4* days in heaven: Day 1

I have reached Abbottabad safe and secure. It’s 1 a.m. and it was indeed a long day. The weather here is as cozy as I was expecting it to be; the sky is as clear as it was 12 years back when me and my friends used to lie down on the water tank tops and stare at the stars for hours; my niece and nephew are cuter than ever and their excitement to see me washed away my tiredness from all the travelling.

The day started with a call-come-alarm by a sales man at 8:30 a.m. I was late for work, 9: 15 a.m. and I was office. The usual pouring of calls started and it was 12 noon already. I had by than planned the production for the next 2 days. With much excitement, I circulated the mail of my chutti, among the concerned, and seconds later I was on my way home.

It’s been six months since I have entered the professional world; IT IS as harsh as they say, but it’s worth the experience and exposure. Our sales force is master of their art and they demand the same from me. It was insane to fulfill that criterion when I joined but now I am getting better at it (or at least I think I am ;p). It is definitely easier now, not only because I am learning but also because I have a very good boss and I have gotten along with a few people at work. The people are very competent, cooperative and helpful. Its fierce competition; if you do well you are highlighted like a candle in a dark night and if you make a blunder that too – fortunately/ unfortunately- spreads like wild fire. Okay! coming back to the point- I am on vacation. To be very honest, I was feeling a little guilty when I left; who will look after my work? I am needed now, but then again when will I not be? When will there be a perfect time to go on a vacation? I don’t know but I am pretty sure that my family will accept me lazy and useless, so the guilt didn’t stay too long.

Cellphone off, laptop packed and placed safely at home. I had burned the boats and was on my way to Abbottabad- slept half the way. The journey was pleasant till Hassan Abdal. By then I had finally convinced my family to hear my melodious voice. As soon as I started singing; the sky changed its colors to rainbow, the grass became greener, flowers started to blossom, birds stopped chirping.. Well, unluckily the only thing that stopped was our car that too after colliding with another one. We were overtaking and the other car was too from the other side. *BOOOM*. The cars kissed, it wasn’t a pleasant one. My dad, at first, parked the car in center of the road and he and my brother got off to see the after effects of it on the vehicles. Our car was bigger and was less affected but the other car had almost almost lost half its right side – the windshield, bumper, bonnet, even the tyre. Seconds after witnessing this, my dad sat in the car and started driving. On this, my brother rushed towards us, opened the door of the moving vehicle and jumped in- he thought we were running away. To his embarrassment, my dad was just parking the car on road side. Me and my siblings had a good laugh at it hours later. After 20 minutes of silent gazing at the cars, the crowd that’d gathered, disappointed to see no fight, started to discuss cheap Bollywood movies. Like C’mon people!! CHEAP, at least have some heart and discuss the classy Bollywood movies only. Like Pakistanis, both the parties admitted their mistake and left at a good note.

In the mean while another car was arranged for us to continue our journey. On reaching our destination city, we stopped by the shell-shop of PSO (Yes! I know the irony) tobuy some biscuits and candies for my nephew. And after that, without waiting a second, we went straight to my sisters. She’d prepared a delicious meal (as she is now and constantly calling for my help as I write this). After dinner my parents left for guest room, leaving us kids behind. We went for a walk after dinner, had coffee to go with the weather, updated each other on our lives, laughed at my brother’s action earlier today, THANKED GOD that we no one was hurt from the accident and that all damage was materialistic and so much more.

It’s 2:00 a.m. now – I am a slow write and a lousy cook. Day 1 ends with this note. For all the people in Lahore- stay hot!

* If someone from work reads my blogs; out of these three and a half days, one was Saturday and one was Sunday- please do the math! And also IT WAS AN EMERGENCY TRIP NOT A FUN-ONE AS IS OBVIOUS.

** This was written on paper and is being posted online later.