Page 41 of The Circle of Exile
“I will be right here. If anything happens to that plane, I will bring the war your CM has been craving toyourdoorstep. This Kashmir or that Kashmir will not matter. This entire town will be obliterated — I will personally make sure of that.”
“I did not mean it like a threat,” Faiz clarified. “I would not do that to my… sister.”
Iram blanched. Atharva was planning to put her on a plane tonight and stay back himself?
“All I want is for both sides to remain open for the plane to pass undetected.”
“The Indian side will be taken care of. Get the Pakistani side opened.”
Faiz nodded.
“You will get your banking document the minute that plane lands safely in Kargil.”
“I do not want charity.”
“It’s my wife’s promise, not charity.”
“I am not doing this out of fear or greed.” Faiz’s eyes reached hers and softened. Marginally. Iram’s heart skipped a beat. “Go. You will reach back home safely.”
Mehrunisa crossed the hall and grabbed her shoulders. Her soft, round face, with the brightest hazel green eyes and shining skin was exactly like her mother’s. Iram didn’t remember that mother. But in that moment, as Mehrunisa’s eyes filled up with tears and her mouth split into a smile, Iram could make peace with a version of what her mother would have been like.
“You were my chattering doll once,” Mehrunisa chuckled through her tears. “All these weeks, I could not see even a trace of that doll. Now I see it. I don’t want to let you go now that I see it again. Tell me there will be a day you can come back? Or we can meet outside?”
Iram swallowed the deluge roaring in her throat, nodded.
“I wanted to see your son.”
Her son. Iram preened, her mouth splitting wide — “He is… he smells so good.”
Mehrunisa laughed — “Of course he does. Babies smell this good until six or seven months. Fill yourself up with all of it before he starts smelling like regular people. Start weaning him off midnight feeds early. I learnt that the hard way with Gul. She would wake up for a midnight snack until last year.”
Iram nodded, seeing through Mehrunisa’s attempts to keep their conversation going and elongating time.
“Send me pictures. Of all of you. I don’t know if you will be able to be in touch with me with all this happening… but try to be, please.”
Iram nodded.
Mehrunisa pulled her into her embrace, squeezing her shoulders tight. Iram buried her face in her hair, drawing courage and strength and a whiff of the past that she had no memory of. This was it. The loop was tied. She came from something that was both good and bad, but the part that had embraced her was good. So good.
“Take care of yourself. Don’t let bad thoughts take you away, gurun,” she murmured low in her ear.
“I won’t.”
“You won’t,” Mehrunisa reasserted. “You are my strong little gurun. You will become even stronger after this. Done?”
“Done.”
Mehrunisa pressed a kiss to the side of her face and let her go. She sniffled her tears and stood back, poised as a princess again.
“Rahim Chacha? Where is he…?” Iram began.
“Your husband had him collected some time ago.”
Iram glanced at him.
“At the hotel.”
She nodded.
