You Will Always be Mine

Chapter# 39

Unedited.

Somewhere in the Black Eagles Main House lives a fragile soul. Silently standing at shore observing the peaceful sea before the storm. Whatever was the cause of this storm doesn't concern her. She was only afraid of the consequences of it. In her small span of life, she has witnessed and experienced many storms, but the intensity of this one was making her soul tremble. Natasha's restlessness is not hidden from her eyes. She was like a mother to Shahina, just as Amma-Bi and she knows the eyes of her mother, the small lines on her forehead which others usually ignores. She overheard Natasha's talking on phone about Yawar's presence in Shareefabad. He was here, but not even once tried to come to the Main House. Natasha was here for a long stay and Kanwal came too. Everything was too good to be true and she can sense it perfectly. Her consciousness screams from anxiety but her heart was in denial.

"Shahina, why are you sitting here alone like this?" Shahina raised her face from knees to see Amma-Bi standing at the door of her room.

"It's peaceful here." She answered putting her face on her knees again.

"Mere bache (my child). You know I don't like when you sit like this alone. It made my heart sink." She sat on the bed before Shahina and patted her head.

"Amma-Bi, can I ask something?"

"What is it?" She encouraged.

"Why did Moosa Bhai start calling you Amma-Bi?"

A wave of sadness crossed her face for a moment but she quickly schooled herself and said, "He said, he saw his mother in me."

"And what about you. Do you see him as your son too?"

"Of course I do. Moosa, Natasha, you and Yawar. Even Ahad too, you all are my own children and Mahnoor and Kanwal are my daughters-in-law." A genuine smiled appeared on her face.

"Amma-Bi, I heard people say that a mother's heart knows the best. Is that true?"

"It is very true."

"Then tell me Amma-Bi. What does your heart say to you? Where is Moosa Bhai?"

"Don't you know where he is?" She tried to remain calm, although her heart was also worried sick about Moosa. Its been already three weeks and he hasn't returned yet, nor she got a single call from him.

"I know he is out for work, but why aren't we allowed to contact him? It never happened before."

"Who knows beta what is the circumstance of his work."

"But my heart doesn't understand those circumstances Amma-Bi. What should I do?" Streams of tears already running down on her face when to lift it.

"Ary! Why are you crying?"

"I can't stop thinking about Moosa Bhai... I am so worried."

"Everything will be fine... Have Faith on Allah... Okay."

Shahina nodded in response.

"Good girl, now come outside alright. The house already feels empty right now." She nodded again and obedient as she is, Shahina quickly stood up to wash her face.

Her heart was not convinced, she wants to believe what Amma-Bi had said but still, she searches for solid ground. With thousands of doubts in her mind, she picked up the phone and called the person she avoids the most.

~*~

Coming out from the shower, Yawar glanced at his red sleepless eyes in the mirror and quickly everted. After putting on his clothes, he entered his room where the aroma of freshly made coffee welcomed him. Coffee was one of the things that kept him working tirelessly. But when the worry overclouded his senses, his only refuge was smoking. A bad habit he got recently. Something he isn't proud of and doesn't want others to know about it. But he couldn't help himself when the thought crosses his mind that he might lose his precious MB.