Resurrected

by Natasha Nozer Mehenty

  Hearing this Alina and Zaib spoke together, “Grateful?”

  Afrin looked at Zaib and said in a soft voice, “Sam, I am a spy and I have come here to leak information to some other country. I had fooled you and made you love me so that I would stay here more and get more information of India.”

  Zaib got shocked and confused. He said, “What’s wrong?”

  Afrin smiled back and said, “Nothing is wrong with me. I had been almost caught by police for spying. If police will catch me then I shall get imprisonment for lifetime or may be hanged in front of everyone. It is better that Alina is killing me. Now I am not worried for my wrong deeds.”

  Hearing this Alina said, “Then why should I kill you and be a murderer. I will hand you over to police and make you live in jail for the remaining years of your life.” Saying this she kept her gun down and started taking out her cell phone to call the police.

  Afrin took this opportunity and ran out of the room and started pressing emergency buttons on that floor. Alina was running to catch her. She caught Afrin by her shoulder and keeping a gun on her head, telling her to move out of the hospital. When the security guards saw this scene, they pounced on Alina and dragged Afrin away from her. Afrin was worried. She replied, “This lady has gone mad. Please take her into police custody. She will kill me otherwise.”

  Hearing this, Alina shouted, “In police custody you shall be detained. You spy…”

  The security guards took Alina into custody for attempting to kill Afrin.

  Afrin ran into Zaib’s room. She saw Zaib was struggling to walk. She made him sit on the sofa. Then keeping her head on his shoulder she started crying. Zaib was happy to see her alive and Alina away from them.

  Zaib kissed her on head and said, “Stop crying, my darling. Good that she could not harm you.”

  At this Afrin said, “I made up a story in order to stop her from shooting me. I was afraid to be separated from you.”

  “Now don’t worry Afrin,” saying this he hugged her.

  “Alina has been taken into police custody” Afrin said in a scared voice. “We must reveal the truth to her as soon as possible. After you get well, we shall visit the jail and tell her the truth.”

  “No Afrin,” Zaib got worried. “It will be late too late..”

  “I didn’t get you, Zaib?” Afrin asked with her confused looks.

  Zaib looked at her and said, “Afrin you must go to her in the police custody and tell her the truth. She is suffering because of our lies. If she knew the truth then such a horrible situation would have never arisen.”

  Afrin got worried to meet Alina again. However, she decided to go to the police custody and meet her. She looked at Zaib and said, “Bye! I am on my way to meet Alina.”

  Zaib stopped her and said, “See that she is not jailed.”

  “Okay,” Afrin replied, going out of the room.

  CHAPTER 19

  DON’T BE TOO QUICK TO JUDGE

  Afrin reached the police station. She went to the lady inspector and asked, “A woman called Alina was brought in here, could I speak to her?”

  The lady inspector looked at Afrin and said, “She will soon be presented before the judge for a trial.”

  Afrin got worried hearing this. She looked at the lady inspector and said softly, “Madam, that lady whom she tried to kill was nobody else but me.”

  The lady inspector, opened a register, glanced through it and asked, “Are you Afrin Metilda?”

  “Yes, madam.”

  “Ms Metilda, half an hour ago I had sent a worker to call you. We require your statement for the trial.”

  “Madam, please free Alina. She is innocent,” Afrin pleaded.

  The lady inspector got confused. She asked, “Alina wanted to shoot you. Then why are you saying she is innocent?”

  “Yes madam, please…,” Afrin pleaded again.

  “Sorry, I cannot help you. You must go and speak to the judge. Alina has been kept in remand. You can speak to her.”

  Afrin ran towards her custody but stopped short when she saw Alina’s angry face.

  “You bitch! You tricked me!” screamed Alina.

  Alina was seething with anger and did not make a very comforting sight. Afrin was scared to talk, so she just stood there.

  A few seconds later, a lady came and took Alina to the judge. Afrin was also asked to speak to the judge being the victim herself. Few witnesses from the hospital had been summoned by the judge.

  The judge looked at Alina and asked, “Is it true that you had made an attempt to shoot Afrin within the premises of a hospital?”

  Alina looked down and replied, “Yes.”

  One of the witnesses raised his voice saying, “Your Honour, I had seen this lady running after the victim. When she caught the victim, she also tried to beat her up.”

  Alina became scared.

  At that time Afrin interfered, “Your Honour, I wish to tell you the truth.”

  The judge replied, “Continue…”

  Afrin looked at Alina and said, “It is true that Alina was running after me. It is also true that she would have beaten me up in the hospital if the security had not arrived on time. But the plain truth is that Alina had no wrong intention of doing all this. It’s a bonafide offence.”

  The judge got confused. He asked, “Prove to the court that Alina had no bad intention.” Alina too had a confused expression. She kept staring at Afrin.

  Afrin said to the judge, “Your Honour, Alina had no bullets in her gun. She was just pretending to shoot me. The reason behind it was that I had hidden her visa and refused to return it. Even after several pleadings from her, I did not give her back her visa. So we started fighting. I told her that I would throw her visa out of the window so she was running after me.” Afrin said the first thing that came to her mind, and didn’t stop until she was done. Alina did not understand whether Afrin was trying to save her or create more troubles for her.

  Afrin looked at Alina and said, “My Lord that was the reason behind Alina’s behavior. She was not trying to kill herself, she is innocent.”

  The judge looked at Alina and said, “The case has been closed and Alina shall not be detained anymore.”

  A lady came and removed the handcuffs from Alina’s hands. Afrin was standing beside her. Alina was still shocked. She asked, “Afrin why did you defend me by lying to the judge?”

  Afrin gave her a smile and said, “That’s because I know you did not do anything on purpose. I mean, you had misunderstood somebody.”

  Alina took her suitcase out of the police station and waved for a cab. Afrin asked her, “Where will you go now?”

  “I will check into some hotel for now. But whom did I misunderstand?”

  “Alina, come and stay with me in my house. I shall tell you everything in detail,” saying this Afrin opened the door of her car. Alina hesitated but as an afterthought, she sat inside.

  “Don’t worry, Alina. Think of me as your sister,” Afrin consoled Alina and made her feel better.

  On reaching the house, Alina said, “I had come here a couple of days ago. I saw a small paralytic girl. Who was she?”

  Afrin looked a bit upset but then said, “That is my daughter Rose. Rose Smith.”

  “Rose Smith? You mean you are Sam’s wife? Then why did he tell me in the hospital that he is going to marry you soon?”

  Afrin blushed and said, “Alina the person whom you consider as Sam Smith is Zaib King.”

  Alina got bewildered and shouted, “What nonsense! I know what Sam looks like, that guy was Sam!”

  “Yes Alina, you are correct. That is what Sam looked like. Zaib got a facial surgery done to look like Sam.”

  “Then where is the real Sam?” Alina got worried. Afrin’s face went pale she looked down. Alina lost her patience and asked, “Where can I meet Sam Smith?”
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  “Sam died ten years ago in an earthquake.”

  Alina got more confused after hearing this she said, “Afrin, I didn’t get you. Tell me everything from the beginning.” Afrin narrated to her the entire past and of all the silent sacrifices made by Zaib. After hearing the truth, Alina felt ashamed for her attempt to kill Afrin. She hugged Afrin and apologized to her.

  Alina said, “You are indeed very lucky to be blessed with a divine soul like Zaib. He has protected you, loved you and has scarified half his life only to make you happy. Please get married to him.”

  “Thank you, Alina. Please come to our wedding,” saying this she winked at her. Alina hugged her tightly.

  Alina later returned to her own country.

  Afrin went to meet Zaib in the hospital. She sat beside him and said, “All is okay now. I have explained everything to Alina. She isn’t a bad person, really.”

  Zaib took Afrin into his arms and said, “Well, nobody is really bad. They react as per the circumstances around them. If we treat people nicely then they will surely be nice with us.”

  Afrin looked at Zaib and asked, “When will I see my good days of getting married with my handsome and cute Zaib?”

  Zaib blushed hearing this. He asked, “Afrin, am I really handsome?”

  “Yes my darling, you have always been handsome.”

  “Then why did you not accept my proposal in college?” Zaib asked, pretending to be angry.

  “You looked handsome and gorgeous but you lacked self-confidence. You had started giving me too much of importance due to which I had never valued your love.”

  Zaib made faces at Afrin and she started laughing loudly.

  He said, “Even now I give you a lot of importance. So will you leave me again?”

  Looking at Zaib’s serious face Afrin explained politely, “Zaib, I started loving you after reading your diary which clearly showed how miserable your life had been after I came into your life.”

  “No Afrin, don’t speak such nonsense. I am lucky to have you in my life, though it took many years for this to happen. Even if you would have not, I wouldn’t have been sad. Loving you taught me what true love is. True love doesn’t depend on being loved back, it is done without any expectations,” Zaib replied with a smile.

  “These things are easy to say,” Afrin rebelled.

  “No, sometimes you are pushed to such a life where you just need to accept whatever destiny brings for you with a smile.”

  Afrin changed the topic and said, “Rose is missing you a lot. You have played her father’s role in such a way that she is more attached to you than to me. Today is her last exam too.”

  “She calls me every day and keeps asking when I would return. My daughter is growing up and is very mature. I’ll get discharge from here in a week’s time; I’ve told her I will see her soon.”

  “Oh, great news! It means that I have one week to prepare for our marriage!” Afrin said smiling.

  A week later, Zaib came home. The next day he took Afrin to the court and they got married. He gave Afrin a bouquet of roses, and chocolates. Later, they went and sat under a tree near the sea. Afrin kept her hand on Zaib’s shoulder and said, “Zaib, though we have started our new life together pretty late, it is worth the wait.”

  Zaib clasped Afrin’s hands and said, “It was written in our destiny.”

  CHAPTER 20

  EVERY PERSON HAS A STORY TO NARRATE

  Zaib being a good-natured person would always make many new friends. People would love to chat with him and be in his company.

  One day, a friend of Zaib’s, Ann, called them both for her birthday party. When they entered the party hall, they saw some people sitting and chatting, some were ordering drinks whereas some were dancing to music.

  Zaib went and took a seat near a small group which was sitting and chatting. He asked them, “Ladies and gentlemen, can I please occupy one seat if you permit?”

  Hearing these polite words, one middle aged man said, “Welcome my son, do join us.”

  Once Zaib was seated, the middle aged man asked, “What is your name?”

  “My name is Zaib King. I run my own business. What is your name?”

  “My name is Betan Maw.”

  Just then, a young woman came to the man and said something to him. After that girl went away Zaib said, “Sir, your daughter is very pretty.”

  Hearing this comment everybody around him started staring at him. Even Mr. Betan Maw kept looking at him. Then he started laughing loudly and others followed him. Mr. Maw said, “That is not my daughter. She is my wife.” Hearing this, Zaib felt stupid for opening his mouth. He looked down sadly.

  That lady came with a drink and sat next to Mr. Maw.

  Mr. Maw told her, “Shiza, this young man, Zaib felt that you are my daughter.” Hearing this even she started laughing and Zaib felt even more stupid.

  He looked at Shiza and said, “I am very sorry, my bad.”

  Shiza felt back seeing Zaib feel so awkward. She said, “That is not a problem. Many people feel the same when they see me and my husband together. After all, I am thirty years younger to Betan.”

  “Thirty years younger!” exclaimed Zaib, in surprise.

  Betan took the glass of beer and drinking a few sips said, “Shiza is very young wife for me. But we are very happy with each other.”

  Zaib got curious so he asked, “Sir, was it difficult for you both to get married?”

  Hearing this Shiza replied, “Yes it was very difficult. My father and Betan are bitter enemies. It was very hard to convince my dad to allow me to get married to his enemy who was of his age. But we made it possible.”

  Zaib kept staring at her. He said, “You both are very courageous. Normally people give up their love when age becomes a hurdle.”

  “Nothing remains a obstacle when you have a firm thought in mind to achieve something,” Betan replied proudly.

  Shiza looked at Zaib and asked, “Do you want to know how we fell in love?”

  Curious, Zaib said, “Yes, please tell me?”

  Shiza smiled at Zaib’s curiosity and said, “My father and I were members of the Almond Club. So was Betan. During my free time, I loved to go to the Almond club with my friends. Many a times, I had noticed Betan deep in conversation with others. People around him would be paying attention to what he was saying.

  One day I sat in the hall and Betan sat next to me. I did not like my father’s enemy sitting beside me and I preferred to ignore his presence.

  Soon other people surrounded Betan and they were asking him, “Betan, tell us more about great legends and how they struggled?”

  Somebody else asked, “How may I start my business when I fear the risk of being in loss?” There were many questions floating around Betan by people of all age groups. Betan was patiently answering everyone and everyone was engrossed in Betan’s motivating talks.

  I too was listening to all this while pretending to read a novel. Soon the talks got interesting and I realized myself staring at Betan with hand on my chin. Though I had ignored Betan, he never ignored me. He behaved humble and would smile at me when I was hearing him. I liked his matured behavior. Many times when I would go to the club, I would sit near him to hear his speeches.

  One day there was a party at the Almond club and I had gone there with my father. Betan had seen me but he just smiled at me and sat with his group. I was standing in one corner and observing his behavior. When my father went with his group of friends, I sat beside Betan.

  On seeing me, he said to others, “I’ll get a drink for myself…” and he went away. I too went after him pretending to take a drink.

  Betan noticed this but instead of getting angry at me he smiled and said, “Hello.”

  I too wished him, “Hello.” I further said, “I have often heard your speeches. They always made an impact on m
e.”

  Betan smiled back and said, “I had noticed that many times when I was speaking to others. If you want then you can also join them and ask questions or give suggestions. We always learn from others.” Saying this he went away but I kept staring at him.

  Shiza then looked at Betan as if signaling him to continue their story. Betan looked at Zaib and said, “One day, I saw Shiza sitting upset in the club. I wanted to ask her what happened but decided not to. After all, she was my enemy’s daughter. But heart took over the mind and I couldn’t let her sit in the corner and sulk. So I went and asked her why she was upset. She looked at me and said in a low voice that her father was forcing her to take up any professional career after completing her high school. Whereas Shiza was interested in making a career as a singer.”

  Betan kept staring at Shiza. He continued, “She has a very lovely voice but her father did not support her career choice.”

  Zaib turned to Shiza and asked, “Why so?”

  “My father said there were so many people in this world who have good vocals but only few get success whereas others keep struggling. He did not want me to have an insecure future. So he wanted me to study and work for a fixed salary,” Shiza replied and then took a sip from her drink.

  “Then what happened?” Zaib asked with curiosity.

  Betan replied, “When Shiza told me about her problem, I felt like speaking to her father but then why would an enemy be trusted even if he has good intentions! So I suggested to Shiza to continue her studies and keep singing as her hobby till she makes a mark in it.”

  Shiza continued the story, “I joined college but I did not leave my passion. Betan suggested to me to sing few songs and keep on social networking sites to check whether the public appreciated my voice. The response I received was amazing. I started getting offers for singing on various occasions. I also started earning from my hobby. Currently, I am recording new albums which shall be released soon. My father no more forced me to leave singing since people praised my voice in front of him. I was also earning well.”

  “Shiza, it is really good that you took up the career you wanted!” Zaib said happily.