When I started my autobiography, most of my readers insisted that I should hide nothing. But now I am at a fix how should I talk about the very dark corners of my life, about my bad habits and the causes of my failure while I had all the chances of obtaining better things I had missed.
As I had already confessed I really loved no one except myself. So whosoever pleased me, I liked him. I did fall in love with one person in1960 and wrote volumes for him.
When I was in Chakesar, I missed him very much and could sleep a little at nights. Otherwise I had good time during my stay there, credit goes to Khan Alqamooth Khan and his sons, Hayatul Haq and Sher Khan. But still I felt as if I have lost some very precious thing.
After returning from my first few days stay at Chakesar, I resumed going to office as usual. My officer was now very cordial to me apparently. Meanwhile a new staff member was inducted by Wali Sahib. He belonged to a very powerful family and our boss naturally felt somewhat overshadowed by the new commer though he still was the boss.
Wali Sahib reorganized the State P.W.D, designating our head Muhammad Karim as Senior S.D.O and five of us as Overseers. A friend from Pakistan proposed to Wali Sahib to redesignate Muhammad Karim as Chief because he was the most senior staff officer of the Department. Wali Sahib replied that it was his own Department and he himself was the Chief. Other Departments of the State had its own heads like Wazir Mall, Naib Salar etc. We had shifted to the newly constructed spacious office in Afsar Abad just below my house.
One evening, I was asked by the deputy incharge for dinner at his residence in the College Colony. I went there after Maghrib prayers. I thought there would be other invitees also. But I was the only guest. As we sat at the dining table, the servant placed two glasses, a bowl full of ice cubes with an exquisite silver tong and a bottle of Chivas Regal.
The host thought I may be ignorant of these things but I had read hundreds of English books, so knew the table manners. He put some cubes in my glass and probably as a courtesy asked me, “on the rocks”. I replied “yes”. So he poured a measured quantity of whisky on the cubes. For himself he added soda water. We sipped slowly and talked on many topics.
After Dinner, he drew me himself in his car and dropped me near my house. That was my first introduction with the hard drinks.
To Be Continued…
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