A Romantic Vision

Almond chatters.

The days were hot and humid,
The sun was arrogant and bright.
The bloom was beautiful and the birds sang melodious songs of sorrow but it sounded cheerful to the ears that desired it to be so.

I waited for Timur to come and take me away. I rehearsed apologies to make to him but he had disappeared into the summertime sadness.

"He should've come to take me dont you think? " I said eating peaches Awan has bought from the market.

He nodded in agreement.

"Do you think he loves me? " I asked him afraid he would say no. "I do not know, Miss. You keep staring forward of you these days a lot, it has started to worry me that you would always be in this state, why don't you move on? " he was furious.

"I do not know how to move forward Awan. I am what you call a weakling " in his response he laughed.

"It's been five months Awan, was there a day he thought of me? " he slipped in an entire piece of peach and then with an irksome tone 'tsk' at me.

"Do you think he prefers men? "I doubted and he spits the entire peach in his hand "what did you see? "

I moved my head away "Nothing, just nothing, never seen him with anybody...t nor a girl not a boy not even with a dirty magazine"
He swallowed back the piece and I quivered. "I do not know but he seems the like of it"

"What do you mean? " I demanded offended.

"you implied it," he said in his defence.

"I have just have gone over the thought" I pestered the guts. "well, Miss, you have no relations with him of any sort? " he asked awkwardly. I shook my head shamefully.

His eyes widen and then a bliss spreads over his face, grinning like a child he muttered "Ya, I don't think he is gay"

I blossomed as if he gives the verdict true and final "you think so! "

"yes, I do" he confirms and lifted up my eyebrow for a further explanation so he raised himself and opened his chest "he never flirted with me" he announced in pride.

There followed a long silence then we both bursted out laughing.

The calm took over but somehwere inside us both there were deep wounds. I enjoyed his company ,he made me forget the things around.
I made cake for father's birthday and had dinner at a restaurant, when we returned from the restraunt Awan was sitting over the fence gate red in anger.

"Next time you leave do tell me beforehand " he spat and returned home.

It was pinning sunlight,
And Awan came this afternoon squinting his eyes "I apologize for yesterday Miss, I was silly to treat you so" I sighed "we are friends Awan" I reminded him, "sure" he smiled wide.

"Not watering plants with your wife today? " I enquired his odd from his daily ritual.

"Oh... She went off" he said fanning himself.

She and Awan look happy together but Awan, when left alone, turns out this inconsequential wretched being.

"you look happy with her and awful alone, any reason? " I asked opening the box to find out what has he bought today. The aroma of croissants and almond cake filled the garden.

"I am Mr Winsor with her that's why," he said trying to open his eyes harder.
I laughed putting in Almond cake in my mouth. He did not laugh, oh was he serious?

"Yeah... " he affirmed. "Mr Winsor you know? The man who loves her wife remarkably.They live the twenty-third street remember? We read his diary, he mentioned how he waters his plants with his wife and how that makes her believe in his love everyday. I thought I should adapt his character, it pleases her as well you see" he explained and I was dumbfounded.

"Do you think it is healthy for you to do that? " I asked worriedly.
"Tasty,isn't it? " he stuffs his mouth with cake.

"Character acting reminds me I was Timur yesterday," he says as the crunch of almond interrupts him. "I read alchemy till four in the morning and did not speak to a single soul the entire day and night. Also I did not sleep" he said looking intensely.

"and how did you find Laraib? Does his charachter gives you an insight to his emotions towards her? " I asked in amusement.
"There was no Laraib, there was my wife. You see I couldnt allow her be Laraib because then things would turn frisky" he blurted and immediately turned red. "Things won't turn frisky if you were Timur" I said with an edge of bitterness to it.

His eyes bulged out in disbelief "Nooo, you're such a beautiful woman"

"I think you do not listen to Awan" I made a place for him beside but he was intrigued by the last piece of information.

"He never slept with you? That makes you a virgin married women. I am so disgusted and fascinated by this" he spoke his state true in words.

"What about you?" I asked nervously.

"I have slept with a couple of women," he said airly "he really is something" unable to disconnect from the fact.

I moved away from him.

"oh Miss, " he laughed "you look like you are about to vomit, is it dirty to you? Well, I was young and you know how colleges are but I reverted, you know it's a lot to handle so I swear I never would tread on those roads, it creates an unsubtle obsession so hard to get rid of, I am better off with it"

I looked away not wanting to speak anymore.

"The consummation of marriage is wajib as they say" he indicated to aggravate me.

"He called me a munafiq" I recalled in outrage.

"We all are hypocrites Miss " he landed his hand on the last piece of cake and offered it to me.

"what does he talk about to you? " I accepted the cake.

"Ugh...mostly about poets, their deaths and yes about cigarettes " he scratched his head.

"That is three things, all he talks to me about is... He never talks.... He only responds" I sank.

"Pity and doesn't even sleep with you," he said gladly and I had to push him off.

He laughed with a child like happiness.

"You are crazy Awan.... " then it punched through me "Is it right for us to see each other? "

"well surely, all we do is talk about our spouses and encourage their affection. You don't have to worry Miss, this prevails entirely passionate" he raised his eyebrow then moved a hand away from me to add "more passionate than Timur to you" and ran away before I could throw the box at him.