Scrambled Tales

03. Petrichor

The Sunday evening sky is serene, the hues changing with every passing second and Ayesha finds herself lost there, looking at the canvas. The clouds were tainted with shades of pink, purple and orange. The aftermaths of a day full of rain. 

The wet clothes hang through the railing of the balcony. The balcony with an open front leads to a direct view of the closed door and the neighbours. She sighs, deeply. 

She had been deterring any talk with them and here she is, expecting a visit to them. Oh, life and its way of coming back in circles. 

A sigh left her lips, a sigh lingered with regrets. 

Regret coming back to this place. 

"I never should have come here." She mummers. 

Her eyes, involuntarily, go to the photo frame kept on the brown desk beside her laptop bag, the person smiling back at her. A smile plays on her lips and her eyes fill up with unshed tears. She gulps, slowly and walks to it, holding it, creasing the photo softly, slowly.

"Look at the camera I need a good photo of you."

"Come back to me, I am not having one without you Ayesha."

"Listen, I need one solo of yours, be the gentleman you are and pose for me."

"So you are saying I am gentle?"

"Shut up and pose for me."

"Fine."

And he did pose for her. He did everything she asked him to. No questions asked. That was his love. And it left her with a void. 

She looks ahead, at the closed door of the next door, then back to the photo frame in her hand. A sigh left her lips. That closed door is a clear sign, the story ended. 

The photo frame in her hand is a clear sign, and so are the tears, this story deserved so much more. 

A call from downstairs brings her back and she walks down the stairs only to be engulfed in two arms. She gulps looking at the charcoal black orbs that were looking at them. At her. Hugging someone else. 

She closes her eyes and breathed. "I missed you, Ayesha."

She smiles, "I missed you too, Sameer."

Fariha smiles looking at her kids, then turns to Uma Sahani who was looking very much curious, "That's Sameer my younger son to me. He is in Airforce."

"Oh! I thought since you didn't come by yesterday I should drop by to hello, I bring my son and daughter along to meet Ayesha, I didn't know I am disturbing-" Uma started again if there is anything Uma Sahani loves to her core that will be chatting and putting her nose everywhere. Just like now how she didn't miss giving a side to Ayesha and Sameer hugging each other, standing too close for her liking.

"Oh no no, it is alright. I was getting bored anyway and Sameer-"

"I wasn't supposed to be here today Aunty, but I was missing them so much," Sameer said, his voice wasn't like before anymore. Ayesha looks at him, he reminds her of him so much.

"You are in the airforce?" Mahi asked, with a voice having so much more to it.

"I am." Sameer smiled a little, and Ayesha held his arm.

"So Ayesha, how have you been?" Amaan's voice suddenly made her choke. 

How has she been? 

She looked straight into his eyes. And he gulps the wrong move. 

Amaan Sahani, still has the audacity to ask her that? After what feels like eons to her. After everything they had, after everything she had been through. She smiles, thinking of all those times she waited for him to ask this and he did. 

She smiles keeping her eyes in contact with his.

"I am good Amaan, how are you?" Her voice didn't give away the pain she had been holding.

 Everyone looked at them, with questions, but Amaan snorted, good! of course. "Never been better." He almost took a seat next to his mother who has already taken a seat next to Mahi and Fariha. 

Almost just when Ayesha asked the question, "How's Dimple?" Heads turn to her question and he gulps, his red turns red and he found himself standing almost walking out of the door, but he didn't. 

He turned around and asked something she was not ready for, "Congratulations on your marriage."

This time she gulps, Sameer comes to hold her by the elbow but she smiles and left the hall without looking back. 

After a few minutes of silence, Sameer walks back to Fariha taking her in a warm hug, her tears pain him more than those nightmares. 

Nightmares that didn't let him get any peace for months now. The flashes, the screams, the blood, the scars they left behind and above all, the void. His eyes teared up, thinking about all the losses, of all the pain. 

They say wars end on the battlefield. They can't be more wrong about it. War doesn't end there, the war in one's mind who survived stays forever. 

And that kills. 

Just like it kills him every day. 

Then he looks straight to the kitchen door, to the girl making tea for everyone, pretending it doesn't matter to her, only if he doesn't know the truth. 

Fariha's voice brings him back, "Ayesha was engaged to be married to my son, but it didn't happen."

"Why? What do you mean, the other one? I haven't seen it other than the photograph."

Fariha gulps, she utters the words with utmost difficulty while Sameer finds himself looking at the photograph of his best friend, his brother, the smile, the spark in his eyes, his badges on his shoulder, he blinks, blood, his blood, the background of the photo, mig25, Lt Kabeer Bakt, "My son is martyred."

Sameer blinks, Lt Kabeer Bakt, his brother, is martyred. He died in the war, he survived it, and he dies every day.