The room looked very gloomy as we walked into it. I was worried that I paid a large sum for a poorly lit room. But the instant we entered the room, the lights lit up.
"Intelligent lightning and temperature control systems sir," the room boy said in broken English. "They use motion sensors and heat sensors to work."
I smiled at him and began exploring the room. He set the luggage near cupboards and walked to the door and stood there rubbing his hands. My wife tipped him and said, "Please send two water bottles."
He seemed impressed with the tip and it was evident in his manners that turned too polite. 'Yes mam, I'll send them,' he said and left.
*****
Her smile threw me into chaos called Love every time I looked at her. She had the perfect smile and it's the blend of smile on her lips and on her eyes that made it very special. It had been long since I saw her smile like that.
We were in love for three years before we got married a year ago. The last two years had been very tough for us. We had to fight the families and society all the while not losing track of our careers. The struggle left both of us weak; my wife who was once chubby was left with bony cheeks. Her smile faded away and she began faking it. But now I was watching her smile heartily. 'I could die watching her smile,' I thought.
We were celebrating one year of our marriage in her favourite holiday destination; one year of struggles, sadness, happiness, and togetherness and most importantly our rise against all odds. We finally settled in the jobs we loved and were happy.
We were talking about the splendid evening we had had when she hugged me all of a sudden. I stopped talking and I don't know how long we were like that.
She whispered something in my ear and I froze for a few moments. Slowly I regained my senses and the words kept echoing in my ears.
"I'm pregnant."
I kissed her. It was unlike any other kiss we'd ever had. It was a kiss of joy. My life that had been gloomy all along was changing. The bright room around us looked like the bright future we were going to have. I really was living a dream.
It was then I heard a loud bang and seconds later the glass of the window against which we were standing got smashed. We were down on the floor before we could realize. I could see nothing but some how managed to get on my legs. I called out my wife's name but I couldn't listen anything due to the ringing sound in my ears.
As my eyes got adjusted to the light, I saw my wife lying on the floor. I slowly moved towards her and was terrified as I found my wife’s left eye missing; instead there was a shrapnel piercing in its place. I wanted to scream but there was another bang this time and it was the collapsed wall that killed me.
*****
“Paris bombings kill over a hundred,” read newspapers the next day.
