SIMRAN | SHEIKH
It was a fresh morning in Hyderabad. I looked at my phone. It shows 7 am. I looked at my little brother Samar who was sleeping on his bed. I did my daily chores and went to kitchen. Naani was already went to her cafe after making breakfast for us. My family were my naani and Samar. I lost my mother ten years ago when samar was only two year old and i was ten. My father left us after my mother’s death. He sometimes comes to visit us. He was like a guest in our house. I hate him for abonding us when we needed him most.
I started making lunch for Samar. His school bus would come in 8:30. I went to our room to wake up Samar. I have to wake him up daily and the boy doesn’t do anything on his own.
“Samar…wake up..you are going to be late..” I shook his shoulder. He got off the bed. I gave him his towel and brush. He walked to the washroom. I went back to kitchen and did the left cooking. When I was making Samar’s lunch box,I heard him calling me.
“Di,where is my uniform?” Samar shouted from the room. He knew where it is.
“It is on the bed,Samar.” I shouted back. His school bus would arrive in half hour and I have to go to college,too. After a few seconds I hear Samar shouting again.
“Di,my socks.” I went to the bedroom.
“Can’t you do your own works?” I gave him his socks.
“Didn’t you dry your hair?” I took the towel which was on the bed and rubbed on his hair.
“Did you put my maths homework book in my bag?” He asked taking all his books out off the bag.
“What are you doing ,yaar? ” I slapped on his arm.
“You are making me work more..now go and have the breakfast.” I put all his book back inside his bag. This boy never change. Samar went to the dining hall. I went after him taking his bag with me. I put the bag on the tea table and put the lunch box and water bottle inside his bag.
“Di, I need hundred rupees.” Samar said while having his breakfast.
“Why?” I sat beside him and put two idlis in my plate.
“To join the cricket team.” Samar was a crazy fan of cricket and his ambition was to become a cricketer.
I went back to our room. I opened my wallet. There was a fifty rupee note and few ten rupees. I count the money. It was ninety rupees. I can’t ask naani,because it was the month ending.
Hamdan..he could help me.
I took the money. “Finish your breakfast. I will be back in two minutes.” I yelled running to downstairs. The building was two storey. Our cafe was in downstairs and we were living in upstairs. I went to my best friend and childhood buddy hamdan’s house. His home was like my second home as his mother and my mother were best friends.
“Where is hamdan?” I asked hamdan’s sister huma who was waiting for her school bus. Huma and Samar were studying in same school.
“He is getting ready for college. You are late,simi.” I heard huma saying while I was going towards hamdan’s room. I opened his door without knocking. He was putting his shirt on.
“Do you have a hundred rupee?” I asked searching for his wallet.
“Here.” He tossed the wallet towards me.I caught it on time. I took a hundred rupee note and put my ninety rupee inside the wallet. Whenever I needed any help hamdan was always the for me.
“Thanks.” I muttered and ran back to my home.
“Get ready fast,simi. We will be late,today,too.” I heard hamdan shouting.
“Ya Allah. Simi, when will you stop running?” Sakeena aunty,hamdan and huma’s mother asked.
“When Samar grow up.” I said while running back to home. When I exit their house,Samar’s school bus arrived. Samar was coming downstairs ,so I waited for him. I put the hundred rupee note inside his bag. He hugged me. I kissed him on his head.
“Thanks,di.” He said waving his hands.
I climbed stairs hurriedly. My breakfast was waiting for me on the table. I didn’t have time to have the breakfast. I went to my room and changed to my college uniform. I made a ponytail and took my bag. My stomach was crying for the food. I looked at my watch then the breakfast. I took a bite of the idli. Hamdan came inside my home. He was all ready to go.
“Just a minute.” I put the left food back on the fridge.
“Have your breakfast, simi.” Hamdan said.
“No,Hamdan. We will be late if I have breakfast. Let’s go.” I said grabbing his hand.
”You will have lunch with me then.” He said.
“Okay, baba.”
We both went to college on his bike. When we were on the way to college Hamdan asked me to open his bag. I found a tiffin box insignia his bag.
“Your breakfast. Ammi sent it.” He smiled at me through the mirror.
I started munching on the sand which sakeena aunty made for me. Suddenly a car splashed the road side water on our face. We both were wet. I asked Hamdan to stop the bike. I took a stone from the road and threw it on the car. I smiled seeing the car’s glass broken. Hamdan looked at me with wide eyes.
“Let’s go back to home. We can’t go to college like this.”
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