Love is not always blind…

This short story became SPIXer (Most popular story) on 24 Nov 2012 and won INR 500 (US$ 10)

Farooq had just finished his morning prayers, when he heard someone knocking at his shop.  Instantly, he grabbed the keys and entered his shop. He pulled the main shutter upwards and to his amazement found that there was no one there. He came out of the shop and tried to look for the visitor, but there was no one in sight till both the ends of the street. Perplexed, he turned around to enter his shop. Just then his eyes fell on a box lying at the steps to his shop. He picked up the box and noticed a folded paper attached to it. He kept the box at the end of his counter and started cleaning his shop. After setting up the shop just like every other day, he called for Heena.

It was time for breakfast. For last two years, this has been the routine for them. They’ll take breakfast together and then move on their respective jobs, meet for lunch in the afternoon, then again continue with their endeavors and finally retire to bed after the dinner.  It was very difficult for him to name this relationship with her. Some people termed it as Love, some called it Master – Slave, but he always thought of it as “Friends wid benefits”.  Benefits, for her included a space not only in his dilapidated abode but also in his warm heart, and three meals a day.  And in return, he got a free 24X7 surveillance of his underground storage place.

“Come !! Come!!” He called for her as he placed two bowls of milk and the bread on his counter.

Obeying him, she jumped and sat on the counter facing him. He put some pieces of bread in one bowl and placed it front of her.

She bent forward and started slurping the milk from the bowl. Just then her eyes caught a rat in the corner of the shop. Committed to her work, she was just about to jump off the counter and catch hold off him.  Farooq also noticed it.

“Later, first finish this.” He ordered.

She quickly finished her breakfast and was about to start the hunt of that rodent, when her eyes fell on the box. Standing on all four, she thought for a second and then started taking slow steps towards the box. She placed her paws on the box and started sniffing. Farooq noticed her. He had almost forgotten about the mysterious box.

He took the box and again looked at it carefully. He noticed that the paper carried a message written on it.

“Found it, where you had lost it” He read the message again, but couldn’t make anything out of it.

The strange message left him bewildered. He tried to recollect whether he had lost anything, anywhere. But nothing came up in his mind. He removed the strings which tied the box and opened the lid of the box.  He looked inside and couldn’t believe the sight. His hands started trembling and drops of sweat rolled out on his face. He stood motionless, but his soul shook inside him, as if hit by an earthquake.

“Ya Allah!!” the words came out from his mouth.

“C’mon Heena, move. You’ve got work to do.” He yelled at the poor cat. She jumped off the counter to search for that mouse.

He put the knife back into the box and sat on his chair. There was only one question which came to his mind.

“Who found it?”

He and his wife Fatima, who was dead, only knew about this knife. He had made sure to hide it in a place where nobody will find it. Now, that the knife was just in front of his eyes. One thing was clear; somebody else has got to know about his secret.

“Why did he just return it to me like that? Does he know the truth?” he wondered.

He took out his old scooter and started moving in the direction of the place where he had left the knife. The closer he got to the place, the more the memories of that day started coming in his mind. The day when he had rode on this path, unaware that it would lead him to a crossroad where he will have to choose either the love of his life, Fatima or his nation. The day when he had made the biggest sacrifice any person can make for his nation.

He remembered the date. It was 25^th March 1993.

“I’ll pick you up from the site and then we will go to our favorite place.” He had told her while she was leaving for her work.

“Sure. But how come this sudden plan today?” she had asked.

“Just thought of spending some time together.” He smiled.

“And how will we go there? The scooter has got old now, it won’t reach till there.”

“Don’t you worry about that. It still has got power to carry his master and his wife anywhere we want.”

“But we can take a bus also.”

“No, we will ride all alone on our scooter. This is much more fun.” He said. Though he only knew that it was not for fun this time, but for something else.

“Ok. As you wish my lord.” She said and left.

He kept sitting at his chair, wondering about his fate. He cursed the almighty for putting him in these situations every time.  He always wanted to be a soldier and serve the nation, but the deteriorating health of her old mother left him with no choice to continue his family business and look after her. After a few years she also passed away, leaving him all alone. He had been living a sordid life with no ambitions, no aspirations till one day, a beautiful lady came up to his shop looking for a place to live on rent.

Fatima, was her name. She worked for a local TV channel as a news reporter and was looking for a suitable accommodation. She was all alone in this world, with no parents or siblings to call as her family. For a few months the only conversation they had was in the form of occasional greetings. Then, one day she invited him over for the dinner. It was the first occasion when they both opened up and talked about their backgrounds, their dreams. Slowly their interaction grew, and soon they were in love. Farooq had never been so happy in his life. Fatima, had come as new ray of hope for him, he worked hard and gradually his business also prospered. While Fatima, continued with her TV reporter job.

One day, Farooq received an invitation from one his uncles to attend the marriage of their son. Fatima, denied. Farooq, went alone to attend the wedding ceremony, but his old scooter gave up on the way. By the time his scooter revved up again and he reached the city, he was shocked at the sight. There were dead bodies lying everywhere, shops were burning and people running haywire crying for help. There had been serial blasts by some terrorist group. Scared, he returned back to his house. But another shocking event waited for him. He found that the lights of his house were on.  Suspicious, he parked his scooter and went closer to the back window of his room. There were three persons, with guns in their hands, sitting on the couch. Instantly he thought of Fatima. His initial thoughts of worry and fear soon changed into nightmare when he saw her bringing drinks for all of them. Their body language told him, as if they were celebrating a victory. Only one thought came into his mind.

“She is a terrorist. Today’s attack was the event, why she didn’t go with me.”  He wondered.

“This is not possible.” He tried to deny the message, the celebration in his room sent to him.

He decided not to react at that moment and went away to his friends place. Later when everyone had gone, he returned to his house. Fatima was still there.

“Hey, did you heard about the blasts today?” he asked her.

“Yeah dear. I don’t know how people can do such things?” she replied. But her tone clearly reflected the indifference.

“You know, I just escaped the blasts. Scooter had some problem and I got late, otherwise I would also have been among the victims.”

“What? How are you dear?” she said running towards him. Tears rolled out from her eyes.

“I’m fine. Don’t worry. Lets sleep, I’m really tired.” He said and then they both went to bed.

That night he couldn’t sleep at all. One half of his heart was telling him that what he saw in the evening in his room was something else, Fatima was not a terrorist. She loved him very much. Those tears were for real. But the other half forced him to believe that she was surely involved in it. If not directly, then at least she supported those who did this heinous act.

Next two days, he followed her to every place she went. And to his utmost disgust, he found her taking pictures of different places in and around the city and then meeting some persons whose body language didn’t looked like anyway related to a TV channel.  One day he finally caught her meeting some persons whose faces were covered with scarf and were armed with guns. Now, he was convinced that she was one of them. He could have reported it to police, but first he wanted to ask her about all this.

So on 25^th March 1993 he took her to their favorite meeting place. All along the way, while he was driving the scooter, he wished that may be was wrong in his judgement  Initially, she tried to hide the truth but finally admitted that she was a terrorist. He tried his best to convince her to leave this path of sins and surrender. But she denied. She even asked him to join her, as according to her she was doing all this for their religion, for their people, for the Muslims.  He was shocked to see so much venom inside her. Left with no other choice, he told her that he himself will report it to the police. Just when he was about to start his scooter, he was left aghast, when Fatima, who boasted of her love for him, tried to kill him with a knife. Farooq, was a strong man, he somehow got hold of her. It was beyond imagination for him. All his love for her, vaporized into the air. He snatched the knife and held it close to her neck.  Just one thought came to his mind.

“Did you ever love me?” he asked.

She remained silent. Tears came into his eyes. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. With shaking hands he slit her throat and let her body fall on the ground.

“This is my country and I love it.” He looked into her eyes. The blood spilled out from her neck and she was dead.

He wiped off the handle of the knife to remove his fingerprints and then buried the knife at a place full of thick bushes and left the place.

Today, after two years he was again standing at the same place. He was surprised, that the place seemed to be completely abandoned. No one was there. Just then, he saw a person coming in his direction.  He recognized the person. He was Assistant Commissioner of Police, Aftab Ansari, who was investigating the case. He came closer to him and handed a piece of paper to him and then left.

“I know you did it and why you did it. Country needs people like you. You are free. “

He put the paper into his pocket. Closed his eyes for a second and left the place.

—THE END—