The Wake.

18

"Iraj ma'am, are you not going to the doctor today?" Hafsa her maid had asked today when she had not left for her morning follow up for the week.

"Hafsa, please don't say anything about this in front of Azfar. Don't mention a word to him." She nodded at her maid holding her hand firmly. Azfar was still at home as he had a conference call with some of his clients in his study this morning. She was thankful that she hadn't got to face him while having breakfast.

"Don't worry ma'am, but Azfar sir would be very upset if he found out I have kept the truth from him." She sounded very concerned.

"Nothing will happen. Don't worry, I assure you your job will never be in danger." Iraj passed her small smile.

She nodded and went back to doing her work and Iraj finished her breakfast before Azfar could come out of the study. Taking her mug of coffee in her hands she smiled at the warmth of it and moved towards the staircase, all was fine till she banged her head into something very familiar. Her husband's metal hard chest.

"How many times have I told you to watch where you're going!" He spoke the moment she recoiled her head and the spluttering of the coffee from her hands dripped all over the stairs. They were both standing in the middle length of the staircase.

"You should be more careful, I've been suggesting you since years too!" She felt her hands burn due to spilling of the liquid.

"Of course, as always it's my fault not yours." He inhaled a sharp breath.

"Yes it is. If only you were more attentive." She pouted looking at her precious coffee all wasted.

"Why yes, you're always right too!" He clenched his jaw with another sigh.

"Yes I am!" She shot back and went to her room running fast towards the washroom to wash her hands.

"Show me your hands." Azfar had walked behind her into the room.

"Why!" She put her almost empty mug on the small table in the room and scurried towards the washroom not bothering to look at him.

He followed her inside and stood there looking at her as she let her hands under the running water of the sink. Her skin had tiny red burn marks now on the palm of her hands. She kept on rubbing both hands together under the water. After a few more seconds she turned the faucet off and moved to dab her palms on the towel. The moment she did, her eyes found Azfar standing there behind her in the reflection of the mirror.

"Why are you here?" She was starting to get more upset now.

"Show me your hands." He gently took her hands in his as he came closer to her and then turned around taking her out of the bathroom. "Sit." He eyed her to sit on the bed and she sat down with a gloomy look staring at her hands that were now more useless than ever to her. They didn't even look pretty anymore.

"It'll be alright, the burn isn't severe." Azfar came back to the room and started applying burn cream over her skin sitting beside her.

"It doesn't matter." He felt like she had been saying that a lot since he had returned.

"Iraj, I always tell you to be careful because of such things that can happen." He was talking with much softness that was opposite to his outburst on the staircase. "Is it hurting a lot, hm?"

"It doesn't matter." She slid her hands out of his and stood up.

"We can go to the doctor if it is." He ignored her reaction and stood up as well.

"You should go to work." She huffed and moved towards the pillow side and plopped over.

"Tell me, is it hurting a lot? I'll ask a physician and a dermatologist to come here see the burn." He moved towards her bedside and stood beside her.

"I want to be alone." She felt like her heart would explode if he kept talking to her like that.

"Okay, but don't go moving around the house for some time." He walked towards the door to leave.

"You're scared I'll break things in your house right?" She said to his back that was facing her with a small sob that wasn't very evident.

"Of course I am. Now stay in the room." He sighed and left knowing no matter what she'd go out of the room with her hands that were hurting and start her gardening and other things and end up getting hurt more.

Iraj didn't go out of the room for more than half of the day. Then she remembered that she had to take her medication. She at once became alert and took her dose in a hurry. Her phone started ringing and she answered not seeing that it was her husband who had called, "Iraj, how are you feeling now?"

Now she was rolling her eyes at herself for not seeing the caller ID.

"It doesn't matter." She replied in the same old way.

"Iraj—"

"Azfar, sweetheart, can you come here please." That was definitely a woman's voice that she heard over the phone, Iraj sat with more concentration to fume over.

"Zeenat, I'm talking to my wife."

Oh so it was his Zeenat. Iraj was pressing her lips tightly over each other in a huge pout.

"Iraj—"

"I'm coming there." Iraj got up and cut the call without even listening to him. She couldn't believe that he had just last night told her he loves her and then was meeting that wretched seductress.

She went into her closet and took out her favourite lavender silk skirt and top then took a close look at it to be sure about it and went to shower. She was running out of time. If it was up to her she would kill off Zeenat who was trying to be her husband's second wife and she had herself permitted him to marry just because she was upset. It didn't mean she wanted it!