**Scene 1: The Morning After**
*(Dining Room – 9:00 AM)*
Ammi's *aloo parathas* steamed on floral china, but the air felt heavy. Khadija doodled on a napkin while Hamza chased a house sparrow.
**Imran** (clearing throat): *"Flight's confirmed. Day after tomorrow—4 PM. Emirates EK-603."*
Silence. Ayesha's spoon clattered against her teacup.
**Ayesha** (softly): *"Only… four days left?"*
**Irfan** (avoiding Ammi's gaze): *"Back-to-back meetings piled up. *Corporate jihad*."*
Amina dropped her toast. *"No go *plane*?"*
**Maryam** (picking it up): *"Soon, jaan. *Home* calls."*
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**Scene 2: Karachi vs. Richmond**
*(Kitchen – 10:30 AM)*
Ayesha scrubbed dishes with furious focus. Maryam folded laundry like each shirt was a relic.
**Ayesha** (muttering): *"Richmond's fridge won't smell of *samosas*. Or Ammi's *attar*."*
**Maryam** (holding Irfan's shalwar): *"This fabric… *breathes* Karachi."*
Ammi entered, clutching spice jars.
**Ammi**: *"Take *zeera*, *dhania*. America's spices taste… *lonely*."*
**Ayesha** (teary smile): *"We'll steal your *handprint*, Ammi—in masala jars."*
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**Scene 3: The Great Packing War**
*(Guest Room – 1:00 PM)*
Suitcases yawned open like hungry beasts. Khadija "helped" by sitting inside one.
**Khadija**: *"*Abbu*, can we pack *Gulabo's bell*?"*
**Imran** (tossing toys): *"*Nahi beti*—TSA thinks cowbells are *weapons*."*
Maryam faced a mountain of bangles.
**Maryam**: *"How many *chooriyan* can one wrist wear?"*
**Irfan** (smirking): *"In Karachi? *Minimum* fifty."*
**Ammi** (appearing with vacuum bags): *"*Compression*! Like *squeezing* memories."*
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**Scene 4: Bazaar Blues**
*(Tariq Road – 4:00 PM)*
Ammi dragged them to buy *last-minute* gifts.
**Ammi** (at fabric shop): *"*Linen suits* for Virginia summer! *Discount*!"*
**Ayesha** (whispering): *"She's packing *seasons* we don't have."*
Khadija tugged Maryam toward a kite stall.
**Khadija**: *"*Chachi*, for *Richmond park*! *Basanti* color!"*
**Maryam** (buying it): *"To remind us… skies are *shared*."*
Hamza sobbed when Ammi refused a live chicken.
**Hamza**: *"*Friend* for *plane*!"*
**Imran**: *"*Beta*, chickens hate *jet lag*."*
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**Scene 5: The Ghee Smuggling**
*(Kitchen – 9:00 PM)*
Ayesha caught Ammi decanting ghee into shampoo bottles.
**Ayesha**: *"*Ammi*! Customs will arrest us for *edible explosives*!"*
**Ammi** (defiant): *"*Pata nahi* when you taste *real* roti again!"*
**Maryam** (sniffing): *"I'll hide it in Amina's *diaper bag*."*
**Irfan** (overhearing): *"*Allah help us* if it leaks in mid-air."*
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**Scene 6: Midnight Reckoning**
*(Living Room – 12:30 AM)*
Adults collapsed on sofas. Kids slept in fortress-like pillow nests.
**Imran** (checking tickets): *"*Layover* in Dubai—*three hours*. *Duty-free therapy*."*
**Ayesha** (leaning on Imran): *"First Eid without… *this*."* She gestured at Ammi's snores.
**Maryam**: *"Amina asked for '*Dadi's sky*' today."*
**Irfan** (quietly): *"Karachi's sky *is* Ammi—loud, warm, *everything*."*
A tear traced Ayesha's cheek. *"We leave pieces here."*
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**Scene 7: Ammi's Invisible Stitches**
*(Ammi's Bedroom – 1:00 AM)*
Maryam found Ammi sewing hidden pockets into Irfan's suitcase lining.
**Maryam**: *"*Ammi*… what's this?"*
**Ammi** (not looking up): *"For *emergency rupees*. *Buri nazar* follows travelers."*
She tucked folded bills inside—each note ironed crisp.
**Ammi**: *"You think I don't see? How Maryam *fears* forgetting… how Ayesha *aches*."*
Maryam knelt beside her. *"We'll video-call. *Every* day."*
**Ammi** (smiling sadly): *"Screens don't carry *samosas*."*
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**Scene 8: Last Dawn in Karachi**
*(Rooftop – 5:00 AM)*
Maryam watched the city blush pink. Ayesha joined her, holding two steaming cups.
**Ayesha**: *"*Doodh patti*? *Ammi-grade*."*
**Maryam**: *"I'll miss the *azaans*… five times a day, stitching the city together."*
**Ayesha**: *"Richmond has *one* masjid. *Whispers* compared to Karachi's *roar*."*
Below, a vendor's cart clattered: *"*GARAM CHANA*!"*
**Maryam** (sipping chai): *"How do we… *breathe* without this?"*
**Ayesha** (linking arms): *"We take Karachi *in us*. Like Ammi's ghee."*
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**Scene 9: The Final Inventory**
*(Hallway – 10:00 AM)*
Suitcases stood like soldiers. Ammi circled them, checklist in hand.
**Ammi**: *"*Ghee*? *Hidden*. *Spices*? *Sealed*. *Bangles*? *Bubble-wrapped*."*
Khadija hugged Gulabo's bell. *"I'll ring it in *Virginia*!"*
**Imran** (weighing bags): *"Two kilos over. *Who* packed *marble mortars*?"*
**Ayesha** (innocently): *"*Ammi* said *fresh grinding*!"*
**Irfan** (removing cookware): *"*Beta*, TSA thinks *mortars* are *cannonballs*."*
Ammi slipped *mithai* boxes into their hand luggage.
**Ammi**: *"For… *flight sadness*."*
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**Scene 10: The Unspoken Goodbye**
*(Garden – 3:00 PM)*
Ayesha plucked a jasmine sprig. Maryam pressed rose petals into Amina's Quran.
**Ayesha** (to Imran): *"Tell Ammi… we'll plant *jasmine* in Richmond."*
**Maryam** (to Irfan): *"This Eid… rewrote my soul."*
From the kitchen window, Ammi watched them, her dupatta pressed to her face.
**Ammi** (whispering): *"*Khuda hafiz*, meri jaan*."*
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