Oh! Those Blue Eyes.... - 3

Days are hot and nights are very cold as usual. The festive mood of the house settled and the normal mode of living came to existence. But life is not easy for Al-Zarqa. She was always gloomy and filled with deep thoughts. She wished if she could just turn on her emotions and feelings to another one without any strains. She preferred to be in her room all the times other than the time of her worships which she had to do with her mother in their prayer hall. She never missed one and never wanted to.

That night she was lying on the bed when the maid came to ask her for the dinner. She came down the stairs slowly and saw Mano, the cook serving the dishes for everyone. She felt a sudden positive vibe on her mind immediately after seeing him. Her walk itself showed that. She is seeing him after a month. He went to India for his vacation the day after they left for their desert camping and she is seeing him only today after that.

Mano is a man in his thirties. He is from India and to be precise from Tamilnadu. He is a handsome youth very famous for his sweet character and his hard work and loved by everyone in the family especially by Al-Zarqa. He is a Tamilian from a remote village of Sivagangai. He is a graduate and the poverty of his family drove him to Saudi Arabia to do any job just to earn the daily bread for his poor family. It’s around 10 years since he came to their home as a servant. He has got all their trust and Al-Zarqa helps him sometimes financially at times of his need. He sometimes drives the car for her. He takes her to her institute, drives her home and accompanies her for shopping.

“Masa Al - khair (Good evening) Princess….” Mano saw her and greeted her with a pleasant smile.

She smiled back at him and sat on a chair. Then she asked him, “Kayfa Haalak? (How are you)”

“I am fine. Shukran(Thank you). How are you princess?” He answered her and served her with the dishes.

Al-Zarqa seemed to enjoy her dinner after a long gap and she really had a sumptuous meal. Before leaving the dining hall, she looked at him meaningfully and he slightly nodded his head without giving anybody a chance to notice them.

Al-Zarqa reached her room and locked the room then waited for about an hour. Then she took out her mobile phone and typed something in it in Arabic and sent to a particular number she memorized by the prolonged usage. After a minute or two the screen of her mobile blinked rhythmically. She opened the inbox read the message and her beautiful eyes bloomed as if a bud blooming in the touch of a secret breeze.

She texted to that number again and she got the reply this time soon and it continued for more than an hour. Finally she deleted all the messages she received after reading them once more and then kept the phone on the table and went to sleep. That night she slept peacefully after a long time and she was muttering something in her sleep as if she was under some beautiful spell and the next day dawned very beautiful for her.

She was extremely happy that day and even her mother was wondered and asked her for the reason behind her happiness. She loitered around the house like a beautiful humming bird covered in soft velvet robe.

Evening she went and met her mother who was in her room. Her mother who was reading a thick book probably a religious one raised her brows in question when she heard the foot steps outside the room. Al-Zarqa was standing there. Her posture of standing itself showed that she needed some favours from her mother.

“What is it honey?” She asked.

“What?” She asked her mother back.

“What is that you came to see me for?”

“I came to ask your permission to go to shopping.” She said.

“Now?.... Can’t you see it’s late to go alone for a shopping?” Her mother was strict.

“I just want to go out for a relaxation… If you don’t feel like letting me go, then its OK…” Al-Zarqa told in a soft voice but the tone showed that she was sad.

Her mother didn’t want her daughter to be sad and so she decided to accompany her.

“OK… Don’t get upset…. I’ll accompany you… Give me five minutes… I’ll be ready soon. Tell Mano to take the car for us…” She comforted her daughter and expected her to be happy for granting her permission. She always knew that it’s not safe to leave the kids alone to shopping or for any other reasons at late times. She is not mentally prepared to let her daughter alone anywhere at late hours but at the same time she didn’t want to disappoint them.

But Al-Zarqa’s eyes were not showing any happiness she expected to see there. When Al-Zarqa noticed the quest in the eyes of her mother she answered her that she didn’t want her mother to get disturbed and she would go the next morning if possible and left the room with much disappointment. Her mother looked at her back as she moved for a while and then continued her reading.

Next morning she was getting ready to go the institution to get the certificates and suddenly Al-Nazna came there in her car. She visited her sister in her room. When she entered her room Al-Zarqa was doing something in her mobile. She didn’t expect her sister to be in her room at that time and taken aback a little seeing her. She switched off her mobile and kept that in her vanity bag. But Al-Nazna did notice that hurry and uneasiness in her sister’s face.

“What are you doing with that mobile all the time?” She asked.

“Maa fii (Nothing)…. I just tried to make a call to the office of my institution to clarify something. But couldn’t get the line…” She said.

“Are you going to your college?.... If so I am also coming with you… I have to do some shopping… so we can make a stop at the Rimal Centre… What do you say?....” Al-Nazna asked enthusiastically.

“OK, Al-Naz…” She answered her after thinking for a while.

On reaching her institution the travel proved to be a futile one as she couldn’t get her certificates. On their return, they stopped for a shopping and AL-Nazna made a detailed shopping and Al-Zarqa did buy something too. Her shopping came to a close too soon and she left to their car in the parking after telling to her sister. Al-Nazna compelled Al-Zarqa to help her with the purchase but she told her that she had a headache and took leave.

When she reached for her car, Mano was standing outside the car. Without saying anything she opened the door and entered in. He talked to her with a news paper opened.

“Princess… I have arranged everything…” He said in a very low voice which only she could hear.

“Mano… I know it’s too late to think like this now… But I am very much scared to do that now…” She is obviously scared and Mano could sense the shiver in her low voice.

“But princess…. I am very much helpless now… I can understand your fear but everything has been arranged under so much of risk factors… If you don’t show courage now, we would end up failed and sometimes it may put my life too under danger…” He said.

She didn’t say anything. Tears rolled down from her beautiful blue eyes. Mano could hear sobbing under her burqa. He felt an urge to wipe off her tears but he controlled his emotions. He looked at her beautiful blue eyes. He could see the pain in her eyes. They seem to talk her heart out. The agony he saw in her eyes melted his heart. He knows her for about 10 years. He has never seen her sad like this before. Though brought up as a princess she was down to earth and very rarely gets angry and raises her voice. He thought it might be very difficult not to like her. She slightly took off the mask that covered her face and wiped off the nose with a tissue paper and then the tears. He couldn’t control then.

“Princess… Leave aside the risks and everything…. If you don’t feel like doing it… then it’s OK… But don’t cry like this… I can’t see you like this….” He pleaded.

“Laa (No) Mano… Mish Muhim (Never mind)….. I am going to go… I don’t want to put your life under risk and don’t want to confuse myself with all the random thoughts…. Let me face everything as they come…. Moreover this is not the time to change the long ago planned schedules and is not a child’s play….. After all this is my life and I would like to live it at least once as I like it to be…. ” She was clear and a sudden strength seemed to appear on her face.

“Think over it deep and let me know your decision late this evening… If you proceed with this, then be ready to get out from the home on Friday morning… I will accompany you….” He said and he also talked to her about an hour more then he saw Al-Nazna approaching them with all her bags. He folded the newspaper and put that in the front seat and hurried towards her to get the bags from her. She got in the car and it started to go home.

It is the cold Friday morning. The weather is very chill as the hot rays of sun yet to burn the land. Al-Zarqa couldn’t sleep the previous night. She still couldn’t believe whether it was the real she who decided to elope from the country, from her kith and kin. She is still in her bed rolling here and there. She packed a small bag which contained some very essential things that were very important to her and handed them over to Mano, then it self very secretly.

She couldn’t think of a lie to be told to her Umm (Mother). She indulged in deep thoughts and she felt crying occasionally. Then she decided to get ready. She waited in her room until her maid came to ask her for breakfast. She came down fully dressed. Her mother was surprised to see her ready to go somewhere.

“Alz, where are you going this early?” She was wondering.

“Umm (Mother)… Haven’t I told you before that today I have to go to my institute to get my certificates back?” She answered without seeing her face.

“Did you?.... I don’t remember you saying that….” Her mother grew a little suspicious in real.

“You might have forgotten Umm (Mother)…. I have already told you….” She said with a little more firm voice.

“OK… OK…. Don’t be late… Today Abbu (Father) will be home by afternoon…” Her mother told.

Al-Zarqa is shocked to hear that. But she didn’t want to delay. She is scared that her mother could hear her heart beating very fast in fear and worry. Her blue eyes welled with water as the thought of leaving her mother and father forever there and she is afraid of the pros and cons of what she is about to do. She is also aware of the fact that her mother is the one who is getting to be punished for her action.

She finished her breakfast in a hurry and asked for Mano to accompany her to the institution. But it has been informed that he had left home earlier that morning to take care of some urgent personal matter. So Al-Zarqa started from home with another driver. She had already informed her mother that she would go to her institute with one of her friends. Moreover it might take sometime to return.

The car reached the entrance of the institute and she told the driver to stop the car there and entered in. The driver turned and drove away. She waited for that moment and made a phone call and a cab from somewhere came fast and parked near her. Before getting into the car Al-Zarqa made another phone call to her mother saying she reached the college and she would return home in her friend’s car. Her mother didn’t say anything to oppose that because that was not the first time she was doing that.

Then she entered in to the car and it was Mano who was driving the car. She was obviously upset and was tensed. They didn’t talk anything and in real they scared to talk about anything. About one hour later they have reached the King Abdul Aziz International Airport, Riyadh.

He told Al-Zarqa to wait in the cab and went straight in to the departure section made some queries and came back to take her in. Both of them reached the entrance.

“Princess… Here is your passport and visa… Now you can go wait there on the lounge to wait for the flight….” Mano said with a slight shiver in his voice.

Al-Zarqa received the documents in her hand. Her beautiful blue eyes were full of innocent fear and melancholy. Then Mano gave her the bag and other stuffs to her. He told that the new sim card to be used in India would be handed over to her by the person who comes to receive her in Mumbai Airport. The person is a very close relative of Mano and he would do all the needful things to her and send her safely to Chennai.

“Don’t worry princess…. You will be alright and take good care of yourself….. I will pray for you… You are going to have a wonderful life… God bless you my sweet princess….” Mano told. He was very emotional and his voice trembled. His throat hurt as if some hard thing choked there. He was in full pain and found no word to say to her.

Al-Zarqa made a lifeless smile. It slowly fainted on her lips. Her eyes couldn’t reflect her smile. So he couldn’t realize that she smiled at him at all. She slowly touched his nose with her nose as if saying good bye to a brother.

“You take care of yourself… I am sorry to be selfish and for putting your life in danger…. Please forgive me… Take care of my parents especially my mother…. Tell her that I love and respect her than anybody else when you get a real chance…. Thank you for all your helps…. I will never ever forget your helps…. Maa-a-salaamah Akh (Good bye dear brother)!!.....” She burst out into tears and started to walk away from there to the lounge.

Mano watched her walk away slowly until his own tears blurred his vision and till Al-Zarqa vanished away from his sight. The magnificent black butterfly flies away in search of its own life….

[FONT=&quot] {To be continued…)[/FONT]

 

Dear Sofea Thank you very much for your first FB.

You would find much surprises in Alz's journey. Sometimes you may even feel sorry for her or may even get angry with her for some of her mistakes. Hope you would support her throughout her journey.

Love,
Simi..

 

Thank you very much Aruna

Glad that you like the episode. Alz is not a kind of a girl who is rebellious. But the circumstances make her a rebel. She runs away because of her simple dreams. Though the dreams are simple, they really needed some drastic steps to achieve them. They put her into troubles. Would she be able to come out from that mess?.... Hmm (Sigh..) Don't know....

Love,

Simi..

 

Dear DFP,

Thank you for liking the story... Please keep reading...

 

Thank you very much for your precious compliments shanti dear. You guys really make my days...

Have a great day ahead and GOD bless you and your family..

Love,

Simi..