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Mumbai, Maharashtra
It is now that it was exactly 3 pm. Someone was as restless as a lioness after a failed attempt to catch its prey. Her eyes were as tired as her hands were but still the frequency of looking all around her bedroom, searching the call letter for the interview, was collinear to its peak.
"Ya Allah! Please help me otherwise I'm gone for sure," prayed Nuska's heart that was beating very unenthusiastically as she was unable to find her admit card to the interview of her dream company- Khan's & Sarkar's Estate.
She raised her hands slowly upwards and sighed before tugging her hair and falling on her knees.
Now what will happen tomorrow if I'm unable to bring the admit card, she thought sobbing.
She immediately got up and stumbled upon her parent's room.
"Papa! Papa!" she cried entering into the room where her father, who was a History professor by profession, was checking answer sheets of his students.
"What happen, Nusu?" he tilted his face towards her frightened daughter and looked at her confused.
"Papa, I'm unable to find my admit card that I was supposed to bring to the interview of Khan's & Sarkar's Estate tomorrow. I'm so worried papa, I cannot say they will even allow me to..." Nuska could have lamented for an year but her father intervened only to say, "Nusu, your mother asked to take that card and get it laminated. I've done that by the morning itself. You check my table's drawer you'll find it on the top"
Nuska immediately ran to the table only to find the card in a clean and shining state that read:- Candidate Name : Nuska Nisthar and her photo was visible on it.
She joined both of her hands tightly and packed her eyes with no care, " Ya Allah it has never happened that you didn't answer my prayers. I truly believe you'll never discard any valid wish of mine. Thank you for everything!" she chanted happily with her eyes overflowing with tender tear.
Her father was observing this and he stood up to reach to her daughter, " Nuska, everything done with pure intention is always liked by and accepted in the assembly of Allah. And surely you'll achieve everything you're working hard for and making wish for, my girl," he snaked one of his hands around her shoulders and pulled her close to his chest.
Nuska smiled exhibiting the sanguine spirits flowing in her mind and hugged her father tightly.
"Okay child, now leave me 'cause there are a lot of papers to be corrected that also within a strict time limit," her father excused himself.
She left his body and grabbed his hands like a stubborn child.
"Papa, see God has made my work easy for me. You should also pass all the students you're checking answer sheets of," she rolled her lips in front of him.
"Nusu but this is not done how you're wishing"
"Papa please you have to do this. You know na how good it feels you someone passes in exams. Please don't break your students' hearts by failing them. Please!"
Her father started laughing. He sat on the couch laughing a little longer and then looked at Nuska who was now faking a frown on her face.
"You're making fun of me papa?"
"Absolutely no, why would I do that"
"It is good to make people happy na"
"Yes child but it is not good to make them sadder in their future"
"Sadder in the future means?"
"It means they should get in accordance with what they write and this is the only just way to reward marks. I cannot check their paper leniently and let them be carefree regarding the final exam, the papers of which are sent to different universities for correction"
"Is it like that papa?"
"Don't doubt in this," said the father calmly.
Nuska was a bit thoughtful towards what her father told her and she left for her room but stopped in the middle. She turned right and made her way to the kitchen where her mother was preparing lunch for Nuska for her journey that evening from Mumbai to Goa.
"What are you cooking Ammi?" she asked gently smiling at her mother.
"I've almost completed cooking shaahi kheer for you," said her mother while putting off the gas regulator.
"Shaahi kheer! Ammi I love it so much. Thank you!" she hugged her mother and started waving to and fro.
"Nuska, Nuska! Relax girl. Don't you have to get ready for the journey. Your papa will take you to the railway station after 6:30 pm and the train will depart sharply on 7:20. Get ready sweetheart you've to be up to date with everything"
"Yes Ammi. Don't worry about that. Everything is fine and it was this admit card I was searching and I got it too"
"You got it na. Alhamdullilah"
Nuska blinked in relief and went into her room to pack her bags for her interview trip to Goa.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, Fort, Mumbai.

As punctual as ever Nuska's father, Muhammad Nisthar, dropped his daughter safely at the railway station and they both entered into the railway compartment to check and confirm her berth.
"Sit here Nuska," her father said gently to Nuska and took the baggage from her hands and placed it over the space provided for luggage.
She was continuosly looking at her father's face as how he never changed. Right from the time she could remember as a schoolgirl, he was always careful and dutiful towards Nuska and her younger brother, Abdullah. She unknowingly smiled but could not stop tear gushing through her eyes.
"Papa. I wish you could accompany too," she said and was enduring the choke in her throat.
Her father was a little surprised to see Nuska being weak here. He immediately sat beside her, uttering the words of consoling but Nuska was as broken down as a Bride during her departure from her parent's house. Who knows it was subtly a that kind of departure in which a girl is supposed to leave her home to live with her husband and his family.
"My child is brave," he said rubbing his hands on her back and kissed her forehead and gently wiped her tear.
She could not stop the series of hiccups that was giving tremors even to the hands of her father.
"You remember Nuska, how perplexed we used to be regarding your unnatural hiccups..." he said with a spurious smile,"...I thought you've overcome it but no I will never get rid of this earthquake I see," he puffed his mouth.
All of a sudden Nuska bursted into a laughter. And both of them started laughing. He took a wristlet from his pocket and handed it to her.
"I bought it for you while I was out in the morning. Wear it now onwards"
She looked at him in consonance and pinched on its chain to let it hang freely. It was a silver wristlet with small sparkling stars attached to it and letter N was placed in the center.
"It's so beautiful papa. Thank you," said Nuska wearing it.
They could hear whistles of the train and passengers running into it in hurry.
"I've to leave Nuska, you take care child," said the father in a hurry.
"Allah Hafiz papa. You also take care of yourself, Ammi and Abdul," she said rising a little up from the berth.
The train set forth its journey from Bombay to Goa. A journey which was going to change Nuska's life forever.
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Terminal 1, Abu Dhabi International Airport, UAE.

Varishth Sarkar, Bhushan Sarkar, Aadam Khan and Zaid Khan were the names that were being called out by an Emirati staff at the airport who was galloping at a swift pace only to reach to them with their passports that were discarded at the reception due to some technical issues occurred while they were undergoing through biometrics examination.
"It is now that this flamingo will allow us to leave," said Bhushan clenching his jaw.
"Keep quiet. And follow their instructions," suggested Varishth, 65, father of Bhushan and a 40% stock owner of Khan's & Sarkar's Estate.
"How much is time is left, Zaid, for the airbus to take off?" asked Aadam, the father of Zaid Khan, who was 40% owner of the same business.
"Papa there's hardly 25 minutes left," said Zaid giving a jerk to his neck.
The staff quickly handed them their documents and reiterated apologies to each of them for undue difficulty from the administration's side.
"It's absolutely fine child, at least we won't miss our flight," said Varishth breathing deeply in relief.
"Yeah exactly, uncle," said Zaid with a genuine smile and with one of his strong hands he bothered to lift his father's trolley bag and rotated another one back to grab the handle of trolley laden with 4 huge luggages.
"Hey Zaid, why are carrying all the burden alone? Bhushan... Take that bag from his hands, son," said Varishth turning his head from Zaid to Bhushan.
"No uncle it's alright. I'm okay with it," said Zaid hesitatingly.
"This boy is very shy, I really admire him. But I'm disappointed with Bhushan. All he has do is *phubbing when alloted with some tasks.", glared Varishth at Bhushan who gave a sheepish smile, bothering to look away from his phone's screen and trying to maintain an excusable distance from them.
"You stop leg pulling your son, man. I asked him to talk directly with the agents of Oberoi and clear all those rumours that were unnecessarily being spread regarding the quality of services rendered to their guests," said Aadam calmly hearing which other three of the men exhaled a breath and wore serious expression on their faces.
Zaid, 31, was the son of Aadam Khan and the only heir to his business empire - Khan's & Sarkar's Estate , that was established by his grandfather in 1975 as The Khan Empire and was one of the old and well reputed hotels in Goa. But in 2007 due to the great tsunami that shook the coasts of India, his hotel suffered a great loss, shock of which lead to the death of his grandfather and the company was on the verge of getting wound up but it was Varishth Sarkar who gave a helping hand to his father, Aadam, and collaborated his business - Sarkar's Estate with The Khan Empire and since then their business had reached and crossed many milestones and was known for its highly plausible services.
The remaining 20% shares of the company was owned by investors of Goa and Mumbai. But whatever be the status of the business, it was always prone to instabilities in such a cut-throat competition in the market.
It was late evening and the group of men were safely and merrily on their flight to Goa, where they were supposed to participate in the recruitment process for their employees at their main branch in Goa.
During their flight, all of them were almost snoring, except Zaid. For although Zaid was an ever advanced businessman and far ahead with the glamour of the business environment but he never liked visiting Goa. He always wanted to stay in Dubai or anywhere but not in Goa.
Most probably it could be the way too open exposure of people's lifestyle there and the Western culture that often made him come out as way too uncomfortable in front of his partners and employees. Altogether, it could be surmised that Zaid was a stern guy with certain fundamentals in his life, that's because he had never had a smoke or had alcohol or one night stands in his entire life of 31 years while his business partner's son Bhushan was drowned in that world. Not only Bhushan but also majority of their folks were of this sort.
Aadam Khan always had this guilt in his heart that although he saved his business from being ruined in the name of financial damages but could not maintain the purity that was the true essence of The Khan Empire founded by his father. In the end he had to allow the traits of Sarkar's standard to enter into it.
Zaid faked a smile leaning on his seat and wished if he could escape arriving Goa, if he could escape seeing those people engaged in forbidden activities, if he could just don't encounter couples carrying out lewd acts in front of his eyes within the area of his hotel.
His heart spoke to him. It said that God cannot be so harsh on him. If he was going there, there must be something good in that. All that he had to do was searching for that good and recognising it.
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