Salma and Aslam ..PART 2.

continued from part 1 ; click here




The first words he pronounced were, “You know, in my name there is your name and in your name there is mine…. Aslam – Salma….

“How do you know my name?” she asked slowly with a shaking voice.

“Well the world is too small dear! And don’t tell me that you don’t know my name for I know that you know my name well!” he replied. She asked “And how do you know that I know your name? How can you be sure?”

Well then Aslam related that many a times his friends have called him by his name in the bus or when he would be standing on the pavement to see her going, and on many other circumstances she did hear his friends calling him “ ASLAM” loudly in her presence!! After hearing this she quietly smiled…..

After a while she asked, “And how come you know my name for my friends never called my name in your presence!” Aslam did a big “ha ha ha!”…… she laughed back and said “Your ‘ha! ha! ha!’ is not a reply!” Then Aslam explained her that one of his friend lives near her house and works in the company he works, who gave the information about her name.

“So you have a spy who looks over at me?” She asked seriously.

“Oh no, please don’t look at it that way, I enquired about you with many of my friends who live at Phoenix, and he was the only one who had the right information. I wished to know your name, there is nothing out of this, and I was so happy to know that your name was Salma as it goes like a pair with my name, doesn’t it?”

She smiled and nodded shyly. He told himself “Yeah! She is on the way it seems; hope there won’t be any hurdles ahead! God, bless me!”

And she spoke “In Aslam and Salma there is the word “salam” also which means peace. Did you know?”

He was amazed and said “Oh God! I never paid heed to that! That’s very true! So we are at peace is it?” She gave a smile screwing up her nose at him.

He was feeling very happy and he felt his heart dancing inside. He found everything going on smoothly, and he did not have to plead and all that, he was too happy. And by that time the bus had reached Rose Hill and they had to alight. He stood up and gave way for her to go in the front, she murmured “please don’t walk by my side now, and don’t sit near me in the next bus please, and also don’t follow me!”...... They had by that time started walking along the bus to get down, and he replied behind her, “but why? I wish to sit with you as I have so many things to say, please allow me to sit near you, I would love it, please dear!” She turned back to tell him “Haven’t you already spoken a lot? You are too talkative, I have nothing more to say, and I don’t want to get troubles.” And she was out of the bus.

Aslam was sad and felt a heavy burden over his heart! He felt suffocating and wished to shout her name!........But he followed her, and she turned back to see then hurried her steps towards the next bus they had to take. There was a queue! She had to stand and Aslam stood behind her!! They got to wait for almost 25 minutes for the bus to come, and Aslam was thankful to the sky that he got more time to be with her. He spoke. “I am sorry, but I could not do otherwise my dear, you see I also have to catch the same bus as you so have to be in the queue!” she clutched her teeth and severely said, “ will you please shut up? I told you not to talk with me!! People are looking at us and I don’t want to get any problems, understood?”.... Aslam was amazed and said, “Hey, come on dear! Where on earth is it the people’s problem if I am talking to you? AND HOW CAN YOU GET ANY KIND OF PROBLEM? HOW IS MY TALKING TO YOU RELATED TO PROBLEMS? COME ON IF YOU DONT LIKE THAT I TALK TO YOU JUST TELL ME I AM MOVING RIGHT AWAY! DO I GO? JUST SAY IT!” He said all this in a more serious tone than her words said to him! And she lifted her head up to look into in his face; she then bent down her head without saying any word! She was quiet. Aslam repeated “Do I go? Is it what you want?” She calmly, said. “I never said that.” “Then I will continue to talk with you, no matter whatever happens.” She did not reply, but kept quiet looking here and there as if looking for someone. Then she told him “I have two uncles who are bus conductors and a relative who is a bus driver and any time they can be passing by so I don’t want them to see you talking to me! And then there are many people who know me around here! “ “ no problem miss, I wont talk anymore, but please don’t prevent me to do so once inside the bus.”

“Not if someone who knows me is the driver or conductor!”.... Aslam felt irritated!!

And they were in the bus soon. And yes he got a seat near her, paid the fare for Phoenix, and whispered in her ears, “Is the driver or the conductor your relatives dear Miss Salma? She laughed loudly and moved her head negatively, looking in his eyes! Aslam looked in her eyes; they were beautiful, clear, crystal like he thought! He said “your eyes are too beautiful!” she bit her lips and bent down her head.

He then said “I just want to say a prayer, and let me say it for you to hear, good God, make the traffic be jammed for more than an hour.” She could not hold her laughs and did it loudly and tapped him on his hand. She then asked as if not knowing the reason, “And why should there be such a traffic jam?” “Obviously, so that I would be in your company for longer moment!” he replied.

Both laughed on this and Aslam told her how he loves her dresses and that he knows all her dresses, his preference for the blue gown, and the fuchsia two-piece, the yellow churidaar, and how he loved when she let her hair loose, how he loved her long hair and asked her never to cut it, and how much he likes her smile and her cool behaviour, her silence and timidity. He admired her way of pushing her hair over her forehead, and loved her way of looking with one eye at things when she doesn’t want to be noticed doing it. When he was saying all that, she was quietly listening and looking into his eyes attentively, following all his words with great concern.

The traffic was really jammed and she remarked smiling, “your prayer has been heard!” he was amused and smiled back saying, “I wish the important prayer be granted too!” she asked, “and what is that?” he to reply, “ does it need saying that I am madly in love with you and want you to be mine for ever?”

.......

to be continued in part 3: click here