12. Culmination - The Last Hour

They both were so happy to see each other. Sadia seemed to be so much confused and puzzled, not knowing what to say. For a minute, Saqi wondered if she is the same girl who used to talk with him for hours and who has shared so many important things with him. But maybe it was obvious, as it was the first time and she didn’t want to spoil it by saying anything just like that. It’s actually quite difficult to comprehend what she would have been thinking at that moment. She was with a person who meant a lot to her and somehow wanted him to realize the same. As Saqi didn’t know much about that place as it was the first time he had visited, Sadia took him over to some café where they could sit and talk for some time as normal friends would have done. They were yet trying to make themselves comfortable talking to each other. Had they known that, this was the last hour they had, to get to know and talk to each other, they wouldn’t have wasted even a minute doing that. It wasn’t even an hour that they had met, not even an hour of happiness, and the most unexpected thing happened, or may be, the most expected. Guess what ..!!.. It was Sadia’s dad at the café. Saqi just didn’t even notice a person coming inside with such a rant and rave. He was just about to take that next sip of his cappuccino, when Sadia with such an innocent but very much busted voice, said, “Saqi..!!..My dad”. It wasn’t until then that Saqi even looked up. He was just busy with his cup of coffee and contemplating what to say. Saqi turned to his right and her dad stood just towards the middle adjacent right side of the table. Saqi looked up. “Salaam, How are you uncle”, were his first of words. Burning fumes could be smelt and felt around. Uncle-Ji didn’t even reply back, neither did he at least greet Saqi with a w-salaam, nothing; just deep silence. Saqi could comprehend what it’s going to bring. Sadia’s dad asked her to come outside. By the time, Saqi couldn’t think anything so just cleared the café bill and just hoped and prayed that everything should be fine. Sadia came inside and asked Saqi that her dad has called him outside. Saqi, though a little petrified, came outside the café to meet her dad and again he didn’t reply to Saqi and walked towards his car and asked Sadia to tell him to sit inside the car. Sadia was tensed and this was clearly visible on her face. She had somehow stopped her tears but could be easily seen in her eyes.

Saqi knew that there was nothing to get actually worried and as they have not done anything wrong that couldn’t be justified, everything should be fine and this was what he told Sadia at the moment, and so he told her to ask her dad if he wanted to talk to him and why would he simply sit inside in someone’s car who can’t even reply back to him. Saqi too, from inside was a little vexed but as he looked at Sadia, he thought that he has to somehow act strong to at least talk to her dad and clear everything, whatever is in their mind as Sadia would not be able to explain everything to them.