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Continuing..

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"Shifaaaa..."

"Hamdan bhai will bring you chocolate, and chips and robot and remote control car too" Hamdan said very happily after kissing Shifa's cheek. Hamdan was sitting on his knees and leaning towards Shifa who chuckling while cycling her hand and legs in air and 

"Hamdan what are you doing? Have you learn table of 3?" Maryam entered in the room and Hamdan shook his head.

"Mummy Shifa was saying me that she wants me to play with her, so I am playing with her" Hamdan made an excuse innocently and Maryam tried not to smile.

"Reallyyyy? Shifa asked to you?" Maryam asked while raising her one brow and Hamdan nodded in agreement. Maryam went to Hamdan and kissed his cheek.

"Have you listened about Pinocchio" She asked and Hamdan shook his head, then Maryam kissed Shifa's cheek and sat down on bed.

"I'll tell you Pinocchio's story but later, he was a boy when he use to lie his nose become long.... Now be ready because tomorrow morning your nose will be soooo.... Long and everyone will make your fun" Maryam said while pinching Hamdan's nose. And he was blinking innocently but with fearful expressions

"Will you tell a lie again?" Maryam asked and Hamdan shook his head immediately

"Good boy, now learn the table of 2 and 3 both, that too loudly... Your voice should be come to kitchen, I'm listening.... Got it?" Maryam ordered him and he nodded then she left the room and started arranging dining table, she made biryani specially for Anwar and at the same time he came back to home.

" Assalamualaikum" Maryam greeted him while giving water, he just nodded in reply.

"Hamd..." Anwar opened his mouth of summon his only son but Maryam stopped him suddenly. That was Anwar's daily routine to call Hamdan after coming back from the office and pass him chocolate or snacks or anything else, if he don't bring anything then he just embraced his son and kissed his head.

"Tomorrow is His class test and he is learning tables, if he got distracted then won't start to study again" Maryam said in Anwar nodded.

"Is Amma sleeping?" He asked with furrowed brows, without playing attention to Maryam

"No, she is awake" she replied after holding the empty glass in her hand.

"Hmm.. Fine, you serve dinner, I am coming back in ten minutes after freshen up, and meet Amma" Anwar ordered and Maryam nodded without looking at him.

..............…………

"What my boy did whole day?" Anwar asked to Hamdan when both father son duo were sitting in room after having dinner and Maryam was busy in clearing dishes and kitchen

"Papa tomorrow is My maths test and I was leaning tables. And playing with Shifa too..." He replied innocently and got a kiss on his head by his father.

"Do your mummy scolds you?" Anwar asked and Hamdan shook his head.

"Ohh I forget it... Go and bring my that bag, see what I have bring for my son" Anwar said to Hamdan And he ran towards his father's bag imminently. The bag was quite heavy for a five years old boy, but he carried that and his father pass him a small lot of chocolates.

"Eat it tomorrow and share with your friends also" Anwar said and took his son in his embrace to made him sleep.

"Hamdan Revise the tables before sleeping." Maryam entered in the room and said to him.

"What are you doing now?" Anwar asked her while caressing Hamdan's head.

"I'm ironing your and Hamdan's clothes for tomorrow" Maryam replied while yawning and drawing out Hamdan's uniform from cupboard.

"Why?" He asked in his rough tone

"For to..tomorrow" Maryam said without looking at him.

"Don't let him sleep before revising tables... Tomorrow is his test in school" Maryam said while looking at Hamdan who was almost slept, in his father's embrace.

"Tomorrow is Sunday... There isn't any school or office tomorrow" Anwar informed and she realised the same. Switching off the iron and left the clothes on iron table carelessly and nodded.

"Shall I make tea for you?" She asked in tired voice then switched off the lights because both kids were sleeping peacefully

"when you know about my answer then why you ask the same question everyday?" Anwar asked in same tone and Maryam left the room after a small nod.

"Tea" placing the cups of tea on side table Maryam made her way to washroom.

"Uhh... What is this?? You forget to add sugar" Anwar said angrily and Maryam turned to looked at him.

"I.. I'm sorry... I just forgot..." Mumbling the same she went to kitchen to took sugar

'I'm also a human, I can make some mistakes, but he can't be polite towards me, he never praised my cooking but if I forget to add sugar he is showing his angry side' Sating all those things in her heart Maryam mixed sugar in his tea.

"Tomorrow, complete your coking and all works early in the morning because I will take Hamdan to park and..." Maryam didn't let him complete.

"Then I should iron your clothes" Maryam said and Anwar glared her.

"What wrong with you? Don't you have little common sense that if someone is saying something then let him complete, you also did the same in morning" He bust on her suddenly making her jumped on her place. She suddenly felt tears in her eyes.

"I'm sorry" With lower gaze she mumbled and clenched her dupatta in her fist.

"Kaan khol kar meri ek baat sun lo, jab me kuch kahu to pehle meri baat suno baad me bolo Jo tumhe bolna hai... Meri baat beech me mat kata karo"

(Listen carefully, when I am saying something then listen that, first listen to me then say what you wanna say, but don't cut my sentance in between)

He ordered ruthlessly while grinding his Teeth and Maryam nodded while wiping her tears and sniffing. She tried to held her tears but couldn't so she made her way to kitchen so that she could cry without any fear.

After some fifteen minutes she walked in the room with baby steps and found Anwar sleeping, she made her way towards bed but stopped on her place when listened his voice.

"Come here" Turning his head towards Maryam he said, she stepped towards him and stopped in front of bed. She was looking everywhere but not at Anwar.

"I.. I'm sorry" saying that she turned to go to her side but

"Sit" Anwar ordered and Maryam didn't had guts to say 'no' she sat down on bed with dangling legs, he was still laying on the bed with both hands under his head.

"I am really sorry, I'll never say anything... from now I'll just listen to you" She said in hushed tone with lower gaze and tried not to sob, but couldn't.

"Who is saying not to talk? Say whatever you want to say but first listen to me" Maryam nodded without looking at him. Her back was facing him.

"Sun rahi ho ya nahi?" He asked in same manly voice which made her startled.

(Are you listening or not?)

"J.. Ji.. Sun rahi hu..." She stammered in hushed tone.

"Stop crying" He ordered as if he was commanding a robot and she just nodded tried to stop her tears.

'Why he can't be polite? Why he ordered me like this? Am I just a maid for his home and nanny for his son? Don't I have any emotions?' She was crying silently thinking about everything when a hand pulled her gently, but she jumped on her place on that sudden touch and looked at her husband.

"Maryam... Stop it" sitting on the bed he ordered her holding her from shoulder but this time the voice wasn't harsh like always.

"Complete all your domestic works early in the morning, then I'll drop you to your father's place and took Hamdan to park. Got it?" Anwar said and Maryam keep watching him for few moments

"No its okay, I'll not go to my home if you don't like that" She utter in almost no voice

"When did I said you can't go? Or I don't like you to visit your family?" Anwar asked and Maryam lifted her gaze to him..

"You said in mornin.." Maryam was saying something when stopped herself and ''No.. Nothing you didn't said anything like this" she tried not to say anything at the same time she feeling uncomfortable because Anwar's arm was still wrapped around her shoulder.

"I'm saying in morning that don't go to meet your parents today, go tomorrow because Tomorrow is my off so I'll handle Hamdan whole day" Anwar said and removed his arm from her shoulder

"But... You didn't listened to me... I hate this thing when someone cut my words in between" He said in the same harsh tone as he remembered again.

"I'm sorry, I'll never cut your sentence now" Anwar nodded on that.

"Tired?" He asked and Maryam nodded.

"Biryani was tasty" he said without any expression on his face, but Maryam looked up at him and a smile made on her lips. That was the first time when someone praised her efforts.

"Should I take Hamdan with me? He will play with Maham and Shifa" Maryam asked and Anwar think for sometime.

"No, I'll take him with me to park, what will he do there? He don't know anyone there neither they know him..." He said and Maryam nodded.

"so I should iron your clothes now, tomorrow I will not get much time" Maryam said and Anwar made his brows furrowed.

"Are you a machine? Take rest now" He said all these things with same cold behavior.

"No I'm not machine, I also feel tired and sometimes hurt too" Maryam mumbled and Anwar nodded..

"I know, that's why I am saying to take rest"

"You sleep I'll sleep after sometime, I have to do some work" saying that Maryam got up from beside him 

"You have to write Diary... Right? That is the only work which you do after I slept" Anwar said while laying down again in his side and Maryam looked at him with wide eyes and wildly beating heart.

"How do you know?" She asked with fearful voice,

Fearful because she use to write everything about Anwar's and his family's behaviour in the diary.

"I just know... You are not so smart that you can hide anything from me" He replied confidently and Maryam bite her cheek from inside.

"Have... Have you read that?" she asked and he shook his head while looking at Hamdan then kissed his cheek

"I don't have to read anyone's personal diary, I know how to respect someone's privacy" Maryam gulped as she thought that Anwar read her both diaries but in reality Anwar didn't read her diaries....

Her one diary contains her life before marrying to Aatish and her married life with Aatish, whatever she faced in that time and other diary was holding the pain of divorce and after that time...

"Will you keep standing here like this? Sleep now, write your diary tomorrow" Anwar ordered and lefting with no other option Maryam nodded and lay down taking her daughter in embrace. Hamdan and Shifa both were laying between her and Anwar.

"Suniye, aapne woh Diary read kri hai kya?" Maryam asked without looking at him she asked in hushed tone and Anwar opened his eyes to saw her.

(Please tell me have you read the diary?)

"Esa kya hai us Diary main? Abhi tak to nhi parhi but ab zarur parhunga" He said while raising his one eyebrow and Maryam suddenly open her eyes to saw him.

(What is there in that Diary? I haven't read that yet but now I'm thinking that I have to give that a read)

"There isn't anything special in that diary... Just... Just about Shifa... That how she plays, how she smile nothing else." Maryam said with fearfulness.

"Hmm... Sleep now" Anwar said and Maryam nodded then closed her eyes, but she was in fear what if Anwar had read or would read that diaries in future.

In the state of tension she was biting her lips, her eyes were still closed and heart was jumping madly but she felt a hot touch on the back of her palm, which made her startled she opened her eyes and Anwar was watching her. She was going to remove the hand from under his hand but he held her hand firmly.

"I haven't read that diary, neither I'll. So Sleep now" Maryam nodded slowly and looked at Shifa who was sleeping peacefully she kissed her small cheek and closed her eyes to sleep. She was feeling a gaze fixed on herself but that wasn't uncomfortable for her anymore so she slept peacefully....

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_Naaz Jamal