Light

1918

A worried father paced in front of the tiny hut.The hot afternoon sun making him perspire to the extent of dampening the back of his new,white kameez,the humid desert wind blowing his shalwar forward.

He paced back and forth,back and forth with no news about his wife and child.If anyone from the tribes had seen him,they would have commented on his worked up state and shook their heads in disapproval,after all it was not like a respectful man to worry about things of the sort and anyway,if a girl was born,her departure from the world would be very quick and early unlike her arrival.

Seconds turned to minutes and minutes to hours but not a peep could be heard.Jehangir looked sky-wards praying to the Almighty for the well-being of his beautiful wife and first-born.

But he was not the only one praying that fateful day,in many a household desperate mothers and their more-desperate daughters prayed for the passing of both,mother and child,leaving the handsome,young Jehangir a widower, which would make it so much easier for the mothers to flaunt their daughters at him.

The young man grew increasingly nervous at every passing minute and it wasn't a second too early when his mother opened the door and beckoned him forward.He raced forth and stumbled past her in his hurry to get inside.Getting in,the first thing he did was go up to his wife and make sure she was fine,as he got near the bed she was lying on she gave him a reassuring smile and looked down at the little bundle of blankets in her arm.

The silence that had been ensuing since his entrance was a thousand times better than the piercing silence he had heard outside,this was a nice,homey silence while that tense silence had made him want to scream.Jehangir stepped forward,somewhat hesitant,and looked down at the baby,the look on it's face peaceful and serene,the skin a brilliant white colour like fresh snow at the beginning of winter on the Himalayan mountains and chubby cheeks the colour of the wonderful English rose,it's face round and beautiful.He stood there mesmerised by the child's beauty,then his wife whispered somewhat cautiously,"Isn't our daughter the prettiest thing you've seen?"Her question made everyone catch their breaths for now the life of his daughter was in his hands.A minute or so passed before he replied,"Even you second to her beauty Hafsa."His answer did not surprise anyone in the room except the village doctor,for if Jehangir was known for one thing,it was his kind,loving nature.

He leaned down,arms outstretched,to take the baby from his wife and as he did so,she opened her eyes,they were big and the lightest shade of brown there can be,her long lashes and eyes,the perfect fit for her gorgeous little face.He smiled down at her and kissed her before lowering his lips down to her ear and saying the call to prayer.

He then sat down in the seat by his wife's bed and looked at the baby while she snuggled into him and drifted off.All the other ladies occupying the room went out,leaving him with the two girls he adored the most.When he next looked up,he saw the sleeping face of Hafsa,looking tired but content and smiling he placed the baby in her arms before exiting the hut.