Romanza In Rome

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Epilogo
• Ten Years Later •
Lilah Taimoor — 34 years
Taimoor Yusuf — 39 years
R'ja Taimoor Khan — 5 years
Maidah Taimoor Khan — 3 years
Marya Taimoor Khan — 6 months

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Icy blue skies with a dash of white clouds spruced on covered the horizon as far as eyes could see. The strange hollowness of the sun, the imminent rays of the glowing moon, a charged eclipse was on it's way. Yet, the world seemed to be calm and nothing was out of order, even if the seas had changed tides and struck the rocky cliffs in all their might. Strong winds steered people inshore, the brick walls giving them refuge. Crystal like calmness covered them as they stared out of the windows, gauging how nature worked at it's best — for the minority — majority shielded themselves against the tyrannical rays of the eclipse.

Located in the Tyrrhenian Sea, the rugged Capri island landscape was the perfect destination to unwind in after a busy summers. A hot vacation spot with it's glamorous shopping avenues also made it the perfect location for Lilah to host her tenth year celebratory art show, one where the entirety of her family would be present. As the winds blew against the sea facing mansion, the warm sunlight kept it at bay. Thick curtains had been drawn over the windows, making the place seem lifeless and abandoned while in truth, life buzzed inside the four walls.

The time only being nine am and the family having flown in at six, meant that everyone was busy dozing off. Everyone except Lilah and Taimoor, who had settled in to the mansion for a week — for the sake of her comfortability of course. The past ten years had whizzed by and to the two, it still seemed as if no time had passed. They were still as young, still as brimming with potential as they were when they first met. With the difference being that now, all their youth and potential was exhausted on each other and their three little angles, their daughters — R'ja, Maidah and Marya.

Around six years ago, four years into their marriage Lilah had been struck with panic upon the realization of being pregnant. While it was a decision made with careful and meticulous planning, thoughts of self doubt continued to push against the planes of her mind. Nightmares of horror, where her children were hurt and she could do nothing scared her. Many a nights she woke up sweaty with tears streaming down her face, her heart engaged in passionate prayer that her child not be autistic like her — that was a pain she did not want for them.

Time was the greatest of healers and with each child she learnt that. Her three daughters were her joy and living without them was a sorrow. A gut wrenching hurt she could not even imagine. All three of them were vibrant personalities, with the youngest even at six months old wreaking havoc through their lives — however, of course, they were storms much welcome into their lives. R'ja Taimoor Khan, with brunette hair that curled at the ends, eyes blue like the ocean with a hint of green — a trait she inherited from her great grandfather on her paternal grandmother's side, lips pink like cotton candy and a cheeky smile resembled her uncle Emir more and more each day.

Maidah Taimoor Khan, their three year old was the calmest. Even at her tender age, she was stuck between books, all kinds of them. From acting like she could read her mother's complex novels, to the many fashion books she had stolen from her nani's library. The young girl already resembled her maternal grandmother, with the same dusky skin tone, mocha eyes and silky black hair. It was the youngest though, Marya Taimoor Khan, that resembled both her parents. A perfect mixture of the two, with Lilah's eyes and Taimoor's smile. Fussy yet calm at the same time, she was stealing hearts at an unmatched speed and her father was already worried.