CHAPTER 10. HEAVY FEET

Seven months later.

I was standing across the street beside my jeep when I saw her coming out of the bank. She was wearing a dark gray jeans and a white cotton shirt; I could tell she was growing her hair long and she had also changed the brand and look of her shades; exactly the way I had suggested. She crossed the street and then turned left; she was too busy settling her cards into her purse that she didn’t notice me standing there. My favorite fragrance spread its muse in the air as she kept walking away from me.

“Rahim Daad sent something for you” I said staring at the waves of her hair.

She stopped and turned around sharply; for a moment I saw a glint of happiness brightening her face which right away was taken over by a more serious expression.

“Yeah?” she asked to confirm what I had said before.

“Yeah” I whispered with a soft nod of my head.

The street was no place to talk so we walked into a nearby restaurant and occupied a seat near the window from where we could see a fork in the road ahead.

“How are you?” I asked after we had ordered coffee.

“I am fine” she said in a straight voice and then silent fell again. “So you were saying something about Rahim Daad?” she obviously wanted me to come to the point.

“Ah yes; he sent this for you” I took out a cylinder object wrapped in a paper bag. I pealed off the clumsy packaging and placed a clean glass bottle at the table in front of her, filled with sparkling water. I could see those sparkles traveling and then resting in her eyes as she glared at that spotless bottle and then looked at me.

“You did it” she said with extreme yet controlled excitement in her voice.

“Hah, no… they did it” I smiled a tired smile.

“Yeah” she whispered and nodded. We went silent again for a while; and then she lifted the bottle, poured the water into two glasses, gave me on of them and lifted the other in her hand and said, “Cheers!”

I smiled a fresher smile this time and lifted my glass, “Cheers!”

“This is to Rahim Daad” she said with a raised glass of colorless water in her hand.

“This is to Ram Daas” I couldn’t forget the man whose skills made the quest easier.

“This is to you” she said unexpectedly, with a polite voice and an affectionate shine in her eyes.

“This is to you” I knocked my glass with hers and we drank that refreshing clean water.

She didn’t let another episode of silence fall amongst us and said right away, “I am very impatient, don’t you think?”

“Well, as a matter of fact you are” I said honestly.

She laughed that little laughter of hers, “Can you help me with that?”

I looked at her trying to find the reason behind those words; there was nothing but a pair of Monet eyes waiting for an answer. “No” I finally said, “You don’t need any help; I know you can do it on your won.”

I saw a shadow of sadness falling over her as she went silent again, but clearly thinking of a way she could change the course of conversation.

“So what next?” she asked.

“I am going back?” I said taking a sip from my coffee.

“Back?” she asked completely surprised, “Up north?”

“No” I said looking into her eyes, “I am going back to Thar. I promised Rahim Daad a school.”

“That’s nice” she said with a somewhat subdued excitement, “I wish I could help.”

“Yeah, I wish you could” I said that for no reason. Sometimes when a conversation drifts into entangled words and uncertain expressions, it gets more and more difficult to find a way out, to find words that make up for your ramblings.

“Thank Rahim Chacha for me when you get back” she said in an effort to keep the conversation alive.

“Yeah, I will” I was getting better and better at small talks.

“I see you are keeping your hair long now” this time it was my turn to keep our conversation from falling a pray to unbearable silence.

“Yeah; I thought they looked better this way, at least that’s what I think” she said unsuccessfully trying to smile.

“No they look great… You look great” I said with a slight break.

“Thanks” she said with another hint of smile.

I just couldn’t take it any more, she was so irresistible; everything about her was so luring, her hair, her eyes, the way she talked and the way she twisted her lips and squinted her eyes when she smiled, her presence there and the fragrance that accompanied her; it was all so loveable.

“I better go now” I gathered all my resistance and spoke.

“Yeah, I know.”

It was on heavy feet that I walked out of the café with her; but the weight on my feet was that of my heart. Silence walked beside us as I reached my jeep and stopped, she strode a few steps and then stopped to turn around.

“Good b…” she was about to bid farewell when I cut her speech.

“There is a Monet exhibition in town tomorrow and I was wondering if…” I hadn’t even proposed the idea when she cut my speech in half as well.

“I would love to” she said with that energy I had always seen, adding into her voice again.

“Great” I could hardly utter.

“What time?” she asked with an obvious eagerness.

“I was thinking about seven in the evening but let’s make it eigh…” I knew she would prefer it a little late as usual.

“Lets make it six” she cut my speech with an unexpected answer.

I smiled and agreed to the idea, “Ok, sure.”

“So see you tomorrow then?” she asked to confirm.

“Yeah, see you tomorrow.” I affirmed.

I saw that lively smile coming back on her face. I hopped into my jeep and turned the engine on; then I turned back and said, “And…”

She stopped and turned around sharply with a face that glowed in the soft light of dieing sun.

“I missed you” I told her with a warm smile and drove away.

THE END