SHORT STORY BY HUSSNAIN AHMED-PAKISTAN

From Star to Stranger

Hussnain is a handsome young man from a middle-class family. He said goodbye to ICS education and made a firm commitment to support his family by earning an electrician’s diploma. After completing the diploma, he got a job in a famous electric factory in the city, along with a decent salary. He suddenly became the star of the house.

Hussnain began to bear not only the small expenses but also the major expenses of the household. He also paid special attention to his personality and appearance. Luck was also kind to him; shortly afterward, he was promoted and moved into the field of security camera surveillance. Now his work was relatively easier and quieter.

That was three or four years ago.

As the saying goes, time does not remain the same. Someone showed him the dream of going abroad. He immediately got his passport made and handed it over to a concerned facilitator, who promised to send him abroad within a month.

John quit his job and planned to spend some time with his family before leaving the country. Time passed. As his savings began to dwindle, the behavior of his family also started to change. Those who had earlier considered him the most important person in the house began to show less affection once his pockets were empty.

Now, the man who once carried the burden of the whole house alone began to feel like a burden to everyone. The one who used to fulfill everyone’s needs had now become needy himself. The young man who used to go to the salon twice a week would now spend many weeks without a haircut.

Days turned into months, and months into years. Finally, after great difficulty and at a very high cost, he obtained a visa for Qatar and reached there. But luck still did not favor him. The agent had disappeared. After weeks of hardship, he finally found some Pakistanis who offered him shelter, food, and a place to stay in exchange for working as an unpaid servant.

He did all kinds of work, from cleaning the house to working in their garage. After about six months, he managed to get a regular job, but then conditions in the Gulf countries began to worsen.

God knows what remains of his life now.