She ran away?

Mom (3 missed calls)

10:58am

Laiba (2 missed calls)

11:04am

Inayah (2 missed calls)

11:05am

“Why did everyone miss me all of a sudden? That too around 11am.” I asked myself, dumping my question paper and hall ticket in my bag and slinging it over my shoulder. Just as I was about to call back everyone, a friend jumped in out of nowhere “How was your exam?” she asked. I chuckled before replying “For a person ,who opened the book at 7 in the evening, fell asleep at 8,woke up at 7 the next day and wrote the exam at 10, how would her exam be like?” She laughed in response. “Where are your other friends?” she questioned. “This was my backlog exam so they didn’t have it. By the way, why did you come?” I questioned back. “I came to pick up my…” she paused as her eyes fell on someone behind me “Ah she’s here, my sister”. We soon bid our goodbyes and walked on our ways.

It was still about ten minutes  to reach home, when the missed calls popped in my head. I dialed mom and surprisingly she received it on the first ring. I greeted her casually hoping she wouldn’t ask about the exam. Instead, she yelled from the other side “You’ve become so impossibly irresponsible”. I raced my mind almost through everything wondering what I did wrong.

 “What? What did I do?”

“Where are you now?”

“I’m on my way, will be there in ten”

“Okay bye”

Call disconnected.

Just as mom swung the door open “Look, she’s here” mom said to dad, who was on video call. ‘What DID I DO?’ I yelled in my brain again. Throwing daggers at me, she said “You should inform me about the exam timings, right? When will you ever grow up?”

“Mom” I took a breath in “What did I even do?”

“WHAT DID YOU DO?” she glared “YOU ALMOST GAVE ME A HEART ATTACK!”

“How?”

“That time table stuck on your cupboard says you’re exam starts from 2pm today but you left before 9. The time table you send to your dad also had the same timings. I called you but you didn’t receive. I called your friend’s mom and she said that there was no exam today, then I called another of your friend and even she said that there was no exam today. My heart sunk then and there itself. I couldn’t understand what to do but then I called your auto rickshaw driver asking him where he dropped you. He said that he dropped you at the college as usual and then he questioned back as to  why was everyone calling him and asking him the same question. My body froze on hearing that. Yesterday, you slept as though you were dead. All of us banged around you, shook you from head to toe and yet you didn’t move an inch. And today I learn that there was no exam at all. I was just about to call your uncle saying that you went missing when your friend, Inayah,  checked the time table and messaged me that there was an exam an 10. It was then I felt a little bit relived. All the while I was so freaking scared thinking where you ran away.” she finished, exhausted.

I stood, astounded. “I had made a mistake on the time table stuck on cupboard and dad had the same one. But when I found the correct timings, I didn’t bother to change it there. I didn’t know you were keeping a track of that time table.”

As I was chatting with Laiba, she said that she had received a call from Inayah saying that ‘Zunairah ran away’. I broke into fits of laughter. “Even my mom was wondering why and where you ran away” added Inayah. “Mom…” I paused “You actually thought I ran away?” I asked pressing my lips tight, in order to suppress my laughter. “Nah, I thought you sleep walked all the way and got lost”

“I don’t sleep walk nor am I little girl to get lost somewhere”

“I would’ve dropped you to the college if you were little. Only because you’re grown up, you went alone. That is why I was worried.”

There! One statement and mom wins the argument.

“Thank God, Laiba told me, I was just about to call your uncle and go out searching for you.”

“Out of everything in the world, you thought your daughter ran away?” I asked again laughing my heart out.

 “You’re laughing!! Only you’re dad and I know what we felt for that two hours. But now everything is fine.” she chuckled.

“December 15, 2017, the day when everyone thought Zunairah ran away” I chuckled back.