The Shades of Spring

Butterfly wingbeats

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked for the third time.
Hafsa looked at Sidra in panic and realised Ayaan's frustration was infinitely less scary than Sidra's glare. The poor girl's insides knotted rapidly. She gulped down the fear and returned to meet Ayaan's eyes.
"I didn't think it was that big a deal. Honestly. Like, people hit on girls like all the time. Right?"

"And yet, you bring this up...say, over a month after the carnival. What changed now?"

"I saw him looking at me from the car in the parking lot," she admitted sheepishly.

On the day Sidra lost her way to the venue and Ayaan had to go find her, Hafsa Mahdi sat in the tent all by herself, with only her thoughts for company. Company proved hazardous to her health because said companion stubbornly brought up Musa in her memory. She sighed at the thought. Why? she asked herself. Why now??
An answer was forgotten when her mind snagged on a memory of his smile the day she had accidentally run into his mother. It was brief and quickly wiped off, but it had been there.
A white butterfly took flight, its wings jolting her out of Dreamland, as the young man staring at her in earnest accidentally toppled a prop item, upsetting the butterfly and startling a nearby man. Confusion turned to embarrassment when she realised she had been smiling at the man across the path from her, hurriedly she turned her back on him. For the next two carnivals, he would smile at Hafsa or sneak a wink when she was alone. And on the last day, as she stood in line for food and Josh wandered off to buy more fries, he siddled up behind her and offered to buy her food. She walked away. And later that day, while Sidra was talking to the men, Hafsa's gaze wandered off to land on the same man who mouthed I'll find you love.

Several times, she wanted to tell Sidra but always ended up swallowing her words because she didn't want to appear pitiable or silly. She believed that when the carnival ended so would the suggestive smiles. For that, she paid the price when he turned up in the parking lot, eyeing her with a queer sort of expression. The news reached Sidra and from her, Ayaan; prompting this meeting like one between two very concerned, very annoyed parents and their naive daughter.

"Hafsa..."

"Ayaan, look. I'm sorry. I just thought he'd forget. It was one time. Just once. And I didn't imagine he'll be giving be heebi jeebis in my own workplace some time later.."

"That's the cardinal error Hafsa. You don't ignore harassment. You report it. Had you told me early, I could have solved it then and there."

"Sorry," she mumbled her umpteenth apology.

Sidra didn't interfere, rather preferring to think her words through in light of the information. Stalkers had to be stopped.
"Let's tell Peter to do something about that guy."

"No." "Exactly." Hafsa and Ayaan blurted at the same time. Again, Hafsa quivered under the intense gazes which expressed clear distaste.

"What do you mean no? Do you want him to find your house next?"

Hafsa helplessly shook her head, "No. I just ....can't we deal with this on our own like adults? Tell him off?"

"You?"

"Not me. Maybe Ayaan..?"

The subject of her hope deadpanned the girl who questioned Hafsa, blew his cheeks out and assented. "I don't know how well it will work."

"Please. Please...."

He shook his head and sighed, then nodded at Sidra and left.

"What? Afraid of a fist fight?" Hafsa asked Sidra for which the latter punched her arm, "Tell that about him one more time."