Pervade and Faint

Chapter 18

        

For over a month, Cindy managed to hold in the answer of a question. She never asked me about my parents. But my curiosity increased. I wanted to be aware of my parent whereabouts. Nearly all sources seemed dormant and unreachable.
But I finally found a source of getting my dad's number. I went to the control office of the University. I walked in, staring at the computers. I was in pursuit of a manager. An aged woman was sitting in a comfortable chair, eyes glued to the refulgent screen of the computer in front of her. Her spectacles were tilted down, all the way at the verge of her pointy nose. I stood in front of her and cleared my throat. And resultantly, she looked up. She lifted her glasses up with the nail of her thumb.
"How may I help you?" she asked, and her glasses fell down to the tip of her nose.
"Yes please. I'm trying to see if I can get my father's number", I said, nervously intertwining my fingers. My palms felt sweaty.
"Name please", she said and her eyes diverted back to the screen of the computer.
"My father's name or..." I said, voice trailing off.
"Your name", she said and pointed towards me without looking up.
"Amir Zubair", I replied.

She got herself busy on her computer and when a minute passed by, I wondered whether she was just disregarding me. I was worth being disregarded.

After a while, she looked at me and then at the screen of the computer. She repeated the same act once again.
"Mothers name", she demanded.
"Farah Shahana", I answered and she nodded.
"So do you need your father's number or mothers?" she asked.
"Both...both", I answered abruptly, glad that I got their numbers, but still apprehensive for some reason.
"Note it", she ordered.
I put my hands in my pocket. My phone wasn't with me.
"Can you please write it down. I forgot my phone", I said and she rolled her eyes. She took out a piece of clean printer paper from a cabinet and wrote both numbers. She literally wrote 'mom' on one number and 'dad' on the other.
"Thank you very much", I said and left the office.

When I reached my room, I grabbed my phone, which was on charging, and saved mom and dad's numbers. I noticed that I only had five numbers in my contacts, including my mom and dad.
_____________

Later that night, Cindy came over. We studied together because the semester exams were nigh. Cindy, Tyrese and I were perched on the carpet, studying together. Tyrese read out loud. He read like a printing machine. His constant voice of reading buggered me, but I never said anything because his infernal noise was good in keeping me awake. As if a natural stimulating alarm. That's literally why we studied together, because of Tyrese, and the fact that we studied with consultation. I grabbed myself a drink and asked Cindy if she wanted something. She wanted water, which we didn't have. So I just gave her a Arizona.

"Excuse me! I'm also human", interrupted Tyrese and raised both of his hands, showing that he was mad at me. But I knew that he was just joking, like usual. I got him a Red Bull. We installed Red Bull in the fridge ever since the semester arrived, because caffeine was a constitutive for exams. It was a highly effective, comprehensive and vital catalyst. I opened Cindys can for her. Tyrese also gave me his can, telling me to open it. I rolled my eyes and opened it for him.
"That's my boy", he said and slapped me on the back. I rolled my eyes again while he laughed.
We read and drank for a while. I was getting a bit sleepy and my neck also hurt, due to the uncomfortable posture in which I had been sitting for quite a long time. But there was still much to read. A whole encumbrance, to be precise.
I stood up and yawned, the stress radiating from my body.
"I'm out", I said and lay down on my bed. Cindy sat beside me and placed her hand on my leg.
"Are you okay?" she asked and rubbed my leg.
"Yeah _ I'm just thinking about something", I said and placed a hand at the back of my head, just beyond the layer where my retina rested. Considering my arm as a pillow, she lay beside me.
"Hey! Not over here!" shouted Tyrese, as if we were about to get naked, probably.
"Shut up!" yelled Cindy and rolled her eyes.
"What are you thinking of?" she asked, her voice not a complete, but partial whisper.
"He was thinking about marrying you. Now be quiet, because SOME PEOPLE are trying to read", interrupted Tyrese and nodded a hundred times. He usually did that when something really pleased him. Mostly his own words pleased him. Cindy looked at me and blushed. I knew the reason behind that.
"Come in my room", she suggested and stood up.
"Sure", I said and we walked out of the door.
"Wait. Just a minute", I said and ran in my room to grab my phone.
"Bro, go easy", said Tyrese, as I detached the phone from the charger.
"Oh shut up!"

We entered her room and she lay down on her bed.
"Come", she said and I lay down with her.
"So what were you thinking of?" she asked, voice as gentle as zephyr. I sighed, contemplating whether I should tell her or not. Probably yes, I decided.
"Cindy do you remember when I told you about my parents?" I asked, rhetorically and she nodded. She was listening attentively, her hands on my chest.
"So I already told you beforehand that I didn't call them. Not even once", I explained and she nodded again.
"So, today I went to the office and I got both of their numbers", I told her.
"You got them?" she asked and sat up. Her eyes widened and an eccentric and vigorous glow reflected from her eyes.
"Yeah, and now_", I said and sighed heavily.
"I'm too nervous to call them", I confessed and bit my lip in frustration.
"Its okay", she said, creasing the cloth on my shoulder.
"I'll talk to them for you", she said and smiled. I thought of that for a moment. I contemplated whether it was ludicrous or wise. But it was definitely worth a try, I thought. My parents must also be worried, equivalently, I thought and probably also furious.
"Is that okay with you?" she asked and I nodded.
"Sounds fine", I replied and looked at her, thinking of the repercussions. I wiggled and took slid the phone out of my pocket.
"Here"
She held the phone and looked at it for a while.
"English will do?" she interrogated, and the expressions of her face revealed some fear, as if she was in my position.
"Yeah", I replied and nodded.
She took a deep breath, turned my phone on and went straight to the contact list, which was really exiguous (still five numbers).
"Dad or mom?" she asked, hesitatingly.
"Mom", I answered, and she dialed my mom's number. My heart beat quickened when the dial rung. I gulped, my throat parched due to fear. There was silence for a while. Mom didn't answer, which bewildered me, because mom never missed my call. She picked my call in every circumstance. I checked what time it was in Pakistan. It was midday and I wondered why she didn't pick the call. She must be mad at me, I thought.
"Mom might be sleeping or...try dad", I said abruptly and took another deep breath. Loose beads of sweat fell from my forehead. Cindy dialed dad's number and there was silence once again. Tense gripped the room while the dial rang.

"Hello", said Cindy and my eyes widened. I began to entwine my fingers in frustration.
"Yes I'm okay", she replied after a while. There was a moment of silence. Cindy knitted her eyebrows and listened.
"No I'm actually Amir's friend...yes...he's in the shower", said Cindy and looked at me, her face tensed.
"No...I mean yes...this is his number", she stuttered and I wondered what she was talking about.
The conversation went on for a while until there was a long pause.