Ishq Kinara[Love Ashore] Complete

40. Life as it comes

Their old house in Jauhar, the theater play costumes, her parents' proud whispering as she came back home after a play, and that hand.

Elaf shook her head.

Futile. This was so futile.

Coming out of the bathroom after getting freshen up, she made her way outside of the room. The house was submerged in complete silence. A given when there are just three residents. Elaf saw her parents' room was closed and she felt relief washing over her. They were asleep peacefully.

She came to the kitchen and started with the breakfast. Yusra won't be happy about it but Elaf wanted to help her out in any way she could. Not that there was much to do. Daud's breakfast was light for so many years and slowly Elaf and Yusra had also adopted it. The breakfast was never a fuss in their house.

Getting done with the task in hand, Elaf came back to her room. It was almost seven now. She rushed towards her cupboard and took out her clothes.

She was all ready to go when she entered the kitchen again. Yusra looked at her with narrowed eyes.

"You didn't have to start with breakfast."

Elaf shrugged her shoulders and picked the tray in front of Yusra.

"It's okay, Mama. You had a hectic day yesterday. Baba's up?"

Yusra nodded. Elaf was already going towards her parents room balancing the tray on her hands. She pushed the already opened door. Daud was all freshen up sitting in his bed reading the newspaper. A smile reached Elaf's lips, which was a rarity. Smiles were scarce in her life. Only genuine ones were for her parents. Other than that she didn't try much.

"Good morning, Baba."

Daud was already attentive towards his daughter. She placed the tray on the table and pushed it close to him. Then she settled his blanket around to ward off the cold. He was more prone to feel the fluctuation in the weather due to the blood thinners he was on.

"It's not that cold today."

He exclaimed and Elaf nodded looking out of the window. The sun was throwing its soft rays around. The typical nice winter day.

"It doesn't mean you should go out without your sweater and muffler."

"Wasn't going to."

She wasn't that convinced which made Daud smile. He was always looking for ways to move around. His heart condition had gotten worse over the years and that was a constant worry for Yusra and Elaf. They were always fussing over him. If it were on them, he would have been in this bed all day long but he wasn't that cooperative. He needed his daily dose of fresh air lest he should waste away. But that was the only time he took liberties with his health. He wasn't of much use anyway so didn't want to add to his daughter and wife's plight some more.

Elaf was rifling through his medicines. This was forever her task. His medical history was on her finger tips, his medicine schedule was at the back of her mind and the number of times he got seriously ill over the years was something she could narrate with all the details.

"Here."

She placed his morning set of pills in his hand and Daud swallowed them with water without any hesitation. She knew this drill more than him anyway.

"Okay, Baba. I'm off now. If you go out, don't try to walk much. I know fresh air is necessary but don't overdo it, okay?"

Daud was looking at her. Do years always leave such a profound mark on everyone? Or was it just his daughter. She hadn't lost herself, but she wasn't the Elaf from before as well. The carelessness, the nonchalance and the smiles, yes those. They had vanished from her life. She was the same caring daughter, now more than ever. Tending to every need of his and always there, no matter if it was the middle of the night or the crack of the dawn. He remembered how she had faced every brick life had thrown their way. Both financially and in terms of his health. How she had rushed him to the hospital every time he had angina and difficulty in breathing. She would deal with everything head on. Talking with the doctors, taking him for the checkups, managing the bills and then taking him home. When did she change from a dotted daughter to a daughter who knew her duties so well. Not that she didn't know it before, but how she had faced even what she didn't even have to face, Daud was proud of his little girl and sad too.