Finding Solace In You.

Chapter 1

A Blank Canvas

Nothing happens without a reason.

Ghazal thought while looking at her empty hands. They were always empty but many times she felt like Allah had taken extra time to write her destiny.

Taking a long breath, she looked around herself. The shy winter was slowly coming out of its cocoon and her surrounding was giving this message subtly. She picked up a dried peepal leaf and whirled it, tucking it in between her forefinger and thumb.

Glancing at her wristwatch, she stuck her eyes on the main door of the building. Waiting was the main purpose of her life, she always felt. This time, she was waiting for her little boy.

On the cue, the school bell rang and she got up from her place instinctively. Every kid's face was beaming with pure joy, the happiness of returning home. Ghazal was searching for her boy in those unknown faces and her heart leaped out seeing her kid.

He too found her and ran towards her with a never-ending smile on his face. Sitting on her knees, she hugged him tightly.

"How's my boy?"

Ghazal fondly asked her child, Adam. It was his first day of school and being a mother she was more than nervous for her kid.

"It was awe-shome. But I mi-shed you."

Adam said in his childish way and pinched his mother's cheeks. Ghazal giggled, wiping the tears from her eyes. It was sometime hard for her to believe that her kid was growing so fast. It felt just like yesterday when she had taken him in her arms for the first time and today he attended his first day of school.

"Ma, I made two friendsh today. "

"Very good. What are their names?"

Ghazal acknowledged him, taking his hand in hers and started walking to their home.

"Farish and Zaid. You know Zaid comesh to shcool with hish Papa."

"That's nice."

Ghazal said absentmindedly, unknown of the fact where their conversation was going.

"Ma, where ish my Papa?"

***

The beeping sound forced Haaris to open his burning eyes. An unbearable pain shot up to his head and he groaned in response. Closing his eyes once again, he began to search the source of the sound. As he found it, he smashed his cell phone on the wall.

After some time, he opened his eyes and began to look at his surroundings. It was difficult for him to remember last night but he knew he must have lost his senses due to over drinking and some of his friends had helped him.

It was his friend, Qasim's house, the only bachelor in their group. Mostly at his time of over drinking, he used to open his eyes in Qasim's house because he was living on his own.

Haaris was on the living room sofa and as soon as he turned, he fell on the ground with a thud. He held his head in his hands to stop the spinning. His mouth felt parched and a stale odor was a part of his being.

There were no signs of his friend and his groggy eyes told him it was early noon. With extreme difficulty, he stood up and began to take careful strides toward the kitchen. Balancing himself was the hardest task for him right now. A wave of dizziness came over him and he collided with the side table, dropping some frames in the process.

Flashes of his past again began to haunt Haaris as he glanced over the broken photo frames. He had to forget them, no he couldn't think about them now. A volcano of anxiety was rising in the pit of his stomach.