A Planned Coincidence
Characters
Retired Colonel Jahangir Khan
Captain Ahsan Murad Khan
Annie Ghayur Khan
ACT I
Scene- A living room of an extravagant home in Saddar. The building is quite old, almost empirical, but the living room is furnished in modern taste. Colonel Jahangir Khan is sitting on a single seat sofa next to a love couch where sits an ostensibly wealthy and well brought young man, who seems quite nervous and unable to maintain eye contact.
Colonel Jahangir: She shall be here any moment, don’t worry?
Ahsan: No, sir. I am not worried, sir.
Colonel Jahangir: Oh, that is not a good thing. A respectable man should be a little worried in such situations, or at least pretend to be. It shows strong character, young captain.
Ahsan: Yes, sir. I must admit. I am a little nervous.
Colonel Jahangir: Then why did you lie?
Ahsan: It wasn’t really a lie…
Colonel Jahangir: (sternly) It was a deception.
Ahsan: Something in between. And that is exactly how I am feeling. Something in between worried and anxious. I am not sure what that state is called and therefore, my statement was merely due to my ignorance.
Colonel Jahangir: Ah! Blame it on the unknown. Well played, young man!
(Enter Annie)
Colonel Jahangir: Good Lord! (almost jumps out of his seat) Annie dear, what is this?
Annie: I thought soldiers could smell blood from miles away.
Colonel Jahangir: (almost terrified) Blood!
Annie: Relax CJ. A guy in the market catcalled me. Next thing I know, I was busting his head open with my knee.
Colonel Jahangir: (relieved) Oh, thank goodness! To think a young lady is walking around with her own blood on her pants. I almost died of disgust. (Looks at Ahsan). Annie dear, come here. I want you to meet Mr. Ahsan.
Annie: (Rolls eyes) Hello Mr. Ahsan. I hope you wouldn’t mind me smelling like a meat loaf throughout this meeting?
Ahsan: Not at all, but it would be too rude of me to not let you clean up first. You have…
Annie: Oh! How very nice of you. (leaves immediately)
Colonel Jahangir: Charming girl. Isn’t she?
Ahsan: Indeed, Sir.
Colonel Jahangir: I’ll go and see if the refreshment is ready.(Colonel Leaves)
(Enters Annie)
Annie: Hey! (sits at the other end of the couch Ahsan is sitting on)
Ahsan: Hi…(clears throat) I am Ahsan.
Annie: I know. I am Annie. And you know that too.
Ahsan: Good to know we are already past the ‘stranger’ stage.
Annie: I’ll give you a moment to cherish the achievement, for there may not be many more to come. (Starts looking at a piece of paper she was holding).
Ahsan: Is that a list of questions you are to ask?
Annie: (Still looking at the paper) The questions I am forbidden to ask.
Ahsan: And who forbids you?
Annie: CJ.
Ahsan: (smilingly)You call your uncle by his initials.
Annie: It’s an acronym for Chacha Jaan.
Ahsan: You must respect him a lot to be obeying his orders.
Annie: I respect him, yes. But what does that have to do with obedience. (throws away the paper, which now happens to be a plane)
Ahsan: (looks at the paper plane till it hits the wall and crashes) So, I gather you don’t want to get married.
Annie: Why would you say that? I surely do want to get married, like any young woman must. And I will get married soon. It’s the arrangement that is beyond my comprehension or approval.
Ahsan: Arrangement? All marriages are but arrangements. You want a love marriage?
Annie: As you said yourself, all marriages are but arrangements. This very meeting was arranged for us to fall in love and get married. Falling in love is not always compulsory but given that we are both young and good looking, it is an expectation that comes naturally.
Ahsan: So, arranged marriage is out of question and so is love marriage. How would you prefer to get into this…urmm…liaison, which you admit you are actually eagerly prepared to get into?
Annie: Coincidentally, may be.
Ahsan: (Surprised and amused) Coincidence, you say? Coincidences are merely incidences that you do not expect. And you cannot NOT expect something that you are actually anticipating.
Annie: You don’t believe in hand of fate?
Ahsan: (almost laughingly) Oh, I do! But I also believe that the hand has been quite clumsy of late. It is more of toppling things over than putting them in place.
Annie: (Picks up a telephone diary and a pen lying on the side table next to the couch) I’ll give you a moment to feel proud of your pseudo-profundity. (Starts scribbling something on the paper, continues to do so silently for the next 1.5 minute)
Ahsan: (Anxiously trying to peek in while still amused) I hope you are not drawing me a map to the exit.
Annie: Here (hands the paper to Ahsan). It entirely depends on you where it leads you. Let’s see if you are an actual intellectual, captain. Meet me there tomorrow at 7 and allow me the pleasure of proving you wrong.
Ahsan: So, it’s our first date?
Annie: No, your first trial.
Ahsan: But it’s not me who has a point to prove.
Annie: (squints) You are too smart for your own good, captain. I hope we meet again. (leaves)
Ahsan: (Whispers to himself while looking at the paper with a smile) That we shall.
Genre Play, Story 1
