1 Blossom

It was a cold winter day with heavy waves of fog slithering on a town that was not so much a rich and posh place. It was a densly populated colony in Lahore. Roads were full with traffic even at 8 pm in the morning. People were dropping their children to schools and office goers were rushing to their workplaces in this road rage. It was January 10th, Friday and sun was playing with the fog waves and battleing to peek out but fog was winning the combat most of the times.

A middle aged woman came out on the swollen terrace of a hospital building having tears in her eyes. She held the pillers that supported the roof and tried to collect herself. She was dressed up in a normal and less expensive shalwar kameez and was wearing mask on her face. A big bag was lagging her left shoulder down and she was fully covered in dupata. After making herself up she went in again and moved toward the labour room where her sister Samana just gave birth to a baby girl after some serious complications. Her sisters pregnancy was not an easy one and was full of hazards but finally this journey was over and there came an adorable baby girl in this merciless world, a world where birth of a girl was a sin. Their mother and Samanas mother in law, who tried her level best to be happy, were outside in the waiting area. Samanas husband also made it there from his job and was delighted on the blossom. Smanas mother having some inevitable fears and a forced smile on her face said to Samanas mother in law, 'congratulations Atia on being a grandmother finally'. Samanas mother in law just answered this congratulation attempt for answering sake and turned her face to the counter of the hospital where her son was dealing with the lady receptionist to settle the payment of the dues. She was looking at her son with a notion that all money spent on childbirth were a waste.

The middle aged woman that came in the terrace in the beginning named Beenish came out of labour room with a small, fragile daughter of heaven in her hands wrapped in pink towel and gave her to the father who was dying to see her daughter born after a long and strenous journey.