The Storm We Started

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Shoaib raked his hand over his curly hair as the ringing of call made him wait. He rubbed his lips to make sure there was no stain of red lipstick which Gulnaz wore. It was after few seconds of ringing, a middle aged woman appeared on the screen.

"As-Salam-u alaikum Ammi." He greeted the woman who smiled brightly at him.

"Wa-Alaikum-Salaam, shona."

"How have you been?" He asked noticing his mother was aging a little fast. He noticed the wrinkles and white strands of hair which fell on her ivory skin.

"Great! How are you, baba? Have you been eating well? You don't look well." She excitedly said but suddenly her face morphed into worriness looking at her son.

Shoaib looked at himself on the video call to check if she's right. But she wasn't. She was just seeing her son after long time and fret over small things.

"Yes yes ammi. I eat a lot here, the food's great." He tried to convince her.

Her eyes narrowed at him, "Shoib, don't lie. You look sick oh dear your bones are showing!"

"Ammi! I look fine. What bones? Stop overanalysing my face." He said and fake pretended to be offended.

"Look at your dark circles. You're not even sleeping well." She scolded him

He rolled his eyes at her, "Ammi please,"

Noori Akhtar Ali huffed. Looking away from the screen.

He sighed, "Where is safina?"

"She's sleeping right now."

"What is that girl eating that she sleeps all the time? Whenever I call she's sleeping." He chuckled thinking about his little sister.

"She had a long day at school. They had some function." She replied.

"How is school? Did she made some friends?" He asked again. Knowing how his little sister had always been shy.

"Some? She made whole school her friends. You have no idea how much of a chatterbox she has become. Always talking and talking." Her mother revealed.

Shoaib was surprised at the revelation. As far as he knew, safina had never opened her mouth around people she didn't know or was comfortable with. She barely even talked at home.

"What? Really? That is shocking. But I'm glad she's opening up in school."

"Please she gives me headaches sometimes with her nonstop talks. Always blabbering about something. Yesterday she brought her at least twenty friends for party."

Shoaib let out a soft laugh imagining safina annoying mother. He wished he was there witness this. Her face fell thinking about how much he missed home. It had been almost two years since he saw his family and the valleys.

"How are things there?" He asked in concern

Noori sighed, "Fine I think. But a curfew had been put. We can't go out after five in evening."

"What? But for what?"

"Didn't you know? A man died in our area. It was an encounter. Said he was a militant inciting violence. He only gave a speech as elections are near. They shot him on spot when they framed him with armed weapons."

Shoaib was angered, "That is ridiculous!"

Noori frowned, "Poor man, He was only twenty-eight and married. I saw his wife wailing and his children confused as to why their mother crying."