Sakina opened the door to her room, with hair sticking up and kohl spread across the face making her look like a witch.

" Allah! Who's this? " , Shaahid exclaimed. But before he could do a thing, Sakina came forward and grabbed him by the collar.

" You nasty morone, because of your stupid predicictions, Salman did not come this evening. I warn you, stop playing with my life you fool!! " , she pushed him and he almost fell on the ground, but balanced himself.

And grinned.

" Oh Sakina ji! Weren't you the one who had no faith on willfulness and the magic it can cause? How do you now blame me that I brought about this?

Don't worry. He might be sick, or out of town. He'll return.
Till then you keep playing 'Faded' on your violin.

Like it says,
'Where are you now?
Was it all in my fantasy?
Where are you now?
Were you only imaginary? ' "

Shaahid swayed towards his room, smirking. The incidents of him rightly predicting the future had impacted her brain cells, at least upto the level that it did not imagine against them.

Sakina stood at her door, fuming.

____

The early morning garden looked different without Murshid sitting and digging in a particular corner.

Different because, now in that very corner sat Sophia. Digging.

Wondering how deep these house dwellers could dig actually, and also if Murshid could find his wife still, Shaahid walked towards Sophia.

She saw him and made faces.

" Don't do that. You face is already displaced to a side. " , Shaahid folded his arms across his chest and smirked.

" Shut up. I know I'm beautiful. You don't need to lie. "

" I'm not a liar. You are.
Like you lied that Salman and Sakina had a beautiful relationship because Salman was a terrific personality. "

Sophia jumped up.
" Why do you think it's a lie?
Salman teacher was really charismatic! And he and Sakina aapa were good together. "

" But Rubina said he hurt her. "

" Rubina???

Ooooo..... That 'churail' got you already. I should have thought earlier as to why there's this changing demeanor of yours towards me. "

Shaahid grinned again, unable to gather what change she witnessed in him.

" Whatever.
You mean to say Sakina was never hurt by Salman? " , he said.

Sophia swayed her single braid and squeezed her brows.

" Fights did occur between them.
I mean, we don't exactly know what happened behind the closed door when he came to teach her.

But sometimes he would leave shouting and Sakina aapa screaming and running behind. At others he left smiling. And Sakina aapa blushing behind.

He would not come for days together sometime.
Then he would appear suddenly one day with flowers.

Once Sakina aapa ate tablets when he did not come. "

" Tablets? As in, sleeping pills? " , Shaahid was startled.

" I don't know. But she did not wake up for one whole day. Doctors came and checked. Idiot Saajid was crying. "

" Do you usually call people names this way? Idiot Saajid, impotent Shaahid, ghoststruck Sakina... "

Sophia frowned and stared at him for sometime. Then came closer.

" Impotent Shaahid? How would I know that? Did you let me even try once...to... " , she came even closer.

" You might not be impotent, but she definitely is infertile by now. "
Rubina stood behind.

Sophia turned and frowned big time.

Shaahid nodded hopelessly and stared at both of them.

Rubina came and put forward a cup of tea to Shaahid. Sophia made faces.

" Because she has got aborted so many times, after so many sleepovers now, that she cannot become pregnant any more. " , Rubina danced her brows.

" You bloody.... " , Sophia flared her nostrils.

" Don't worry, abortion doesn't affect future pregnancies. " , Shaahid took in a long sip.

Rubina twisted her lips.
" Fine. But the major problem isn't that. It's rather the fact that if she washes her face even if by mistake and the 24*7 layers of makeup melt away, she'll look like the bearded Kallu beggar down the street.
Would you like to share your bed with 'him' then? "

With this, Sophia's dam of patience broke and she pounced onto Rubina. Rubina too punched her, Sophia kicked back, both of them fell on the ground and rolled over in the mud.

After five minutes of boxing when they got up looking like clay puppets, Shaahid was nowhere to be seen.

___

" You want me to heal her on one hand and don't provide me the entire information on the other. "

It was five in the evening when Shaahid sat at Saajid's shop.

He was weighing a heavy piece of jewellery on a beam balance.

" I told you everything I know. Don't understand what you are complaining of. "

" You did not tell me she attempted suicide for Salman. "

Saajid grew serious. A cockroach appeared from nowhere and sat on the jewellery in the beam balance. The balance fell more on its side.

" My god, is it a cockroach or an elephant? " , Saajid exclaimed, picked up the cockroach and smashed it with bare hands.

Shaahid felt like puking, but his immense willpower helped him maintain a straight face.

" Well. It was all her attention seeking tactic. She ate only five pills. Doctor told me nothing to worry. She was always this crazy about Salman. Owing to which she still is crazy and doing crazy stuffs. " , Saajid put in more weight on the balance, equalising both sides.

" But did Salman not give her the attention she seeked? "

" Maybe she asked for a lot. Practically impossible for someone to provide. "
The spring balance broke suddenly from the middle and fell. Saajid made face.
" Correct balance is always necessary. "

" You mean, Salman did love her, but she demanded more than usual. "

" I'm not Salman.
Neither am I Sakina.
Whatever was between them could only be known by two individuals.
One is dead.
The other is in a delusional world. " , Saajid discarded the broken balance and took out another.
" But one thing I can say, Sakina is a bit spoilt. And I'm guilty for that. I did not let even a scratch appear on her when Ammi - Abbu past away. She was a little kid then. I fulfilled all her demands since then, though I too was a child.

She knows I'll do anything for her. Expects everyone else to do that. "

" And why does she feel you don't like Salman, or are insecure about him? "

Saajid wiped his face with the cockroach hand. Shaahid looked away.

" Maybe because she thinks since I was the only important man in her life till date, I cannot bear another man.

It's not so. I always want to see her happy. "

" And did you have the slightest doubt that Salman couldn't provide her the happiness she deserved? "

" Shaahid bhai, Salman was a very good human. I told you already, a perfect man. I had got no reasons to doubt him.

Also, I know you can heal her in any condition. Even with the littlest possible information. Please do that. For Allah's sake. "

Shaahid kept staring at Saajid.

____

At 11:30 in the night,

Azaad sneaked out of his house and reached Shaahid standing on the road.

" Sir, would you keep standing if I didn't see you by chance through the window? "

" I knew you would see through the window. Anyways, where are your overprotective parents? "

" Mom and Bingi are taking shower in the tub. And both together are singing opera songs. Mom starts, Bingi finishes. The house is shaking for the last twenty minutes.

Dad is watching news with headphones on. He isn't watching actually. He only wishes to escape the opera performance at the end of a tiring day.

And my sister has gone to a neighbor's house because the boy who's in her class accidentally spilled her tiffin today.
She has planned to break his nose and say it's an accident. I know she'll succeed. "

Shaahid found his head spinning. He blinked his eyes to balance himself.

" Anyways. You have a terrific family.
I need your help. "

" What kind of? "

" Do you have Salman's handwriting anyway? "

" Mmm.... I do actually. He used to give us handwritten translations. "

" Damn!

All you need to do is, write a letter in his handwriting. And deliver it to someone personally. "

" Sounds interesting!

What do I need to write, and whom do I need to deliver? "

" Here is the letter. I wrote it. You just copy. I'll provide you the rest of the information soon.

And, can I trust you? "

" Errm....
That you have to wait and watch to know. I don't ask people to believe me unless they themselves get reasons to.

Good night. " , Azaad returned home.