with Salman's picture completely exposed. Sakina stared at it.

Shaahid slipped in, went and stood beside her.
She turned her head. And stopped playing.

Her eyes were red and swollen, like Snowhite's apple.

Shaahid grinned, waiting for an outburst.

Surprisingly, Sakina put down the violin on the table, went and sat on the bed.

And said,

" Salman left for the Himalayas. He said life is choking him here. He needs a break. Doesn't know when he'll return. "

" That's sad. But I'm sure he'll return soon. Till then, rejuvenate yourself into a better person, so that he's not choked again, when he returns. " , Shaahid said.

Sakina stared at him coldly.

Shaahid smiled.

Thank you, Azaad!