The Treasured Tales (One-Shots)

Memories Never Die

Memories Never Die
A One-Shot

Genre: Romance

–

Her brother drove the car as Zahra leaned her head against the window, looking out at the view but staring at nothing at the same time. Her five-year-old son, Mustafa, was sitting on the center seat between her and her sister.

She often drove down this road with her husband as he dropped her off at her family home or picked her up from there after he returned from deployment in different areas of Pakistan. This time, he never returned.

"Kahan khoyi howi ho?" Zarina, Zahra's elder sister, asked as she kept a hand on her upper arm.

*"Where are you lost?"

"Unke khayalon mein." An audible sigh was heard from everyone in the car as Zahra gave a sad smile to her sister, tears threatening to spill out just at the mention of her martyred husband, Shoaib.

*"In his thoughts."

Involuntarily, her gaze flicked down to her son as he peacefully slept while resting his head against her arm. She smiled.

He's a carbon copy of him.

They passed a street vendor, selling corn cobs and she remembered something.

***

"Gaari rokein Shoaib!" She squealed in excitement as her husband pulled over next to the seller.

*"Stop the car Shoaib!"

"You want those?" He raised an eyebrow and she vigorously nodded.

"What my queens wants is what she gets." He got out of the car, telling the seller to make the corn just how she liked it with the spices and lemon and she impatiently waited in the car.

As he sat back inside the car and handed the cob to her, the wind from his open door blew off her dupatta, causing it to fall off her head and onto her shoulders. Her hands were occupied so he leaned in and a shocked gasp left her mouth.

Was he going to kiss her? Over here where people were standing right in front of them?

"Shoaib, what are you..." She panicked.

He chuckled. "Relax, Zahra. I'm just fixing your dupatta." Even when he draped her dupatta back over her head, he stayed in the position, looking into her eyes with a soft smile of adoration gracing his lips. He loved her so much, beyond what he could ever express.

"Aise kya dekh rahe hain?" She averted her gaze as her cheeks heated up and his smile widened at the rose tint.

*"What are you looking at?"

"Dekh raha hoon ke mere Khuda ne mujhe kitni pyari biwi se nawaza hai, Masha Allah." The dialogue only made the color of her cheeks deepen as she didn't dare look up. She was afraid she'd fall in love with him all over again.

*"I'm looking at how my God has blessed me with such a beautiful wife, Masha Allah."

He couldn't hold himself back and placed a quick kiss on the top of her head before he moved back into his seat, letting her enjoy her meal.