Storm

by Saniya. S. Kohari

  “And spoil your skin and hair in this mid-morning heat? Sani, just now in the beauty salon we spent every last penny for this.” She tsked, shaking her head at me, as she quickly wore a hoodie over her jeans and floral top, to protect the beautician’s efforts.

  Oh yeah, we had gone to doll up. Getting our hands, legs and faces all plucked and polished as if new. You could actually blink from our shine. That is how radiant we got ourselves done, with everything in our pockets. All for the party we were going to attend the next day.

  With everything, I mean every penny from our wallets. The bony looking beautician took it all!

  Hence, we did not have the face to go to our respective places and announce to our parents that we drowned everything down the beautician's throat (drain). Therefore, Umber had suggested we come down here to Mr and Mrs Kaazi’s place, which was at a walking distance from the salon, to meet her dear Aunt Sumbul and Uncle Shaamir. It could have been a fruitful visit, as they would have just felt generous to lend us their car, instead of the cab fare.

  Alas, her Uncle that is Mr Kaazi was not home along with his car, and her Auntie did not have one of her own.

  Pissed off at Umber's failed plan, I did not let her utter a word to Mrs Kaazi, about us being broke and beg for money. Because as smart as I am, my twenty-one year old brain had finally figured out Umber's real plan behind bringing me to this house, which I had not visited in months. Ever since, he had returned from New York.

  Umber had cheekily brought me here, after falsely reassuring me he was not home. While, dear Mrs Kaazi informed me, her son was reaching any minute.

  Fuming in anger, I made my way towards the cobbled street, when Umber gave me a look of disappointment that elders do so well. Making me feel like a kid who made her dolls bald, and was about to be scolded by Mommy.

  Who would have believed Umber was two years younger than I was.

  Still not turning around, I took a step forward, but came to a halt hearing her plain, dripping with, ‘you have let me down’ kind of voice,

  “Sani Shaad! You do not want to stay here...All right then. But why are you leaving when Auntie has arranged a ride for us?”

  “You have arranged it! I can smell it. It was your plan through and through.” I said with clenched jaw, crossing my arms, not getting scared one bit on her calling me by my full name.

  “So? You’re refusing to wait just because...”

  I turned around not allowing her to finish,

  “Don't take his name. It makes me wanna break something.” I grinded my teeth, trying to push down the hurt feelings that emerged again on his mention.

  “Break his car. But after he has dropped us home.” Umber rolled her eyes and pulled me back to the side.

  She went on sighing heavily,

  “For the last time! Why don't you just tell me what is wrong between you two? Why is your relationship so frazzled all of a sudden?”

  “Nothing is sudden. Make it a year.” I murmured, my eyes reflecting all the painful memories.

  “Right...It’s been more than a year. But I can’t understand, why?”

  “I don't know.” I answered helplessly.

  She raised her eyebrows, as if she did not believe me.

  “I really don't!” I emphasized in all seriousness. “He is the one who went off me at the start, and eventually I got so tired of begging, pleading, waiting for him, that now I have given up. And my feelings have turned into hatred.”

  “That is a strong word. You don't actually hate him of course.” Umber said softly, and rubbed my arm in a soothing gesture.

  I closed my eyes to wipe away all the feelings,

  “He is nothing to me.”

  Giving her a stern look, I added curtly,

  “So for the love of God! Let me stay away from that son of a...Pooh of a cow!"

  Umber laughed, nodding over my shoulder,

  “Too late. Here comes his bullock cart.”

  I groaned with equal amount of hurt and anger.

  The aforementioned bullock cart, which in fact was a top of the range sleek white Ford fiat, stopped in front of us, and before I had time to react, a man in his early thirties stepped out of it. Dressed in a stripped white shirt and navy trousers, he looked cool and casual, yet tried to appear as if immersed in the problems of the world.

  Pushing his glares upon his brown hair, he stared at me as if indirectly blaming me for the current frown he sported on his face. While, his chocolate brown eyes glistened in the sun with a smile dancing in them, without a hint of seriousness.

  Why would he be serious anyway?! Hah! He just does not care. Laughing on the inside...Jerk!

  He moved towards us and opened the front door of his house, motioning his chin at me in silence, as if asking me to get in.

  Trying to be a gentle man, are we?

  Pathetic Ass, glaring at me! I can glare back harder!

  Yeah yeah, I know he was not glaring. He was actually doing the opposite of that. Whatever...He was not lifting his lips up either.

  “Because I don't smile without reason!” Tilting his head, Zee went on in amused tones, “I hope I don't need to remind you what kind of people does that?”

  Oops! He heard me.

  Unfazed, I ignored him, smirking internally,

  ‘Stupid like you...Doctor of Stupids!’

  Umber is my paternal cousin. And thanks to Zee being her maternal cousin, he had been a part of my life since we were kids. He was not my family. He was more than blood. He was my best friend in the whole wide world.

  While Umber and I were still trying to get through college, Zidaan was a psychiatrist...A fabulous one, to my utter shock. And there was nothing better than his profession to wind him up on.

  “My patients’ aren’t stupid. They are psyches.” Zee said with clenched jaw.

  Damn! I spoke aloud...yet again.

  “You so did.” laughed Umber, as she went inside the lovely modern style two-storey house owned by Zee’s parents, while I did not attempt to move an inch.

  Not wishing to feel embarrassed, I gave him an unregretful look, saying in obvious tones,

  “Stupid because they come to you.”

  Oh Dear God, it is about brain! Some people just don't have it.

  “Yes God, why did you give it to me in such abundance and just about nothing to my dear friend here? That is so unfair!” Zee almost yelled in a dramatically fake painful voice, stretching his hands towards me while staring at the sky.

  Ass!

  I thanked the universe that I was wearing my favourite lavender sweatshirt, over my black skinny jeans. I refused to be humiliated in anything that was not my ‘power jeans’. If it is not a thing, it should be. New skinny jeans, just give you a big-girl aura. I totally felt it.

  “I didn’t know jeans did anything other than make the ass look good.” Zee scoffed making a show of checking out my ass, “But as you say.”

  Before I could do more than scowl at myself for being loud in my thoughts, and him for hearing them, he went on smirking in amusement, “You have really pulled off the tight sweatshirt look by the way. Lavender and girly...Of course!” Zee gave me an admiring thumbs up, which I took as a dig. Completely.

  Just because he looked as if, he had stepped out of a magazine cover, did not mean I was any less. I would show him next time.

  “Umber, I'm leaving.” I fumed.

  “So am I.” Zee chuckled, giving a slight push to my back, sliding me inside the house.

  “Suck it up Sani! We do not have money for the cab. Zidaan has come here especially to pick us up, leaving all his work behind.” Umber gave me a look and I caved in nodding half-heartedly.

  Because, c’mon! A cab was a thing of leisure; I could not afford, having given off all my money to the bony bitchy beautician.

  Still I could not help but feel suspicious, from the fact that Umber was taking Zee’s side, the person whom she barely tolerated even on a perfectly fine day.

  My thoughts took a
turn, seeing Zee smirk. Not wishing to lose a chance, I passed his victorious smile with a quip of my own, gaping at Umber,

  “He works? I didn’t know that!”

  “What do you think I do with my psyche patients?” Zee narrowed his eyes. Smile vanished. Scowl on.

  “Jellying-up like we do with likeminded people?” I shrugged innocently.

  His jaw dropped to my satisfaction.

  But he recovered quickly.

  “Not so much these days, as you haven’t been around for a while now.” Zee smirked in a take that kind of way and before I could think of a retort, he closed the front door behind him, making me wonder why weren’t they moving if he was gonna drop us!

  “Guys, stop it now. Remember we have a party to prepare for.” Umber groaned from the dark brown couch, she had made herself comfortable on.

  I rolled my eyes at her enthusiasm,

  “It’s not tonight. Even the bride and her groom won't be as excited as you are.”

  “Of course, they are anything but happy about the mistake they made in deciding to marry in the first place.” This came from Zee who did not believe in love.

  “Yet they wanna shout out to the world, ‘we got married’. As if, we do not know. And they actually think everyone is oh so giddy for them!” I laughed along with him.

  Not realizing it until much later, Zee had trapped me into talking to him like good old times. Cheeky!

  “Sani if you hate parties so much, then why do you go to them?” Umber turned towards me in curiosity.

  Unashamed, I answered,

  “Same reason for which everyone else goes. Free delicious food and catching up with...” I stopped myself short as the wound pressed inside my heart, realizing what I was about to say, catching up with family and friends.

  Among so many of my family and friends, Zee was my favourite. But, since a long time, he had drifted apart from me without ever giving me a reason. I still had no idea what went wrong that day. What was my mistake?

  It was ten days after my birthday. Zee had invited me for an outing he planned for all of my cousins he was friends with, to a place far from Seattle. A secluded spot, whose name I could never remember. After he had stated to me the many wonders, the place held, and how much we would enjoy spending the day exploring it, I did not even break an excited smile. He was sure as hell that I would get on my knees to thank the-ever-smart-him, for planning to make my life by taking me to that glorious place.

  Well, I was not feeling anything with his descriptions of the wonders. I know him. He is all talk. If he says sea, you are most likely to just find a pond with a frog in it, that too if you are in luck and Zee is being serious!

  Rolling my eyes, I had smirked at him,

  “Is this your treat for not giving me a present on my birthday?”

  Zee became a little uncomfortable, as he fumbled in obvious tones,

  “Uh...Yeah, think of it as a gift...An entire day of fun.”

  I added,

  “Sponsored by you. All right then! I'm in. I’ll remember not to bring my wallet along.” Winking, I left him to grumble in annoyance.

  “I’ll forget to bring my wallet as well. Yay!” giggled Umber, who had just entered my house.

  She was always a great friend along with being my cousin and a real fun person. Best part was, she hated Zee with passion and was always ready for a good bitching session.

  So next day, early in the morning we all jumbled in a few cars and began our journey. Not to sound like a prat, but man, was Zee right in his boastings! The place looked superb with light rains falling and turning the atmosphere all cosy and stuff they brag about in novels, which makes everything oh so romantic.

  After halting at a food court for delicious oily fatty breakfast, we made our way to, you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me-with-the-beautiful-sand-and-the lighthouse-beach. The place was simply mesmerising with the clearest blue water you can find.

  After cooing wide eyed at my surroundings, I joined the others to get all wet and dirty in the rains and sea waves as we played volleyball on the beach.

  And just as I threw the ball at my opponents, I wished to have hit it right on the head of the guy who got off his bike and came jogging towards Zee. I fantasized, had I hit the hottie, he would have maybe fallen unconscious and I could have ran towards him, rubbed his head and pulled him in my lap. He would have smiled or gotten angry on me, I would have apologized, and both the scenarios would have ended up with him falling in love with the sweet me.

  As he joined Zee and a few of my cousins in a game of soccer, by rolling up his sleeves and opening another top button of his formal maroon shirt, I literally swooned. He was so much Man! There was nothing boy about him. Wow!

  Pulling Umber out of the volleyball game we were playing, I rushed her as close as we could get towards the boys, without being hit on the face by a breaking ball!

  ‘Ohh Umber! I think I just died and I’m born again. He looks like an angel and sin all wrapped up in one.” I sighed, putting my head on her shoulder, as I stared at him unblinkingly.

  “Take off your glares, and let’s ask Zidaan to introduce you.” Umber suggested encouragingly, but the smile wiped from my face seeing a girl joining him shortly.

  Thinking to myself that she is probably a-pain-in-his-ass-kind of clingy friend or a sister at best, I satisfied my dear little heart by drooling over him from afar, taking Umber along in my dreamy wishful sighing of him. She supported me with full loyalty and laughed along with me at the stupid pace my thoughts were going over that guy. Everything was normal and fun like always. Keeping my glares on, I was having the time of my life. To hell with his girlfriend, I could still enjoy him!

  Then at the time of departure, just before we sat in the cars, Zee came after biding goodbye to his hottie friend, and avoided to look me in the eye. He seemed thoroughly subdued. All the way back home, I tried talking to him, while he passed me a deaf ear.

  Since that day for months, I cried and begged Zee to tell me, what have I done? But he refused my every attempt and left for New York, where he had bagged a job.

  Staying there for over a couple of years, he came back a few months ago and was trying to get in touch with me ever since. But I denied his advances. His sudden flip had me scared. I could not do with his hot and cold behaviour.

  I came out of my reverie and realized both of them were lounging in the sitting room, not attempting to leave!

  “He was about to drop us, right? Is it gonna happen this year?” I asked Umber, raising my eyebrows sarcastically.

  She mumbled Zee a good luck, and ran inside the kitchen to help his Mom.

  While Zee gave me a serious look saying,

  “Please listen to me just once. I have been trying for months and you know that.”

  “When I had begged you to talk, did you ever pay heed?” I glared hard at him.

  He had the sense to look ashamed.

  “I haven’t said sorry, because I don't think I have made a mistake.” He chuckled, trying to be funny, but it went dry when I did not break a smile.

  He continued hurriedly,

  “Fine... Just listen to me once. I’ll say sorry then, if you still find me wrong.”

  I shook my head in disappointment, while Zee groaned,

  “I can't tell you why I behaved like a fool and pushed you away from my life. It might be as I was going to New York and did not wish to distract myself with anything. You know, I had stopped talking to most of our friends,’ right?”

  “Why didn’t you ever answer me? Why didn’t you ever explain the reason?” I asked on the verge of crying.

  “What could I say? I did not know it myself. All I thought was we have become a habit to each other. I knew it would be tough. That is why I broke all the strings. So you can focus on your studies and I on my job.”

  “You’re lying...At least not telling the whole truth.” I narrowed my eyes at him.

  He shrugged,

  “Maybe...Can't we just make peace
with the fact that I missed you all the time and realized my decision was completely stupid. That I behaved like a fool?”

  “You are a fool. Obviously there is no other way you could behave.” I scoffed, softening a bit.

  “Accepted.” Zee beamed with a smile that lit his face.

  With a genuine expression, he added,

  “I really am sorry.”

  I had been missing my favourite person...My best friend. Of course, I could let it all go...for the time being.

  I nodded, nudging him teasingly,

  “I heard you’re staying with your parents again. Big baby! Whatever happened to grownup and independent living?”

  He clutched his forehead irritably,

  “Not you too! I'm tired of this question from everyone. Look, I could not find a place more close to my clinic. I’ll move out once I do.”

  “And prepare to do all the chores without Mommy?” I raised my eyebrows in fake astonishment.

  “You’re never moving out, you lazy bum.” I laughed heartily as his lips twitched up too.

  There was nothing more fun than a good dose of pulling Zee's leg. Now I felt much better.

  Joking and rambling about unimportant stuff, we went inside the kitchen. I told his Mom, that Umber and I would after all be staying for lunch. She need not cook anything, as Zee was giving us a pizza treat, he did not know he owed!

  That is when my eyes fell on the neighbourhood house from the kitchen window, and I forgot to breath. The swing hottie, stood beside the very swing, getting it loaded somewhere. That was the grief, I could live with...Not with his tanned shirtless back and the way his taut muscles stretched as he helped with the labour, in his sexy ripped jeans.

  Is he planning to turn me into an obsessed-with-his-back kind of girl or what?

  3-Storm

  Sani

  Not all the love stories, begins with sunshine and roses. The most real and passionate romances, often starts in the dark and stormy nights.

  Since the minute I woke up in the morning, my Mom, Mrs. Aisha Shaad was being a pain in my ass. Like her ass was literally on fire! Just because I still did not have a dress for the wedding.

  I mean c'mon! The wedding was in the evening. What was the hurry? It was not my wedding. Thank God for that by the way! Otherwise, I am sure she would have badgered me to buy the dress a week in advance.