ESL Blogs

The Red Bangles”

 “Ok here we are, you go there while I park somewhere.”  He dropped her and drove the car to the parking area.

She walked slowly towards the ocean, staring at the huge waves.  Then she abruptly stopped!  There he was sitting near the wall built for the viewer separating the ocean from the road.  She was looking at him, she felt that he just appeared from the thin air, because the place was empty a moment earlier.  May be it was her illusion.  But he was right there as was sitting there to sell bangles. 

“Oi Irfan don’t run so fast I can’t catch up with you.  She was panting, he laughed at her.  “Come and get me otherwise I will disappear.”  They both still were in their teens.  She sat down on the ground, and made her face like wanted to cry, he saw her and ran towards her.  He sat near encircling her in  arms and got closed to his vast chest hugging tight. 

‘Never ever try to tease me. ‘   She tilted her head on his shoulder as wanted to rest there for her entire life. 

‘What are you looking at in the sky?” She asked. 

“Just that airplane, but I can’t see it clearly, my eyes seems not focusing on it.  I think I have some problem in my eyes.”  

‘Why don’t you go to an ophthalmic consultant?” 

“You are right, I should see the doctor, but for this I will have to go to the city, because there is no such doctor here.”

“Oh look that bangles vendor, come get me red bangles, I love red bangles, I want to wear them.” 

“Right now I don’t have money, but I promise one day I will get you red bangles.’

“Promise?”  “Yes, sure promise.”

That was the last time she saw him.  Then he disappeared, and never came to see her, neither he sent any message, just some information from the neighbors that his family went to the city, because he was having some problems in his eyes.

How much tears she shed in missing him, during all the years, when finally her parents got her married, which she didn't resist, because there were no signs of him.

And now he was sitting right there before her, he seemed to selling bangles because the boxes of bangles were spread before him.  He was sitting quietly and seemed to looking in the air, or seeing nothing.

She walked towards him as someone’s moving in trance.   As she got near him, his body moved as if coming out of sleep.

“Mam I have beautiful bangles, red bangles for you,” he took a packet out from his bag, because there were no red bangles lying before him. 

“Please wear these in my wrist.”  She was shaking badly with emotions, and tears were falling from her beautiful eyes rolling down on her blushed cheeks.   Her delicate lips were trembling.  He wore the red bangles through her supple wrist.  When it was over, she wanted to say something, she wanted to ask where he had been, and how much she waited for him.  But then within glimpse of an eye he vanished, gone before her widely opened eyes, she was shocked and panicked.

She wanted to cry out, as her husband reached there and got worried seeing her so frustrated.

“What happened Wajiha, what’s wrong?  Why are you so upset?”

She was crying badly, her entire body was shaking.  “He was just here, he gave me these red bangles!”

“But my dear, here is nobody, the place is empty! It may be your illusion, you think too much.”  “I am not exaggerating! It is not any illusion or any hallucination!!  See I am wearing red bangles.  Where these have come from?” 

When they both were talking, a vendor from the near came towards them,

 “Mam there was no vendors, the place is vacant since the bangles vendor died who used to sit here, and he never sold bangles, but kept them as he was waiting for some special customer.  He was a blind young boy, very beautiful and handsome.  He just used to sit here.  One day I heard that he had died.  Since then this place is empty, and no other vendor sat here.  I was seeing you with surprise staring that empty place as if you were talking to someone.”

She heard the vendor’s story, and began to weep even more.  Her husband got her in to his arms and tried to sooth her.

“He just came down from heaven to fulfill his promise, to give me these “Red Bangles!  Believe me he was just there, came down from heaven…………….”  Her husband nodded in affirmation and they both moved towards their car.