**Scene 1: Slow Morning**
*(Najma Residence – 11:30 AM)*
Sunlight streamed through the lace curtains as Amina's tiny fingers poked Maryam's cheek.
**Amina:** *"Ummi… *garma garam* paratha?"*
Maryam groaned, squinting at her phone. *"Subhan'Allah… it's almost Zuhr time!"*
Downstairs, chaos reigned. Khadija and Hamza were building a fort with couch cushions while Irfan and Imran snored in sync on adjacent armchairs.
**Ayesha (yawning, entering kitchen):** *"Ammi, you let us sleep through *Fajr*?"*
**Mrs. Najma (flipping parathas):** *"After your journey? You needed it. Now eat—we're storming Karachi tonight!"*
---
**Scene 2: The Great Eid Plan**
*(Dining Table – 2:00 PM)*
Khadija bounced in her seat. *"Can we go to *Sea View*? And *Boat Basin*? And—"*
**Imran (laughing):** *"Slow down, tornado. First groceries, then clothes."*
**Irfan (checking list):** *"We need sacrificial vouchers from *Taj Company*, mehndi cones from *Saddar*…"*
**Maryam (whispering to Ayesha):** *"How many shops is that?"*
**Ayesha (grinning):** *"In Karachi? *Minimum* fifteen."*
---
**Scene 3: Sunset at Sea View**
*(Sea View Beach – 6:30 PM)*
Amina squealed as waves licked her toes. *"*Pani*! *Bara pani*!"*
**Hamza (charging toward water):** *"I'm a *SHARK*!"*
**Imran (sprinting after him):** *"Not in your *good shalwar*, you're not!"*
Nearby, Maryam gasped at the cotton-candy sunset. *"It's… pinker than Toronto's."*
**Irfan (smiling):** *"Wait till you see the bangles at *Zainab Market*—they'll put Canada's rainbows to shame."*
---
**Scene 4: Grocery Wars**
*(Hyperstar – 8:00 PM)*
Ayesha and Mrs. Najma debated violently over rice brands.
**Mrs. Najma:** *"*Sela* rice for *biryani*! *Basmati* turns to *glue*!"*
**Ayesha:** *"Ammi, we're making *pulao* too—the grains need to *separate*!"*
Meanwhile, Hamza attempted to ride the shopping cart like a chariot until an employee gave *The Look*.
---
**Scene 5: The Bangles Brigade**
*(Zainab Market – 10:00 PM)*
Khadija's eyes widened at the glittering stalls. *"It's like *Aladdin*'s cave!"*
Maryam gasped as a shopkeeper draped fifty bangles up her arm. *"They're *singing*!"*
**Shopkeeper (smirking):** *"Special *chooriyan* for *gori mem*. Only Rs 3,000!"*
**Ayesha (snorting):** *"*Arrey bhai*, for *plastic*? Rs 1,200!"*
Thirty minutes of heated bargaining later, they left with seven sets—and free mehndi cones.
---
**Scene 6: Midnight Makeup Hunt**
*(Tariq Road – 12:30 AM)*
**Maryam (panicking):** *"The *matching* lipstick for this *lehenga* doesn't *exist*!"*
**Salesgirl (deadpan):** *"Aunty, it's 1 AM. Take *Fuchsia Fantasy* and *go*."*
Irfan and Imran sat slumped outside, nursing sugarcane juices.
**Imran:** *"Remind me why we didn't just *order online*?"*
**Irfan (pointing to laughing wives):** *"Because *this* is Eid prep."*
---
**Scene 7: The Last Stop**
*(Burns Road – 1:45 AM)*
Khadija and Hamza slept like starfish in the backseat as the adults devoured *bun kebabs*.
**Mrs. Najma (licking chutney):** *"*Sunnat-e-Ibrahim* starts with full stomachs!"*
**Maryam (mouth full):** *"This is… *better* than Tim Hortons."*
Ayesha nearly choked laughing. *"Blasphemy!"*
---
**Scene 8: Homecoming**
*(Najma Residence – 2:30 AM)*
Bags tumbled onto the floor in a symphony of rustling tissue paper.
**Ammi (kissing sleeping Amina):** *"Tomorrow—*Qurbani* shopping!"*
**Maryam (groaning):** *"More… *shopping*?"*
**Irfan (grinning):** *"Welcome to Pakistani Eid, *habibti*."*
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*(To be continued…)*