The school superintendent had asked him to come home that day mom and Dad go home all day.
The spider webs in the walls were cleaned up safdar bhai brought balls and flowers of gul abbas which were decorated in blue vases.
Mama filled the bucket and washed the yard and there were comfortable chairs and table near the henna plant the most beautiful tablecloth was laid on the table by the hands of apa a new.
Japanese set for tea was launched the seat was blackened only when special guests arrived many things were done to eat with tea aman was looking very happy and busy that day then he neither rested nor allowed Mama to rest.
There is a limit being an englishman, he told me to come to our house again and again say and open he had noticed many times that Safdar bhai used to press his lips to stop his frown i don't think more people should be involved in tea.
The english may not like it at four
o'clock, when it was a little late, aman put the bill on tari and talked about her calculations in a very ordinary way and safdar bhai went to her room at that time.
At exactly four o'clock mazhaward arrived aman and apa welcomed him the blue glass bullets of pain were rolling around the house as soon as she sat down, she started talking quickly we are very happy to meet you people our house is very good.
The air is clean the other people here have a very dirty house even the grown-up wife does not keep the house clean we will definitely come again, you people yes the people of this country are very dirty.
Our sister-in-law, ie our brother's wife is english mother said with great pride mancha howard's deep blue eyes seemed so sweet to him at school, when she went to his room, the disciples would look him in the eye.
The women here raise chickens, and their filth is gone and what do you say to speak in the middle now have some tea safdar had gone to his room at bhai aman's request since then apa was getting bored signs of fatigue had suddenly appeared on his face say yes to.
Tehmina beni mama in the name of tea mom opened her mouth her face became pale when she came to the office, she told him several times to go to tea at five o'clock so that she could talk to mrs.
Howard in english and make him happy alia asking to sit mr howard looked at her affectionately and walked over to her and sat down next to her, but as soon as the tea was poured into the cups, she hurriedly picked up a cup and stood up.
She went to her brother's room safdar bhai was lying face down in his room what were they thinking at that time r or was spread safdar bhai chai he placed the cup on the table wow he got up and sat down alia bo, you are mine too will be with mrs howard.
Ten came out mrs howard was happily eating syrian kebabs and the corpses were dripping with tears your daughter is very smart, she reads a lot she was embarrassed when m howard complimented her yes, our girl is very smart by the way, the girls here are very leprous.
They run away in the name of reading indians are happy to keep their girls ignorant mother was in a trance again mrs howard wanted to know and how much did this girl read to you howard said mrs soward ten degrees then she got sick she said you've been quiet all this time she hasn't said a word to mrs howard.
She's been up all night which way was adi going in the line of birds mrs howard bow opened her mouth your master has not come we were thrilled to meet him what about office work yes, yes, one of his friends died today, so he must have gone.
What could be a bigger excuse than this there could have been a bigger reason for not drinking with an english woman as soon as mr howard leaves, the mother goes out i don't think so he said i remember well, otherwise what do you think, mrs howard, to take something.
They will continue to do something out of their hatred our people are such that they keep biting each other's throats who can explain this person something must have happened apa presented abba's cleansing work all of them, mother there will be no work for her oh, let her go and tell her something else.
She hurried to safdar bhai it was done safdar bhai looked strange in the first yellow light of the lantern safdar bhai, did you not drink tea they picked up the cup and drank like water i do not say what you have drunk now she was leaving the room when safdar bhai was shouting but he did not answer.
When it got quite dark, mama removed the tables and chairs and made the bed mama was choking with exhaustion and her eyes were closing with opium opium was the only cure for all their ailments as soon as she swallowed a small black bullet, she would forget about it all day long exhaustion would disappear and she would fall asleep like a queen.
Mama made the bed and went to the kitchen, then dad came mother was devastated to see them now Khan sahib has come, wouldn't she think that you felt bad for her coming the limit is that he came to our house as an Englishman and sahib bahadur did not even care.
If he reports that the gentleman has abused him, then he will recover aman closed the pandan so hard that mama panicked and went to the kitchenLet's get out gone are the days when your english name was used for thar thari the other thing is, if I can't do anything i can't hate dad said sternly.
What did this malicious merchant do i hate their whole nation if my mind was like big brother then I would see, but I am forced to work yes, I know that you are all starving all the time, so the reason is that I am doing the job come on, he is a very honest man, his wife is English i said this time, don't mention my brother-in-law's name.
Her legs were drooping, there were tears in her eyesnher tears seemed so painful in the muddy moonlight. Fighting and tears were trembling in her soul she lay down on her bed and started crying loudly with ecstasy look what effect begum is having on these children they would all be destroyed and aha went to her room to change her clothes.
Aman cried mama, bring food alia, don't go to sleep aman shouted i will not eat feeling but she became sleepy, she was the worst of the day the days were passing the atmosphere in the house changed like the sun's shadows.
He would spend his evenings in the sitting room, talking loudly at the behest of his friends mama would mutter secretly as she was being taken out of the house and would wander around with great anxiety like aman or start doing something again she would keep quiet and read a single page of a book.
God knows why she spoke so little does love make people dumb is the name of love death of words then why do people run after such a lousy thing how innocent you were frightened by this painful atmosphere of the house, she would go and stand at the door of the sitting room.
Apart from the names made up of nehru, jinnah gandhi etc only atai understands it, so that everyone is doing evil to the british no one would have heard of it dad would order him to go inside as soon as he saw him safdar bhai would refuse to understand the gestures in his eyes.
He did not even mention getting up in the evening she would get upset and sit outside on the terrace and she would remember her first place he had counted so many trees while sitting by the window of the train coming from that place that all the calculation had died it was raining cats and dogs keep moving.
Hidden in the mango and poplar trees, he kept making noise all day the small henna plant in the yard had dried up mama would pour a million drops of water but her leaves would not bloom.
On moonlit nights, when the sound of singing on the harmonium of kasam vedi came from thakur Sahib's house apa would get up and start meeting i swear these days I would sing the same song.
Tired of waiting for aman abba, she would start talking to apa, the same safdar stories of enmity from family, stories of selfishness of najma aunty, love song of brother and amadaj the listens to everything with the blink of an eye, but nothing herself he would go to a friend's house when his father was sleeping and would not return before ten or eleven.
Before going to bed at night, she would go to safdar bhai their legs are spread on every platform so that wherever they are silent they keep thinking safdar bhai tell the story as soon as she left, she would order and sit with salt on her back safdar bhai would start remembering the stories he had heard in his childhood.
And a poor man would start the story and the poor man would always die in the grief of not being able to find a princess brother Safdar, will you not marry a princess he once asked with great concern why would I die in La Houle Villa she was so old that she was gone.
The summer holidays were passing she was glad that school opening days were coming as much time as she spent in school, she she would have been happy, she would have forgotten the whole world - that day, when she was asleep, she had been awakened by the loud voice of her mother talking to her.
Where apa was already at the window he did not understand that at last after a while the voice of rai sahib came from outside and abba went out.
Apa went to his room before taking him away the bridegroom will come when my body is gone as dad was leaving, he paused for a moment and then left
( Parat 2 )