Purani Mohabbat, Naya Shehar

Dubai Marina ki shaam hamesha chamakti hai, magar us din Hina Mirza ko sab kuch dhundla lag raha tha. Battees saal ki Hina ek bank mein relationship manager thi, chaar saal se Dubai mein akeli rehti thi, aur apni zindagi ko ek saaf suthri spreadsheet ki tarah chalati thi. Har cheez apni jagah, har jazba qaabu mein. Phir us shaam ek networking dinner mein kisi ne uske peechhe se uska naam liya, aur spreadsheet ke saare khaane bikhar gaye.

"Hina?"

Woh awaz woh das saal baad bhi pehchan sakti thi. Mur kar dekha to Faraz Haider khara tha, chauntees saal ka, kanpatiyon par halki safedi, wohi gehri aankhein jo kabhi Lahore ki university ke corridors mein usay dhoondti thin.

Das saal pehle Faraz ne usay chhor diya tha. Bina kisi wazahat ke, bas ek message: "Mujhe maaf kar dena, main yeh nahi kar sakta." Hina ne mahinon us message ko dekha tha, har lafz mein koi chhupa matlab dhoondha tha, aur phir ek din phone badal kar apni zindagi aage barha di thi.

"Faraz," usne thande lehje mein kaha. "Kya ittefaq hai."

"Ittefaq nahi," Faraz ne kaha. "Mujhe pata chala tha ke tum yahan aao gi. Main chaar ghante ki flight le kar aaya hoon. Bas paanch minute chahiye."

Hina ka dil kaha ke chali jaye. Uski ana ne kaha ke wapas mur kar bhi na dekhe. Magar das saal ka ek sawal jo aaj tak jawab ka intezar kar raha tha, usne uske qadam rok diye. "Paanch minute," usne kaha. "Is se zyada nahi."

Dono terrace par aa gaye. Neeche Marina ki kashtiyan roshniyon mein jhoom rahi thin. Garam hawa mein samandar ki namak thi. Faraz ne railing pakri aur bohat der tak kuch na bola.

"Us saal Abba ka karobar doob gaya tha," aakhir usne kaha. "Qarz itna tha ke ghar bik gaya. Ammi beemar thin. Main tumhare ghar walon ke saamne kis munh se jata? Tumhare Abbu ne pehle hi keh diya tha ke unki beti kisi aise larke se nahi byahi jaye gi jis ka mustaqbil na ho. Main ne socha agar main tumhe sach bataoon ga to tum ruk jao gi, apni zindagi mere masaail mein jhonk do gi. Is liye main bhaag gaya. Yeh meri zindagi ki sab se buzdil harkat thi."

Hina ne uski taraf dekha. Uske andar das saal ka ghussa tha, jo ab achanak samajh nahi aa raha tha ke kahan jaye. "Tum ne mujh se poocha bhi nahi," uski awaz kaanp gayi. "Tum ne mere liye faisla kar liya. Jaise main koi bachi thi jo apna bura bhala nahi samajhti."

"Haan," Faraz ne sar jhuka diya. "Aur main yahan maafi lene nahi aaya. Main sirf yeh batane aaya hoon ke ghalti tumhari nahi thi. Tum ne kuch ghalat nahi kiya tha. Main jaanta hoon tum ne saalon yeh socha ho ga."

Yeh jumla Hina ke andar kisi band darwaze par dastak ki tarah laga. Haan, usne saalon yeh socha tha. Ke shayad woh kaafi achhi nahi thi. Ke shayad usne kuch zyada maang liya tha. Aankhein jalne lagin, magar usne aansu girne nahi diye.

"Paanch minute khatam," usne kaha aur mur gayi.

Magar us raat woh so na saki. Apne apartment ki khirki se Burj Khalifa ki roshniyan dekhti rahi aur woh sab kuch yaad karti rahi jo usne itni mehnat se dafan kiya tha. University ki canteen ki chai. Barish mein library ki seerhiyan. Faraz ka uski kitaabon ke hashiyon par chhoti chhoti nazmein likhna.

Teen din baad usne khud Faraz ko message kiya. "Kal shaam Alserkal mein ek gallery hai. Agar abhi Dubai mein ho to aa jao. Yeh maafi nahi hai. Bas ek sawal ke jawab adhoore hain."

Gallery mein dono deewaron par lagi tasveeron ke saamne ghoomte rahe, magar kisi ne ek bhi painting ghaur se nahi dekhi. Faraz ne bataya ke usne qarz kaise utara, kaise Karachi mein ek chhoti si logistics company shuru ki jo ab teen shehron mein thi. Ammi ab theek thin. Shaadi usne kabhi nahi ki.

"Kyun?" Hina ne poocha, aur fauran pachhtayi.

Faraz ne seedha uski aankhon mein dekha. "Har rishte mein main tumhe dhoondta tha. Yeh kisi aur ke saath na-insaafi hoti."

Hina ke gaal garam ho gaye. Usne nazar hata li aur ek laal rang ki painting ki taraf barh gayi jismein do haath ek doosre ki taraf barh rahe the magar mil nahi rahe the. "Yeh dekho," usne kaha. "Hamari kahani."

Faraz uske peechhe aa kar khara ho gaya, itna qareeb ke uski saans ki garmi Hina ke kandhe par mehsoos hui. "Kahani abhi khatam nahi hui," usne aahista se kaha. "Painting rukh jaati hai. Log nahi rukte."

Hina mur gayi. Dono ke darmiyan bas ek qadam ka faasla tha. Das saal ki doori, gussa, tanhai, sab us ek qadam mein simat aaya tha. Faraz ne apna haath uthaya, uske chehre ke qareeb, magar chhua nahi. "Agar tum kaho to main ruk jaoon," usne kaha. "Is baar faisla tumhara hai. Hamesha tumhara ho ga."

Hina ki ungliyan khud ba khud uthin aur Faraz ki kalai par ruk gayin. Uski nabz tez chal rahi thi, bilkul uski apni nabz ki tarah. "Mujhe dar lagta hai," usne sach kaha. "Agar tum phir chale gaye to?"

"To tum mujhe dhoond lena aur jhagarna," Faraz muskuraya, aankhon mein nami thi. "Tum hamesha mujh se behtar jhagarti thin."

Hina hans padi, aur aansu jo itne din se ruke hue the, aakhir beh gaye. Faraz ne apne rumaal se unhein saaf kiya, itni narmi se jaise koi naazuk shisha chhoo raha ho. Gallery ki madham roshni mein Hina ne apna sar uske seene se laga diya. Faraz ki baahein uske gird aayin, dheere se, ijazat maangti hui, aur Hina ne unhein qubool kar liya. Woh ek lamba, khamosh gale milna tha jismein das saal ki saari ankahi baatein keh di gayin.

Magar Hina spreadsheet wali larki thi. Agle din usne Faraz se kaha, "Hum dobara shuru karein ge, magar shuruaat se. Koi jaldi nahi. Koi wada nahi jab tak bharosa na lautay."

"Manzoor," Faraz ne kaha. "Main intezar karna seekh chuka hoon."

Agle teen mahine Faraz har doosre weekend Karachi se Dubai aata raha. Kabhi dono Jumeirah beach par subah sawere chalte, kabhi Deira ke kisi purane dhabe mein karak chai peete, kabhi bas Hina ki balcony mein baith kar purane gaane sunte. Faraz ne uski kitaab ke hashiye par phir se nazmein likhni shuru kar di thin. Hina ne woh kitaab apne takiye ke paas rakhni shuru kar di thi.

Kuch din mushkil bhi the. Ek dafa Faraz ki flight cancel hui aur usne bataya nahi, aur Hina saari raat purane dar ke saath jaagti rahi. Subah jab Faraz ka phone aaya to woh phat padi. Faraz ne usay jhutlaya nahi, bas suna. Phir kaha, "Tum theek keh rahi ho. Main aainda har cheez bataoon ga, chahe woh kitni hi choti ho." Aur usne aisa hi kiya. Bharosa kisi bade lamhe se nahi, in hi chhote chhote wadon se wapas aaya.

Ek shaam, Dubai Creek ki ek purani abra kashti mein, jab suraj paani mein sona ghol raha tha, Faraz ne apni jeb se ek chhota sa dabba nikala. Andar ek saada si angoothi thi.

"Yeh das saal se mere paas hai," usne kaha. "Us din khareedi thi jis din main bhaag gaya. Main ise kabhi pheink nahi saka."

Hina ne angoothi ko dekha, phir Faraz ko. Uske dil mein ek toofan tha aur ajeeb si khamoshi bhi. "Faraz, main woh bees saal wali larki nahi hoon."

"Mujhe woh larki nahi chahiye," usne kaha. "Mujhe yeh aurat chahiye jo mujh se behtar hai, mazboot hai, jo apne faisle khud karti hai. Aur yeh bhi tumhara faisla hai. Agar tum na kaho gi to main phir bhi tumhare saath dost bankar rahun ga, agar tum chaho."

Kashti ka mallah door dekhne laga, jaise usne yeh manzar pehle bhi kai baar dekha ho. Hina ne angoothi ka dabba Faraz ke haath se liya, usay band kiya, aur apni mutthi mein bheench liya.

"Abhi haan nahi," usne kaha. "Magar na bhi nahi. Ise main rakhti hoon. Jis din main tayyar hoon gi, khud tumhe pehnane ko kahun gi."

Faraz muskuraya, woh muskurahat jo das saal pehle Hina ka sab kuch thi. "Yeh duniya ki sab se khoobsurat 'shayad' hai."

Hina ne uska haath thaam liya aur kashti kinare ki taraf barhne lagi. Shehar ki roshniyan jalne lagi thin. Pehli mohabbat ko doosra moqa mila tha, magar is dafa dono baligh the, dono zakhmi the, aur dono jaante the ke mohabbat sirf jazba nahi, roz ka ek faisla hai.

Kuch kahaniyan khatam nahi hotin. Woh bas intezar karti hain ke dono kirdar itne bade ho jayein ke unhein theek se likh sakein.