Remarkable

2

Ardashir grooved to the rhythm of music blasting in his earpods as the elevator ascended to the 27th floor, his feet tapping against the marble. He adjusted the coffee holder in his hand when the elevators opened and strolled to the secretary's desk.

"I am here to see, Miss Armineh Zain Ahmed," He spoke, bending over the reception. The receptionist didn't even look up, her fingers flying over the keyboard of her laptop with a speed of a hundred words per minute.

"Do you have an appointment, Sir?" The receptionist asked adjusting the glasses perched on her nose.

"No."

"You need an appointment to see Miss Armineh. With all due respect Sir, she is a very busy woman. I suggest next time you come, make an appointment, beforehand," The receptionist gave him a passing glance. The quick movements of her fingers interested him. He shifted his gaze back to her, her name tag read- Selene.

"I am Ardashir Rizwan if that helps?" Ardashir slid his business card to the woman.

"I am sorry, Sir. You may see her but she's in a me-meeting right now," Selene stuttered, visibly shaken when she looked up from the card to the handsome man before her with wide eyes.

Ardashir watched the woman as she scrambled to her feet with marked amusement, his lips quirked in a smirk.

"Please follow me, Mr. Ardashir. I'll show you to her office."

Ardashir followed her, wordlessly as he looked around the chic interior of the floor.

"Wait here. She'll be with you, shortly," Selene told him, gesturing him inside a room. Ardashir was shocked to see the mess covering the ground. The paperwork scattered, dotted with red and blue files of the company.

Ardashir jumped over some sheets as he made his way to the chair. He kept the coffee holder on the wooden table and loosened his tie, glancing at the wall clock above Seth Godin's quote frame.

Impressive.

It was 5 in the evening and Armineh was still in the meeting while the floor was nearly vacant.

He hung his suit jacket on the chair beside him and rolled his sleeves to the elbows as his eyes drifted past the shelves searching for a prayer mat which he found on a console behind Armineh's chair. Ardashir collected the papers, stacking them on one of the flat surfaces of the shelf under two paperweights as he moved to open a single door in her office which led him to the washroom.

Armineh had taken her time to offer her prayers after the meeting.

"I apologize if you had to wait too long," She said as she entered her workspace. She was thoroughly surprised to find Ardashir in prostration, in the direction of Kibla, on the floor.

Her heart swelled at the glorious sight before her. Armineh shushed her thoughts and made her way to the chair waiting for him to finish.

Blood rushed to Ardashir's neck when he realized Armineh had come, he had heard the doors slide open. He raised his hands for Dua, before collecting the Jaye namaz (prayer mat) only to find her eyes pinned on him when he turned to face her.

Armineh blushed rosy, fumbling with a drawer in her desk. She heaved a deep breath and raised her head to find him seated before her.

"I see that you have made yourself comfortable," Armineh commented gesturing to his discarded tie and coat. His socks and shoes lay beside her desk.

Ardashir gave a short laugh, "Of course."

"Would you like something to drink?" She paused for a second. "Oh! Never mind, I see that you have arranged for that too."Armineh said, struggling with the smile playing on her lips as Ardashir slid a cup of coffee towards her which she slid back.

"Thanks a lot, Mr. Ardashir but I don't drink coffee."

"Tea?"Ardashir questioned.

"Neither that."

"How do you even survive?" Ardashir asked, sitting up straight in his seat as he fixed her with a look that said You-don't-say.

Armineh shrugged, she opened her mouth to tell him, it didn't really matter because she wasn't used to coffee or tea, but instead settled with, "I am sorry, Mr. Ardashir but let's not waste our time in idle chat."

Ardashir's ears colored, "Yes."

"So, what brought you to my office?"

Ardashir watched her note something from a piece of paper into a notebook, her forehead creased in concentration as she struggled to discern her bad penmanship. It was bad, Ardashir had seen better handwriting than hers.

"Can we begin this- let's say after 15th, the coming Monday?" Ardashir requested, reclining in the chair. He took a sip of his coffee, giving Armineh time to think.

"Yes, if that suits you but if I may ask why?" Armineh shuffled pens in the penholder and shifted her gaze from the calendar to Ardashir.

"Yeah. Of course, I have a flight to catch on Friday evening and I'll be most probably back around the 13th. I am sorry for not mentioning this earlier but I am managing a few projects overseas."

"No, It's all right. You said something about it the other day in Sir Nawab's office- So, we start after two weeks. Anything else, Sir?"

"Just- one more thing. I'd appreciate it if there are some agendas streamlined for us to work on in future meetings. We wouldn't want to waste time. I want to stabilize NC as soon as possible," He uttered, catching her gaze.

"I understand."

"Do you always work this late?- I mean the floor's almost empty," Ardashir clarified when he saw her sleek eyebrows rise to her hairline after having a look at the vacant space through the transparent glass.

"Most of the time, yes."

"I see. I think that's all, I'd take my leave, now. I hope, I didn't take a lot of your time," Ardashir muttered, sheepishly. He bent over his knees to pull his socks on his feet and wore his shoes, next.

"No. Not at all," Armineh said as she saw him stand up, fastening his tie around his neck with remarkable grace. He pulled his sleeves down, settled his blazer on one arm, and picked the coffee cups.

"I look forward to working with you, Miss Armineh, and Go home, early, if you will." He blessed her with a grin, his palm over his beating heart as he bid farewell to Armineh like the last time.

Something was endearing about the motion and his words that struck a chord deep in her chest. She was reading too much into his actions.

"I am sorry for the coffee," Armineh said, apologetically as she followed him to the door.

"Never mind that, Armineh. I'll see you. Allah Hafiz," He waved as he turned around, leaving behind an imprint of his big smile in Armineh's memory.

"I'll be bringing the official documents on my next visit here," Ardashir yelled over the cubicles, shaking Armineh out of her unwanted thoughts, once again seeking her attention as he stood across her in the large Hall. His deep, throaty chuckle resonated in the hall.

Armineh nodded to herself, moving back inside the room as her hand twitched on her side to wave back at him.

◇

"Mama?" Armineh called out, looking for her mother had returned from work.

"I am in my room. Come here," Armineh heard Sabeeha. She hung her coat on the hanger and dropped her keys on the console along with her bag, hurrying over to her mother's room.

"Assalamualaikum, Mama," Armineh greeted.

"What's all this?" She gestured to the red jewelry boxes laying haphazardly on the bed. The diamond necklace with gold encrusting entranced her as she sat beside Sabeeha, admiring the craftsmanship of the jewelry pieces.

"I was just checking if they need to be sent for service."

"Whatever for?"

"You, after Alizeh's marriage-"

"No-No-No. Mama, I told you I don't want to get married. Please, let's not talk about this again," Armineh muttered, glancing at the necklace her mother was inspecting for damage.

Sabeeha glared at her daughter, "This is what you said last year. Your father's no longer with us and I don't know how long I have, you are getting married and there's that. I have been seeing a few families."

Armineh implored, "Mama, please."

"Betay, listen to me. Let me do this for peace of my mind and your father's. I'll die knowing my daughters are in good hands. Who will look after you when I am gone?" Sabeeha laid the necklace in the box and took Armineh's hands in her own, giving her unbridled attention to her younger daughter."I will not marry you off to just anyone. I won't be picking men from the streets, Betay. He'll be good, one of the best men, I promise. Don't you trust your mother?"

"You know that I do, "Armineh sighed, heavily."This is blackmailing at its finest."

"Whatever. Betay, just look at how happy Alizeh is, don't you want to experience this kind of happiness? The kind of love your father and I shared, the kind of love Alizeh shares with Imad. You have achieved everything you wanted and more. You have made all of us proud. What's stopping you?" Sabeeha looked at her daughter intently as she bit the inside of her cheek.

Armineh met her mother's sad eyes, they used to twinkle when her father had been alive and now, they were just dull.

Sabeeha tried to live for her daughters but at night she'd count the days since he had left her- them, alone. Cry as she'd lay in their bed, unaccompanied in the piercing silence of the night- his side of the bed, vacant. She no more prepared teas for him at ungodly hours, no more pressed his clothes as they hung in the cupboard, untouched. She just no longer existed in his existence so she waited patiently without so much patience to meet him in heaven, soon.

"Okay, fine but I'll choose the guy. No pressure. Do you promise?"

Sabeeha nodded and Armineh pulled her mother in the circle of her arms, her silver strands tickled her cheeks as Armineh kissed Sabeeha's temple.

"Dad left us too soon, Mama. You won't, okay? You'll live for dad and me and Alizeh," Armineh swallowed the growing lump in her throat, blinking back the tears that brimmed her eyes as the thought of losing her mother after her father crossed her mind. Immense fear gripped her heart and her hold tightened around Sabeeha but it was inevitable. She reminded herself, Every soul shall taste death. She only hoped it wouldn't come soon.

"So my dearest, when are we meeting my millionth prospective husband?" Armineh jested, pulling away from Sabeeha. She moved to sit beside the jewelry boxes, trying to make light of the situation as she picked a gold bracelet with diamonds encrusted in three parallel rectangles and placed it on her wrist.

"The family's coming on Saturday. If you won't be at home, I'll send the boy to the office so you guys can talk. I trust, that you won't do anything inappropriate without a chaperone, yes?"

"Mama," Armineh groaned, belatedly realizing her mother had only been teasing her.

Sabeeha laughed as she saw the realization dawn on her daughter. Like father, like daughter. Zain had always despised her flair for dramatics. She missed him, dearly.

"Don't look at me like that. You are twenty-six, betay and I have no reason to not marry you. Now, come let's have dinner."

"I don't know how to cook? No round rottis."

"let's not talk about your cooking skills and round rottis, in particular, because betay, even a blind man can vouch for that," Sabeeha said with a hearty laugh at her daughter's blatant lie.

◇

Anaam had been at the office, staring at the skyline through the ceiling-high windows, his hands tucked in the pockets of his slacks as he missed her.

She wasn't even his to miss.

His phone vibrated on his desk. He ignored it twice before he forced himself to turn around and walked to his desk to receive it.

His eyebrows drew together in confusion when he saw the unknown caller Id. "Hello?"

"Where have you been?"Saleh inquired, Anaam heard some shuffling in the background.

"I was-" Anaam began but Saleh interrupted him, his voice hard.

"Your man called. He said you told him to contact me if s**t went downhill. It seems it just did. You know the address. Come, I am on my way," Saleh hung up, immediately.

"f**k!" Anaam shouted, snatching his car keys from the desk.

◇

Red liquid spurted from her mouth when he kicked her for the umpteenth time that particular evening.

She writhed on the clean, kitchen tiles. "I did not know you were such a slow learner, babe," Imad rasped his voice heavy with exertion.

She didn't know what had happened. What she had done to incur his wrath this time but he never needed any reason. He had beaten her when Sarah's milk hadn't been warm enough so anything related to their daughter that didn't satisfy him could be the reason or it could be anything from her facial expression to the color of the clothes she would be wearing. Anything. After three years she still didn't know what could trigger him. Imad was a very volatile man and living with him had been worse than walking on eggshells.

He rarely used words to do the talking, his hands and feet had conveyed the message quite, clearly on numerous occasions.

They have been eating in peaceful silence when Imad had gestured to Sarah's bowl of mashed potatoes because she hadn't been eating. She blew on it whenever Alizeh took a spoonful to her mouth.

"I think it's not mashed enough," Imad uttered peeping into the bowl as he pointed to the small lumps.

"No," Alizeh said, nonchalantly and poured herself a glass of water. "She's probably not hungry. I nursed her for just half an hour, ago." She told him not to notice the tightening of his fingers around his spoon.

"Are you arguing with me, Alizeh?"

Alizeh looked up to find his cold gaze already fixed on her person, she froze. Blood drained from her face as she gulped, her tongue darted out to wet her dry lips.

"No-No, Imad. I-I am sorry. I wasn't- I didn't mean-"Alizeh stuttered, tears gathering in her eyes.

"Please-Please, Imad. I-I am sorry," She begged, shifting away from him on the seat of her chair as if that would save her.

"I thought you knew better than to argue with me, love," Imad spoke with evident disappointment. "I thought I taught you better. I thought you understood, finally after several lessons."

And the next thing Alizeh knew, Imad had risen from the head seat of the dining table.

"Mama and Baba will be right back, honey," He tenderly whispered to their daughter, cradling her chubby face in his large palms as she sat in the high chair between Alizeh's chair and Imad's while he placed the bowl of mashed potatoes in front of her. He made her hold the plastic spoon in her little hands before turning to Alizeh.

Imad heaved Alizeh out of her chair, roughly tugging at her shirt, and shoved her towards the kitchen.

She didn't know which part of her body hurt the most, if she was even alive but she surmised she was because her muscles protested in burning agony when his booted feet made contact with her abdomen, again.

It had begun with a solid punch to her jaw. Alizeh feared he must have displaced it as her jaw throbbed, furiously when she had grounded her teeth together to swallow a cry. She had hit her head against the corner of the marble island with the force of the blow and fallen on the floor. Pathetic tears leaked her eyes, trailed down the bridge of her nose and temple, getting lost in the luscious strands of her chocolate hair caked with blood, seeping out of the wound as she lay on her side, desperately praying to get out of this hell.

Her arms had given up a long time, ago. He'd crushed her fingers under his feet like a cigarette stub beneath his shoe.

Blood oozed from her right nostril when his feet smashed against her rib cage and her entire body twisted in pain.

Alizeh tried to move in vain efforts to protect herself but she couldn't. It virtually killed her, he must have broken her into smithereens.

She used to think in the beginning that she'd die due to the pain, that it couldn't get any worse than this but Imad had a knack for surprising her. If she thought the previous one couldn't have been any worse, Imad would prove her wrong and she would be forced to bite her tongue. She knew now though it could have been worse and she also knew there would always be a next time as long as she stayed with him.

With her barely opened eyes, she blinked back the tears of grief to focus her vision on her daughter as she wailed a few feet away from them when she couldn't find her parents in her line of sight. She had her back towards them, blissfully unaware as her father showed his love to her mother. The love he so affectionately would pronounce to their daughter and Alizeh's family. However, the story was entirely different behind the closed doors of their home.

She bit down on her trembling lower lip to contain the shouts of help and cries of pain, she'd only end up worrying her daughter because no one would come to her aid, no one could offer her escape from Imad.

His lips pulled at one corner as he crouched beside her and wrapped her fingers around her slender neck, cutting her oxygen supply.

Alizeh shuddered, her eyes reeling back in her head as she struggled to breathe. She didn't even have the strength to break free from his grasp. She gasped for breath, her uninjured hand clawed the tiles, her nails scraping against it. Searching for something to hold on to, anything.

Alizeh whimpered and sucked in a sharp breath, recoiling in a fetal position when Imad pulled away from her as the main door rattled under the heavy knocks.

She was floating, her limbs felt light as if she was made from the very air she breathed when the pain gradually ebbed away and numbness took its place.

Maybe, she'd be free, after all.

◇