Save a Life
Chapter 3 of “Hold On”: Chief Burger 2011
(N.B. I’m writing a novel, a chapter a week, here on Medium. Find out why I write here, start from Chapter 1 here, and always feel free to give me feedback in the comments. I write here for the community.)
With his sturdy and long arm, Ahmed pulled Hira towards himself with such force that her head bumped into his chest as she reeled back. Just that second, a loud horn-blaring car sped past them, inches away from Hira, leaving a trail of thick smoke behind. Still trying to find her balance and coughing in the smoke, Hira was completely lost for a moment. Regaining her senses, she felt Sadia’s quivering arm around her and saw Ahmed wipe his forehead with his sleeve, sighing with relief.
It had been a stupid idea to go out of the university for lunch.
As their second class of the day ended, Ahmed approached Sadia and Hira.
“Let’s go to Chief Burger for lunch.”
“We’re not allowed,” they responded together instantly. “Our parents wouldn’t like that,” Sadia explained.
Ahmed smiled understandingly, but countered, “It’s just around the corner, we will be back in no time.”
The girls glanced at each other. They both wanted to take up his offer but were reluctant. Hira wanted to explore the world she had always whizzed past on the back of her father’s motorbike. And so, it did not take much more than Sadia’s enthusiastic “let’s do it!” to convince her.
They walked to the university gate with Ahmed, and then looked uncertainly at the road ahead. They could see the restaurant mere feet away, but the main university road had no decent footpath and cars, buses, and motorcycles were whizzing past them. Navigating through haphazardly parked cars, the girls followed Ahmed’s footsteps and reached Chief in a couple of minutes. They settled into a small corner — the girls especially eager to avoid being recognized by anyone they knew — and ordered one large pizza to split. The hall was full with hundreds of people eating and gossiping. Ahmad had to speak loudly to share his knowledge about the history of Chief Burger. He explained how this casual fast food place evolved into a popular restaurant in Peshawar city over the last few decades.
While they were waiting for food and discussing the ordeal of walking a few feet in such a pedestrian-unfriendly space, Sadia excitedly told her friends that her father had promised to buy her a car soon. He had recently resigned as the Finance Manager of a local factory and entered into the booming real estate business. Hira was surprised; she could not fathom why such a well-educated person would leave their stable, white-collar job, as this was her dream. Sadia admitted that her father had been struggling to pay the tuition bills of his three children amidst the rising inflation. Given the constricted job market in the city and little room for growth at his job, Sadia’s father was advised by his friends to capitalize on the real estate boom at the right time and jump into the business.
Sadia’s conversation was interrupted by the delicious smell of freshly baked crust. The pizza had arrived; it was the restaurant’s special pizza, loaded with every topping one could think of. Ahmed thanked the waiter and began cutting slices. He offered the neatly cut pieces to Sadia and Hira, before picking one for himself. As Hira watched him gently serve them, she could not help but notice how much she admired the simple yet significant gestures of kindness that he extended to everyone around him. She smiled to herself and dug into the indulgent pizza she could no longer resist.
On their way back, Ahmed and Sadia wanted to stop at another nearby tea stall. Having a cup of qehwa was necessary after that lunch, they agreed. Hira, however, pushed them to get back to campus and take their next class of Pakistan Studies. Ahmad had never been interested in that class, so his insistence to stay around for tea was understandable. As he liked reading history books, this class simply bored him. He would often question the logic of teaching Pakistan Studies as part of computer science and engineering programs, during their increasingly frequent rant sessions. Hira would argue that it is essential to know about one’s history, while Sadia was generally indifferent.
Surrendering to Hira’s decision, they began walking back towards the university, still debating the importance of Pakistan Studies. Just then, Ahmad saw a high-speed car coming from behind, flashing its headlights wildly, speeding towards Hira. Ahmed had saved Hira just in time. For the rest of the way, Ahmed was careful to walk on the side of the road, keeping Hira and Sadia safe from the vicious traffic.
They stood at the university gate to catch their breath, before walking on to their class. They reached back just in time, as the professor shuffled her notes and began the class. Hira was still feeling a little lost, reliving her near-death experience. The only upside of this traumatic incident- she found herself thinking- was Ahmed’s concern for her, which was becoming increasingly obvious. She tried to concentrate on the lecture, but her mother’s disappointed face kept popping up in her head. She would look at her daughter’s dark skin and frizzy hair, lamenting how no man would ever marry someone like her. And as her mother’s face disappeared into the distance, she could see Ahmed sitting in front of her. A smart, caring man, who had just saved her life. For a moment, she was tempted to share the incident with her parents when she got home. However, she quickly realized this would mean setting herself up for a lecture followed by many, many questions, about why and with whom she left the university premises.
After taking the class, throughout which Hira was lost in these thoughts, she rushed to her favorite spot in the university to get some peace to process everything that had happened today. She was surprised at this new feeling; her mind was calm despite everything that had happened, but it was her heart that was fluttering.
Sadia had gone off with a friend after the class to catch up on some gossip. She returned to find Hira in her favorite spot. Walking towards her, Sadia felt she was noticing a different side of Hira today. She seemed more confident and self-assured.
Sadia sat beside Hira, smiling at her, as if she knew what Hira was feeling.
“I have been observing how Ahmed looks at you,” she declared. “His eyes are wide open, deeply interested in your boring conversations, but always very gentle.”
“Sure,” Hira suppressed her smile, rolling her eyes, before changing the topic hastily.
It was Sadia’s turn to roll her eyes, as Hira asked her about her plans after graduation — a favorite topic of hers at this point.
“I like to live in the moment,” laughed Sadia. Hira loved this about her; she was someone who always tried to make the best out of whatever situation was at hand, and this is why they had become such close friends.
Image Credit: Qazi Jalal on Twitter
