"Benazir Bhutto - misses you!"Amran received the sms, and smiled a wicked smile. He looked behind and around him to make sure no one was watching. He plucked the single red rose from the front garden of Mrs Grey and quickly hid it under his heavy overcoat. He quickened his steps towards the end house along the Radford road. The door was opened at the instant he rang the bell.
As soon as the door was opened he darted inside.
"I have this for you!" He passed the red rose to the girl he fondly called Jie.
Norjiehan was a Malaysian but looks Pakistani. Norjiehan was indeed a beautiful lady!Her oval face, silky smooth fair skin, an ever ready smile worn on her luscious lips, and a pair of eyes....full of twinkles under those long lashes! She would swear that both her parents were pure Malays, and got frustrated every time Amran mocked that she was adopted from Afghanistan. Both Amran and Norjiehan were students in the Midland of England. During winter they would build snowmen together, and walk in the open fields looking for daffodils in the springs. The meadows of the Midlnd have been their play-ground. He was an ardent photographer, and she a willing and beautiful model. Photography was a passion for him, a subject he was studying in the University. Modelling was never in her ambition, but for him.....she would pose to his commands.
Their love story never got off the ground. From casual flirting to serious attempts from Amran, they just could not transcend the level of being platonic friends. In fact very close platonic friends. Jie's feeling towards Amran was that of a twin sister to her twin brother. If he was down, she felt the pain and when he was happy she was the one who was ecstatic. The reverse was also true. Amran treated Jie as his own sister - often attempted to hug her as a brother would for a sister, but always got pushed away politely by Jie. For all of her modern and liberal views, Jie was always strict when it came to matters of 'what was right and what was wrong'. And to her - holding and touching between a man and a woman were for married people."Benazir wants you to buy her a Fish & Chip with salt and vinegar!"
He received the above sms when he was actually stuck in extra long queue at the Tesco supermarket due to power failure and the teller machine failed to work. It was just the excuse he needed to give up the long queue. He rushed off to buy two take away Fish n Chips and cycled quickly towards Jie's house. When she opened the door, there were tears in her eyes.
"What happened?" Amran asked, curious and concerned.
"My dad is very sick, just got a call from my mom. What do you think I should do?"
"Buy a ticket and go home. You only have one dad!"
"You think I should?" She wanted reassurance.
"Yes". Amran was brief and sure.
Norjiehan took a flight to KL the day after. She only carried a hand luggage as her intention was to return to the UK in a weeks time - in time to prepare for her final exams. But as fate had it, she never returned. Her dad died the same day he arrived and she stayed back to keep her mom company. From a plan to stay for one month, she changed it to two and then extended until the next semester.....and when she fell in love with a business man who swept her off her feet she forgo her education for matrimonial bliss. They were married within three months of knowing each other. Amran bought tickets to fly back for the wedding, but accidents happened at the most inconvenient time. He was knocked off his bike by a motorist and was hospitalized with a leg and a few ribs broken. He called to congratulate her on her wedding day. "Now I supposed I won't be getting anymore sms from my Benazir Bhutto!" he teased.
"I supposed so....Benazir has been sent to an exile!" She said of herself - but also speaking the truth of reality. It was the year when Benazir left Pakistan under a self-imposed political exile. Amran stayed on in England pursuing his PhD in fine arts. Despite many suitors, he decidedly remained single.
Tonight, Amran was walking down the avenue towards the University Library when he received an unexpected sms from Jie.
"Benazir - shot dead!"
He smiled and paused under a lamp post to punched in his reply.
"That is funny.....what a way to say hello from a lost twin!" He pressed the send button and smiled happily. His face flushed with warm thoughts of Jie. Just the knowledge that she was thinking of him brought some nice flutters to his heart.
Another sms came in.
"Noooooooooo!!! The BENAZIR is DEAD! pls see the news...but yes, HELLO stranger!"
Amran wanted to call but decided against it. He instead went into a nearby cafe....to get a peek of the latest news. There were already small groups of Pakistanis huddling and visibly in deep and passionate conversations.
Amran briefly stopped at the cafe entrance, and as he listened to the news flash he silently offered a prayer and recited the Al Fatihah for Benazir, a Muslim leader who has given her life for her political conviction. But Amran did not stay long, he walked on to the library without stopping. His mind was not on the death of the Benazir - but he was sufficiently distracted by another Benazir - one very much alive and very much missed!
-The above short story was written from the writer's imagination.
