Once In A Blue Moon

14 Meticulous

You're alone, you're in love, you're with me,
And till dusk, full of yearning, I'm with you, I'm with you

- Alexander Blok

☾

"Meet my son, Sangeen."

Hurairah holds out the newborn to him in his arms, grinning so wide Mikael is afraid his skin might split. He places the flower bouquet at Larmina's feet on the bed and takes the boy from him, careful with his touch. His heart melts at the sight.

"Show him to me too, baba!" Zimal pleads excitedly and he lowers the baby to her. She watches him with big eyes and a stupefied expression.

"You have a brother now, angel," Mikael murmurs to her.

"Baby?" She touches his cheek and he smiles. Zimal grins. "He likes me!"

Mikael chuckles and feather kisses his nephew's nose, then his forehead, before handing him back to Hurairah.

"Congratulations on becoming a father."

Hurairah lets out a giddy laugh. "I'm still getting used to the feeling. It's euphoric."

Mikael walks towards Larmina who has been watching them with glossy eyes and a soft smile on her face. He leans down to kiss both of her cheeks.

"Congratulations, khwagy (sweetheart). Mother would've been so happy."

"I know," she whispers and sniffs, pressing her palm to his cheek. "But I've you."

"Always."

"I wish baba..." Larmina trails off.

Mikael pulls away, remaining passive at the mentioning of their father and not responding to his sister's statement. Larmina gives him a sardonic look and he only smiles weakly, squeezing her hand reassuringly.

He stays a while longer with his family before excusing himself and going to the hospital lobby, approaching the attendant at the desk.

"Hello, I'm looking for Dr. Humayun. Is she on the duty today?"

"Hello, please give me a minute." He checks her schedule on his computer before replying, "She's in OT right now, cardiothoracic department."

"Ok, thank you."

"If you've any message for her, leave it with me and I'll forward it to her."

He thinks for a moment, then pulls out a pencil from his jacket pocket and puts it on the desk. "Kindly give it to her."

The attendant gives him a perplexed look but doesn't say anything. Mikael offers him a smile and turns away, walking out of the hospital door into the late evening air.

He lets the cool breeze caress his face and looks up at sky. Tonight, the clouds are few and the stars are bright, the moon shining bewitchingly among them. He pockets his hands and makes his way towards the park on the other side of the road. At this hour, it's empty and quiet.

He sits on one of the swings, rocking him back and forth gently, tangled in his musings. Fate is testing him with many things at once: with his daughter's condition, his fractured relationship with his father, and with his wife's rejection of him. He doesn't know how everything will disentangle itself, neither if things will play in his favor, but he knows once Banafsha finds the truth about him, nothing will be the same. And he doesn't know how long he can pretend naive with her.

He takes out Shirin's photo from his wallet, lovingly tracing her face. "There's a lot going on, and there's a havoc within me. I'm living through every day like this, but I don't know how long I can go on." He pauses, staring into her eyes in the picture. "I wish you were here with me." He exhales wearily. "I wish for a lot of things."