THE DEPARTURE

Ahmed had to reach home quickly. It was his wedding anniversary. He and Eman had been together for a year. He had applied for a leave in his office that day but couldn’t get it. He left office early that day but he knew it would still take two hours to reach home. He got in his car, buckled up and started the car. Suddenly, some thought rushed through his mind and he turned back to check the backseat. A sigh of relief. It was still there. The necklace. The necklace for which he was saving money for a year. The necklace which Eman had seen at the jewelry shop in the mall. He picked up the box and placed it in the glove compartment. He drove out of the parking lot. The moment he turned towards the boulevard he could see a long queue of cars. It was a traffic jam. It was common in this part of the city at this time of the day. He wanted to turn back but it was too late. The cars behind him were already honking horns, signaling him to move on, unaware of the traffic congestion ahead. He had no choice but to move forward. And here he was, stuck in traffic, slowly drifting towards his destination. He knew he was going to be late. So, he gave up his race against time, knowing there was nothing he could do. He leaned back in his seat, rolled down the car window and looked at the sky. The sky was covered in a hue of orange indicating that the sun was about to set. It was at this moment when his mind wandered down the memory lane …… “I’m really sorry!” said Ahmed, the moment he knew he had bumped into someone. “No, I’m the one who should be apologizing,” said the beautiful voice which took Ahmed by surprise. “I should be looking up instead of being busy in my phone,” continued the girl. Ahmed was speechless. He had never seen a girl more beautiful than her. Brown flashing eyes. In midnightblack hair that flowed over her shoulders, freckled cheeks. He stood there, amazed at her beauty. She had dropped the things she was carrying and Ahmed, the gentleman he was, helped her in picking those up. “Thank You,” she said before moving on with her business. This was the first time he met Eman. This meeting had left something in both of their minds. A spark. A spark which soon ignited the fire of love. From that day onwards, they saw each other daily in the university library. For the first few days they only exchanged greetings. But as days passed, they were soon good friends and by the time of graduation they were head over heels in love. From there it was smooth sailing. Their parents turned out to be friends and they got married within a fortnight. Suddenly, a loud honk of a horn pulled him back into the present. He saw that the cars in front of him were starting to move. He followed suit and moved forward. When he turned, from the main boulevard, on to the road towards his block, he decided to put the pedal to the metal. The road was clear and he was certainly beyond the speed limit. His only purpose was to reach home as fast as he could. When he reached the intersection, he heard a loud horn and in no time an eighteen-wheeler crashed into the side of his car. The car flipped so many times that he became disoriented. He could taste the blood in his mouth. His bones, muscles and organs felt like they were being crumpled and smashed into a tiny box. He could hear the deafening noise of metal bashing against concrete. And soon every sound started to fade away. His vision stated to blur and darkness covered every corner of his eyes. He could no longer feel anything. His soul departed from his body. He was dead. He had left this world unaware of the bliss that awaited him at home. Eman was pregnant. Pregnant with a baby girl. She wanted to surprise him on their first wedding anniversary. Little did she know, it was their first and last anniversary. 

Saad Ullah Bhatti Intermediate II (Pre-Engineering)