He stood still, looking at her adorable child. The child he wished were his but she had him from another man. He couldn't speak a word as she turned back towards him. It was like a storm coming to a halt in the middle of the day when she gazed at him straight in the eyes. Stunned by her looks, he couldn't blink his eyes for once and said almost awkwardly, "How are you, Shumaila?" She was taken aback. The man she had thrown into oblivion was standing in front of her yet again but this time in a different situation.
Ten years ago, it was the last day of her summer holidays at her uncle's when Azeem, a boy from the neighbourhood climbed up the ladder to see from over the wall how her family packed their bags in the quadrangle. She was helping her mother when Azeem looked at her with eyes full of tears. She couldn't fathom why he was sad but he disappeared. Moments later, she saw him again when he entered the main entrance of her uncle's house. This time he came straight to her and, without anyone noticing, handed her a small piece of paper. She wanted to throw that away but didn't, fearing what it might bear in consequence. She went to her room and unfolded the paper. To her horror, it read,
"Dear Shumaila, It must sound crazy but it's a fact: I love you."
This raw and unrefined expression of love was totally unexpected for her. She, the daughter of a renowned professor, was more inclined to niceties in dealing with people and this was an unscrupulous way of saying something to a girl of her age. She threw that paper in the dustbin and Azeem saw her doing that. When they were finally leaving, Azeem looked on as their car went past his door in the street. She saw him from the rear window pursing his lips in grief and eyes flooded with tears.
Six months later, she again got the chance to visit her uncle's home on the wedding of her cousin. She had forgotten what Azeem had expressed in that paper. But Azeem was not paying attention to her this time. Maybe the art of ignoring the obvious was working. That moment on, she never got any attention from the boy who once seemed to have been head over heels in her love. Rightly so, because as Azeem's father died he embarked upon a real struggle to rebuild himself and his family. He went on to become a doctor.
Now, here he was ten years later. He had married another woman from his family and had been to Ireland for training. He was an established doctor now. It seemed that Shumaila had simply vanished from his thoughts. But today he was unable to see her holding a child in her lap. It had never happened to him before. As Shumaila came before him, the feelings from the yester-years came alive. He was unable to control his tears. What else could happen next.
Shumaila said, "I am fine, Azeem. How about you?"
He paused and said, "Good. Can I hold your baby for a while?"
"Sure", she replied.
"He is cute", he remarked.
She smiled.
"Are you happy in your marriage?" He asked.
She replied, "Do you see any signs of unhappiness on my face? I am very happy. Saleem is a refined gentleman".
"Right". He said, "Do you remember when I gave you a paper back then?"
"Yeah". she replied, "You were naïve".
"And you were smart", he mocked.
They both stood there for a while exchanging niceties as neighbours from the past. Later, as the wedding party was over, Azeem went to his home. Lying in his courtyard he thought to himself and smiled, "How silly I had been."
This story has not got any more lesson but to be honest with oneself. Perhaps he was given a good lesson by the way Shumaila ignored his raw ambition. In our lives, there are people and things which seem more important to us than they really are. We are oftentimes overwhelmed with emotions which, if regulated properly, can save us from several sorts embarrassments. This is for those of us who have trouble leaving the past or have been stuck in the memories from the previous life. It's better to be good to others but it is imperative to be good to oneself at all costs, as it is said that a stitch in time saves nine.
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