Mussawir scornfully smiled and tauntingly said, “Come on, Rida. Just finish your silly prayers; we have got much work to do.” Rida, who was offering Salah in the room of hospital where her father was lying on ventilator, did not say anything but kept on praying with full optimism. She finished her prayers and thought of the moment of the past (when Mussawir had fought with her-as she had missed her evening prayers). Rida regretted about her younger brother’s comments and wrapped the prayer-mat.
By then, the doctor had started his evening round by visiting patients’ rooms one-by-one. The doctor was horrified after seeing the backward progress of MR Afzal (The Father) and asked Mussawir to arrange few bottles of blood (as his father needed some blood). The blood had to be kept in stock before the heart surgery.
Rida heard Mussawir revealing address of the hospital to someone as he was narrating, “Yes! Yes! It is the same hospital of Army located near The Quaid-e-Azam’s tomb.” He further added,” Aryan, you have to bring at least five or six boys.” During call he mentioned thrice to Aryan that he had to arrive here before 12 P.M tomorrow. Mussawir turned off the call and headed towards the room. “Rida, BaBa’s condition is getting worst. His heart is not getting adequate blood to pump,” Mussawir said almost sobbingly. He further said,” The Doctor says that in 9 out of 10 such cases; the death of the patient occurs, and it is only 1 out of 10 times that the patient dramatically and magically recovers.” She heard patiently and said,” Let’s pray for the best in our case.” Mussawir’s face turned into reddish-white and he almost barked,” Pray! UFF, don’t tell me such useless option to espouse. It is not that praying can help recover BABA but we need to toil practically and wait for the recovery.” Rida knew her brother, and she knew what had happened with him (which changed his mind) in a recent past. She decided not to say anything but to pray for her father and pray for her brother too.
That night, again he could not sleep and recalled the moments when he practically begged in front of her to not leave him. He satirically summoned back the times when he had cried while praying to God. He laughed at himself that how foolish his act of asking something from God was.
The next day, Mussawir was restlessly walking in the corridor and he had fixed his eyes on the main entrance. Meanwhile, he kept looking on the wall clock installed above the reception. The Tick-Tick of the clock was hinting something strange-Something very awful! The usual activities of the hospital were irritating him and it felt as if he had bathed in sweat. When he saw Aryan and his crew entering from the gate, he rushed towards them and took them towards the blood bank of the hospital. When they arrived at blood bank, it was 12:07 P.M. The Officer informed them that the closure time is 12 and they are not allowed to take (or give) blood after 12. “What! We are just few minutes late. You can’t evade us,” Mussawir shockingly argued. “Sorry sir! We are reluctant to do so. The law and discipline are restricted to be violated,” the officer explained with a flat-face. Mussawir was perplexed after the illogical point of the officer. “Discipline, Really? It is about someone’s Life or Death,” he barked,” you can’t put anyone’s life at risk, even never for this stupid discipline.” The officer showed no sympathy and remained expressionless. He closed the reception window of the blood bank and came out to surge towards parking. Mussawir ran and bowed in front of him to convince him, but he was knocking the wrong door- as the officer showed the cold shoulder to him.
The officer got rid of from Mussawir and went pass him towards his car, whereas Mussawir remained on his knees with head down (Like a hopeless bird that had recently lost her nest). He was compelled as a widowed-woman. When he slightly looked up, he saw the officer’s car crossing the exit gate. He looked a bit higher and glanced at the Quaid-e-Azam’s tomb, where a grown up man was standing with few children and he was telling something to the children by indicating towards the tomb. “Perhaps, that man would be saying that here is the tomb of the man who got us ‘FREEDOM’,” Mussawir unconsciously thought. “FREEDOM, Huh, what a joke!” muttered Mussawir.
Mussawir sent Aryan with his group back and petitioned them to reach again tomorrow before 12 P.M. He went back to the room with heavy heart, where Rida was reciting Holy Quran. When Rida saw him coming, she closed the book and informed him that BABA had been taken to the ICU because he was in pain. Mussawir’s eyes imitated of the eyes of a hungry-furious Lion, when he came to know about abrupt shifting of BABA into ICU. “BABA is in ICU and you are wasting your time here, reading this unbeneficial book,” loudly said Mussawir. She was shocked on certain ill-behaved utterance, but she calmly replied,” Bhaiya, when you have to convert impossible into possible, you have to create a strong bond with the owner of this world, you have to bow before the creator of Adam and Eve. For this, you need to find ways to commune him; in this regard this book and praying is the only way to tell him, who has all authorities, what you want.” Mussawir lost his patience and yelled, “Oh shut up! Rida, don’t you remember how much I prayed to get her? I did not eat and sleep well and I kept on praying but at the end what did I got? A rejection a refusal???” He had said plenty of things in one breath. He further asked, “Where was your convertor of Impossibilities, when I was crying?” He had many complaints against God. Rida with a peaceful smile said,” Bhaiya, God is the best planner. He must have planned something better for you when He did not listen to your prayer and snatched what you wanted.” Mussawir gave her a hurried ear and ran towards ICU.
When Mussawir reached outside the ICU, he heard the doctor saying, “I, in my whole career, have never seen happening like this. It is no less than a miracle. MR Afzal was at the core of death then how dramatically did he recover?” Mussawir doubting on his hearing and he was unable to comprehend-what he just heard. “Congratulations, MR Mussawir. Your father has unpredictably recovered. His all the block veins are open now and his heart is pumping blood as a normal heart.” The doctor said cheerfully. He was mesmerized and hesitant to say anything. He could hardly say, “But how?” The doctor curiously said, “We shifted your father in ICU on emergency basis-as he was impotent to breath due to complete blockage of blood- and we could not risk going for surgery because your father’s stability was fluctuating.
Then miraculously, your Baba’s heart started pumping the blood and he starting gaining strength.” Mussawir was lost in fantasy when suddenly the doctor trembled him and said, “Go! And pray a Thankful prayer to God. It looked like God had sent an Angel to open the obstruction from your father’s heart.” Mussawir cursed him when he realized and recalled his recent thoughts regarding God. He rushed into room and threw himself in Rida’s feet and kept on imprecating himself. He was crying like a newly-born baby. Indeed Mussawir got a rebirth today.
–Imran Nawab (IKR)
LUAWMS
