Cold Weather

by Nauman Ashraf

you?”

  “Me too.”

  Lucy dropped Tina at her home and then drove to her home.

  Next morning the weather was pleasant. It was cold weather as this was winter season however the sun was shining and the sky was clear. Lucy was in her parlor and dealing with her customers. It was the morning time and some ladies were in the parlor, who were getting different types of services. Lucy had a large parlor and many ladies were working as employees. Nasira also came to the parlor for some makeup.

  “Hello Lucy.”

  “Hi Nasira, how are you?”

  “I am fine. So this is your parlor?”

  “Yes. Would you like to have some services?”

  “Yes. I need some light makeup.”

  Lucy called a girl who was her employee so that she could perform makeup for Nasira. Lucy was mainly checking the working of her staff and dealing at the cash counter. After the makeup was over Nasira came to the cash counter and paid the bill.

  “Thanks for your lift last night Lucy.”

  “Thanks for your coffee Nasira.”

  “Is this your break time?”

  “I will have lunch after some time. Will you join me Nasira?”

  “Yes we can have lunch together.”

  “What about your small kids at home?”

  “My kids are in school and they will be free after some hours when I will pick them from school.”

  They moved towards the café in order to have something in lunch. Lucy ordered sandwiches and they started to eat them.

  “Have you come to this cafe before Nasira?”

  “I mostly stay at home and prepare the lunch myself. I have seen this café but never entered it for lunch.”

  “I often come here for lunch as they are offering good quality food with reasonable charges.”

  “Food here is good.”

  6

  They completed the lunch and then Lucy paid the bill. Then they moved outside and went to parlor of Lucy. At the gate Nasira took leave from Lucy to go back to her home. When she moved some steps then she hit with a police man and her purse dropped.

  Police man bent to pick up the purse but a man came on the spot running and he took the purse and ran away. Police man followed him and they disappeared from the sight. Lucy was watching the whole scene while she was standing at the gate of her parlor. Nasira was depressed as her purse was gone.

  “Stay here. The police man will come back with the purse.”

  Lucy advised Nasira and she agreed to wait for the police man. After some minutes the police man arrived with the purse in his hands.

  “This is your purse madam.”

  Police man gave the purse to Nasira.

  “Thank you officer.”

  “That thief ran away and dropped the purse so I left him but I will catch him some other time.”

  “He left the purse so that you can be distracted and leave his chasing.”

  Nasira looked at the police man and smiled.

  Lucy was also standing there and she was happy as the purse was received. Now they started to move in different directions. Lucy entered in her parlor. Nasira moved towards her house. Police man moved towards a street. In the evening Tina came to the parlor of Lucy.

  “How was your day Lucy?”

  “Today Nasira came to parlor.”

  “Good. What happened?”

  “There was a theft scene in the morning at my parlor.”

  “How?”

  “A thief ran away with purse of Nasira.”

  “Then what happened?”

  “Then a police man chased the thief and brought back the purse of Nasira.”

  “What happened with the thief?”

  “That thief ran away and dropped the purse so that the police man could stop chasing him.”

  “What is the plan now Lucy?”

  “I am about to close the parlor as it is late in the evening. How was your day?”

  “I was busy in the office as usual Lucy.”

  Lucy called the staff members and guided them to close the things as the time of closing was approaching. Her staff members closed the parlor and left the place. Lucy and Tina closed the parlor and moved towards the house. There were many shops in the market and in the evening time many lights were glowing which were presenting a good scene.

  Lucy saw a poor man was sleeping on the foot path and he had a thin cloth on his body. He was trembling with cold but he had nothing else to cover his body. She saw closely and recognized him.

  “Jim is that you?”

  That man opened his eyes and looked at Lucy.

  “Hi Lucy. How are you?”

  “I am fine. How are you? What happened to you?”

  “It is a long story.”

  “Come with me to my home.”

  7

  Lucy took Jim to her home. Tina was with them. They helped Jim to move inside the car and then Lucy drove the car to her home.

  “How you know him Lucy?”

  “He was a good student at my class while I was a student in the university.”

  “Then what happened to him?”

  “I do not know exactly. He will tell the details.”

  Lucy and Tina were talking about Jim as they were not aware of the story of Jim in this time period after the university was over. Tina decided to listen to the story of Jim so she stayed at the home of Lucy. They took Jim inside the home and placed him on a sofa.

  “Now Jim tell, what happened to you?”

  Lucy asked Jim. He started his story.

  “I got good marks in the university and applied for getting jobs in many companies. I got some interviews but no jobs. I decided to start my business by taking some loan from bank. My business was not successful and my property was kept by the bank as I was not able to return the loan. I had some money in savings which was also utilized and my relatives refused to help me in that hard time. So I started to live on the foot path as I have no money left and I am living with beggars who are giving me some food while they have. If they have no food then we are not able to eat anything. Such times are rare as these beggars are expert in begging and they get some money on a regular basis.”

  “You could have contacted me. We were good friends in the university.”

  “I thought that when relatives are not helping me then how friends could help me?”

  “You were good at studies. I will do something for you.”

  “What you will do? I have a lot of debt to pay and I have no source of income.”

  “We will make some plan. Are you hungry or you want to take some rest?”

  “I am tired so I will take some rest first.”

  Lucy took Jim to a room and returned to Tina.

  “He is a nice person Tina. I am sure he will be fine.”

  “You can keep him as you are living alone in your home. This could be a good company for you.”

  Tina left Lucy and moved to her home. Lucy took some rest and waited for Jim so that he could get up and they can make some plans. Lucy was sitting on the sofa and soon she was sleeping. It was late night and Jim and Lucy were sleeping. In the morning time Lucy got up early while Jim was also not sleeping. They were ready to do some business.

  “I think we must rob the bank.”

  Jim said to Lucy. During this time Jim’s mind had turned to the criminal side. He was living with beggars who continue to make plans for doing robberies and thefts but they were not able to make arrangements of the items which are to be used in such tasks.

  “What are you talking about? Are you in your senses?”

  Lucy seemed to be not liking Jim’s plan of theft.

  “This is the only way of getting a lot of money in a short time period.”

  Jim tried to convince her.

  “What you think that you will take the money from bank and they will leave you?”

  “Then what must be done?”

  “There is a workshop besides my parlor. They need workers. I will adjust you in
that workshop.”

  Lucy took Jim with her and they moved to the workshop in her car. Outside the workshop it was stated that workers are needed. Lucy and Jim entered the workshop and found a fat man sitting on a chair and some people working on cars.

  “Hello sir.”

  Lucy said to the fat man.

  “Hi madam. What can I do for you?”

  “I run a parlor in this market and I want to have some work for my friend at your workshop.”

  “I know you. I have seen you many times in this area. We have some vacancies for new people. We will also provide training to new people and pay them for their hard working.”

  That man took Jim and started to tell him about the work.

  “We will meet in the afternoon.”

  Lucy left Jim at the work shop and moved towards her parlor. Her parlor was already opened as the staff members had keys so that they can start the working if Lucy is late. Lucy was hoping that Jim will work hard and be a good person as he was in the past. In the afternoon time Lucy came to the workshop and saw Jim working on the car.

  “Jim is very intelligent. He is learning things fast.”

  That fat man was happy with the working of Jim. Lucy took him for lunch and went to the nearest café in which she had lunch with Nasira.

  “How was your day Jim?”

  “I like this work Lucy. Pay is also reasonable and there is a lot for learning.”

  Jim seemed to be happy with his new working place. They had lunch in the café and then returned to their working places. In the evening a person came to the workshop and talked to the fat man.

  “My car is not starting and it is stuck while moving. I do not know about the problem.”

  That man pointed on the road where his car was standing. That fat man sent Jim and