“Come, come.” He set his mobile down, the evening sun sparkling orange around his silhouette. She took her eyes to Samar, who hadn’t even looked up. The sun sat on his eyelashes, tiny dust motes sprinkling around them.
“Nothing urgent, my parents are here.”
Samar’s eyes rose, and the deep black was suddenly glinting lighter in the sun.
“Of course,” Atharva rose to his feet, already walking around his desk.
Amaal thought he would ask her to bring them in, but he passed her through the door and out. She kept staring at Samar, who went back to his papers. A tiny pang of dejection inched inside her chest. She didn't know why, but she wanted him to be just as excited to meet her parents, maybe even be at his best behaviour, which would be a miracle in itself.
“Durrani sahab.” She heard Atharva greet her parents in the hall outside. “Was your flight on time?”
Samar didn’t glance up again, and Atharva kept on talking to her parents outside like he was their long-lost son. Amaal closed her eyes, breathing in the disappointment. She was about to turn and go to them when she heard their footsteps. They were already here, her parents hanging onto Atharva’s every word as he led them inside his office. Amaal stood to the side, her heart suddenly thudding at the thought of Samar meeting them and them Samar.
Please be nice.She prayed under her breath.
“This is my founding partner, Dr. Samar Dixit,” Atharva introduced just as Samar rose to his feet.
“Samar, Amaal’s parents. The other Durrani, who would have been happy if we had rejected her resume.”
Her father threw his head back and laughed, looking at her with amused but proud eyes. Amaal shrugged, feeling like Open Day at school.
“Hello, sir.” Samar nodded, proper stiff shoulders and feet apart. “Ma’am.”
Good.
“It’s a pleasure, Doctor sahab,” her father held his hand out. Samar shook it.
“Durrani sahab is a dental surgeon in London,” Atharva went on. “Samar is a trauma surgeon, the man who held all our lives in his hands through many missions. Still does.”
Her father nodded, looking Samar in the eye — “It’s the toughest responsibility a human can carry. Strangers’ lives.”
“You’re right, sir.”
“Mrs. Durrani is also a dental surgeon, a better one than Durrani sahab, I hear,” Atharva smirked, looking at her. Her mother beamed.
“I see my daughter is divulging family secrets here.” Her father cocked his head.
“Her job is to hold all our secrets and divulge them at the right time and the right place.” Atharva enthused. “And she does a splendid job. We sent them all to start a new team the day she joined, and she has singlehandedly come back leading the pack.”
“Is this my Open Day session or what?” Amaal protested.
“We can type up a report card if you want.”
She laughed, her eyes quickly going to Samar, who was standing there silent, stoic — just Samar.
“Please, sit, what would you like? Coffee? Kahwa…?” Atharva got on with his effortless hospitality, while Samar moved away to offer her parents the two chairs.
“It was a pleasure meeting you,” he nodded at her parents. To Atharva — “I’ll see you tonight.”
He walked out of the room, just giving her a chin nod of acknowledgment. Same old Samar.
————————————————————
The winter wind looked heavy outside the window, but the superior-grade heater in her flat kept it toasty warm. Her mother half lay on the pile of pillows behind her on the bed, while she sat with her back to her bent thigh, staring at the wind howling outside the glass shutters.
“Dad’s snoring is trumping the heater too,” Amaal observed. “I had forgotten how loud he is.”
“I can’t even make it out after all these years,” her mother chuckled, her thighs shaking under her back. Amaal lay her head back, and her mother straightened her knees, letting her lie down. Amaal sighed, feeling sleepy but not ready to sleep yet.
