Aab-e-Hayat

Chapter 7

"Why can't you tell them that you have work here in Pakistan?" Imama asked him over call.

"Why should I lie?"

"Have you never lied in your life?" She was angry.

"Never. Did not feel the need to." 

Salar suggested that she should go to Dr. Sibt-e-Ali's home so she would not get bored. She neglected his suggestion and said that she had work. He was unable to guess the reason behind her anger.

Upset was an understated word to the suffering that Imama felt. She was angry and sad at the same time. She felt betrayed that his two weeks had converted to four. She decided that she would neither call nor email him during this time.

Later that night, when she laid on bed, she made a list mentally about all the things where he had wronged her. The list had reached 255 points when she noticed a lizard on the ceiling. She recalled another incident where she had told him to get rid of it but he clearly had not. The lizard on the ceiling was proof of it.

This silly reptile was also an addition to her list. The next day, she told him about it and argued how he had not killed it that day, and had lied to her. In no way did Salar imagine to have such a witless conversation with her. He wasn't sure what was wrong, but he knew there was definitely something. She continued blaming him and he remained silent, listening to her slow cries, not having the formula to decode her feelings.

When she calmed down a little bit, he apologised and assured that that he would inform Furqan and a servant could get rid of the lizard. Right then, he did not know what else to offer without an apology. She adversely stated that she would rather stay worried with the lizard itself. He had to hide his laughter in the form of a cough in order to not trigger her further. Cleary, he was not sure if it were her mood swings or her tantrums.

A servant of Furqan's had arrived to their apartment and killed the lizard. Yet she was not thankful.

The next day, a cut appeared on her finger while preparing food. Placing her injured finger under the tap, she reminisced him once again. Last time when she had a cut, he had taken good care of her with his words too. She was used to being hurt and not be bothered by it. But now, she liked that her tantrums were handled by him, and she felt the small cut painful because there was nobody to take care of it. So being alone made her feel terrible.

For the next few days, she was annoyed about everything and everyone. Salar enquired about her actions and that irked her more. When he told her that he would be unable to contact her for the next few days, she disconnected the call, justifying that she was saving him his time.

He had emailed her his hectic schedule a few days later, and she was indeed shocked about it. He had called her after a few more days and asked why she did not got to Furqan's house for dinner. She simply responded by saying that it was her wish. She didn't want to tell him that at Furqan's place, she saw his daughter, Imama and missed him.

Due to her upset mood about his stay, they had an argument. She missed him a lot but was unable to convey the same. She would rearrange the wardrobe and clean the shelves multiple times. She even watched those DVDs that he had got - featuring his favourite actress.

-

Imama was in Islamabad for Bakreid. Finishing his conference at Montreal, Salar called her to wish her on Eid. Although he was far, he engaged her in small talk. He clarified that he didn't want to argue on that day.

She was embarrassed to ask about his flight, yet she did. She cried silently, making sure he didn't know about it. He teased her a little bit, and  she then told him that she'd return to their apartment. He was to return the day after hers.