~PLACID~

CHAPTER 7

If life was a dream
and we had a wand
Said could have been unsaid
Done could have been undone
Impossible would have been possible
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The ladies departed to their destined place : the kitchen. Arfia handed tomatoes to Duha and herself became busy with onions.

Every slice of onion cleansed her eyes and made her vision clear. Every tear droplet shredded her heart in many pieces.

Duha looked on helplessly. She didn't dream of how and what it would be like. It has been there months she stayed in their house. The underlying tension beneath the façade of happiness made frequent appearances.

But humans were funny, at least for an individual like Duha who wished to express every corner of her heart but she was void of the blessing which others never used.

Emotions were pretty black and white for her. If happy one should laugh openly, if sad one should cry incessantly and if angry one should vent it out loudly.

She was amused as to how "the blessed ones" mastered the art of pretension. The "funny fight" concealed which was already hidden.

Nature was a proof of a tolerant yet a relentless seeker of freedom. The increasing pressure on earth led to explosion of molten lava.

It was unpredictable when Arfia's emotions would find an outlet but duha chose to wait as the former had an unfathomable power of sustenance without letting out a sob.

She masked her feelings effortlessly. This time it was the onion. Patience had to be tested, perseverance had to be accounted. The real exam was on hold as nothing concrete had been able to push her limits. Her patience would cross the threshold of tolerance once life became satirical.

An outsider to the qualms of the Shaikh household Duha observed her duties without fail.

Arfia's tears of "onion" reminded Duha of a lady whose words were minatory. The phrases were so sugar coated that a person of average wit couldn't figure out the underlying meaning.

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"The labourers and architects worked so hard that they ran out of time. Raised voices, loud sobs, hysterical laughter still find a way out through the symmetry keeping the regalia at stake"

The old lady became busy with her hookah as Duha stood in the corner of the room.

"A woman should be like earth. She should accept everything graciously without any complaints, demands and expectations", the lady continued.

"Rubbish!!!", Duha heard another murmur.

She looked at the other helpless lady whose wings were chopped off before she could fly.

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The spluttering sound of cumin seeds on the hot oil brought her back.

Three months were enough to feel the undercurrents. It was easier for her to blame Arfia's mother in law with a smattering of their circumstances. Only time would tell.

Haasilgarh

The food festival was a huge success. Bhanu hoped for a better future in politics with all his social deeds. According to him food was that big necessity which every species strived for. But Alas! A community with limited access to the globe didn't understand the lavish parade of food of the world.

"The event was a great affair. I am happy. The minister is coming for a meeting. I hope you keep things as per our status", were his clear instructions for his wife.