Valentine's day finally arrived. Wow, what a waste of a day I wish they would give us a public holiday not that I was interested in it or anything but I would rather be at home,sleeping or watching my Indian movies than be in school watching people exchange gifts for reasons they don't know. Not to kill the mood but I knew the chances of any of those couples ending up together was as slim as Lana del Rey and Billie Eilish singing a happy song. The funny thing is I liked to watch Indian movies which are usually romantic movies and you would wonder why I didn't believe in love crap and all that ,well I believe the movies portray fantasy, love that rarely exists and all that and to dwell in it and think that love is that way is just deception.
The way I see life, it's tragedy all through. In the end we all die so how can they be a happily ever after?
I am not like those that get lost in it. I watch it ,admire their gift of poetry,their beauty, but I do not applaud their failed attempt to keep me glued to the screen with the endless waste of time they call suspense. I do enjoy the music though,It is poetic .some say I am superficial. I don't allow myself to feel beyond necessary. I don't carry feelings that weigh me down, I just flow. My thoughts are deep I must say .
I got ready early because I didn't want to hear the "everyone's time is precious "blah blah blah speech .I went outside and five minutes later my teacher arrived. He was wearing red for God's sake. Who does that anymore? I wanted to laugh so badly but then I saw his face. His eyes seemed moist ,his nose was so red as if he had been hit with a bat and his face looked puffy. Someone must be having a bad day, I said to myself. He kept sneezing and coughing. He looked so pitiful like a puppy and I couldn't see him that way don't think I care . The sneezing just felt like noise to my ear. We were going nowhere with the lessons so I asked for excuse and went inside to tell mum that sadeeq was sick .she quickly followed me outside and brought him to the living room .she gave him a blanket and told me to grab my school socks and made him some hot tea. He was so cute all wrapped up, I could say like a drenched stray cat.I know ,I always find a way of making everything dark.
Muhammed arrived after maghrib prayer and mum asked him to take sadeeq home . After they left ,she told me to get sadeeqs number and ask about his well-being until he recovered. I didn't want to . It was just a two days lesson . Why should I be so tacky and call him. But I had too, mum said it. So it had to be done. Mum was my life. Even with my I don't care attitude I had the softest and safest place in my heart for her and losing her could end me.
Muhammad came back at night and I got Sadeeqs number from him.
SADEEQ'S p.o.v
God!I.have been having headache since this morning and it won't go away. I keep sneezing endlessly because I went to the mosque without my sweater. I wanted to skip today's lesson but I want to see Hayaat . I was curious about her. She was gentle like a summer breeze and God! Her eyes there could pierce through ice. I wouldn't want them to think I wasn't taking the lesson seriously because it was for free. I grabbed my red shirt and headed straight to Hayaats place and I immediately wished I didn't.I didn't even know what I was doing. My head was so heavy,I felt like I was going to collapse, which I did.
I woke up and I was in a blanket and Hayaat was staring at me,could this be heaven ?her face just lit my heart from the inside out .Hayaat handed me a cup of tea and I drank the whole cup. I felt so at home like I belonged there. After resting for a while, mama told Muhammed to take me home .
It had been three days since I saw Hayaat. Not that I was sick anymore but mama wouldn't let me go out until after a week. I had nothing to do all day. Time was slow, as though it was walking on the back of a snail. I guess boredom does that to you. Often times I find myself thinking about Hayaat. It was a new change from my everyday thoughts. Anxiety and insomnia were my best friends and every time it got dark they would come and stay by my side till the sun rose. I was glad something else was popping up in my mind from time to time.
Hayaats p.o.v
"Assalamualaikum"I said waalaikumsalam, he replied. It's Hayaat. "I wanted to call and ask about your health. I hope you are feeling better now". I asked , "I am fine".He replied his voice was devoid of any sign of cough. He was completely fine. He was just being lazy, that's why he hasn't come to teach me. ok get well I said and disconnected the call. He was okay but didn't come to teach me . Humans!! The moment you start to depend on them they disappoint you. I had cleared all my schedules and had my life planned for this lesson now I had to change them all again. I hated change,it was disturbing to me.
I had my life all planned out from the day I hit 15 and of course ,romance was the last thing on my mind. Get a degree, write a book, get a pet, have a garden and travel the world if I had the money.it was a simple dream I painted in black and white. I don't think life will be cruel not to reward me with something as easy as this.
Lost in my little dark room, I received a notification and I swiped to look at it. It was a WhatsApp message from sadeeq. And heaven knows I didn't have time for chit chat. I opened my message and left it on read.
I dragged my blanket and went to sleep.
Sadeeqs p.o.v
Did Hayaat just call me? I guess she also has some feelings for me. She cared enough to find my number and call about my health or was it just courtesy on her side? Should I send her a message on WhatsApp?won't it seem awkward?I didnt even think twice about my negative thoughts. I just decided to send the message. Now the question is what should I say hey Hayaat, hope you are reading?I immediately deleted it .it sounds so serious, hy Hayaat WhatsApp?this won't work too It seems like something her classmate would type. I just type hy student how are you ?I waited for over 40 minutes before I saw a double tick. Yeah, she is online. She read my message and just goes off with no reply or anything. I assumed she ran out of data or fell asleep.
Four days later I received a message that our holiday had been minimized so we would be resuming earlier than planned just two weeks left .I didn't need to continue the lesson with Hayaat because what knowledge will I impact on her within two weeks ?but I wanted to see her and inform mama and Muhammad. I had called her twice and texted her a couple of times but she hasn't responded to them. So I just decided it would be better to just go to their house.
Ever radiant Hayaat was smiling. She didn't expect me to come. She was in the living room talking with Muhammed and she seemed happy. I didn't know what they were talking about ,it made Hayaat laugh and I started to chuckle.
I had never seen Hayaat laugh that way before. There was something about her that drew me close to her like moth drawn to fire . But she wouldn't be deadly to me in-fact she will breath life into my existence just like her name. I said my goodbyes and mama wished me luck. Come to think of it , fate was playing its hand because the main reason of me meeting Hayaat was to teach her but that never happened. Maybe fate had something bigger stored for us.
Hayaats p.o.v
I refused to pick sadeeqs call . He was being too clingy and I believe for some reasons best known to him he wanted us to be close . The only closeness I know between a guy and a girl was a relationship and to me ,romance is a waste of time. The time people invested in it if channeled into something productive like sleeping would save the world ,yeah you heard me when we get enough sleep our brain functions well and we do things better. Doctors perform better ,engineers too and the world becomes a better place.
We were all in the sitting room it was a full family Muhammed said something funny and I couldn't stop laughing, assalamualaikum I heard sadeeqs voice coming from the door way waalaikumsalam we replied ka shigo (come in) mama said .
Sadeeq said he had to go back to school and feels terrible our lesson had to end. I had already cancelled that lesson out of my plans from the moment he got sick , I knew he wouldn't last. Now I would use my time for something else. I didn't even have anything else to do . For some odd reason having him around would have been better. But who cares People leave and the sooner they do the better .
