ArSh FF - 'Tu Meri Ghazal Hai'

In the twenty one years I lived with my mother, we moved at least twenty times. We stuffed our belongings into ragged suitcases, boxes with bold advertising on the sides, pillow cases, empty rice sacks, cracker tins that smelled of flour and yeast. Whatever we couldn't carry, we left behind, dressers with missing drawers, refrigerators, lumpy sofas, the painting I painted last summer of my dream girl. I always had an image of a girl in my mind that made me wanted to paint it down. And when I did so I couldn't find a look a like girl of my painting in India as I expected.

We decided to move to New York, in search of medical care for my youngest brother, whose toes were nearly severed by a bicycle chain when he was four. In India, doctors wanted to amputate the often red and swollen foot, because it wouldn't heel. In New York, mother hoped doctors could save it.

The day we arrived, a hot, humid afternoon had splintered into thunderstorms as the last rays of the sun dipped into the rest of the United States. The weather indeed was beautiful. And then my eyes met the green ones, her hair silky black, with lose curls so bouncy, they were like a moon spring carnival. Never before I had seen such a beautiful creature. She reminded me of my painting girl. Those same green eyes , but it wasn't lose curls, they were indeed long silk black hair, I also happened to add a mole underneath her nose, right above side of her left lip. But this girl doesn't seem to have one, or maybe I couldn't see it properly as she was standing across the street. "Is she the one I've been looking for?" I thought to myself. How much time I've wasted in India in search of my 'dream girl', and here she is, in New York, standing right in front of me just a few inches away distance. I started taking slow steps towards her, to talk to her, to admire her beauty, how she made me so crazy about her just at first sight, I just wanted to know her name, I started thinking all typical Indian names, Anjali, Priya, Naina, Rani, or maybe Pari? She indeed looked like one. I chuckled and continued taking small steps and then heard my mother yelling my name and it brought me back to reality. I looked back to my mom and said "Jee mama kiya huwa?" "Armaan beta kahan khoye huwe ho, humein taxi pakar ke apne apartment jaana hai na, bhool gaye kiya?" " Oh! Haan mama sorry". I called out a yellow cab. And the cab stopped right front of us. I opened the door of the taxi for my mother to get in and looked back where she was standing to get one last glance of her, but sadly, she was gone. I felt as if my heart just came out my chest. It pained me that I didn't get to talk to her, get to know her name. No matter what wonders my eyes have seen, nothing compares to the beauty I saw. I came out of my thoughts when I heard mama say " beta, kiya soonch rahe ho, aao betho taxi mein". I sat inside the cab and prayed to see her again. I closed my eyes and started having a flashback of that beauty. There was something special about her eyes, Yes, they were naturally green but there was some kind of magic in them that made me stare at them for long. I let out a small sigh and the words in my head was keep creating in my head. " Mehekti hain teri aankhein, madhosh karti hain kyun mujhe, saagar si teri aankhein, tarpaati hain kyun mujhe, teri aankhein, yeh teri aankhein deewaana banaati hain mujhe." I suddenly opened my eyes and tried to registered what I just said in my mind. " Did I just said those words for her? And even that for a stranger? A girl that I don't even know, I don't even know her name, and I just said that to admire her beautiful eyes. "Did I just said a shayari?" he asked himself confused. "Oh Armaan, tujhe kiya ho raha hai, tu toh ab shaayar bhi ban gaya. He ran his fingers through his hair and when he heard his mom say " dekho Armaan humara apartment aagaya". " Arrey haan". He said without knowing it was really their apartment, because he wanted his mother to know he was paying attention to the tour he just had in the taxi rather than thinking about that angel.

We got off from the cab and I paid to the taxi driver. We took out our luggage and carried them to our new apartment. As we reached inside the room, I was stunned of the beauty in front of me. I gazed around the room, as my eyes slowly adjusted to the dim lights in the living room. I realized there was a small fire burning on one side of the wall, surrounded by a huge, brown couch and rocking chair. I looked to my left and found a large dining table, with several chairs around it, near the middle of the living room, I saw three large red sofas with white puffy pillows. Right next to the sofa there was a large vase with three beautiful red roses sticking out. In front of the sofas, I found a rather big T.V stand with two units on each side.

"Wow Ma! Kitna acha room hai na, kitne ache tareeke se sab decorate huwa wa hai?" I said with a smile. "Haan Armaan, waaki mein bohot acha decorate huwa hai, aise apartments India mein kahan". She said with a disappointed face. I laughed on her comment and said " Sahi kaha ma, agar India mein aise apartments ban gaye toh yahan aane ko kaun tarsega phir, acha ma main fresh hokar aata hoon". " Haan beta kyun nahi, jaao fresh hojaao jab tak main suitcase se apne kapre apne room mein jama deti hoon". "Theek hai ma". I left from there and made my way to the bathroom. As I opened the door, my mouth was left hanging. I never in my life seen such a beautiful bathroom, not even in English movies. There was a large round toll top bath in the middle of the floor with old fashioned taps silver, of course. A separate shower in one corner with no surround but a plug hole in a beautifully tiled white floor. The decor was white and silver with vines painted on the wall around the top. The bathroom looked more like a bedroom. "I can just sleep here". I said to myself. I walked towards the sink to splash water on my face to get rid of the tiredness which was showing in my face. And then again her face keep appearing front of me. I closed my eyes and splashed water on my face again. "Yeh larki toh mujhe pagal kardegi". I smiled to myself and closed my eyes with her image in my eyes, and said lovingly. "Tere intezaar mein, yeh nazrein jhuki hain, tere chehre ki jhalak ko paane ki chah jagee hai, na jaanu tera naam, na tera pata, par dil mein anjaani si bechaini jagee hai.