This morning Shaahid and Sakina sat at Ummid's dhaba face to face.

While Ummid made all kinds of weird gestures to Shaahid from behind Sakina. He could only grin.

Sakina turned and threw a glance at Ummid. He came forward reluctantly, as if he was afraid of this ghost friendly woman.

Shaahid stared at him.
" Please bring two of your special breakfast. And did you receive the money? "

Ummid miya almost instantly melted like butter.
" Yes bhai.. I received a huge contract for the first time in life. The money made my head spin.

But I can only feed you, for free, like always, because of that. Not both of you. "

Shaahid wanted to bang his head on the table. Ummid miya left no stone unturned to insult him. And today it was before Sakina. Not only that he was being rude to Sakina as well.

Sakina's face turned red.
" Who asked you to feed us for free? I'll pay. Now you get lost. "

Ummid immediately vanished, perhaps ghost stricken humans were frightening.

Shaahid sat catching his head, while Sakina stared at him.
" So, everyone bears you for free because you can predict their future.
Wow. "

" Errmm.... Kind of.
But this month I'll clear many debts. "
Shaahid grinned.

" What job did you do over your fifteen year long stay in Fareedpur? "

" Heh.. Many jobs. Uncountable jobs.
You'll laugh. "

" I'm already laughing at the fact that I'm here sitting with you when I should be in my room trying to call Salman. "

" Okay then. Finish off with Salman. I'll be back by then. " , Shaahid slept off on the bench.

" Get up you fool.. And tell me what works you did. " , Sakina uttered angrily.

Shaahid got up and began scratching his forehead.

" Initially I joined a musical instrument showroom as a sales person. I was twenty then. I worked there for three long years, until an old yet cunning lady dropped a guitar on my leg.
Only because I refused to agree with her idea that her husband looked like a Black Mamba snake.

I was thrown out with a broken foot for not satisfying customers and damaging property. "

Sakina stared with a very sad face.

" Then I did not find any job for a year, but a very good friend I found there let me stay in his single room. I cooked for him as if I was his wife. " , Shaahid chuckled.

" Don't tell me. You can cook? " ,Sakina exclaimed.

" I can. But the food can only be eaten by people like my old friend who don't have real wives or great 'cookers' . "

" Ohhh.... " , Sakina made a sadder face.

" You look disappointed. As if you were to fire your cook and appoint me instead. " , he grinned.

" Then, what next? " , she twirled her locks around her finger.

" Then when I was twenty five, I joined a photo developing shop.
That was a happy job as well. You got to see people with different types of faces, round, long, apple shaped, horse shaped, milky, blueberry muffin coloured and so on.

And also their different moods.
Some came for clicking pre wedding photos, very happy.
Some for pre divorce photos, even happier.

Examinees who had to click for forms looked like they were going to be hanged in an hour.
While pass outs with good results looked like they were going for a honeymoon soon. " , Shaahid munched in the bread which was just served.

Sakina stared as if she was a kid listening to fairy tales.

" Anyways, things were going on well.
Until one day, by a slip of tongue, I told a pre wedding couple that they would receive good news soon after wedding. They went away happy. But within one month of marriage the woman realised she was four months pregnant, and the good news which was to be delivered soon, was going to be the worst news on earth.

And before she could abort, the husband who knew her only since marriage, got to know everything.

A month later he came to our shop. And blamed me for his divorce. He even believed I was the cause of the 'good news' . I lost my job again. "

This time Sakina sat with her jaw dropped.

" Are you....really a womaniser?
What about your love life? "

Shaahid gulped in a few pieces of apple. And gestured her to eat as well.

" A womaniser? Why do you think so? Even if the woman was my girlfriend, she left me marrying someone else. Not me.

Needless to say I did not know her. It was another of my wild guesses that came true. " , he chuckled.
" And.. I am a one woman man. There's nothing more beautiful than that on earth. "

Sakina smiled softly.
" True that....

Then? "

" Then.... I began staying at a mess that offered me free stay because I had correctly predicted the way the owner's son could make money.

I did small part time jobs here and there.
And bought a third hand piano to revive my skills.

I played piano at the Regal inn, the five star in South Fareedpur, for three years then. "

" My god!! What a joblife!!! " , Sakina exclaimed.
" You are....something.
Cherishing life to its fullest. "

" That I do.
I don't sit cribbing about life, and about who didn't find me important. " , he grinned.

Sakina sat quietly, staring at his face.
She realised, he had droolsome features, and there might be many women out there, dying for him.

____

Walking through the pedestal, Shaahid suddenly stopped, because he seemed to hear someone calling out his name.
Sakina too stopped beside him.

Shaahid turned to see a few beggars sitting at the corner of the street. But no one else around.

" I too heard someone calling your name. " , Sakina shrugged.

Suddenly one of the beggars beckoned him. Shaahid was startled but walked towards him. Sakina followed suite, surprised.

The beggar got up. And stood before him grinning.

Shaahid watched him carefully, then almost fainted.
" FAISAL!!!! You really turned a beggar!!!  "

Faisal looked around at the other sleepy beggars and took him to another corner. Sakina stood with a dumbstruck face.

" I thought a lot and found your idea brilliant. I now know so much about beggars, staying with them just for a week. " , Faisal grinned. He looked completely like a beggar in worn out dresses and shabby hair.

" Shit!!! You are crazy. You are insane. " , Shaahid said.

" You. Not me. This idea was yours. I'll take you to my dwelling below the flyover. I stay in a small cement cylinder. But apart from mosquitoes, there's no difficulty. "

" What about Naseeema? Is she even alive after all these? "

" She was senseless for two days. I hope she's alright now. No worries, I'll return after a year. " , Faisal chuckled.

" Wha..... " , Shaahid lost words.

" Now I'll take your leave. Come here in the evening, I'll take you to my dwelling. By the way who's that mad looking woman behind you, staring at us like an owl? "

" Ssssh...she's my landlord. If she hears, I'll have to shift to your dwelling. "

" No problem. I'll arrange. " , Faisal seemed excited. Shaahid made a terrible face. And walked away.

Sakina walked beside silently for sometime.
" You have beggar friends, or your friends turn beggars? " , she then asked.

" Both. " , Shaahid said with a serious face.

____

Sitting in the garden at eleven in the night, Sakina played 'My Heart Will Go On' on the violin. Terrifically.

Shaahid stood at a distance staring at the porcelain plate like moon, throwing rings of smoke upwards.

Sakina went on in loops, sometimes throwing a glance at him. But he was thinking something else it seemed.

She stopped abruptly.

He turned,
" What happened? It was soothing. I was experiencing drowning and dying like Jack. "

Sakina got up and walked upto him.
" Good. And did you save Rose before drowning? "

Shaahid grinned.
" Roses these days are capable of saving themselves. "

Sakina sighed.
" They aren't. They still need Jacks. "

" Yeah. So that the poor Jacks die for them, and Roses thrive till ninety years to only tell their stories. " , Shaahid shrugged.

Sakina stared deeply at him for sometime. Then said,
" Will you stay up with me in the nights, at least till 12 ?

Nights are so dark. So lonely.

Will you, please? "

Shaahid looked into her eyes, trying to judge.

But uttered nothing.
He rather walked away, and took up the violin in hand.

Sakina's lips curved into a smile.