Chaos in the Canvas √

28 | vulnerabilities

مگر یہ دل ہے کہ اس کی خانہ ویرانی نہیں جاتی

Tuesday - 5:55pm

"Wait, Baba!"

The evening wind blew heavily around Hemayal Khakani, her clothes and hair fluttering in unity as she ascended the last few steps hurriedly towards her father.

Shahryar Khakwani having heard his daughter loud call from behind, stopped mid-step and turned to glance in her out-of-breath state, brows raised.

"Can I talk to you for a second?" Hemayal managed to say, breath caught in her throat as she looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Yeah, sure, but what's the rush?" He said with a confused stare as he gestured her inside the house and Hemayal went in, lips being mercilessly bitten by the teeth.

"I thought you were going outside." Hemayal said, walking into her home towards the lounge, her gait unsure, eyes worried.

"No, I just came back." he said, taking a seat by the fireplace and expectantly looking at Hemayal to occupy the one in front who looked every shade of disturbed and anxious, "Is everything all right, child?"

"Yeah, yeah. Everything's fine. It's just...umm..." Hemayal began after taking her seat and interlacing her fingers furiously, teeth still having their fine dine at those lips.

"What?" The father prodded and Hemayal took a deep breath, as if the next few words cost her dearly.

"I'm...I'm sorry for the other day. I shouldn't have been so hard on you." Hemayal replied, eyes cast down, lips pressed hard and even the air around the two Khakwanis stilled - in shock or awe, one didn't know.

"You're what?" Even Shahryar Khakwani's stunned voice couldn't break the aura of surprise spread across the fire-lit room.

"I'm sorry." This time, words came easy.

"I shouldn't have said that to you. Right or wrong, it doesn't matter. I should have remembered my limits."

Hemayal Khakwani apologizing wasn't something the world had never seen before but the apology words especially directed at her father was definitely a sight no part of the earth had ever witnessed. One just didn't expect these words to leave her mouth when Shahryar Khakwani was concerned and to say that he was shocked would be an understatement.

"It's...it's okay, Hami. You were right." The father said and Hemayal shook her head.

"I'm no one to judge that." Hemayal replied with an air of clarity.

"No, Hami, only you can judge that. You were probably the only person who got hurt." Shahriyar Khakwani's eyes softened to a warmth she had never witnessed there before - maybe sometime in her childhood but never in her recent years and a part of her tore.

"You think so?" She whispered, heart wild.

"I know so. We all walked out of it, unscathed. But not you, you carry those events even now, every single day," he silenced for a few seconds as a deep breath entered his lungs. "I'm so sorry, child."

A heavy silence descended upon the room, one which leeched the air out of her lungs and left her father breathless. The world hadn't witnessed an exchange of such like in a long, long time and now even the stars bled as the father and daughter exchanged a painful look.

"Let's...let's not talk about it." Hemayal tried to smile, not knowing how to handle her father's growing affection.

Hatred, indifference - she could deal with it with the back of her hand but this, this is way out of her league.