Once In A Blue Moon

02 Oblivious

The first time I saw her, everything in my head went quiet.

— Neil Hilborn

☾

The flame claws at the air as it flickers and burns in the cold, biting night of late winter. He sits a good few feet away from where it dances in the center of a dozen men surrounding it, dancing around it too under a shade from the insanity of the bizarre rain that's falling. They seem oblivious to the freezing atmosphere out here in the countryside, a noticeable drop of a few degrees from how it was in the city.

Hurairah laughs as one of the man says something, seemingly more happy than him on this day, lost in the local songs playing with everyone else. He twirls his body and jerks his head in sync with the others, once more proving with his moves that he'll always be better than him at attan. The Pashtun traditional dance isn't for him, he admits secretly.

His gaze sails across the others, recognizing only Mughis and Nufail besides Hurairah among the men, before moving to his now father-in-law.

Humayun Asad sits with a few of his companions, possibly his friends from his political party, chatting idly and smiling occasionally, his own sharp eyes sweeping over everyone subtly like an eagle. He's still unsure of how a man of such political influence has agreed to give him his daughter in marriage. Deep in his heart he's afraid it must be his father than him to have compelled him upon making such a decision. His father, Idris Khalil, is no ordinary man either.

He shifts his attention to Hurairah again, his only friend and family to have joined him at this occasion, and the one to have found him his bride too. He only needed a simple girl to settle with, no demands, who can accept him and his daughter and make a home with him-- someone to love. But this extravagance he's seeing is proving to him that his bride and her family can be anything but simple.

Shirin was different.

He's quick to shush his heart as soon as the thought crosses his mind. It has been so long since the tragedy, and he has finally given himself another chance, after much insisting from his sister. The officiant of the nikah (Muslim ceremony of signing marriage contract) has only left with everyone dispersing after congratulating him and he's already back into his past again. He scolds himself mentally.

Banafsha, he says the name in his head. Banafsha, his wife. He never thought he'd remarry, trade his heart again, or give the place to someone else which always only belonged to Shirin. Though they've signed the marriage contract and are legally wedded, the wedding celebrations still remain. He isn't even sure when will they be, but he knows not anytime soon. His wife won't be leaving with him yet.

"Aurang?"

He looks up to find Mughis walking towards him. He sits up straighter as he approaches nearer.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Mughis asks, sitting beside him on an empty chair.

He smiles and nods briskly. "I am."

"Then why aren't you participating in the celebration?" His brother-in-law gestures around. "Why are you sitting here by yourself?"

"I don't know anyone," he excuses. "But I'm entertaining myself by watching everyone being happy."

Mughis hums low in his throat and adjusts his shawl around his shoulders. "How do you like everything?"

"I like the place. It's beautiful," he compliments and looks around their country house, his sight going as far as it can before getting lost. He turns to Mughis again. "You've outdone yourselves with the arrangements. You didn't have to."