Grasping Temptations

It was 10 pm when Jennifer refreshed herself and reached the dining room, where Christine had been waiting for her.

"Looking much fresh… have a seat… The table is already laid…here you're… your favorite khana and dessert." Christine drew the dish near Jennifer.

"What is khana?" Jennifer raised her eyebrows.

"Khana means meal in Hindi as well as in Urdu," Christine replied confidently.

"Oh … Ok."

Being famished, Jennifer began consuming her favorite meal slowly despite the temptation to gobble it down. After the course meal, she was offered her dearest dessert of trifle made with sponge cake, custard, jelly, and berries.

"Did you enjoy your meal?" Christine asked interestingly.

"Yes…of course! I've never had this much stomach full in my whole life, not even at any wedding reception."

"Ha..ha..ha… I know hyperbole is a literary device, but don't use it here."

"No...I mean it!"

"Ok… just kidding… how's your new life with Sam?"

Instead of responding to her question, Jennifer began to pule like a baby. Christine came close to her, and wrapped her right arm around her shoulders, "Just relax… let me know everything…we don't have parents… I'm your sister… feel comfortable with me…I'll not let anything bad happen to you…tell me what happened."

"In the beginning, Sam loved me a lot…listened and complied everything I uttered…spent much time with me but now…just after a few months of our marriage, he invests more time in his office on the pretext of being overburdened with work and engagements … often comes home late night when I'm asleep…my life is a misery…he argues with me over every minor matters…we had promised to go on a trip…but again he refused to state that he had been promoted so he doesn't have time… I'm sure he is distancing himself from me…he's surely dotted on Julie and spends time with her." Jennifer stuttered while shedding tears.

"Julie! Who is she?

"His office colleague…He's dating her.."

"Have you ever seen him doing so?

"I know … whenever she calls him, he spruces himself up and rushes to her."

"Hmmm… Nobody knew he was such a guy…Get rid of her if he's cheating on you... you're young and beautiful you can get any other guy?

"I'm thinking so… I wanted to discuss with you... you know there's another guy who adores me the most or has been loving me for a long time… I should say."

"You mean he has been loving you for long…even before your marriage?"

"Yes… much before my marriage, even before meeting Sam."

"Why didn't you tie the knot with that guy then?"

"Actually… I…I don't know."

"Hmm… I got it…You didn't love that guy… or you don't like him at all."

"I think so… but I don't know now."

"That means now you have a soft corner for that guy…you feel for him? What's his name?"

"His name? I don't know… no…no… his name is Prince."

"Prince? Where's he from? What does he do?"

While the gossip between Jennifer and Christine was in progress, the phone rang.

"Hello! Hi Sam… How're you?" Christine looked at Jennifer, who declines with her hand gesture about her presence there.

"Is Jennifer here?" Sam sounded gloomy.

"No! She isn't here." Christine lied.

"I went to her house in search of her but it was locked?"

"What happened? Where has she gone?" Christine pretended to show her concern.

"We'd a bit arguments…she got indignant and left the house."

"See Sam…It's been just a few months of your marriage… and this is happening…Your golden time is going on… you should've gone on trips…visit places … enjoy your lives… but…"

"Yes, I understand…but I don't know what's wrong with Jennifer. She's started making issues of minor matters."

"Anyway…She is not here."

"Where do you suppose she could go?"

No idea…Sam."

"Oh..Ok…Please do let me know if she drops in here."

"Yes… sure"

"Thanks…bye."

"Bye."

Christine put the phone down and turned to Jennifer, "Sam looked much worried about you."

"Let him be…I'm not going to him... at least for a few days." Jennifer shrugged her shoulders.

"And then after a few days?" Christine smirked.

"May be or may not be…" Jennifer uttered indifferently.

After the gossip between both, the sisters ended at midnight and they felt sleepy, they went to bed just to wake up at 10 am the next morning. They met again at the breakfast table and talked casually.

"I'm going to meet a friend of mine after breakfast and will be back by this evening or I may stay with her overnight." Jennifer took a sip of a hot cappuccino.

"Who?" Christine was adding sugar to her coffee.

"You don't know…her name is Adela, She was my college mate…" Jennifer gazed at her.

"Ok…just let me know if you're coming back in the evening… we can have dinner together."

  "Yeah O.k sure."

Jennifer consumed the last sip of her coffee and left the dining room.

When Sam did not find Jennifer either at her house or at her sister's, he made a call to her youngest sister, Josephine. To his utter disappointed Jennifer was not there as well. Then he decided to call Hammad Syed to discuss the matter with him.

"Hi...dear.. how are you?"

"I'm great…how about you and your better half? Everything is going well?"

"Issue…there is a serious issue dear."

"What?"

"We argued yesterday afternoon…Jennifer got so furious that she left the house immediately that very moment…things got out of my control…I couldn't stop her…since then she has been missing?"

"Did she carry the holy mixture with her?"

"No…That's what worries me the most."

"Oh…It's a big problem…Does she have any relatives or friends?"

"Friends? I don't know, but she has two younger sisters. She is with neither of them."

"Then…she must have gone to her old house."

"Her house was locked?

"Locked? But I think you should have broken the lock…or barged into the house to check. After all, you also live in the same locality."

"No… I can't do that…it's suspicious activity to break a lock or to enter a house by  jumping over the wall."

"But … it's essential… you had better take your neighbors in your confidence to do this act."

"I don't believe Jennifer is inside her house while the main door is locked from the outside."

"Oh, dear… I know the tactics of demons; their cunningness, craftiness, and falsehood are beyond your imagination. At this moment he is burning with anger like a glowing ember. At any cost, he would endeavor to snatch Jennifer from you.  Since you rescued Jennifer from his clutches of torment, married her in a dignified manner, and then protected her; it's like you've snatched hard-earned prey from a hungry lion's mouth."

"You mean Jennifer unlocked the door of her house, and entered there, but the demon locked the main door from outside?"

"Yes…It's possible…he can do that because he knows everything going on between you and your wife. And he must have got the help of Jennifer's Qareen, who had tempted Jennifer to ignite a dispute with you to crack your relationship with her and then to tempt her to leave your house. He knows that you're now in search of your wife and you would first reach her old house so he locked the door from outside."

"Has he wafted into Jennifer's body again?"

"I can't deny that because Jennifer was unprotected."

"It's hell! If so, I need your help at once. Please spare your time to come along with me. We'll break into her house to see if Jennifer is there."

"I regret…I can't now because I have an appointment with another patient this evening…do one thing…you had better go and check if Jennifer is there in her old house…if you find her there in an abnormal state, give me a call, I'll make some emergency arrangements to meet you there. Listen! One more thing if you could accompany someone with you, that would be supportive."

"Ok… I'm visiting there now…bye."

"bye."

At first, Sam thought to go alone to break into the house, but then a shiver of fright ran through his spine… going alone into a haunted place while being on the demon's hit list; he'll spare no chance to harm him or even kill him. Sam came out of his house and walked to Jennifer's dwelling. He found a brass detachable padlock hanging on the main gate. He then stood at a distance to mull over how to break into the house.

When Jennifer departed from Christine's house, her Qareen began the devilish mission of tempting her to associate with the most charming guy on earth, the Prince, who adores her the most, who takes pleasure in her company, who desires her so much that he had abandoned his throne, his land, and his powers; he had sacrificed everything just to win her heart to be with her and he's still waiting for her in her own house. Such a mesmerizing person she would never be able to find anywhere. Opportunity knocks once, and it was her chance to grab it.

Jennifer, who was all set to rendezvous with her college mate, whom she had already informed about her arrival, did not move there. Instead, her gait altered, her mind changed and her journey began towards her house, just like a gust of strong wind changes the direction of a sailboat. As if an unknown, undiscovered power is holding her firmly and navigating her mind in some direction like a mother who holds her child's hand tightly in a bustling place, ensuring her child's security. Implausibly, she was heading to her abode, where her prince (the demon) was waiting for her like trees fast rooted in the ground.