“I don’t want you to drive home alone. They are putting curfews everywhere. I can drive to get you… My knees are better.”
“No, no, stay put. Don’t come. I’ll figure something out. Maybe catch a ride with Adil and his convoy.”
“Do I need to call Atharva and arrange something?”
“No!” She yelled. “He is swamped right now and I am not a kid.”
“Amaal.”
“Samar, I am fine, I will call you if there is no other alternative.”
“I am awake.” He told her.
“No, go to sleep. You need sleep to recover.”
Samar huffed. “Is it long-term?”
Silence.
“I don’t know.”
“Hmm… Amaal?”
Silence.
“I am sorry.”
She sighed.
“It’s ok. I have to go, bye.”
Samar set his mobile down on the dining table and stared at the dark sky. The sun had set and the clouds were rumbling. He picked up his mobile again and dialled a number he hadn’t touched in months.
“Hello?”
“Faris.” Samar enunciated. “What’s going on?”
A pause. He moved away from whatever noisy space he had occupied earlier.
“It looks planned from long before. They have only changed the war cry now to bring Shahid Usama’s name into it. Money is starting to exchange hands, stone pelting boys are being called for meetings. This time everything is happening on WhatsApp. I am sending you the videos.”
“What is the militia doing?”
“I haven’t gotten any orders yet.”
“Hmm. You can keep everyone on standby. If something goes wrong at night.”Meaning: be alert, something will definitely go wrong at night. It always does.
“Yes.”
The call ended, and Samar’s instinct was to call Atharva. But he stopped. Atharva was swamped, as he would be in such a scenario, with the state up in a riot and a small son to take care of singlehandedly.
There was still no hope in sight of Iram returning, no leads, no traces. Maybe she had passed away. That was the only logical answer. For all that Samar had held against her, now he knew that she valued Atharva. And she would not abandon her newborn baby like that.
Atharva was caught in a tight place, neither able to grieve his wife, nor able to find her. And now caught in this.
Samar would not swap places with him today for anything.
He texted Atharva.
