Dreams Behind Masks

Outside Raees Royale Hotel, Tayyib and Akbar were gulping down their thirteenth cup of chai.

“Tayyib.”

“Hmm?”

“Why are we here again?”

“It’s because the boss wants a scoop on the Raees family, especially Ruqsana Raees and we can’t afford to miss a single moment.”

“Well then, she should scout the area herself.”

“You wanna say that directly to the boss?”

“Obviously not, but what’s the point of sitting here? The Raees family rarely goes out of the hotel and we can’t just walk in.”

“Is Daniyal having any luck with the Qaiser family?”

“No, after that time Ahmer Qaiser went out for movies past midnight, he hasn’t been involved in any controversy.”

“That was years ago when he was in school. I still think we should do a piece about his love for anime.”

“It’s not worth risking the wrath of Suhail Qaiser. If we write something on them, it has to be big.”

They noticed a brown haired girl with thick spectacles and a grey beanie exiting the hotel and getting into a taxi.

“It’s the girl I mistook for Ruqsana Raees,” Tayyib remembered.

“She looks familiar,” Akbar squinted his eyes.

“Her face kinda looks the same, right?”

“You have her photo, right? Do an image search.” Tayyib did an image search using the photo he clicked yesterday.

“No way!” Tayyib showed a meme featuring Roxy saying ‘Get’em!’ “It’s the Aslanspiration Girl!”

“Aslanspiration Girl?”

“The girl with Pepper Spray Man. The one who made an inspiring speech to beat up Anti-West Squad members.”

“No way! I thought she was just an average girl, but if she’s staying here, she must be loaded.”

“Well, let’s forget the Raees family for now. I say we get a scoop from the meme girl.” So Tayyib and Akbar decided to wait for Roxy to return to the hotel.

Meanwhile, Roxy reached the Souq’s entrance arch, where she met Prince. The Souq was bustling with shoppers, who were browsing the wide range of goods, from silk abayas to silverware, at its stalls and shops. The reasonable prices made it the perfect spot to shop for souvenirs.

“Shopping for souvenirs? Are you leaving soon?” Prince asked Roxy, half joking, half dreading.

“Well, I’ll still be here until Sunday, but I won’t be free for some time.”

“Why not?”

“I’ve got some family functions in the coming days and then there’s the AniCon. So I thought, let me get souvenirs today itself.”

“Oh,” Prince said, ‘What a coincidence, I also won’t be free for the next two days because of Abbu’s events.’ The thought made him miss Roxy already, even though they’d meet for AniCon in a few days.

“Do you have anything in mind? What souvenirs do you want to buy?” He asked.

“I just want to browse the shops and see if something catches my eye.”

“I see,” Prince said, ‘This will take some time.’ And take time it did, as a lot of things caught Roxy’s eye, from leather jackets to silken scarves. By the end of the shopping spree, Prince felt like a mule carrying various shopping bags.

“All this shopping has made me build up an appetite. Do you know any good restaurants nearby?”

“I know a place that serves great manakeesh.”

Prince led Roxy through the crowded market to a small restaurant with a huge oven. They ordered some manakeesh with laban and took seats at the bar.

“So, what club are you in?” Roxy asked Prince.

“The anime club,” he answered.

“And what exactly does the Anime club do? Do you like get together with other anime fans and debate on which anime is the best?”

“Good idea but no, we- actually let me show you.” Prince took out his phone and played an anime on UTube. It was about a normal man seeking revenge against a dragon that killed his family. He had no special powers and the technology was based on the medieval era. The anime was rather rough in terms of quality but the art style was appealing and the story was engaging.

“No way, you made this?”

“Me and my friends. It’s not professional level but we’re proud of it,” Prince grinned.

“You should be, this is easily better than most of the anime being produced these days. How do you manage this with college?”

“We give enough time to each upload to get the best quality we can. Since we aren’t a production house, we don’t have a deadline to follow.”

“So do you plan on becoming an animator?”

Prince lost his smile, “I don’t know.”

“Why not?”

“My parents don’t support my dream, my father calls them silly sketches. He wants me to join his p- family business. My brother and cousin also look down on me because of it.”

“Well, your family doesn’t know what they are talking about. You should just listen to your heart and follow your dream.”

“I want to but I can’t. My father is rather influential, he controls every aspect of my life. And somewhere deep down I’m afraid that even if I defy him it won’t be worth anything. The animation industry in Aslanistan is practically non-existent and it’s not easy for outsiders to join the Japanese anime industry. I doubt I can make it big as an animator.”

“I guess I’m no one to talk.”

“What do you mean?”

“My family doesn’t believe girls should work. My brother is the only one who supports me but even he can’t help as much as he wants to.”

“That sucks, good thing they can’t stop you from working with all these Women’s Rights laws.”

Roxy laughed aloud, “I wish! My family is pretty influential too, I tried applying for internships at a few places but they interfered every time. It’s worse than not believing in me, they won’t even let me try.”

‘She’s just like Ruqsana, should I have stood up to my father and in-laws when they were talking down to my mom?’ Prince truly regretted his silence, “I am sorry, you have it harder than I. My father barely tolerates us starting an anime club but he hasn’t gone out of his way to stop me, yet.”

“Don’t be sorry, it’s not about who’s suffering more, it’s about sharing your struggles so that you can help each other, even if it’s by just being there for each other. Besides, it’s not all hopeless. I’ve been secretly doing freelance jobs here and there.”

“As expected,” Prince smiled, “Nothing can keep the Aslanspiration Girl down.” Roxy pouted and lightly hit Prince’s arm, who laughed harder in response.

She was watching the anime credits when something caught her attention, “Say, is Ahmer Qaiser in your club too?” She asked.

“Uh-huh,” Prince nodded as sweat dripped down his brows, ‘Oh no, I forgot the credits have my real name on it.’

“Really, what’s he like?”

“He is a quiet guy but once you get to know him, he’s pretty chill,” Prince answered, ‘Or at least that’s what my friends say.’

“I see,” Roxy hummed, ‘And how do you get to know someone who doesn’t talk to you one bit.’ She asked, “Do you get along?” though she could hardly imagine someone as lively as Prince being friends with a loner like Ahmer.

“Yeah, we’re practically two souls in one body.”

“That close?”

“Haha! Just kidding, but we get along just fine.”

“I see,” Roxy said, “Why is your name not in the credits?”

“It’s-It’s to avoid my father’s wrath.”

“But you’ve put in so much effort. You should ask your club to mention you in the credits.”

“I’ll talk to them about it,” Prince assured her, “Wow, this manakeesh sure is taking time, isn’t it?”

“Friend, your order is ready,” The chef called out from the counter. Prince took their order and they started eating.

“What sort of career do you want to make? If you were given the chance of course,” Prince asked.

“I’ve always been interested in coding, that’s why I’m studying software engineering,”

‘Just like Ruqsana,’ Prince noted the similarity, “Where do you study?”

“New Asadabad University.”

“You wouldn’t happen to know Ruqsana Raees, would you?”

Roxy choked on the Manakeesh she was eating. Prince quickly poured her a glass of water, which she drank.

“Are you okay?” He asked.

“Yeah,” she said, “And to answer your question, I know she studies in the same college but I’ve never met her face-to-face.”

‘It’d be weird if I met myself, right?’ She justified her lie.

They sat in silence, enjoying the manakeesh for some time. Then Roxy said, “I think you should try to become an animator anyway. I mean, you technically already are.”

“I guess, it won’t be easy but it’s better than never trying,” Prince nodded, ‘Though it will be complicated with my wedding in the way.’

“If you ever need help with your career let me know,” Prince said, “My father isn’t a big fan of feminism but he might help if I insist.”

“I will,” Roxy smiled, ‘Though with my wedding coming up, I may not get the chance.’

The manakeesh suddenly didn’t taste as well as it did a few minutes ago as they worried about their futures.

“I’ll miss you when you’re gone,” Prince confessed.

Roxy smiled, “I’m still here for a few days and you can text me if you feel like it.”

Once they finished their meals, they went their separate ways, dreading what lay ahead.