Chaos Chapter 1

 Chapter 1

Bright Moon was standing alone in the sky of Lahore, looking at the hustle and bustle of city which was at its peak even at night time. Crowds of different genders and types of people were scattered in different parts of Lahore.

It was 9 pm when the PC Hotel was bustling with people. Soft lights were illuminating the area where people were sitting at tables and gossiping with each other animatedly. Among those cheerful faces, one face was full of irritation and frustration. Her gaze was flickering between the watch and the entry door of the hotel from where her guests had to come. 

"Mam do you want something? " Waiter came near her and asked in a very polite way. 

"I'm waiting for my friends. When they arrive, we will order something. Till then, please don't disturb me" she said with a deep frown on her face, and frustration evident in her voice.

The waiter nodded sheepishly and decided to leave the seething lady alone.

The girl was clad in a black two-piece with blonde hair tied in a high ponytail. Soft makeup was on her face, highlighting the sharp features of her face. Confidence and dominance were oozing from her demeanor. 

"Miss Farwa! Anchor of 'Pak TV'! Oh my God! I am a great fan of yours."

A young adult girl stopped near her table and squealed with excitement. Farwa forced a smile on her face. 

"What is your name, dear? " Farwa softly asked her. 

"Saliha….I am a great fan of yours. At sharp 8 pm, I sit in front of the television and see your show. You are indeed a great anchor." Excitement was on the girl's face and a smile on her lips.

 

"Thank you so much" Farwa replied humbly with a smile capping her seething anger and frustration.

"Can I have a picture with you?" That girl requested her while fishing out her mobile. 

"Yes, why not." Farwa stood from her place and took the mobile from Saliha, taking their selfie.

"Thank you," She said and went away with an excited smile on her face. 

Farwa sat back on her chair and started using her mobile with the same frustrating expressions. After two minutes, her eyes went toward the door of the hotel and she sighed in relief. A girl of her age was approaching her table. 

That girl was wearing a pink shirt and trousers with a pink dupatta around her neck. Her brown hair was open and lying on her back. Just like Farwa, she also had soft makeup on her face. Farwa stood from her place when the girl came near, and they both hugged each other.

"Thank God, at least someone has come. Otherwise, I had been sitting here alone for twenty minutes." Farwa said this while rolling her eyes. 

"So sorry for getting late. I was stuck in traffic " That girl said this with a very polite smile and settled herself on the chair. 

"So, how is your social work going on, Fatima? "

"Tiring but satisfying! Our NGO is going to start a new project about child labor and beggars. For this project, I have visited Lahore. Otherwise, the office in Islamabad has always kept me busy."

There was a shine in Fatima's eyes, excitement on her face, and a small smile on her lips.

 

Farwa was going to say something when her sight got blinded. Someone had put their hands on her eyes. She became startled at this sudden act and touched hands instinctively. In the other second, she took a deep sigh and a smile etched on her face.

"Dr. Zonia," she said.

Hands were removed from her eyes and a smiley face came into her sight. 

"Salam to everyone!" Dr. Zoniya said with a wide and playful smile.

Farwa stood from her place and hugged her. Zonia, after the hug, went toward Fatima for another hug. Farwa's eyes landed on Hooriya's smiling face who was also standing with Zonia. Of course! They both have to be together!

Hooriya was wearing blue trousers, and a shirt with a hijab around her head. Zonia was wearing a plain white color shirt with blue pants. Staller was around her neck and her hair was tied in a tight bun. There was no makeup on her face. 

After hugging each other, the four took their seats. 

"You both were also late!"

Previous anger again surfaced on Farwa's face. 

"Dude, I came back from the hospital at 8 pm. I rushed toward the washroom and just splashed water on my face. After that, I took the keys and went to pick up Hooriya. And guess what! This princess was sitting on her bed with paper and pen in her hands. She had completely forgotten about this get-together. I reminded her and then she started getting ready. She made me late so asked her" Zoniya replied while rolling her arms around her chest. 

Farwa and Fatima's eyes widened at Hooriya who had an apologetic smile on her face.

 

"Miss Writer, after publishing two novels, you have already started the third one?" Farwa asked her with wide startled eyes. 

"Yup friends, I just kept on thinking about this storyline. Different scenes and ideas were popping into my mind, begging me to write them down. So today, I decided to write them down in my journal. I had written a summary and some random scenes when Zonia came. This storyline was so interesting and mind-consuming that I just forgot about everything" 

There was excitement on Hooriya's face while discussing her plotline!

"What is the storyline and name of your new novel? " Fatima asked her. 

"Name is 'Sobbing Humanity" and this novel is all about the incidents and the current situation of humanity in this world./One week later, I was scrolling through social media on my phone when a video came in front of my eyes. That video was about the war going on in Syria. I was heartbroken at the information and oppression which is going on in this country. I dug deep into this issue and found out that many weak countries are currently in war situations and are having very tough lives. So, I have decided to write about this issue. I have decided to address the entire human world in this book."

Three of them were listening to her with full attention. 

"That's a great idea!" Zonia exclaimed.

"How will you manage this theme? What will be the plot? " Farwa asked with interest. 

"I have decided to write the story from Humanity's point of view. Humanity will be personified in this book. He will be roaming in the world and narrating his pain." Hooriya explained to them. 

"Cool! We will read your book when you finish it. In fact, I will tell you a few social incidents which I faced during my NGO work." Fatima said at which Hooriya nodded her head.

The waiter came near them and they all put their order. 

"Zoniya you look worn out. What is the matter? " Hooriya asked her, noticing her silence.

"Don't ask this question," Zoniya said with a deep sad voice. 

"That old man takes a lot of work from me without any mercy. I cursed that time when I decided to do a job in his hospital. He is just a.... " Zoniya stopped her sentence in mid. Hooriya and Farwa were seeing her with a smile. 

"He is... No Zonia stop! Don't use any cuss words. Don't increase your sins. No! " Zonia said this with closed eyes and a finger pointing in her direction. Laughter erupted from Hooriya's and Farwa's lips.  

During their laughter, they realized Fatima hadn't joined them.

Their gaze flickered toward Fatima who was watching somewhere else. The three followed her gaze and found a ten-year boy sitting on one of the tables. The boy looked like a domestic servant who was sitting alone on his table while his master was at another table, enjoying and eating. The lonely boy was staring at other people in the hotel with hollow eyes and a scared face.

They felt a pang of sadness at this inhumanity but they couldn't do anything for the child. A waiter came near their table to serve the lavish dinner. 

"Start eating your dinner, friends. After this, we will go for ice cream" Farwa said this to lighten up the mood. 

They all nodded and started eating the food. Fatima, after taking two or three spoons, stopped and saw the lonely boy. Something flashed in her eyes and she stood from her place with the plate and stepped toward the boy. The servant boy became confused and fearful when she approached him, but his hollow eyes were gazing at the plate with hope swimming in them. 

"I don't feel like eating this food. Will you finish this plate for me? Please." she said to the boy with her usual gentle smile. 

The servant boy eyed the plate and then the lady in front of him with confusion. He again saw the woman's face who now had an encouraging smile. A small smile crept on his face and he stared at the plate with eagerness. 

"Will you help me, cute boy?"

"Yes," he replied while taking a plate and digging into the food. Fatima smiled at him and went back to her table. 

"This action was fabulous!" Hooriya exclaimed with happiness. A sweet smile came to Fatima's face. 

"Share the food with me" Farwa whispered and pushed her plate in front of her. They both started eating the food from the same plate. 

Farwa, Fatima, Zoniya, and Hooriya had been friends since their childhood. They had attended the same school and had been together till High School. After that, they all went into their respective fields. Their universities were different but it didn't become a hurdle in their friendship.

           ...........................

The clock struck 12 am when Zoniya entered her house with a tired body and mind. There was darkness in the house as all members had gone to their rooms for sleep. Zoniya entered her room with a sloping demeanor. But suddenly she gazed at something, and started shrieking and jumping with happiness.

"O, my sweetheart! I have missed you so much. Just wait for a few seconds and we will be together. " 

She exclaimed while putting off her shoes. She put them aside and jumped onto her sweetheart, the bed. She started rolling on the bed from one side to the other.

"Thank God! " she exclaimed. After some seconds, her eyes started getting heavy with sleep. She was going to drift into her sweet dreams when her mobile rang.

"Uff! " she exclaimed with irritation. She picked up her phone from the side table and her eyes widened with horror at gazing at the screen. 

"No please, no bad news."

She started mumbling prayers and picked up the call with a throbbing heart

"Hello?" her voice was trembling. 

Her expressions cringe with pain at listening to the other person on call. 

"Ok. I'm coming" she said in a low and defeated voice and cut the call. 

One of the doctors took an urgent leave and Zonia had been appointed at his place. To her dismay, she had to do night duty. She left her bed slowly and put on her shoes with a pout on her face. After five minutes, her car was moving toward the hospital. 

                    .........................

The clock struck 12 when Hooriya entered her room. She put off her sandals and stood in front of the mirror while unpinning her hijab. After some seconds, her long black hair was lying on her back. She took the brush and started brushing them tenderly while gazing at her reflection. Her fair complexion, in the black dress, was becoming more attractive and enchanting.

After getting fresh from the washroom, she took her pen and journal. Some words were running through her mind and she decided to write them down. She would adjust these words in any scene during editing. So, she started writing the lines of Humanity in her journal

"There are different kinds of humans in the world. One type is weak, they are being oppressed by the superpowers of society. One type is barbaric or arrogant, they are oppressing and killing the weak. Another type is ignorant humans, they don't know anything about the chaos of the human world. Their sole motto of life is to "eat, drink and be merry". They don't bother to know about the issues or problems of other people. They don't even realize how the chaos of society is affecting their lives. They even don't know that injustice, lack of love, wildness, and pride of superpowers of society is creating chaos in the human world"

She kept on writing until her eyes started getting heavy with sleep. So, she put her writing tools away and slipped underneath the quilt. 

              ............................

Zonia was walking in the corridor of the famous private hospital in the city. She took a round of the ICU and was satisfied with the condition of the patients, she moved toward the common room.

"Wow! Noble people have come for my visit. It is a great pleasure for Dr. Zohaib'' 

As soon as Zoniya entered the common room with a cup of tea, these words welcomed her. 

"Dr. Zohaib, I'm in no mood for fun. So please don't crack the jokes today." She said in a sour mood while sitting on one of the couches. 

"Ohh! But what is the reason?" he asked while leaning forward. 

"I have to do Ans's duty as he had to leave for his home" she replied with frustration evident in her tone. 

"Allah help you! My all blessings and prayers are with you girl" Zohaib said with a sympathetic tone but a hint of mischievousness was also evident in his tone. Zonia stared at him with anger and started taking sips from her tea. 

          ...........................

Night melted into morning and birds started chirping. A blazing sun sets on Lahore causing the temperature of the city to rise to 40 degrees Celsius. In such weather, half of the city was sitting under air coolers and the other half was working under the blazing sun. 

It was the gypsy area which contained almost 100 different tents. People of this area were going to their work in the early hours of the morning. In the blazing heat, they were walking or sitting under the sun. 

In the morning, a mobile stopped near this area. They all stopped their activity and eyed the mobile with curiosity. All children of this area gathered around this mobile and stared at it with curiosity as this was their sole source of entertainment. 

Different females with one to two male came out of the mobile. 

"Assalam o Alaikum children! How are you all? " A woman asked them and instead of replying to her, they stared at her with utter confusion. 

"Bring all your friends here. I have a very attractive thing for you." 

That woman said and the gypsy children became excited. They all ran to call their friends. 

Resource persons of the Child Protection Unit started taking out things from the mobile. After some minutes, many children of gypsies gathered around the mobile. Among these children, many were wearing torn-out dresses. All of their bodies and clothes were dirty. Different scars and dirt were present on the children's faces, but innocence was the same on every child's face. No matter how much these kids badmouth or try to deceive rich people, these all are still kids. The innocence is still residing in their hearts.

The resource person, Miss Sadia, was looking at every child's curious face with a gentle smile. 

"Children, we are going to have some literary activities. Do all of you want to be successful people in your life?"

Miss Sadia said in an excited tone, which spread excitement among the children. They all nodded their heads. This thing was new to them, so they all wanted to taste this new experience. Parents of the children were also standing near them and saw this scenario with either confused or furious expressions. The furious expressions were making Miss Sadia anxious.

In a few minutes, a car stopped near the area and Fatima came out of it. She was wearing a printed shirt with white trousers. Her hair was tied in a bun and sunglasses were on her eyes. 

"Miss Sadia, what is the progress?" Fatima asked while glancing at the area. 

"Children seem excited and are cooperating, but their parents seem angry or confused" Sadia gave her report.

"Let me talk to them," Fatima said and turned toward the parents. 

"Assalam o Alaikum! I'm a social worker, Fatima. I want to talk to all of you. Please can we find a place to sit?" Fatima said to the crowd of parents.

Parents were still confused but most of them went toward a tent to sit in it. When they all got settled in the tent, Fatima continued. 

"Our unit wanted to help your children. We wanted them to gain an education so that they can become successful and respectable citizens of society. You should help us in this mission. This will finish poverty from your generations, and it will help you in improving your standards of living."

Some parents nodded their heads as the prospect of ending poverty was appealing to them. Those parents wanted to do something useful for their generations, but they are lost in life. They only knew one way to end their poverty, and they were doing it from a long time.

"But at this hour, our children went to work. They have to earn money. We can't survive without it." One man said from the crowd. 

"Yes, this work is also important," another woman said. 

And then, many of the parents started saying the same thing. Even, a lot of hopeful faces turned into a frown at the thought of not having enough money to meet their daily needs.

Fatima took a deep sigh and contemplated this issue. She knew that money is important for these poor people

"Ok, ok! " she said and silenced them. 

"Tell me when your children came back from work? " she asked. 

Everyone has different answers but almost everyone got free in the evening. 

"Your children get free till 5.30 pm. So, the unit will come at that time." Fatima sorted out the problem. 

Parents became satisfied with this.

It was decided that children will work during the day and will read in the evening. They will be going to have a tough routine but it is okay if it can help in increasing their standards. 

Fatima came to the site where the children were sitting. Different charts and papers were in their hands and they were staring at these things with excitement. 

"Hello, my children. Are you enjoying it?" she asked them. 

They all nodded their heads with happiness dancing on their faces. 

"From now on, this unit will come into this area at 5.30 pm. They will teach you and at the end of the session, you all will get gifts" 

Fatima said this with excitement, and this excitement flooded among the children. The prospect of gifts and new experiences was appealing to everyone, but only a few students would swim till the end, and only a handful would be able to do something different in their lives.

           .......................

"During our governance, the Country has progressed a lot. We have completed those projects which the previous government never dreamed of finishing. All corruption and issues are just because of the faults of the previous government. We are trying to clean their mess".  

MPA was saying this in "Farwa's talk show" with enthusiasm and a determined tone. Farwa was listening to these piles of lies with an expressionless face. 

"Ok, I admit that the previous government was not efficient. But what does your government do? The poverty ratio is the same, the unemployment rate is the same, people are still suffering and you are saying that your government is doing good." Farwa argued. 

"Farwa, the previous government has... "

MPA again tried to point out the inefficiency of the previous government, but Farwa cut her sentence off. 

"Previous government has not been an efficient government, but your government is also not an ideal one. Your policies and your projects are only giving benefits to rich people. Rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer in our country."

Farwa said this in a calm tone, but her blood was boiling with anger. In response, MPA started praising her government's projects.

As usual in the whole show, she kept on drinking her anger and tried to maintain a professional smile on her face. 

                  ..............................       

Hooriya and her parents were sitting at the dining table and were having breakfast in complete silence. This silence was broken by Mrs. Hassan, Hooriya's mother. 

"In the evening, there is a tea party at Mrs. Aslam's house. And Hooriya you are going with me to this party" she said sternly to her introverted daughter. 

Hooriya gasped at this news. She didn't like such parties, nor found any productiveness in such activities. 

"Mom, I have to start my novel now. And what will I do at this party? " Hooriya asked with helplessness. 

Mrs. Hassan glared at her. Mr. Hassan was listening to this entire conversation in complete silence. 

"You are now twenty-six Hooriya. Girls of your age get married but you are not even engaged at this age. And this all is because of your anti-social attitude. You have to meet different families, and different people so they can know that you are ready for marriage and that you can be a perfect wife and daughter-in-law for them. Only by this way, people will ask for marriage". Mrs. Hassan's tones started rising with each word and her nostrils started flaring with anger. Deep down, she has depression because her daughter is not engaged, and her social circle has started making weird comments about them.

Listening to her mother's tone, Hooriya remained silent. She knew about her mother's anxiety so didn't argue.

                     ..........................

Zonia was completing the last hour of her duty. She was tired and sleepless but she had to tolerate one more hour. 

She came out of the restroom and took her way to the ICU. She was going when she saw that person whom she hated the most; Dr. Shahid, CEO of the hospital. Grey hair, professional smile, and slim body; that man oozes of dominance.

"Assalam o Alaikum sir" Zonia greeted when he came near her. 

"Walaikum Assalam Zonia" he replied and went towards his office. 

Zonia gave a glare in his direction and turned her hands into fists as this man was the reason for her sleepless night. But, she could only take a deep sigh to control her nerves and turned toward the ICU. 

       ............................