Ebony Black Paint

"Holy crap." Neha sat on her knees in front of little Adam as she entered Ghazal's cabin.

"Is this cute little boy yours?" She asked Ghazal who nodded with a smile while helping Adam in eating his lunch.

"Adam, this is Neha aunty."

"Oh my Ghazal, aunty sounds too old."

"Hi, Neha Aapi." Adam pulled out his hand for a handshake and Neha laughed at his innocence, shaking his hand with a huge smile on her face.

"Why didn't you tell me about your son? I couldn't even identify that you are married."

Neha was in full mood of interrogation and she didn't hesitate as soon as they left for their remaining duties leaving Adam in her cubicle with some coloring pages. Ghazal gave a tight-lipped smile, her marriage was not a blissful one that she could share it with anyone.

"We never discussed that topic."

Neha nodded in understanding, "Hey, how's everything going with the hottie?"

"Hottie? Who?"

"Who can be other than Haaris Yousuf?"

Ghazal rolled her eyes at his mention. Their three sessions were just gone in silence, argument, and glares. She was sure by the end of his session, she would have to admit herself in a depression recovery program.

"Nothing good with him. I am thinking of giving my charge to somebody else for his session."

"I haven't seen anyone so ungrateful than you." Neha chided smacking her arm lightly.

"Ok, I am ungrateful. Why don't you take his sessions?"

"My bad, darling. I am not the psychologist here, you are."

Ghazal nodded in disapproval.

"Good afternoon, doctor." Their silly banter was interrupted by a soft greeting. Ghazal sufficed on nodding to the intruder who was none other than that creepy friend of Haaris Yousuf. "How are you, doc? I am sure it's Haaris's session. "

"I am fine. Yes, it's his time now."

"See you later then."

Haaris's friend whose name was maybe Yawar bid his goodbye and his next move she didn't know whether it was her imagination or he did it on purpose. Moving ahead, his hand grazed Ghazal's hand. It was a wide space, not that he had to move in congestion. She was unable to decipher, what was this? Neha was in her own cloud castle, that it was futile to ask her.

"Now, who was he?"

Neha's question brought her back to the present.

"Haaris's friend."

"I must say, Ghazal, you are one lucky girl. Surrounded by cute guys."

Ghazal scoffed at her statement. If someone would ask her, she was stuck in a maze and desperately wanted to get away from it.

***

"Why don't you take a short walk in the garden? "

Dr. Ghazal offered him and Haaris looked at her with a poker face. Seriously, that woman had guts and so much stamina. He remembered their previous sessions, he was silent in most of them and yet she was sitting in front of him bugging him again with silly advice and questions.

"Mr. Haaris, I am saying something t-"

"And I don't want to listen. "

"Fine. Have you filled those papers now?"

Haaris shook his head, he couldn't even remember where he had seen those papers last time. The doctor shook her head and began to write something in her notes.

That woman was too loyal towards her work and that irritated him. Haaris was trying his best to get rid of her, but all was going downhill. Seeing her, Haaris remembered her cute kid, his name was maybe Adam as he heard at their first meeting.

"Do you see dreams?"

One more question was darted towards him and he chose to answer it because it was kind of interesting talking about dreams and nightmares.

No, not about nightmares.

"Yes." He lied, he was not sure when was the last he had seen any pleasant dream. His slumbered mind was always full of nasty nightmares that he didn't want to relieve now.

"What type of dreams?"

"Aren't you happy, woman, that I answered one of your questions? "

"No." Came a blunt reply. That woman was way more than rude than him just like his biggest competitor in rudeness.

"Why should I tell you?"

"Because it will help us to cure your addiction soon."

"It won't help me. It's great that I am taking those bitter medicines for the sake of my addiction."

"Mr. Haaris, sharing your problems will help you with your nightmares."

Now that woman was crossing her limits. Yes, she knew that he suffered from a number of nightmares but it was not good to bring that up in every conversation.

"Why can't you understand some simple sentence that I don't want to?"

Dr. Ghazal remained silent at his yelling. It was her maybe a habit or practice that she didn't speak when he used to yell at her.

"Ok, how about a walk in the garden?"

"I don't want to."

Haaris dismissed her folding his arms on his chest. He was not in the mood for another argument, he was more than tired due to his sleepless nights and those dreadful nightmares. But, she remained seated there maybe his one hour was not over yet. The doctor was writing in her notebook, didn't know what she used to write in that.

"I was thinking that ", on his voice, Dr. Ghazal looked up from her notebook, "You have a little kid."

"That means you have one husband at home. Why don't you just go home and be with him? Just spend your time with your family. Why are you wasting everyone's time? Doesn't your husband care for-"

A splash of water on his face felt like a hard slap. If he hadn't seen Dr. Ghazal's hand which was holding an empty glass and her face which had become red showing how furious she was, he wouldn't be able to identify from where he got water on his face.

What did I say so offending?

******

"Just shut your rubbish Mr. Haaris."

Ghazal slammed the empty glass on the side table. He didn't have any right to discuss her personal life or just to think about it. She didn't know why but the way he was saying it, it felt like it was the most disturbing thing she had heard about herself ever.

It was her choice or more like her need to come out of the comfort of her house and earn money for the smooth walk of life. But he or people like him, who were born with a silver spoon in their mouth couldn't understand the hardships of life. They couldn't understand the reason behind her every hard work.

Tears were threatening to come out of their residence and they would if she wasn't controlling them with all her might. She gathered her notebook and left the surprised-looking Haaris Yousuf alone. That man was so shameless or dumb, that he didn't even try to take his words back or apologize. She didn't care about losing her job due to this behavior with a patient because that patient seriously needed some teaching.

Lunatic.

Ghazal didn't know where she was going but her legs were dragging her towards the garden. A place she knew she would be hidden from every questioning, penetrating gaze. She remembered her son who would be alone in her cabin but Ghazal was out of her guts, she couldn't face him with such a heavy heart.

It was a large peepal tree and a secluded bench behind it was waiting for her arrival. She sat on it and dam which was holding her tears, broke. Ghazal began to cry hiding her face behind her sweaty palms. She was crying with hiccups just like when her mother had left her, just like when her husband and mother-in-law had abandoned her.

"Allah, I don't know why are you doing this? But, it's very painful for me to endure. If you are giving it please give me the strength to go beyond it. Please."

Ghazal pleaded to her Lord and began to cry hysterically till she heard some shuffling beside her. She looked craning her head to her side and found Haaris's friend, Yawar sitting slightly away from her.

"Is everything alright, Doc?" She nodded and stood up from her place. Ghazal didn't want to talk to anybody, at least Yawar. "I can help you with your problem."

He offered, his face masking with some concern and sincerity. Ghazal shook her head.

"No. " She moved ahead but her wrist locked in a strong grip. Ghazal furiously turned and came face to face with him.

"Leave my hand," she said gesturing towards her gripped hand.

"You can share your problem with me, doc."

"I said leave my hand."

Ghazal yelled and her wiggling freed her hand from his grip. Where were everybody's manners? She was getting fed up from all of this. They were surely rich, mannerless brats and nothing else.

"And from next time, mind your own business." She said pointing her index finger towards Yawar before leaving that place quickly.

******

Okay... So what I did so offending?

Haaris was unable to point his mistake. Not able to decipher of getting his face all washed up with a glass full of water. Two days had passed since that ambiguous incident and he was in turmoil. He was not a man who would think about his past actions but this was ringing in his head because maybe he didn't know his mistake. It was like, the nightmares and sleeplessness were not enough that one more problem knocked on his door.

Where was I wrong?

He left his bed and came towards the open window. The view of the garden from above made him change his mind to remain in his room. Haaris left his room and came in the corridor which had four wide arcs, opening in the lush green garden.

"Hey." It was clearly Adam's voice who was standing just beside him with a paper in his hands.

"Hi, Adam."

Haaris said sitting in front of him with his knees touching the ground.

"You know my name?" Haaris nodded at his query. "What ish your name? I don't know your name."

"My name is Haaris Yousuf."

"Haarish Youshuf."

Adam repeated slowly after him to say a correct pronunciation which was slightly difficult for his cute little tongue. Haaris chuckled at his name and nodded.

"Yes, Haarish Youshuf."

"Shee, I have made a fish."

Adam said following him as Haaris took a seat on the vacant bench. That kid was a real talker, generally, kids tend to get afraid of him, he didn't know why? Maybe due to his looks or whatnot but Adam always struck a conversation between them, getting afraid was far away.

"Really. Doesn't look like it."

He gave a straight reply seeing a balloon-shaped something on the paper with colors that were going outside the lines of that weird creature.

"Really?"

Haaris's heart suddenly stirred at its place seeing his sad face which was now staring at his own drawing for flaws. He didn't know an alpha of how to speak to a child.

"I mean, it's nice. You have c-colored it good."

"Thank you."

Adam said with a toothed smile and Haaris took a sigh of relief. "Ma alwaysh tellsh me to color inshide the linesh but it alwaysh comesh outshide," he said sitting beside him.

Haaris remembered his ordeal with Dr. Ghazal hearing her name. He could ask Adam about his family so that he would get some idea of Ghazal's anger.

"Your Papa doesn't help you with drawing?"

"I don't have a Papa."

Adam answered him innocently looking at him with a smile, surely Adam didn't know the deepness of that deprivation in this tender age.

His eyes suddenly found Dr. Ghazal who was walking with an old lady, discussing something. She was not looking at his way but Haaris's breathing shortened seeing her and his face became a novel of surprise and shock. Now he definitely knew the reason behind the doctor's outburst.