SWEET AFFAIRS

Sajid strolled to the shop around the corner of the street upon his mother’s request. He had volunteered to get some yogurt from Afzal Mithai Wala (Afzal’s Confectioners), the small shop selling an odd but widely accepted combination of dairy products and traditional desserts. He was looking forward to the biryani his mother intended to prepare for dinner and was grateful to temporarily escape the house and catch a glance of his newly developed crush, Saira, the daughter of the shop owner. Some would argue that it’s not safe for twelve-year-old boys to be roaming about amidst a crowded bazaar, unsupervised. However, in the Walled City of Lahore, you’re never unsupervised. Munir, Sajid’s neighbor, had his watchful eyes on Sajid as he sat on a charpoy in front of his house, while the women studding the rooftops were fully aware that this adolescent boy was looking for an excuse to bump into his crush again.

When Sajid reached his destination, he greeted Afzal, the shop-owner, exchanged pleasantries, and got offered to sample the freshly prepared sweets as per norm. Of course, Sajid wasn’t carrying any money on him, why would he need to, when the bazaar culture worked on credit. Not on the credit card system, rooted in mark-ups and interest, but a culture imbedded in trust and brotherhood. Just as Sajid was heading out of the shop, Saira rushed down the stairs to shyly flirt with him!

Saira’s cousin’s friend’s sister’s mother had mentioned that Sajid was heading to the sweet shop, and information has an unbelievably rapid system of spreading within seconds in the Walled City.