Meri Pehchan

•the accidental meeting•

The intricacy of human mind was hard to understand. The many layers and complex blends of emotions that traversed from simple black and white to the middle ground of grey. Nothing was between the two distinctions and that made it even harder to come to terms. You'd see someone act with joy and someone right by the joyous man, sobbing. It was impossible to ever understand the human emotions as a whole, you would always struggle. Even now standing at the edge of their apartments as Samra looked at the large palace gates, she wondered why her mother and her were locked away.

While the rest of the kingdom rejoiced the arrival of the Persian king and his entourage, she felt morbid. Her heart had sunk to the pits of her stomach. The fancy procession and the well dressed women that had entered the palace piqued her interest, however she was not to leave the walls of her home. It made her feel things that were ugly. Envy and jealousy on top of the list. She could imagine an ugly shade of green pooping its twisted head from under her hair, licking her happiness and tainting it so that she was no longer satisfied.

As the greetings between the kings were supposed to last a whole hour, Samra sunk to her knees on the rooftop. Her head was placed against the cream walls, her fingers running across the cracked plaster. It needed to be repainted she though, another expense added to her father's list. She pulled her knees to her chest, her head resting against the bend of the wall her eyes staring at her mother's hunched figure. If she could, she knew, she would walk into her bedroom and fall asleep. However the guards her aunts had set at their doors made sure the mother - daughter pair watched the proceedings under the burning sun.

"Khud tou sab saye mein hain, bas ap aur mein hi iss aag barasti dhoop mein rhenay par majboor hai," she groaned.

[Everyone is standing under a shade, its just you and I who are forced to stay in this sweltering heat.]

"Ahista bolein, kisi nai sun liya tou aap keh walid keh liye mushkilat bhar jaye gi," her mother replied.

[Speak in a lower tone, if someone hears you the troubles for your father will increase.]

"Standing in such heat, under the glaring sunshine is the real criminal offense". Samra shook her head.

"Aye meray khuda mein iss ka kia karun gi?" Yumna slapped her forehead.

[Oh my God what will I do of this girl?]

Samra giggled under her breath. Her mother so furious with her was a comical sight. Her sharp eyes narrowed and lined with a layer of blazing red anger. The usual soft posture, rigid and her grip on her hands stronger than ever. Yumna gripped her face and pinched her cheeks tightly, running a careful look over her daughter's face she smiled in contentment. The bright orange sun rays brought out the gold, warm undertones from her supple molten brown skin. Samra looked nothing short of stunning in the banarsi saree. The bright red with gold embroidery rested on her skin in a delicious grip.

"This is definitely your color," Yumna nodded appreciatively.

"I would love to own more such colors. Do you want to visit the markets before I turn nineteen?" She tilted her head.

"Samra—you know how it is," she said.

"Kisi din tou aap haan kahein gi na," Samra replied.

[One day you will say yes.]

There was an optimistic glint inside her eyes. Samra was a hopeful person for the most part, although sometimes she caved in and ended up letting dark, upsetting thoughts take over. A handful of moments she could count where she had isolated herself and cried tears of pure, maroon blood. Times when she questioned God and her luck. She asked for answers and gave up. But a few days would pass and all signs of her depressive phase would leave her body. That was just who she was, and Yumna knew that very well. As mother though, she hoped her daughter could always be the ray of sunshine.