Two bosom friends 1st part

 

          Two bosom friends

               A short story by Junaid Jokhio

              Raja and Sameer were two very close friends to each other. They shared each and everything with each other. They were kind and nice to each other. One used to be cautious about his making decisions for future while the other remained a tad away from making plans about his future's life. Though their demeanor was quite poles apart from each other, yet they saw each other every day. The one , who was mindful of his future , always wished to have a chance to get a job that suited his nature, and therefore, he was completely keen on joining teaching field. As he was passionately inclined towards teaching field, he started his teaching career by joining a school in his hometown right after his intermediate. So far as his friend is concerned, as mentioned earlier that they were poles apart, he never liked teaching job rather he was prone to banking sector. Both Raja and Sameer pursued their graduation in the field of Commerce. However, they never joined the banking sector. As Raja was already in the teaching field, so he continued his teaching and he applied only for the same field all the time, whereas Sameer got entangled into affairs of lasses. He got so much carefree and careless that he even forgot all his efforts to be made for his future. His penchant for girls augmented so much so that he never cared for his health and little money he had. He started staying awake all night long in order to talk to his girl friends on cell phone. The days and the nights kept elapsing and he went on enjoying his gossips with them. Now, it became a sort of routine for him to remain awake all night long and to sleep during whole day. He used to enjoy his conversation with his girl friends when there was no concept of monthly packages on any network. A few days later, he realized that he had fallen in love with a girl living far away from his hometown. He could only talk to her on mobile but was never in such a position to meet her at all since both of them resided poles apart from each other in their country. Thus, it was almost not possible for both to get to each other. While talking to each other all night long daily, they shared each trivial detail about their lives such as their likes and dislikes, their being happy and unhappy over certain things, their family members and what they do. They touched each and every topic during their conversation, and there might not be such a topic left to be discussed by them. They even exchanged the information about opposite genders and their relations after marriage. They, actually, get into details of everything that concerned them, particularly the things pertaining to romance and love used to be their core topics for discourse. There was a very particular name that always popped up the screen of the mobile of Sameer. Perhaps, it was, " The desert rose" about which he gives his explanation to Raja when he sees that coming on his cell phone's screen. Sameer tells him that it is such a rose that grows in an oasis. We know that it is such part of a desert where there is water on account of which a captivating scene of various flowers, shrubs and other plants can be enjoyed immensely. Basically, it looks so fascinating amidst such a huge desert where nobody ever finds anything so attractive as an oasis. Now, both Raja and Sameer always make "The desert rose" the part of their talk . One day, "The desert rose" means Sameer's true love gets angry with him and she doesn't talk to him only for a single night. So he asks Raja to talk to her in order to bring her round on his behalf. Raja tries his best to persuade her that his friend named Sameer really loves her very much. At first, she doesn't get convinced, but when he further tells her that his friend has not even had food all day. Afterwards, she calms down and asks him to let her talk to Sameer so that she can say to him to have meals. He thanks Raja for everything he does for him, saying to him that if she had not talked to him, he wouldn't have had food at all. These lines really show intensity of his love for the girl lovingly called the desert rose by him. 

One day, Raja tells Sameer that he has sought admission at a university to get his degree in his favourite subject for two years. Actually, Raja was very fond of having his degree attached to his name. Not only that he was inclined towards his degree, he always wished to see himself working as a lecturer in education department after completing it in English Literature. Sameer becomes a little worried about being utterly alone for the time period of over two years but later on, he also gets happy to see his friend get ahead in his career. Both of them wish each other for the coming time and also hope to get in touch by all means possible. It is commonly said that distance cannot decrease love but it has also been observed that it is the distance that creates fission even between true lovers. The matter here is that although they both were childhood friends,yet the distance created a sort of gap between them. Initially, Sameer feels himself all alone without his friend. However, he befriends someone else to quech the thirst for friendship after Raja goes away from him for his higher degree. Afterwards, Sameer's secret story gets cast an evil eye as it does not continue for a longer time period after the marriage of The Desert Rose is fixed in her hometown. Sameer becomes completely shattered and dishearted after having heard about the news of her matrimony. This tidings not only shocks him but impels him to end his life as well. He thinks that all his life has gone utterly aimless and that life without an aim is no life at all. Hence, when there is no purpose in life then there isn't also any need to stay alive. Lovers , at this stage of love, find themselves at crisscross since they don't see anything appearing to be better after they have been separated from each other . Their world ends on the very day they part from each other on account of wordly reasons that become great impediments that one can't get through without giving sacrifice of one's life. And same was the condition with Sameer who really had had the deepest influence of love from where only few can return back in a normal condition, whereas most either lose their consciousness or end themselves by any means possible as it looks easier to them to finish themselves rather than leading a perfect life of normalcy. When Raja comes to know about his deteriorating health, he gets back from the university to console him that everything would be alright but Sameer's health goes on getting worse and worse day after day because he goes into such a trauma that perturbs him all the time. Raja consoles him a lot, but all that goes in vain. After passing of almost half of the year, he starts recuperating after Raja takes him to a psychiatrist who takes great care of him. He treats him for the next six months and those six months turn out to be a turning point. Afterwards, he not only recovers fast but begins to forget all about his love affair with Desert Rose also. And after the time period of a complete whole year, he starts living a quite healthy life. Generally, the lovers like him do not get fine so soon and his was a special case in a million. He comes back to his normal dealings of life within a short span of time. It was a great challenge for him to forget all about his profound love. He accepted this challenge and saved his life himself. His bosom friend,Raja, feels extremely glad to see his childhood friend living a pretty cool life after a year. But as it is said that when something is inevitable, nobody can stop it at any cost. Now, as he enjoys a carefree life once again after his recovery, he receives a message from an unknown number that reads, " I am Samina and I reside in your hometown and that I had seen you with your friend right outside the army school a year ago. I have secretly got your number from the mobile phone of my borther who is also in your friendahip circle." Firstly, he does not believe the message, but when he tries to recall his standing outside of the school with his friend then he realizes that the text sent to him cannot be fake. He doesn't even feel like sharing this matter with Raja. He starts chatting with the girl not realizing that he has already been a victim of such a love affair that almost took his life. Their contact takes a new detour. Both of them not only start loving each other without even meeting but decide to get married as well and that even within a short span of time. Once, they plan to see each other at a restaurant located a little away from their hometown for the fear of getting caught. They had not met each other ever since they began talking to each other on the cell phone, and it was the very first time that they were going to be close to each other. Not only do they like each other but also promise to be one very soon. Their conversation doesn't end at all. But due to passing of two hours, Samina asks Sameer to leave for their respective homes. They secretly plan their gatherings all the times. One day, Sameer asks Raja about Jawad what is he up to and how is doing these day? Raja starts doubting Sameer's asking about the one whom both of them know very well. Afterwards, he comes to know through a reliable source that Sameer meets the sister of Jawad who is a friend of both of them. Raja also comes to know about Sameer's secret relationship with Samina by recalling the matter that Sameer had once shared with him. Sameer had told him about Samina who had seen him and Raja while they were heading back to their homes from the army school where Raja used to teach. Raja got surprised but was quite sure about Sameer's affair with Samina now. He understands the reasons behind Sameer's asking about the life of Jawad that he was not on friendly terms with him anymore. Raja comes to know everything about Sameer's love affair with the sister of his friend but he doesn't tell this matter to him. And he completely remains unaware of it for his friend. Even Sameer doesn't know that Raja has come to know about his love affair. This thing remains a top secret in the hearts of both close friends and they never talk about it at all. Raja even knows about when Sameer and Samina had set a programme to see each other at a restaurant where Jawad had seen them together. After which the friendship between Sameer and Jawad turned into great hatred and enmity. Sameer had also never shared this matter with Raja. As Sameer keeps asking him about the activity of Jawad, it becomes even clearer to Raja who soliloquizes to himself as to why he always keeps asking him about Jawad as all three of them are very good friends to one another. A few days later, Sameer meets Raja who finds him in a gloomy condition so he asks him about his being sad and dejected. He shares all about his meetings and love relationship with Samina himself. Raja does not get amazed to hear this since he already knows everything about that. Instead, he surprises him by stating that he already has all information about his love story. So he says to him that there is no need to disclose that before him. Sameer feels a bit ashamed and persuades him, saying to him that he always wanted to tell him about his love but he felt scared of telling him. After hearing this, Raja says to him that they have been friends to each other since their childhood and how could he even think of getting afraid of his friend for the fear of disclosing ad sharing this secret with anyone. Raja gets a little emotional and says to him that he should not at least have concealed this matter from him. Sameer feels sorry but he assures him that he would never hide anything from him. After articulating these words, he also asks him to help him get his love or else he will go mad without her. To be continued.....