Leaves from Heaven

The laptop is on the cushion and in front of it a girl is lying on her elbows. Light from the screen has illuminated her face. One finger on her chin and with the other hand she is scrolling the Laptop's keypad.

Long, straight, black hair was spread on her back. Her eyes were exactly like this. Black, big which had the shine of the moon, and her face like silk. White, soft, and bright.

She was busy scrolling the keypad. One click opened the next page and suddenly her moving finger stopped. Eyes that were focused on the screen suddenly had a worry and then discontentment. She hurriedly pressed two-three buttons.

Loading...

In the wait for the next page to load, she put away the hair falling on her face. A few seconds later, the page opened. She put her face close to the screen again the silky hair slipped from her shoulder and fell forward. As she started reading it, her black eyes popped open in surprise.

Her lips parted and her whole body jolted in surprise. It took a lot of time to convince herself that what she was reading, is truth and as her brain grasped what was happening, she got up immediately.

Her phone was on the side table.

She picked up the mobile phone lying on the side table and hurriedly started dialing a number. The pure silence of the night is disturbed by the clicking of the buttons. She held up the phone to her ear. On the other end, a bell could be heard.

"Hello Zara" The call was answered that's why she said excitedly "How are you? Were you sleeping? I am Haya"

On the other end, her friend was saying something. She took a second to listen to it and burst out laughing.

"Leave this talk! I have good news to tell you, listen to it first!" Habitually she was rolling on of her finger in her thick black hair. "I know you won't believe me"

"No it is not related to Dawood Bhai's marriage" On the other end Zara said something but she was quick to deny it "In fact you guess what I am about to tell you"

She pushed the laptop away with one hand put the pillow against the bed crown put her head against it and straightened her feet. Side by side she was denying everything Zara was saying.

"No, not at all"

"No, it is nothing like this"

"No I am not getting married"

"No, Iram is also not getting married"

"Seriously Zara! your thoughts are reserved for this. Now open your ears and listen to me. Do you remember the Erasmus Mundus Exchange Programme which I applied for? Can you believe it, Zara? I have been selected for the scholarship by the European Union?" On the other side, Zara screamed so loudly her voice echoed in my room despite the speaker being off.

"I am telling you the truth, Zara! I have just gotten the mail from the university 15 minutes ago"

She turned the laptop towards her and put her face close to the screen. "Yes, fifteen minutes ago, exactly nine to thirty I received the mail of my selection. You should check too as you have also applied. You must have gotten the mail too"

Holding the phone with one hand she turned off the laptop with another.

"No, Spain's Deusto University didn't select us it is the Sabanchi University Turkey who selected us. We are going to study in Istanbul for a semester for five months"

The laptop screen has gotten dark she closes it with her hand and puts it on the side table. "Yes, I have seen Sabanchi on the internet. It is very beautiful, but..." She got quiet for a second and then resumed.

"But there is a small problem, we will not tell our families about this" Speaking silently her neck turned towards the closed door "Actually in Sabanchi there is a ban on wearing head scarfs for girls. Covering your head is not allowed. It's better to hide this from our families. After all, we both don't wear headscarves.

Some noise came outside her window. Windows were covered by curtains. Maybe it was her imagination. She again lay with her back pressed to the bed and resumed her talk. "Thank god my father didn't force me to wear a scarf and Iram wears it outside her father Furqan is a bit strict"

"Permission is not a problem. Dad wouldn't have let me go to Spain but Aunt Sabeen lives in Turkey so he agreed. He trusts his daughter anyway"

She listened to her friend talk from the earpiece for some time. Zara got quiet she shook her head.

"Not tomorrow, Dawood Henna is the day after tomorrow are you coming?" "And yes I and Iram are wearing Lehangas"

"All the cousins are very excited! it is the first wedding in the family"

"Okay you go and check your mail, I will sleep too, it has gotten late" Saying goodbye she threw her phone on the pillow. She got up.

The lounge was dead silent. Haya closed her door silently and barefoot went to the kitchen. A black long shirt and black loose trousers made her look even taller than she was.

The kitchen was covered in darkness. She stopped near the door and switched on the lights. The whole kitchen was illuminated. She opened the refrigerator and bent to take out the water bottle. Her silky hair fell forward due to her position. Haya placed the bottle on the counter and poured the water into the glass. A stream of water can be seen going in the glass. Her eyes fell upon a white thing placed on the counter. She got alert. It was a white flower bouquet with a white envelope.

Haya picked up the bouquet and smelled it. Pleasure ran through her veins. The flowers were fresh, it was like they had been plucked a minute ago. Who placed it here?

She picked up the white envelope. "Haya Salman" was written on it. There was no sender's address on the back. Just a Courier service stamp was on it. The stamp was from yesterday.

Noone has sent flowers to her before like this. What is the matter? Confusedly, she tore the envelope. There was a thick paper inside. She put two fingers inside and pulled it out. The white paper was clean. No line, no design. In the middle three words were written.

"Welcome to Sabanci"

She stilled in silence.

Is this a joke? How did the sender know I was going to Sabanci? The letter is from yesterday but I received the acceptance mail today. I was told officially today how the sender knew it beforehand. If she hadn't told Zara herself she would have thought she did it and Sabanci yesterday wouldn't have sent it because a local carrier stamp was placed on it. Who sent her this?

Water glass remained untouched on the counter. Carrying the bouquet and envelope she went to her room.

It was evening. Purse hanging on her shoulder, wearing small heels she went to her car parked on the porch. Her brother Raheel owned it first but he went to the US for further studies so she took the ownership.

Just as she was turning the key in the lock, she saw Zara coming in from the gate. This brought a smile to her face.

"Haya I didn't receive any mail" Zara got seated in the passenger seat. Her face was gloomy. She was Haya's age fellow with average facial features.

"Don't worry it will come in a few days. We applied together I got selected and you will too"

"But the list which was placed outside the ordinary office didn't have my name on it"

"Did it have my name?"

"Only yours and another girl named Khadija Rana from the environmental sciences. I think I didn't get selected"

"Oho," She felt sad. After yesterday she was talking to Zara now.

"Leave it were you going somewhere?" Zara asked.

"Yes, I was going to the market with Iram. My heels got lost which I was supposed to wear in Dawood Henna. I think the maid stole it. I have to buy new shoes now. Will you come with me?" She was dressed in a sky-blue long shirt and tight trousers. The bottom of her shirt was slightly above the ankle. The same colored scarf was wrapped around her neck, hair was scattered on the back and eyeliner was placed on her eyes as usual.

"Yes let's go" Zara instantly agreed and sat on the front seat.

"We have to pick up Iram" Haya turned on the key in the ignition.

"How did your strict uncle allow Haya to go with you"

Iram was a junior of both and was not in their department so Zara could not meet her much.

"He is only strict about wearing a headpiece otherwise he is very nice."

She parked the car at the door. Iram was a neighbor of Haya. A door was constructed between the two houses through which they could go to each other's house. But whenever she had to pick up Iram she goes to the main gate. She horned and a few minutes later Iram came outside.

Iram practically ran and sat in the book seat "Hello Haya, Hello Zara." She said cheerfully and closed the car door. Whenever she had to go out with Haya, she became very happy.

"How are you Iram? We can barely meet nowadays." Zara half turned towards her.

"Your department is very far from mine and yes Haya was telling me that you got selected for Turkey."

"I did not get selected, Haya did. God may have planned something better for me. You did not apply?"

"Only if my father gave me permission." She got sad.

"I don't think parents should be this strict," Zara said.

Haya glared at her, Iram was already self-conscious and Zara was making it worse but Zara's face was turned towards Iram. Expectedly Iram got sad.

"I don't understand my father. Do you think it is easy to wear a head scarf in such heat? And do you know for tomorrow's Henna he did not allow me to wear half sleeves? Haya is also wearing half sleeves. They look so good but Dad is not even a bit like Uncle Sulaiman."

"Iram, what are you going get today? I have to buy shoes." She was getting agitated so she turned the conversation. Iram's habit of complaining all the time annoyed her.

"I have to buy bangles but with the top full sleeves they are not going to look good." She huffed and Haya shook her head turning on the music player.

Reaching Jinnah supermarket, Iram was gone in an instant to find bangles. Both Haya and Zara went straight to Metro Shoes.

"Show me the gold one placed on the third number." She has been looking at this high heel ever since she came in.

"This one ma'am." Saleman placed the shoe in front of her, he was sitting on the floor. Meanwhile, both girls were sitting on the sofa.

"Should I help you wear it?" The salesman asked in a dim voice.

"Do you think my hands are broken? I can wear it myself."

"Sure ma'am." The salesboy smiled and forwarded it to her.

"Put it in front of me, I will pick it." The salesboy ignored her rude behavior and placed the shoe.

After paying the bill, the same boy was standing at the cash counter. He was holding the remaining money in such a way that when Haya grabbed it, her hands were surely going to touch his.

"Thanks." Haya pulled the note holding the corner, the coin remained in the boy's palm.

"Maam your coin." The boy said victoriously forwarding the coin. Now you have to touch my hand...

"Put it in the charity box." She said without a care in the world and turned. Zara burst out laughing.

"You should have seen the boy's face Haya."

"I wanted to smash his face with the shoe box. I don't know when is our man going to change. They stare like they have never seen a girl before." She said angrily.

''Then you shouldn't be putting this much makeup on!" she stopped in shock at the last stair. She was an old woman in a long cloth wrapped around her, climbing stairs while looking at her in disdain.

"People try to teach ethics in the middle of their way" she commented. She would've said more but Zara brought her holding her elbow, from there. At that very moment, Iram was seen coming from the front. Her scarf was now on her neck. She didn't do much shopping. Probably she came for an outing with them.

Afterward, they went to "Scoop'' to eat something light. Dinner was from Uncle Furqan, who was arranging it for the guests gathering at his son's wedding.

"Order Pineapple Slush for me, I've to buy something from the bakery." Iram instantly got out of the car. Haya downed the mirror of the car taking a deep breath. A cool breeze of air came straight at her face but the joy of having slush in the cold was unmatchable.

She was in the parking lot and a cold wind was blowing. It was deep in the evening and it was becoming darker.

"Iram looks so complex, no," Zara commented as Iram went far. "And you were increasing her those complexes," Haya became angry at her instead.

"Uncle Furqan is only strict about wearing a scarf. She is becoming self conscious at this very thing and you were increasing her pain"

I thought that helpless Iram...

"She isn't helpless at all, you should make her understand to come out of this self-consciousness"

The waiter came with a card in his hand outside the mirror at Haya's side.

"Remember Zara! Last year, our university gave us hopes of visiting Turkey and they canceled the plan at the end," she was remembering while pulling the mirror upwards.

"I was so hopeless at the time that I didn't think I'd make it to Turkey ever," hope was returning in her voice.

She and Zara were in their final year of LLB Honors( Shariah and Law). They were in the midst of their seventh semester when the sponsored scholarship of the European Union was announced, according to which exchange of students was gonna take place between the universities of Europe and Asia. In this way, some students will travel to Europe for one semester and will come back after completion. When she applied to European universities, it felt easy for her to submit the form to Sabanci University, but then she also applied to a Spanish University and finally, Sabanci accepted her.

She had to go to Turkey for 5 months after completion of her seventh semester in February, where her subjects of Sharia and Law weren't taught as the law of Turkey is different from Pakistan, so she was able to choose any subject to study in those 5 months. Then she had to start her 8th semester after coming back.

"How fun it will be Haya! If you find some romantic and handsome partner then your journey will become more beautiful."

"We won't find any partner as only two girls are going to Sabanci from Pakistan and we are from an all-girls university."

"Have you ever talked to Khadija Rana who is going with you?"

Waited and knocked at the mirror. Haya was surprised, then she started downing the mirror.

"No. I don't know Khadija Rana." She took the glasses of slush, gave one to Zara, and placed Iram's on the dashboard. Then sipped from her glass. She forgot to close the mirror.

Suddenly, Zara's phone rang. Zara attended while sipping from her glass.

"Hello, Mom! What! There is noise, one minute..."

Probably signals weren't good on Zara's phone.

She opened the car's door and went out holding the glass in her hand.

Haya was looking at Zara while taking small sips from her glass. She was talking on the phone standing near a distant tree.

"Hello! My lady!" Someone spoke from very close. She jumped in fear. A little juice spilled on her clothes.

A woman was smiling at the open window. Her face was fully immersed in make-up, sparkling eye shadow, bright lipstick, hair bun, shiny clothes... She wasn't a woman, not a man even.

How are you, Madam? He was fulling leaning at the window. The glass shivered in her hands, she wanted to close the mirror, but his hands were in between.

"Don't fear Madam! I'm your friend, people call me Dolly"

"Go, go, stay away," she was scared. A strong perfume smell was coming from him, and she felt bad.

"Listen to me a bit," he further leaned on her and before he further progressed, Haya threw the glass of slush on his face. He got back suddenly due to the cold ice on his face. She closed the mirror hastily.

"Listen, listen please..." He was knocking at the mirror smiling while cleaning his face. His voice wasn't clear due to the closed mirror and now he was mumbling some song.

She put the key in the ignition with her trembling hands and drove her car away from there. She parked her car at the entrance of the bakery and looked back. That transgender named Dolly was still standing near the trees. He didn't come after her and wasn't singing either. He was just glaring at her in silence. She shivered a bit.

"Where are they both?" She horned while becoming angry. He was still glaring at her.