— H O O R —. . . When talked about ‘talent’, it reminds me of the parable told in the Bible by Jesus Christ, the Lord. It is the story of three servants of a man who were given talents by their master. To one he was given five talents, to another he was given three talents and to the third he was given one talent.He gives them the talents and goes out and expects them to earn something from the talents given to them till he returns. The one who has five talents earns five more talents from them. He who has three earns three more, but he who has one talent does not do anything with it. In fact, he goes and buries that one talent in the soil because he says to himself that my master is a very harsh man. He takes from where he did not put any effort. He was afraid that his master might curse him, but when his master came, his fear came true.But when his master comes and takes account of everyone, he praises the remaining two servants for their work and hard work and gives them the
— H O O R —. . .The night we had dinner together, talking with each other about random things. Zahir was soft and nice to me, smiling at me all the time.For a moment, indeed I was wondering about his behaviour towards me. Do not get me wrong when I say every time I keep wondering about the change in his behavior. I have a hard time coping with Zahir and whatever has happened between us two was not good and bright at all. At least not admirable. So of course, the change in him would always surprise me. But it was only a moment. I did not trouble my brain regarding this but enjoyed his sweet side. He is a handsome man with a good sense of humor. He is cute and lovely. Only when he is like that. After dinner, we came back to our room and I spent time reading the Bible and praying. He was busy with his laptop again but after half an hour, he came and joined me.He kneels beside me. Sensing his presence, I steal a glance at him and make a place for him, letting him sit beside me.
— H O O R —. . .“Come here,” he calls me gently, smiling at me.The pretty and bright glow of the moon falls on his face through the window of our room which I have left open. My fault, that I have left it open in this weather. I close it first, going to him. And once again my eyes are attracted to his face as if once again the deep blue irises of his beautiful eyes call me to take a look at them. Have I fallen in love with them? Can say. They always attract me and make me look deeper into him. It feels like I am lost. Lost in the dark blue chasms and it calls me to him.Even the sight of the moon seems like nothing in front of his eyes. He has taken all my attention. His heart-melting smile and his soft eyes. What’s happening to me, I wonder.“Now I’ll let you know,” he begins, “You know very well that God created man and woman for each other and ultimately He is for us, everything.”I nod my head in understanding.“We belong to Him and to each other if married. As said in Gen
— H O O R —. . .Last night was the most different night of my life. Zahir told me about his childhood — the very reason why he never wanted to marry, and in my heart, I can’t help but think about it over and over again. After he told me about his heart’s deepest fear — fear of being broken — I could not sleep for almost three hours. It was only around dawn I could sleep. The soul in me was troubled yet in unexplained peace. It felt different and quite lovely to know that he shared with me something that only his father had experienced and his brother had seen. Zahir too was a victim of it.He slept peacefully but I could not. Not like I was blaming him for anything but I just could not find the will to fall asleep.I kept looking at him. He was holding me, hiding his face in the crook of my neck, and mumbling a few things that I could not hear. He has weird habits, right? But all that makes him as cute as a baby. When my eyes started getting heavy, I gave up and fell asleep bu
— H O O R —. . .“Anything?” I ask as my eyes widen, surprised to know if he will really do anything for me or if give me if I really ask him.He laughs handsomely, throwing his head back. His raven locks bounce and his blue eyes squint cutely. The skin around his eyes wrinkles. “Anything,” he answers me, nodding his head at me. I sigh, nodding my head, too. I know I can ask him anything but what I truly desire is something that I doubt he would be able to give me. My desire is...“Thinking?” He interrupts my thoughts, staring at me sweetly as he tilts his head. “Um... I don’t want anything for now,” I say, shrugging and backing away. I really do not want to tell him that and ruin his mood. Yeah, it can ruin his mood and I do not want that. It is good when he smiles. When he smiles, I like it and when he is irked, he irks me, too. “All of a sudden? What changed?” He gives me a confused look but I stay with that answer. I do not want to change it. “Nothing. I just don’t want an
— H O O R —. . .Could you just believe where did he take me? It was an aquarium and I was amazed to be in that place with Zahir. We enjoyed a lot and clicked pictures together. Well, one thing I got to learn about Zahir is that he is not fond of clicking pictures.He does not like it! He said that. And it was really funny as I got to know about this. Does he even know how handsome he looks? Well, the way he questioned me this evening made me realize that yeah, he knows about himself but still, he is not very fond of it. Wow. I could not even expect any less from such a grumpy man. But still, I got some snaps of us together. I did not get this chance to bring a camera with me but I had my phone through which I clicked many pictures of us together. He was grumpy in the beginning, telling me not to annoy him by taking his picture but I could not stop myself. I threatened him first to come with me but still, he did not even budge. So when I decided to force him, he literally hid
— H O O R —. . .“Then what was that?” He asks me, his tone serious and his eyes a bit tiry. “Uh...” I need some time to think of an excuse, Zahir! I swallow, licking my bottom lip and nodding my head and I do not even know why am I doing it. It feels stupid! Gosh, Hoor, what is wrong with you?“What?” He looks confused. “Actually, Zahir... it was just that...”“Just what?”“That I-I was... I-uh... all of s-sudden I suddenly thought of the... of the lingerie in my suitcase!” I finish somehow, giving him the most lame excuse yet holding a bit of truth. Yes, honestly! Bhabhi Rayma literally forced me to pack a few sets of lingerie with me. White, black, and cherry red, she suggested to me those I bought with them on their suggestions. Indeed I was a blushing mess in her presence but she did not make fun of me. Instead, she patted my back and encouraged me. Yeah, quite funny, I know. I had no other way than to silently put those packets in my suitcase though I knew I was not even
— H O O R —. . .As Zahir said, he took me to our next destination the very morning. It was a pleasant morning. I do not know why — surely not in excitement — I got up early and walked to the balcony where I looked out through there and sighed at the peaceful sight. It was around four in the morning when I got up and looked out. The city was bathed in silence. There was no sound made except for the chirping birds. The sun was rising as I looked to my side and the sky was gaining brightness back. It looked beautiful. It was, as if, the very heart of the city was beating slowly and lovingly. It soothed my nerves. Zahir was still sleeping and I did not want to disturb him so I freshened up and got myself a cup of hot coffee. In my mind was the poem of William Wordsworth, On The Westminster Bridge which I studied in my college days. Now I realized what was in William’s mind when he was writing the poem. I behold the view until Zahir gets up and asks me to get ready. I do it. I get r