Ishq Kinara[Love Ashore] Complete

21. Epiphany

That particular lane in Gulshan-e-Iqbal was exhibiting the same old hustle of life in its full form. The noise of life going on as per the norm and everything falling into a routine. Running vehicles and people here and there, going on about life and all its basics. In all this normalized chaos the opened window of the house in the middle was like the doorway into a different world, and different it was. A stark contrast from the world outside, even its panes were not moving on the tunes of wind.

The inside was as expected, the bed was without any crease indicating the owner didn't bother lying down on it the night before. Every other nook of the room was mimicking the bed, sans the very occupied study table.

The books were strewn across it, opened pages with hand-written notes and some pieces sticking out here and there. Reading through those with full concentration was Izaan Shoaib.

It was no guesswork, his 3rd year professional exam was upon him. It was self explanatory. The same year end saga was repeating itself, but it was more hectic with the clerkship and OSCE in certain subjects. He had no time whatsoever for anything else and his family understood it well. They were as accommodating as ever with giving him complete time and space to prepare for his written and practical exams along with other additional activities which were a part of the medical school professional exam.

Walking out of this very busy room, rounding the corner and to the other end of the TV lounge, the voices coming from the room at the end were breaking the silence permeated in the air.

Shoaib Ansari looked up from his piping hot cup of tea at his wife's beaming face. She'd gone shopping today and now that he was back home, she was excitedly showing him everything she'd bought. His tea wasn't getting cold nor were Memoona's anecdotes of a day well spent in bargaining. But that wasn't of his concern. He never stopped her from showing her skill when it came to getting things at a reasonable price, she was a thrifty and wise woman when it came to spending money. The reason why she was in charge of all the expanses and how much they'd spend on those. His eyes were darting toward the brown bundle placed pretty away from the clothes. Books. He could tell. He could also tell that none of his sons were into book reading. The eldest didn't have enough time and the twins had other things to invest their time in. Memoona buying books for Abba was not even an option. Abba was very picky when it came to his bookshelf and what he'd keep there.

His mind was telling him what he kind of already knew. Still, he took a sip of his tea and pointed towards the bundle. Memoona, who was in the middle of explaining the fabric of the shirt in her hand to him, stopped and followed where he was pointing.

"What's that for?"

Memoona smiled and that confirmed it for Shoaib. He leaned into the pillow behind him and sighed.

"I just thought Safwa has visited us so many times. I should buy something for her too. Books seemed the best idea so I just went with it."

For someone who hadn't set foot in a bookshop in over a decade, she sure was playing it cool. Shoaib smiled. She smiled back at him and went back to her previous task.

"Don't you think you're going pretty fast here?"

His next question was direct. No beating about the bush. Izaan had inherited his straight forward nature from his father.

"What fast? I just bought books for her. Stop making a big deal out of it."

She was offended. A very typical reaction whenever she was caught doing something. She hadn't done anything wrong. It was just a bundle of books. But it's never in the deeds. It's always the intention. And her intentions for Safwa were clear to Shoaib.