She was like a butterfly in spring. Flying from one garden to the next with her face pulled in a bright smile.
He was like a lonely Eagle. Soaring through the winds at high speeds, looking for happiness.
Life threw curveball on curveball in her path...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
S I Z Z L E of the paratha's on the hot pan was heard throughout the tiny home. The smoke that arose as a result wafted through and tickled the noses of all the residents. The karailay [bitter gourd] were simmering on low heat sitting amongst a ton of tomatoes and spices to form the gravy. Perfectly round pairay [doughballs] were placed on the counter top, waiting to be rolled into a thin, fine and crisp tortilla.
Hoor wiped her forehead occasionally whilst she rolled out the tortillas for lunch. Being a Sunday, the entire family was home so it meant lunch would be served at the same time to all. Her mother, sat like usual beneath the kicthen window and constantly looked at her phone screen, as if awaiting an important call.
And an important call was what she was waiting for. Shagfuta had visited them two days ago and they were yet to recieve a call from her. Jahan-ara had turned into a ticking bomb. Everyone held their breath near her so that she would not burst open at any given second. Hoor tried her best to please her ammi during the last two days in order to stop her from lashing out.
The sun kissed sky was crystal clear as the pigeons flew over and under into their little hoods. The cat under the trees shade meowed in content. Motorcycles could be heard zooming through their broken street. This street of theirs, was a pain. Anytime it would rain, the holes and open gutters would fill up causing innocent people to fall into it. And if the people at the weather department could be trusted, a downpour was expected during the day. However, the crystal clear sky made it seem like a lie.
"Arrey jab mar jain gai tab khanay ko milay ga kiya?" [Will we get food when we die?] Ali shouted as soon as he returned from his daily session of roaming around with his friends. "Nahi bhai. Bas panch minutemein khana laga rahi hun," [No brother. I'm serving in five minutes] Hoor gave him a reply. Distracted from the noise her brother was making, Hoor's hand slipped and came in contact with the burning hot tawa. "Aah!" Hoor shrieked in pain. "Ab kiya kia hai?" [What happened now?] Ammi shouted. "Kuch nahi haathtaway par lag gaya tha," [Nothing. Just touched the pan] the meek young woman replied calmly. "Hosh meinrehkar kaam karo. Agar kuch ho gaya tou kapray kondhoy ga aur safai kon karay ga?" [Work with consciousness. If something happens to you who will wash the clothes and clean the house?] Jahan-ara reprimanded Hoor. Replying with a simple "ji,"[yes] Hoor continued with her work.
Like she had promised, the dining table was set with the heavenly lunch withing five minutes. "Khana laga diyahai". [I have served the food] Hoor told everybody who left whatever they were doing instantly to sit down for some food. The salan[gravy]was passed around the table as everyone dug in. Her abbu jaan could not help but praise her. Whilst her ammi chose to remain silent and Ali decided to pick a fight about why the food had no form of meat in it.
