Three months passed in grieving. Still Alya and Amin were distraught. Unable to come out of the aching memories of their beloved daughter, they were unable to come to terms with their terrible loss. The place they lived in no longer felt like home. No longer was there laughter, screams or fights.
Noor and Zara were a great help. They took care of the grieving family like it was their own. Zara cooked and cleaned for them while Noor did all the shopping. They tried to be useful in as many ways as possible.
***
One evening Amin asked Alya in a soft voice, more like a whisper, ‘Do you remember Fida’s last words?’
‘Oh Amin! Tell me what she said. I don’t mind hearing it again and again,’ said Alya, tears streaming down her flushed cheeks.
‘It was about the Tree of Life,’ said Amin.
‘Oh yes, I remember, but why did she say that?’ said Alya thoughtfully.
‘Darling, she was trying to tell us to face the situation courageously and give shade to others.’
‘True,’ Alya whimpered in response. ‘It looks like she was trying to advise us.’.
‘That’s right, Alya,’ agreed Amin. He closed his eyes, shook his head wildly and said with a twinge, ‘I’m to give shade to you; you are to give shade to Luke; and finally, Luke will provide shade and shelter to us. Oh Fida! Your memories, your words, they hurt so much, sweetheart. You said you were going to sleep forever after two weeks. Oh God! How true she was …’ Amin cried in agony.
He got up from the chair and went to Fida’s room. There he saw Luke sitting in a corner hugging Fida’s photos and clothes. ‘What are you doing there, Luke?’ Amin asked sorrowfully.
‘Nothing, Papa,’ he said without looking at his father.
‘Are you all right, son?’
Luke looked up at his father and said in a soft voice, ‘I miss Fida a lot, Papa.’ He cleared his throat and said, ‘I never realised how lovely she was when she was with me. I always fought with her needlessly. I regret it now, Papa. Now she is gone … I feel so lonely and lost. I still can’t,’ Luke whimpered. Amin hugged his son.
‘I know, Luke. It hurts a lot. But you have to face it. I mean … we have to face it. Nothing is permanent in this world: our wishes, sorrows, happiness, life … nothing. Life is like a dream. Don’t expect much.’ Luke hugged his father tightly and sobbed. He saw Alya standing behind them.
‘Mama!’ he cried. Alya saw a miserable expression on Luke’s face.
‘Luke!’ she called achingly. ‘Come here!’ she said amidst sobs. Luke rushed into her open arms. Alya kissed her son. Luke put his hands around her neck and said, ‘I miss her so much, Mama. I love …’ Tears filled his eyes and he could not say the words.
‘I know, my dear, I know,’ she whispered, moving her comforting hands over his head. Luke clasped his mother’s face in his hands and gazed into her sad eyes.
‘Mama, Fida was too good in everything while I am good for nothing. I wish it was me who had gotten sick, not her.’ Alya and Amin panicked. Their hands impulsively covered Luke’s mouth in an effort to stop him from saying more.
‘Luke! Don’t. Who said you are good for nothing?’ Alya cried.
‘You are very good, son,’ said Amin, and he moved his hand affectionately over Luke’s head. Alya cradled Luke’s face in her hand.
‘Luke, promise me you will never ever say this again,’ demanded Alya amidst sobs.
‘I’m sorry, Mama, I won’t – I promise,’ assured Luke, weeping.
Amin coaxed Alya to sit beside him on the sofa. He gazed at her face: her nose was red, her cheeks were puffy and her face was pale. ‘Alya, darling, I know it’s hard, But we must face it.
Now it’s time to make a promise. Promise me, Alya, no matter what happens in our life, we will face it bravely, with a smiling face. That’s … what our daughter would want us to do.’ Amin looked at his wife for a response. ‘Look at our son.’ Luke was sitting on the floor with his head in his hands.
‘Children are our wealth. If we don’t handle them carefully then our wealth goes in the wrong hands.’ Alya realised what Amin actually meant. After Fida’s untimely demise, she was in a state of depression. She was not able to care about Luke or Amin. She spent every wakeful minute in the aching memory of Fida.
‘I’m sorry, Amin,’ said Alya, looking down regretfully.
‘Sorry for what?’
‘Sorry for the hard time I have given you,’ she whimpered.
‘We all had a hard time. But you are right, now is the time to face it courageously. I promise. Oh Amin! I promise.’
‘That sounds great.’ Amin took Alya’s face in his hands and kissed her on her forehead. Alya rested her head on Amin’s broad chest and whispered again, ‘I promise.’
Amin wrapped his arms around her and said, ‘That sounds great, darling.’