The Fallen Widow

Chapter 3; Grief

Present Day

Shah Nawaz's night were filled with whiskey, dancing anklets of beautiful women and music. He ran from his thoughts and aloneness was his worst enemy. He'd spend the days visiting the lands and leading the construction work. However, sometimes when his heart was full of emotion, he'd sit by Sai baba, under the banyan tree and baba would play the bamboo flute and sing songs for a broken heart.

Under the afternoon sun, Shah Nawaz would sit on the kat under  with a cold glass of lassi swaying to Sai Baba's rhyming poetic couplets for broken hearts.

Bare foot, dressed in a green cloak and draped in large beads around his neck Sai baba sang melodiously with Shah Nawaz swaying with his eyes closed.

"Le oh yaar hawale rab de,
Mele char dina de,
Us din eid mubarak hosi,
Jis din phir milegi"

"Again! Again!" Shah Nawaz longed to revel in the verse that was dedicated to a long lost friend.

'Oh dear friend, I leave you in the protection of God.
The festival of our union is only for a few days.
But the day we meet again.
Will be my Eid.'

Eid. What is Eid? A celebration. A festival. Joy. The gazing upon the crescent moon announces Eid. When would he see his moon? When would his heart explode with joy? When would it be his Eid? Eid; the reuniting of kindred souls

Sai baba continued to play the tune melodiously and began on the next verse about a dream where he met his beloved guide. With such longing he hugged him tight, terrified of opening his eyes as the cruel day light would take his beloved guide away.

"Sapna me vich maahi milega.
The gal vich paa ve baava.
Dar de mari main akh kola kithe fir vichar na jaava."

Each word and verse touched Shah Nawaz deeply. He bowed his head concealing his eyes filled with tears. Drinking from the wine of poetry and Saif Ul Malook in a strange way gave him peace. Baba's breaking voice, his heart breaking verse of separation, sadness, eternal love for a spiritual guide broke Shah Nawaz; a broken man mired with guilt and regret.

Sai Baba was a nomad; a man of God. He travelled where his heart and dreams guided him. It was five months earlier he followed the signs in his dreams and vision into the forest.

Five Months Earlier.

The rain was relentless in the forest washing the leaves, the rivers away as the torrential downpour hit the forest. Sai baba travelled where his visions took him. Once he stumbled upon a two year old boy who was shot near the river. It was Shah Nawaz. He sat with him in the hospital praying for the child. 

Today, Sai baba was beckoned to the forest. For the past few days he was having dreams, flashbacks of the wild forest. He trusted these visions and followed them as he felt this was a sign from God.

After spending three days in the forest, Sai baba couldn't understand why he was called into the forest. He took out his bamboo flute and began to play. The sweet sounds travelled far and wide in the forest, the birds perched on the branches listened to the sweet melody that they were gifted to hear. From the left he heard the branches crunch and he turned to the left. The old man dressed in green dressed with large necklace beads stopped playing.

"Is someone there?" He stood up from sitting on the rock.

There he saw a figure draped in colourful chador. This was it. He knew it. This was the reason he was called to the forest.

"Come forward. I will not harm you."
Meh'r-Bano recognised Sai baba from the sound of his flute. His sweet folk songs would play in the bazaar and at times in the haveli. Shah Nawaz was fond of the old man- he'd make him sing and play and watch with fondness.