Us awaaz ne mere qadmon ko wahin rok diya tha. Woh awaaz jo pichle kuch dinon se mere zehen ke kisi kone mein musalsal goonj rahi thi. Maine palat kar dekha to waqt jaise theher sa gaya. Arham, apni be-parwa si adaa ke saath, pockets mein haath daale khare thay. Unke chehre par ek halki si hairat thi, jo shayad meri mojoodgi ki wajah se thi. Mere zehen mein lafzon ka ek toofan tha, lekin zabaan par ek bhi lafz nahi aa raha tha.
"Main... main yahan cousins ke saath dinner ke liye aayi thi. Aur aap?" aakhir kaar maine khud ko sambhalte hue pucha.
"Acha. Yeh mere cousin ka hi restaurant hai," unhone itminaan se jawab diya.
"Acha...! Acha...!" Iske aage kya kehna chahiye, mujhe samajh hi nahi aa raha tha. Kya unhein saath khane ka kehna theek rahega? Kahin zyada to nahi ho jayega? Yeh takalluf aur sochon ka silsila Arham ki awaaz ne tora.
"Acha, aap log enjoy karein. Main chalta hoon."
Isse pehle ke woh qadam barhaate, mere muh se be-sakhta nikal gaya, "To aap hum logon ke saath hi baith jaayein." Hum baatein karte hue table ke paas pahunch chuke thay, jahan Zariya humein hairat se dekh rahi thi.
"Nahi, mere bhi do cousins aa rahe hain. Aur woh dono hi bohot shararti hain. Be-wajah aap log pareshan ho jayenge," unke lehje mein ek sanjeeda muskurahat thi.
"Nahi, aisi koi baat nahi hai," maine foran kaha. "Sach kahun to meri ek cousin, Sheiza, un dono se kuch kam nahi hai."
Meri is baat par unke honton par ek gehri muskurahat phail gayi, aur uske saath hi main bhi muskura di. Us ek lamhe ke liye, humare darmiyan ka sara takalluf hawa mein tehleel ho gaya.
"Acha... aap log baithiye. Main bas abhi aaya," yeh keh kar Arham saamne waali table ki taraf chale gaye.
"Yeh Arham bhai thay na?" Zariya ne mere baithte hi sargoshi ki.
"Haan. Yeh unke cousin ka hi restaurant hai. Unke baaki cousins bhi aa rahe hain, to maine socha ke sab saath hi khana kha lete hain."
"Haan, acha kiya," Zariya ne muskura kar meri himmat barhayi.
Main aur Duha Aapi restaurant pahunche to main uski simple lekin pur-kashish designing ko dekhe bina na reh saki. Maine bike park ki aur Samrah Aapi ko call milaya.
"Assalamualaikum Aapi, hum dono gate par hain."
"Walekumasalam. Haan, main aur Zariya corner table par hain. Ab rush bhi kam ho gaya hai, aaram se dikh jayenge."
"Okay, Aapi."
Hum andar dakhil hue to corner table nazar aa gayi. Lekin wahan Aapi logon ke saath do mard bhi khare thay. Ek to Arham bhai thay, lekin dusre shakhs ko dekh kar Duha Aapi ke chehre ka rang urh gaya. Maine ghaur se dekha yeh to wahi chef thay jinhone humein highway par roka tha. Magar ek chef ka table par kya kaam?
Hum dono ek dusre ko uljhan mein dekhte hue table ki taraf barhe. Humare pahunchte hi sab ne humein dekha. Maine aur Duha Aapi ne sab ko salam kiya. Salam ke jawab ke baad Arham bhai ne humara haal pucha aur phir apne saath khare shakhs ka ta'arruf karwaya.
"Samrah, yeh mere cousin hain aur mere sabse ache dost, Arsalan Qutbuddin Shaikh." Unhone halki si muskurahat ke saath kaha.
"Yeh Zariya Sultan Khan, Duha Khalid Khan, aur Sheiza Shaikh," Samrah Aapi ne bhi humara ta'arruf karaya.
"Acha, to aap sab bhi yahan hain. Humare bhi do cousins aa rahe hain, to kyun na sab saath hi khana kha lein?" Arsalan bhai ne khushi se tajweez di. Samrah Aapi table par baithi theen, aur main unke paas khari thi. Main unke kaan mein kehne hi waali thi ke 'idea acha hai,' ke do larkon ki salam ki awaaz sunai di.
Maine dekhne ke liye gardan ghumaayi, aur meri aankhein ghusse se phail gayin. Mere saamne wahi 'alien' khara tha.
"TUMMM!!! FIRSEEE???" Meri aur uski awaaz ek saath restaurant mein goonji.
"Haan, main hi hoon! Sheiza Shaikh! Jisse tum abhi abhi haare ho, LOOSER!" maine apne chote baalon ko adaa se jhatka de kar kaha.
"Acha? To andhi bakri raasta bhatak kar yahan aa hi gayi," usne mujhe chiraate hue kaha.
"Kam se kam aankhein hone ke bawajood andhi nahi hoon main! Aur alien to bilkul bhi nahi! Huh!"
"Tum chaaron... ek dusre ko pehle se jaante ho?" Arsalan bhai ki sanjeeda awaaz ne humari laraai ko roka.
"Loosers se main jaan pehchaan nahi rakhti, bhai," maine haath baandh kar jawab diya.
"Ek minute," is baar Samrah Aapi boleen, unki awaaz uljhan mein doobi hui thi. "Sheiza aur Muhib to site visit ki wajah se jaante hain. Tum dono—" unhone Duha Aapi aur dusre larke (Zaydin) ki taraf ishara kiya, "—tum dono ek dusre ko kaise jaante ho?"
Is sawaal par Arham bhai ne bhi ghaur se hum sab ko dekha.
Ya Allah, yeh kaunsi aafat mein phans gaye thay hum. Samrah Aapi ke sawaal ne to jaise aag par tel chirak diya tha. Arham bhai ki tez nigahein mujh par theen.
"Bhai, hum dono ek dusre ka naam tak nahi jaante hain," maine jaldi se safaai di. "Bas kuch hi ghanton mein yeh humari teesri mulaqat hai."
"Teesri?" Arham bhai ki peshani par bal par gaye. "Details mein baad mein baat karta hoon tumse."
"Jee bhai," maine bebas ho kar kaha.
"Zaydin," is baar Arsalan bhai ki awaaz aayi. Unka lehja itna sard tha ke mujhe sardi lagne lagi. "Jisse tum dono race kar rahe thay, woh Sheiza aur Duha theen. Agar main ghalat nahi hoon... kyun, Muhib?"
Unka sawaal ek ilzaam tha. Woh saari kahani samajh chuke thay.
"Nahi! Nahi, Bhai!" Muhib isse pehle ke koi aur bahana banata, Arsalan bhai ki awaaz goonji.
"Tumhein lagta hai main andha aur behra hoon?"
"Acha na, bhai! Ghar jaakar daant lena, abhi please!" maine unse bheek maangi. Agar yeh silsila abhi na rukta to Muhib ka bacha unhein aur ghussa dila deta.
"Hmmph." Bhai ne sirf itna kaha. Allah ka shukar tha ke aaj Samrah Aapi aur unki cousins yahan theen, warna aaj humari khair nahi thi. Restaurant ki is table par achanak ek ajeeb, bohot bhaari khamoshi chaa gayi thi.
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