CHAPTER 8 - HAUNTING HAPPINESS

For Cyra and her mother, Ahmed's arrival means everything. All their life, they never got to love or be loved by a man truly, and Ahmed's mere presence gave them the joy and security they yearned for. Cyra had learnt from her mother's daunting life serving as a live example not to fall for a man without knowing him completely. But somehow, she felt Ahmed was magnetic and couldn't hide her happiness when he was around. She knew she wasn't the only one who felt that way between them.

On the day of jummah, Ahmed decided he would visit his home that weekend since it had been over a couple of months, so he went shopping for Aliza and his sister. He meandered about the market street for hours until he realised he had exceeded his budget. On his way back, his eyes caught hold of a beautiful deep blue saree with sparkling chamki works that reminded him of the night sky. He immediately thought about how well the saree would compliment Cyra's skin tone. He imagined Cyra wearing this elegant piece of fabric and striding across the hallway, and he smiled to himself. Only moments later did he realise he wasn't supposed to have that vision. He shuddered at the thought that it was immoral to think of other women instead of Aliza. But just thinking of gifting someone doesn't make me a person wrong, he thought. 

'Maybe I will buy one for Aliza too', he said to himself just to get rid of his guilt.

When he inquired, he found that the saree was a single piece and that it cost 1500 rupees. Caught between his morality, love for his wife, and newfound happiness, he flustered every second to make a correct decision. Finally, he bought the saree for Cyra and made it up by purchasing an expensive saree for Aliza. He wanted to relieve himself of the thought of betraying his wife though the new saree wasn't even as beautiful as the one chosen for Cyra. 

'It's just a saree. What's wrong with gifting this to Cyra? It's not like I am trying to ask her hand in marriage. She is my good friend, and the family is close to me.' He convinced himself.

That night, Ahmed had strange dreams. He saw himself wandering happily in luscious gardens holding hands with the most beautiful woman he had seen. He thought it was Jannah for a moment. The woman had eyes of those deep blue sky, and he could see his own reflection twinkling in her eyes. He shows her a rainbow across the river, and they laugh heartily at an inside joke. The woman was wearing a deep blue saree with stars studded onto them, and when she walked, her pallu grazed the fields, and the greens turned into beautiful flowers. Ahmed watched her in awe, and he knew he was in love.

Just when he cupped his hands around her face, a faint noise erupted between the trees, and he noticed a woman walking towards him. She was dressed in a bright red saree that was torn in places. Her face looked ghastly, and her hair was unkempt. She walked towards Ahmed, dragging her feet with blood oozing from her limbs. Her eyes were bloodshot, and when she saw him, Ahmed stopped smiling. It was Aliza, and Ahmed realised the woman he held in his arms wasn't her. He turned back to face the woman he had between his arms, and to his surprise, it was Cyra. And at that moment, everything started burning up, and the rainbows turned into ashes of lava, and the flowers all seemed to be dying. Ahmed woke up with a jerk, and he was sweating. He looked at the gifts he had brought for Aliza and Cyra. The blue and red saree lay side by side on his table.

To be continued…

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