insight’s blog

ZOYA’S PRINCE CHARMING………(Concluded)

The day started off as any other…..Saahil bent down to kiss Zeeshan as he slept peacefully….Zoya stood at a distance watching the two of them. Saahil was off to a business trip and she knew she would miss his presence. As they sat having breakfast, Dadi Ammi lightly teased Saahil that soon Zeeshan would need a sibling to play with. Saahil smiled as he looked at Zoya, her cheeks flushing pink, the comment having caught her unawares. Saahil hugged Dadi Ammi and Zoya and was soon off to the airport……

It would take him 4 hours to land in Delhi, so there was plenty of time for him to call, thought Zoya. She reclined on the sofa to catch up with the news having just helped Zeeshan with his studies. He was off to playing his video games. She switched on the news channel as Dadi Ammi came to join her. ” Our sources report that the left wing caught fire as the plane crashed on its way to Delhi. There have been reports of survivors……..”. The rest of the words sounded like voices from the outer world as Zoya and Dadi Ammi stared at the screen, too stunned to ask questions that they didn’t want answered. The flight number flashing on the screen was of the same plane that Saahil had boarded.

Zoya was the first one to muster courage, as she lightly touched Dadi Ammi’s shoulder. The wail let out by the elderly lady seemed like it was wrenched out of the core of her heart. Zoya held her in her embrace for as long as it took for her sobs to die down. Hearing them Zeeshan had come out of his room, now standing dumbfounded hearing the news flashing on TV. At 8 years he understood fully well what was happening. The maid held him close to her as she looked at Zoya, admiring for a brief second the strength of this woman as she held consoling Dadi Ammi, her own face drained of blood and eyes that looked zapped of life. Zoya urged Dadi Ammi to her room, and once assured that she was settled in bed, placed a call to their family doctor. She would want him at hand considering Dadi Ammi’s delicate health. She went to the drawing room, knowing fully well that she had to hold on to the last straw of hope and make the all important call of her life………

As she dialled the emergency number provided by the airport authorities, Zeeshan came over and clung to her arm mutely. She held him tightly as the call went through. “I am calling to enquire about the plane crash that happened a while ago. My husband was one of the passengers”, she said as she finally found her voice.”We would like a description Ma’am…” said the voice on the other side. “The plane crashed in an area with thick foliage of trees. We have 20 survivors with some injuries. There is a search and rescue operation going on for more…..”. “His name is Saahil Syed. He was wearing a sky blue color shirt (That’s his favourite color….He keeps telling me that pink reflects beautifully on my cheeks and I think the blue personifies so much that he is…….boundless and encompassing us all, with his love and care, like the sky….)with a navy blue jacket and trousers. He has a mole on his neck(And I fit in quite well in the crevice of his neck….like i belong there and when he passes his fingers through my hair, slight tremors run through my body although I haven’t told him about it……). He was carrying a briefcase with his name engraved on the top. (And although he looks as prim and proper as a businessman, he is more of a child at heart….when you search for him please don’t forget to search for a man with a disarming smile that can melt me even from a distance. He makes me laugh when he feels I am feeling blue and he teases me till I turn crimson at the cheeks. He understands my weaknesses always trying to help me overcome them. And i often wonder how he manages to come up with solutions to my problems even before I foresee them…..And yes he is a romantic at heart too……always sending me flowers when I am least expecting them, the odd call when I know he is busy in a meeting, the surprise dinner dates and the long drives at night with not a word spoken between the two of us, the silence more comfortable than a thousand words…..He is the strength this family needs, a father Zeeshan looks up to and a son that Dadi Ammi is proud of…..Please search with all your heart, among the survivors, the one person in this family who plays such varied roles with a maturity so alarming and true, just admiring and thinking about him can reduce you to tears……Search for him today with all your heart for all i can do is pray. Pray that you get my husband back to me……my husband, my prince charming…………). Zoya snapped out of the trance as the dull sound of the dead end at the other side registered and she held on to Zeeshan as she finally let the tears flow. She couldn’t let out the sob that was curling around her heart for she was the strength of the family at this hour…….

A couple of hours later Zoya sat in the drawing room with Zeeshan’s head in her lap and Dadi Ammi and the family doctor sitting pensive, there was still no news from the airport authorities. No one spoke a word for there wasn’t much to say. As the clock ticked by, the silence was broken by the sudden opening of the front door. And as all faces turned towards it there stood Saahil…..ragged clothes, looking completely shaken, the relief on his face starkly obvious…..No one moved for a moment, the shock making them wonder if it was a dream after all…….Zeeshan was the first one to move as he ran towards him, followed by Dadi Ammi. Saahil entered through the door to hug her, as the family doctor soon joined in to examine the bandages and the minor bruises……..The maids were letting out sighs of relief and through the commotion that followed Zoya stood transfixed at one spot……And finally their eyes met…….

As Saahil looked at her he saw today not his wife standing before him……..What he could see today was the girl Zoya, her soul reflecting in her eyes……..The Zoya he had always wanted to see…..And they smiled at each other. Each one knowing that today was a new beginning………

Concluded…….. 

ZOYA AND SAAHIL (Part II)

Zoya was not a stranger to Saahil. He had seen her a couple of times with her group of friends. Moreover he had known Gunjan, Zoya's closest friend. Gunjan was Zoya's diary in person. She would confide in Gunjan her hopes and fears, her secrets and thoughts, everything except her prince charming. Hearing what he had from Gunjan, Saahil had taken an instant liking to Zoya.

Always one to count her blessings Zoya instantly liked Saahil as she entered a new phase of her life. He was a wonderful husband and a great human being. She liked his company, their daily banter, their jokes ' she had found a friend in her husband. Her moral support, her pillar of strength ' but he was not her prince charming. There had been no romantic prelude to their marriage. In Zoya, Saahil had found the life partner he had always wanted. But he knew something was amiss He had touched her heart, but her soul?

She had not let him anywhere close to her soul and he could read it in her eyes. Yet she was caring and protective about him. Saahil had struck a chord in Zoya's heart. For he had lost his parents, his only sister and her husband in a plane crash. His ray of hope in life had been his Dadi Ammi and little Zeeshan, his sister's son. Dadi Ammi had always wanted a wonderful daughter-in-law and in Zoya she had found a daughter. Zeeshan took to Zoya like fish takes to water. She became his Choti Ammi, until one day Zoya voiced a wish to Saahil that stunned him and everyone else ..Zoya wished to be Zeeshan's Ammi by legally adopting him

Dadi Ammi couldn't thank God enough for showering so much happiness on them ..

To be continued………..

ZOYA (Part I)

Zoya was a dreamer…..Laughter followed her at will and instantly spread to those around her. There was always a spring in her step, a zest for life written all over her face. “Spunky” was the word that could describe Zoya the best. And Zoya had a secret………

Her world of dreams harboured her prince charming. The sketch so clear in her mind, she could almost reach out and touch him. Romantic, loving, caring - picture perfect to the core. Naughty at times, tiltillatingly aggressive, possessive - nothing less than a greek God. He would come riding a white horse, with a shining armour and a sword and sweep Zoya off her feet. She sensed his being in her heart, soul and mind and he grew to be a part of her. She knew she would settle for nothing less than what her dreams had to offer. Zoya kept him safely esconced in her dreams and her heart. For no one would understand her prince charming. Because Zoya was a tomboy……..

She was always one of the guys. And the unwritten verdict was that Zoya could never fall in love. But she knew that some day her eyes would single him out from the crowd………He would be there….as real as the sound of her heartbeats…….

Seasons passed and Zoya’s soulmate never surfaced. She clung to her hopes fiercely till the inevitable happened…….She was betrothed to Saahil……..A stranger nowhere close to her greek God…….

To be continued……….

And I'm here ..in a crowd of people. I smile, I talk and laughter fills the air. Life seems so good .everything's bright and fair. I excel at my work, my seniors pat my back. I plan to learn more, to make up for what I lack. Over a cup of tea, I share a joke or two ..there is a sense of comfort with colleagues old and new. I'm drowned in the lap of comfort this place is new and good. I'm thanking God every minute .because I know I should. For a woman I've come quite far .there is a shower of praises. I don't let prejudices cow me down .life is full of mazes. A career, money and place under the sun, I've made a mark of my own. Mom and Dad are happy, their lil girl has grown.

The setting is so perfect .life seems like a dream. My bag of goodies is full, its flowing over the brim. What then does my heart yearn for .the craving has begun to hurt….I seem to be searching for someone, people mill around me but ..

There is a voice I need to hear, a hand I want to hold .I want to live a lifetime with you ..With you I want to watch sunsets gold .its the circle of your arms that I'm yearning for, not these wordly snares. If you come back to me again…..my heart I promise I'll bare .the feelings that I have left unexpressed, I'll give them the form of words, your love has taught me the meaning of life I love you so much it hurts