Yeh mausam-e-khizaan ka ek sard magar khushgawar din tha. Halki halki baarish ke bawajood, ghar wapsi (Homecoming) ka woh din intehai pur-ronaq tha jo maghribi Pennsylvania ka ek riwayati andaaz hai. Band baj raha tha. "Future Farmers of America" se le kar "Veterans of Foreign Wars" tak, har dasta parade ke raste par march kar raha tha. Hum apni chatri ke neeche sardi mehsoos kar rahe thay, lekin is desi aur riwayati tafreeh ko chhor kar bhala kaun ja sakta tha? Parade ke ikhtitam par teen se paanch saal ki umr ki chhoti larkiyon ka ek taifa tha. Aqab ke qareeb maujood ek larki ne meri tawajjuh apni taraf kheench li. Woh umr mein teen saal se bhi kam dikhai deti thi. Us ke mukhtasar se libaas ne us ke jism ko sard mausam ke reham-o-karam par chhor diya tha. Woh ro rahi thi. Jaise hi woh dasta baarish ki boondabandi mein aage barha, woh baar baar apni tarteeb tor kar apni maan ki taraf bhaagti. Lekin wahan koi taskeen maujood na thi. Us ki maan musalsal use wapas daste mein us ki jagah par dhakel deti. Main is nanhi bachchi ki aankhon mein maujood mayoosi aur uljhan ke us ehsaas ko kabhi nahin bhool sakta jab woh siskiyan lete hue hamare paas se guzri. Is maan ke af'aal walidaini tarbiyat ke kuch makhsoos ahdaaf ko wazeh karte thay. Hum yeh gumaan kar sakte hain ke woh chahti thi ke us ki beti khoobsurat nazar aaye aur log use pasand karein. Woh yeh achhi tarah jaanti thi ke apne bachpan ke khwabon ko poora karne ke liye apne bachay ko tayyar karne ka kaam intehai kam umri se hi shuru kar dena chahiye. Yeh baat maan ke liye bohat aham thi. Maan ke is agenda ko samajhne, ya yeh tasawwur karne ke liye ke is larki ne apna bachpan kaise guzara, kisi intehai gehre takhayyul ki zaroorat nahin hai. Main is mazkoora maan ko zaati tor par nahin jaanta. Main us ke in makhsoos ahdaaf se poori tarah ba-khabar nahin hoon aur na hi yeh jaanta hoon ke woh un muharrikaat ke hawale se kitni ba-shaoor thi jin hon ne use is baat par majboor kiya ke woh qurbaniyan de, daste ke saath saath jhuk kar bhaage, aur apne bachay ko chhari achhi tarah pakarne aur qataar mein rehne ki takeed kare. Lekin main is baat par poora yaqeen rakhta hoon ke us ki apni beti ke liye kuch makhsoos ahdaaf thay. Hum sab ke hote hain. Aise maqasid maujood hote hain jo bachon ki parwarish ke dauran hamare intikhabat ki rehnumai karte hain. Kuch log apne ahdaaf ko wazeh alfaaz mein bayan kar sakte hain, jabke doosre ahdaaf walidain ke intikhabat se khud-ba-khud zahir ho jaate hain.