Redemption

The dark alley was silent. Deathly silent. I tip-toed across the width of it to the side that had a flickering, dying bulb. Oh well, something is better than nothing. I took out what I had…acquired. I had wanted to see it before I took it home. It was just what I had wanted. Just what I had needed. Satisfied I took out what I needed and threw the bag to the corner. Someone would find it soon enough and if not, Oh well, as if I cared.

I made my way home that night, as silent as a cat. Careful to avoid the police filled, main streets. Home was…something you wouldn’t actually call home. It was shabby, dirty and smelled of undone laundry and muck. Karachi is a difficult place to live in, especially if you are living in the slums. Life in the slums is worse than the life of a dog. Literally.

I push away a mound of washed clothes sitting on the worn-out sofa and sit down on the edge. I take out the cash and count it, twelve hundred rupees, not bad, not bad at all. At least I’ll be able to pay Ayub back what I owed him. Tired I lean against the back of the sofa and close my eyes.

What have I done with my life?