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یہ ضروری ہے کہ آنکھوں کا بھرم قائم رہے

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graphics credit: minahilx
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"WHAT...WHAT ARE you doing here?" Mahin asked, voice troubled for a second, every single one of her defense soaring high.

"I came to see my daughter," Arsalan Kazemi replied with a smile, standing up from his place on the couch to hug his daughter. "How are you doing?"

It had been well over two months since she'd last seen her father and, in these times, he hadn't aged at all. Time, it showed, was treating Arsalan Kazemi with care. With grey hair at the temples and some lines adorning the forehead, the fifty-seven-year-old man could easily pass for forty.

"I'm fine... how did you get inside?" Mahin stepped back, creating an unconscious space between them.

"The keys. You gave me the last time I came, didn't you?"

Hearing him, Mahin sighed heavily. Although surprising his visit had been, this was no way to greet her father, she reprimanded herself. Their last phone call had ended in a fight with Mahin hanging up but he was here now, wasn't he? Tugging a smile on her face, Mahin dropped the purse on the couch and turned, throat absolutely parched by now.

"Would you like something to drink?" Mahin asked as she walked towards the dining table.

"No, I helped myself," he answered, distracted as he peered at the wall clock. "Do you always get in so late?"

"No, not always. A client came at the last minute," She replied with a smile, taking a seat close to her father on the couch. "How's Salahdir?"

The gloominess that came to rest in her voice whenever she mentioned her country wasn't far behind this time either – the tug at her heart almost physical. Her island country situated in the north of Persian Gulf had been her home until she'd seen eighteen springs, until she had to leave for college. Still her home, Salahdir was, but it'd almost been a decade since she last visited and Khodaya, she missed it.

"Flourishing, as always. But it misses you."

"I miss it too." Mahin whispered, old-soul eyes narrowing in gloom.

"You should come visit sometimes, Mahin. I'm sure you have a busy schedule but a week wouldn't hurt." Arsalan Kazemi said and another sigh tore through her.

"You know I tried but I can't, Baba."

Escaping her eyes from her father's, Mahin looked outside the glass panels at the setting sun. The horizon reminded her of Salahdir's and how absolutely breathtaking the sunsets there were. With the background of desert plains and an ocean spread far ahead, Salahdir was beautiful at every hour of the clock, its beauty always ethereal.

"Yes, you can, whatever happened, however it happened, it's so far behind, bâce . Leave it there and try to move forward." Her father gently reminded and Mahin brought her gaze back to the father, eyes narrowing in curiosity.

"Is everything okay? You never insist." Mahin asked and saw her father stiffening in his place.

"Yeah, yeah. Everything's fine, alhamdulillah. I just miss my daughter back home." He added with a sad frown.

"You can come visit whenever you want, Baba. It's only a three hours flight," Mahin's energetic reply made an effort to dim the hollowness that had come to rest in the room and fortunately, it worked. "So, you're here for work?"

"No, not this time. I just came to see you." The father replied and something akin to happiness and joy bubbled inside her.

"Then you'll be staying for dinner, right?" Mahin's exclamation of pure bliss made an apologetic smile dance on her father's face.

"No, I'm sorry, I have to meet a delegation," the bubble of happiness was as easy to burst and Mahin felt herself falling back on the couch. "We can go have breakfast in the morning."

"Alright." She replied, frown decorating the lines of her face.

"But I'm here now, aren't I? Tell me about your job." He said, an effort to return the smile to his daughter's face.

"It's going fine, alhamdulillah. Not as busy as yours is, but well, it's hard to keep up with." Mahin responded, the previous jollity now vacated from her voice.

"Any new cases of interest?"

"Yeah!" That seemed to put Mahin Arsalan a little in mood. "An art forgery case. It's bloody brilliant if only the man suing wasn't a stuck up. But I'm having fun right now, so no harm."

Law had always managed to lift her sullen moods; a topic she could converse on hours above hours, to the point Alara Demircan had stopped listening to Mahin Arsalan when she spoke. Even that, however, hadn't dimmed Mahin's passion to talk about her profession. Finding a job you love was a rarity and she intended to honor every second of it.

"I'm glad at least someone's enjoying their job." Baba spoke and a laugh stumbled out of Mahin's lips.

"I spent years trying to get where I am. Might as well enjoy it." She laughed, painted lips lifting in a smile that put the whole Istanbul to shame.

"And how's Alara and Burak?"

"They're fine, still a mighty fine pain for me but they're good," Mahin told as she relaxed into the couch, exhaustion finally catching up to her again. "She's taking me to a gallery opening this Sunday."

"And you agreed?" The father was surprised, knowing his daughter and her hate for parties a little too well.

"With difficulty but you know how she is." Mahin shrugged, eyes again wandering to blue straits of Bosphorus, now lit by night lights.

"I should get going, too. I have to check-in at the hotel before making it to the dinner." he said, leaning forward to plant a kiss on her head. "See you in the morning, bâce."

"Where are you staying?" she asked, standing up to escort him to the door.

In all the times Arsalan Kazemi had visited Mahin in Turkey, he'd never stayed with her. In the beginning, the brown-eyed woman had insisted but on his continuous denials, she'd halted all her attempts. The father-daughter duo wasn't too close anyway but it was time like these when she missed the relationship she used to have with him before everything went downhill.

"They already booked a hotel, don't worry." He said as he threw an arm around his daughter's shoulder, bringing her in for a hug.

"And where's your detail, though? I didn't see any on my way."

"They're down at the reception," the father said as he stepped outside. "Fe-Aman, child."

"Fe-Aman, Baba." The daughter replied, a sad frown marring her face.

"GET YOUR LAZY ass off the bed and move, woman."

Alara's irritated voice reached Mahin who groaned before pushing her face further into the pillow, blocking out the light pouring into her scattered room. With the floor-to-ceiling window right in front of her bed and curtains pulled completely apart, witnessing another enthralling view of the sun descending in Bebek over the Bosphorus river, colorful curses flew out her mouth as she groaned.

"Get up, we're getting late." Alara said, for the hundredth time since she had allowed herself into Mahin's apartment half-an-hour ago, only to stop irritated to find Mahin still sleeping.

"Get out of here." Mahin threw a cushion at her friend before turning around, aiming to find the comforter Alara had snatched.

"M, you promised you'd go." Alara's voice was soft this time, making a groan escape Mahin as she removed the comforter slowly.

"Fine, give me a minute, I'm up." Mahin sighed before pushing herself off the bed and into the washroom, white fur slippers cushioning her steps.

"You're the best!" Alara shouted from behind and Mahin only groaned as she jumped into the shower, day worth of slumber and red eyes difficult to wash away.

A few minutes later and Mahin Arsalan walked out of the washroom with water dripping from the ends of her black hair, white robe slashed around her tall-heighted frame just as fragrance engulfed the room – sleep a forgotten territory by now.

"That's my girl," Alara exclaimed just as Mahin took a seat behind the vanity table and looked up at her best friend. "How do I look?"

Alara, dressed in a boat-necked maroon silk dress that touched her calves with a dangerous slit to the side, had outfitted to drop jaws tonight. With her long, caramel hair flowing back in waves and storm-blue eyes standing to view with added mascara and liner, Alara Demircan had always been a natural beauty.

"That's going to be quite some heart that you'll be stopping tonight." Mahin complimented, a rarity at that for extracting compliments out of Mahin Arsalan was nothing short of a feat.

"I know right, thanks!" Alara pouted, pride coming to rest in her spine as Mahin busied herself with the make-up.

A good half-an-hour later was when Mahin stepped out of the closet and studied herself in the mirror, eyes taking in the final product of the effort with satisfaction before choosing her shoes for the night and walking out of the room. Alara, beyond bored by now, was seated on the bar stool as she casually drank some juice.

"God, can you be anymore la – Allah, Allah, you look something." Alara said, stepping out of the stool and walking towards her friend, a smile filling her eyes and lips.

"Enough with the false praises, let's get going." Mahin shook her head, never good with compliments, as she moved to turn off the lights.

"God bless those Persian genes, woman. Why don't you take a little pride in it?" Alara pressed her lips, both ladies walking out into the foyer before calling for the elevator.

"I do take pride, but ain't I a humble woman?" Mahin laughed as they faced each other while waiting for the elevator, Alara shaking her head.

Mahin Arsalan knew she was pretty - when she looked in the mirror, she had always appreciated what the picture had been portrayed but those childish insecurities hadn't yet departed her altogether either. The seeds of self-doubt over her large eyes, full lips and tanned complexion she had nurtured once she'd moved here had now grown to fully blossom. In contrast to Alara who was all beautiful curves and sharp features, Mahin was tall and bony and it had taken years for her to make peace with that.

"Oh, that you are," Alara snickered as they finally made their way out through the glass doors of reception, the cold night welcoming them into a sudden embrace.

"But you know the first thing I thought when I saw you?" Alara silenced for a second, expecting Mahin to make a wild guess in a joke but when she didn't and only climbed into their drive, began. "That damn, this girl is going to give me some competition."

At that, a rich laugh tumbled out of Mahin's lips as she relaxed herself against the leather seats, the driver pulling the car out onto the Cevdet Paşa Caddesi as memories of them in her college days came running back. Khodaya, what an absolute mess they had been.

"Now you're just flattering me, Al," Mahin placed a hand on her heart, leaning forward to accept the compliment. "Come on, fine, tell me about the artist who's coming."

That thankfully distracted Alara whose eyes widened in excitement at the mention of an artist she had been talking about since last week. Apparently, a foreign artist was going to grace the event with his presence, looking for potential sponsors. How a painter and a designer would come together, Mahin had no idea and she hadn't dared question Alara either.

"Well played, Mahin Hanım, well played," Alara laughed before diving into her favorite topic of these days. "I just can't wait to work with him and you know..."

And for the next half hour, Mahin kept nodding as Alara went on and on about an artist she downright refused to mention the name of. Surprises, she had said, should better be done right. So, after initial attempts, Mahin had given up, adding her own questions here and there just to satisfy the woman seated beside her on the backseat of their posh drive.

"Come, we're here." Alara said, quickly casting herself one final glance in the rearview mirror before stepping out of the car.

Inhaling heavily, Mahin murmured, "Here goes nothing," and climbed out, not knowing for an instant what a grave mistake she had made when the sole of her Louboutin's had touched the gravel.

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what mistake are we talking about? do tell me what you think and don't forget to vote!

till next time,
salam.