OS: An Epiphany

'How much lighter it feels without those heavy jewelries?' She thought. Gazing at herself in the mirror she let herself to recollect the memories of tonight's celebration. Everyone were lost in the melodious music playing, the music it had something which couldn't be described, something that just passed through the soul. The audience was mesmerized by that great musician's music piece. His music touched every soul present their, taught everyone to lose themselves in the moment of pure beauty.

His eyes were shut; his head kept moving swiftly along with the music, his face always had that slight smile at the corner of his mouth. In those moments he was not The Shahenshah, he felt like he was merely a man who was drawn into the world of music deeper and deeper. And then there came the moment when everyone was forced to come out to the real world. The musician completed his task. The music was over. Everyone for some strange reasons felt extremely low as if they never wanted the magical moment to ever end. In that bit he opened his eyes and his first gaze was fallen on her. He looked at her ecstatic face. She was over-whelmed by the musician's work, her eyes were moist. She lowered her head and then passed a look at him. They stared at each other for a while simply as she was waiting for him to take his eyes off and he just couldn't do it. He finally broke the eye contact and genuinely and whole heartedly appreciated the musician.

From all these happening Jodha seems to be stuck only on that part where Jalal didn't take his eyes from her. There was this softness in his gaze, this moisture in his eyes which were indicating how he never wants to take his eyes off her. And she felt it too; she liked it and wished how his stares were for a little longer. She blushed at the thought of him and her cheeks were pink as ever. She snapped out of her thoughts and began to take off her earrings. While doing so she noticed him entering her room, she rose and turned to see him. He was standing there looking all messy. She was perplexed by his sudden arrival this late, looking all messy. She approached him and asked 'Shahenshah are you okay?' Her sweet voice was music to his ears.

'Jodha...actually...' as he tried to walk forward, he loses his balance. In sudden Jodha hold him and made him sit on the bed. 'Jodha, come sit beside me I want to talk to you,' he said. She took a moment to analyze his behavior and at the end sat beside him but in a distance. He shifted so that he could have clear view of her face and held her hand. She was amazed to see this sudden movement of his. She was puzzled like anything; she couldn't understand him showing up to her room all drunk. Even though she was confused, she didn't remove her hand from his. She kind of sensed that it would hurt him if she does that. Jalal proceeded with his words 'I received your letter and I think it's safe to say that it actually touched me. I was glad that you now trust my judgments and my decisions. But the part where you have written that you love me and that you want to fulfill every duty of a wife specially that duty, I just couldn't believe it...' Jalal was interrupted as Jodha removed her hands from his. She was quickly gaining her temper as how can he misunderstand a simple letter of thank you into a love one.

'Shahenshah, what are you saying?'

'Shhh... please let me speak Jodha and once I'm finished you can say whatever you want. I loved your letter but also hated it as you wrote these lines of fulfilling every wife duty because you are in love with me. You know why? Because it made me feel small, it was like now that you are in love with me you wished to fulfill your wifely duties so that you can make me happy. Even if i believe that you are in love with me,then i assume that you thought that my happiness lies only in that particular need but it doesn't...' Jodha kept silent, she wanted to hear what he had to say. So she let him continue. 'May be you are ready for that but I just can't believe it because the Jodha I know give importance to love. For her, love should be first developed, nourished. For her, love is fully formed when one knows everything about the other and when they can rely on each other for everything. We are yet to develop that Jodha. We are yet to know each other. And that's why I thought that all of this that you are doing is only because you think my happiness lies only in spending the night with you and believe me it doesn't.For some very strange reasons I want more from this relationship, I don't want only this. I want to form a special bond with you Jodha and I don't know why but I just do.'

She didn't know how to react to this. She didn't want to be insensitive but the truth must be told. So she said 'But Shahenshah...I never wrote such letter to you.' Jalal looked at her all puzzled and released a quick and short laugh. 'What is this some kind of joke? Badi Ammi herself read that letter to me.' 'Badi ammi?'

'Yeah you know I couldn't read so I asked Badi Ammi to read it for me.'

All of Jodha's confusion was put to rest as soon as she heard the line. She understood it was all Maham's cheap tactics to create confliction between them. Her eyes filled with immediate tears as she looked at Jalal and thought how much low people can go just to hurt him.

She was quickly brought back to reality when Jalal uttered her name. She looked at him and said 'Come you need to sleep, you seem very tired,' But Jodha...' his words were cut in middle as Jodha said' No but...nothing...you are going to sleep and that's all,' she made him lay down on the bed and removed his jootis and settled him well. She sat beside him, looking at him while a tear roll down her cheeks. She was sad to think how embarrassed and broken he was going to feel the next morning when he will face the actual truth.

The End...😊