There was no one in sight, it was very late and the streets were empty. I could hear the crickets in the streets. At first, I assumed he might be taking me to the training grounds but it felt a little risky to go there. We pass by a familiar road, one I was so common with, one that had been printed in clear description at the back of my head. I glance at abbas from behind him watching carefully, trying to see if he was as familiar with this road as I was. Not a lot of people came here because the river was further than the one most of the village went to. It was surrounded by slopes of green land, that's what I loved about it. I loved the scent from the mountains, it's not a scent that can be put into words. I watched abbas leap off his horse and i did the same with mine.
"We're going to practice here?"
abbas moves towards the river and nods at me."I know it's dark but it's the only way I can ensure no men will see you when we practice" I nod watching the place that brought back all the memories of where most of my childhood had been spent.
"Okay, let's begin, show me what you got" he hands me a sword and takes his out. I observe his stance and posture and imitate it.
"Good you're posture isn't too bad, strike me!" he commanded. I struck with the sword and saw no effect on abbas" he rubs his palms over his patchy beard.
"When you strike, don't throw your entire body into it, make sure the upper portion remains upright" I struck again and this time I can feel more force put onto the sword. Abbas shifts the sword towards my chin, lifting it up "keep your chin up and widen your stance" I do as he says and strike one more time
"Good, that's my wife" his eyes seemed to smile with this phrase.
"Now that you have these basics down the rest will all depend on the spots you chose to aim for, another man may be stronger than you but by hitting some vital spots, you eliminate his chance of beating you by 50%. I want you to strike at the legs near the back muscles the same with the arms, you strike near the elbows but a little below them. Come try to hit me" I take in all the information focusing on these vital spots and hit him but he was able to block it, I attack a few more times until I became very close, he looks at me with a spark of satisfaction in his eyes.
"I want you to remember these moves and practice whenever you get the chance," he says with a stern gaze, I nod my head, too breathless to speak. We trained for three hours, he notices and pulls me near the river. He lowers his hands into the river bringing water up and offering me to drink. I blushed at this sudden action and offered to do the same but compared to his palm mine barely held any water. Abbas looks at me and smiles drinking anyways.
"I might need three more handfuls of water" he jokes raising his eyebrows
"Had I known I would've brought a bucket" I say raising my eyebrows back at him
"It's not the same, it's different when it's from the hands of the woman who holds my heart" I look down at the river, avoiding his gaze. I felt his eyes on me which made me even more nervous. He stands up lending me his hand, I hold it and he pulls me up.
"Let's sit there," he says pointing towards the grass.
Since the river was surrounded by mountains, the grass was greener, and the side of the mountains were like little land slopes people can just rest on. I put my cloak on the grass and we both lay on it and look up at the dark sky filled with tiny bright stars. I wondered if the stars only shined so brightly because the sky was dark, what if the stars are in the sky in the morning too but no one sees them because they're not surrounded by the darkness that allows their light to shine.
"This was where I first met you" abbas exclaims from next to me
"here ?" I asked surprised. I don't think I ever met abbas before we got married unless it was when I saw him in the streets of the city heading to the markets.
"You don't remember" he turns his head and gives me a sad smile
"At the time we were both 13, you were wearing a red scarf over your head that day. I don't remember how I fell but I ended up near this river and you were filling buckets of water. You saw me fall and you came close to me and asked if I was okay. At the time I was so embarrassed that I forced myself to stand up even with the pain in my ankle. You saw the side of my arm was bleeding and didn't even say a word, you poured some water over it and ripped off a piece of your hijab, and wrapped it around my arm. I kept that red scarf in my jeans pocket, maybe you didn't think much of it but I did. It's not like there was any benefit out of helping me but you did" I was taken back by what he said. How do I not remember this, I try to run through my memories maybe I would remember but I don't.
"You don't remember?" I look down shaking my head slowly "asfha" (sorry)
"It's okay, you shouldn't apologize, there's no reason to," he said in a disappointed tone
"How did you look? Maybe ill remember"
"I remember being really skinny and tall. I also had a buzzcut but that's it" he looks over at me but I press my lips together and gently shake my head. I didn't understand how I don't remember, I bury my face with my hand facing away from abbas and I laugh at myself.
" let me laugh with you," abbas says turning on his side facing me, I turn my head to look at him
"I don't remember meeting my future husband but I remember that red scarf, isn't it weird how our mind chooses what it wants us to remember. I wish I remember meeting you and not the red hijab"
"But maybe that's why you remember the hijab, maybe it's because of the way it was ripped and you just forgot why" he turns back facing the stars. He closes his eyes and smiles. I glance at his lashes which gently touched over his eyes. I glance at his smile and tell my brain to remember this. I'm going to store this smile in my memories for sure. With his eyes still closed he says
"We remember with our hearts, you don't remember because at the time you were just being you, kind and beautiful but I... I fell in love with you. It's my heart that remembers you."
I close my eyes this time and I inhale deeply making sure that my heart would remember this tingly feeling. I feel the air fill my lungs and his words echo around me.
YOU ARE READING
A silent cry
Historical Fiction"and after all this time of waiting the devil would reach out to me and whisper, he's dead and you are here, how much longer will you wait, how much longer would you deny the truth, at some point, I was afraid that he would unlock my ribcage and sen...
