45376134
Fiction
Majnu
5.30am: Everything is still the same even after 10 years. The usual ceiling fan whirring in the smoky air, the hawker yelling at the top of his lungs at 5.30am and the cows walking towards the irrigated land leaving their sharp dung stench behind. Nothing has changed, neither the childlessness of my family nor the silence of my house. Yet, few things have changed, and today I am going to tell Laila about it. Although, I still love hugging her from behind while she is asleep and placing my face right in her hair that smell like lavender, there is this long overdue confession that I have to make and I have finally mustered all the courage so once I get back from work today, I will disclose the secret life I have been living for the past 3 years and get rid of the guilt which has been an old element in my repertoire of feelings.
6.30am: It's a sunny day but they have forecasted rain on the radio. Laila loves rain but today she might not. Every morning, weekdays and weekends alike she gets up at 6am to make breakfast for me, always making me feel the warmth that radiates through her gestures. From ironing my clothes to setting up water and toiletries for my bath, she does everything so gingerly. Yes! Here comes the best part, the freshly made breakfast. It is spinach stew with buttered roti, today. That's a first. Gosh! How does she manage to make scrumptious food even after 10 years? Ahh...How perfect we could have been, only if we had a child. Only if...
8.00am: As usual, Laila is waiting for me at the door but this time there is something different; she is glowing an air of...