4 years later.........
Zawad's P.O.V.
"Don't! Don't pick that up! It's dirty! Shayaan leave it!" I screamed while running behind my two year old son. Where did he get so much energy at 4 in the morning?
He is such a naughty kid I wonder who he gets this characteristics from. He looks like me, that's a plus point. But his nose is just as sharp as his mom. And that bossy attitude! Boy, it's never mine. Duplicate of his mom.
I lifted him up and threw away the dirty piece of bread he just picked up from the floor and pushed inside his mouth. He was clearly upset for his precious treasure being snatched away, so he screamed at the top of his lungs and started crying. "Mama!!"
And yep, those tantrums too came from his mom for sure. I'm such a calm and gentle person. It was never in my gene. I smiled to myself. Staring at the little human.
But the naughty kid in my lap cried so loud asking for his mom that my smile couldn't last longer. "We will go to mom! See! I'm all dressed up. You have to get ready too! Come! Shayaan and baba will fly on plane today, won't we?" I jumped few steps trying to uplift his mood. But he kept asking for his mama. Oh God! You have a father too! Can't you just ask for me instead? Why mama all the time?
And I'm not giving her up to you. She is mine anyway. Huh.
I took him to the bedroom and after trying for a good fifteen minutes, I was able to brush his teeth. He threw tantrums but I had to promise a lot of bribe so that he stops his crying which included buying him a popsicle, an aeroplane, according to him he will go to visit his mom by that, and a white meow with whom he will play.
After brushing, I slid a shirt through his arms and a pair of jeans. He and I are wearing the same shirt right now. His mom loves it when we wear matching clothes. He must look cool and dashing, else his mother is going to kill me. I mean am I just a babysitter or a father? These two do not seem to care for my existence at all when they have each other. They treat me like an object, mostly a mobile rollercoaster for this kid.
"Mama is waiting to see us, doesn't she?!"I excitedly kept talking to him while he was being dressed, "We will fly to her and Mama will be surprised like... Whoaaaa!! Is this my Shayaan?!! Right?"
"Yes!! Mama jump!!"he was ecstatic imagining his mother's reaction after seeing him. After all it's been a week without them seeing each other. I bet she will cry.
We got ready after combing our hair and putting on the same perfume. Then I let him go play while I packed his bag of diapers and some clothes. I had to put some serious thought into which dresses I should take and how many dresses I should take. Because I don't want Shayba to scream, "Why haven't you brought those certain blue pair of pants?! Don't you know he doesn't sleep without those?!" Or something like, "How could you bring only ten shirts Abir?! Don't you know he makes them dirty real quick?! He is just a kid!" Or something like, "Where is his favorite giraffe?! How could you forget that at home?!" I want her to be absolutely sure that I can rear up my son on my own, and that too, very well.
We headed downstairs and I cleaned two of his feeders with hot water. Then I poured the milk inside and we were ready to go.
"Mom we are leaving!"
"So soon? Wait!" My mom ran to her grandchild and gave sloppy kisses all over his face but that little devil uttered no complaint. If I did the same to his face, he would have cried really loud and started asking for his mama as if I'm torturing him. I frowned at his reaction and headed out.
Before his birth, I really never knew how it is even possible to love someone so unconditionally. Seeing him I feel like my life has a purpose now. To be a better person for him. To earn a lot of money for him. To keep the environment clean for him. To make the world a better place for him. To love his mom even more for gifting me with him. It's been four years, and I'm still infatuated with this woman. Sometimes I wonder to myself what good deed I did to deserve her as my wife.
Throughout the journey, we kept talking about the plane and the clouds and of course his mama. She is always present in our conversations. Everything he sees, he wants to show it to his mama. What spell did she put on him? This little guy treats me like his private assistant.
When we reached Dhaka it was only seven in the morning. Shayaan was asleep in my arms by now. I took a cab and headed straight to her hostel. Today she graduates from her university and we are here to attend her convocation. I am so happy that she totally nailed her exams despite her married life, pregnancy and rearing up the kid. I couldn't be more proud of her.
Reaching her hostel, I dialed her number. She picked up the phone after two missed calls.
"Hmm?"she replied in a sleepy voice. She believed my lie two days ago when I convinced her how busy I am with all those imported goods and that I can't come from Chittagong now to attend her convocation. I asked her to go with her parents instead. And when I really didn't appear yesterday, she was fully convinced that I'm not coming. Though she didn't complain at all, I knew deep inside how hurt and sad she was. So here I am! Standing in front of her hostel gate. With our only son.
"Still sleeping?"
"Yeah. It's so early. Why have you called now?"
"Shayaan wants to see you."
"Now? Argh! Okay. Let me turn the camera on."
"No, not the video chat. He wants you to come down and take him to your lap right now."
"Wh....."she stopped, "WHAT?!!!!!!"
I bet her eyes are coming out of their sockets right now.
"Yeah. He is waiting downstairs."
This time I'm sure she jumped on her bed.
"You...you aren't kidding right?"
I chuckled, "Come down. We are waiting in the guest room for a while and if you don't come in two minutes, Shayaan is going to be very angry with you."
"Coming! Coming! Coming! Oh darling! I missed you so much! Mama is coming right now!!" She ran to fetch her hijab and hung up the phone while I woke Shayaan up to see his mom. She didn't call me darling anyway. Who am I? A potato?
"Wake up, darling! Mama will be here any minute!"
"Mama?!"he looked at me with wonder in his big dilated eyes.
"Yes!! Mama is here! See!" I indicated my finger to the figure running towards us right now that jumped inside my arms giving the two of us a bone-cracking hug.
"Mama!!" Shayaan screamed with happiness as he was fetched from my lap in an instant.
"Oh I missed you so much! I love you my sweetheart! Mama is so bad, she left you for a week! You know how sad I was without you?! I couldn't even sleep without you!" she kissed him all over his face and hands and he seemed to enjoy it.
Like seriously? If I did the same thing, you'd cry!
"Looks like no one missed me at all. I'm just a babysitter without any payment."I said looking at the two of them with a pout.
Shayba turned to me, I couldn't see anything but her eyes now because of her niqab but those two were wet in happiness already. She put Shayaan on the ground and buried her face on my chest.
I locked her in my arms while Shayaan was left alone now. Now how does that feel little guy?
"Why did you lie to me?! You know how sad I was?!"
"Of course! That was the plan."
"You are so cruel! You know you made me cry?!"she hit my chest.
"Sometimes crying is good for health. It makes your cheeks turn pink and even cuter."
She hit me again, "I seriously thought you aren't coming." her tears rolled down her cheeks and I wiped them off.
"How can I miss my one and only wife's convocation? You are graduating!"
She giggled this time.
"You know how proud I am of you?"I asked, "Just look at you! You are now a great architect! The best wife! And the best mother for sure! I'm so happy and proud right now!" I kissed her forehead as she closed her eyes.
"Abir?"she uttered after a while.
"Yes?"
"Thank you."she looked directly into my eyes.
"Huh? For what?"
She took a pause. "For everything. Everything I am today is because of you and your constant support. Thank you for tolerating me and for never giving up on me. Thank you for being the best husband and our child's father. I love you."
I felt emotional. I took her in my embrace again.
"That was a great speech. Have you been practicing this instead of what you are going to say on the stage?" She glared and hit me again for the third time.
"Heyy!! You're going to give me a heart attack if you hit so much on the chest!"I took both her hands in mine. "I love you more and you can't compete with me at this." I kissed her cheek as my eyes dropped down. "Damn it! He is picking up dirt again! Shayaan!" I shouted.
We both eased ourselves to run towards our son standing far from us. We ran knowing the fact that even if we got the chance to turn back time and change our life events, we would choose each other over and over again and love each other like there's no tomorrow.