Mehedi's Wait

Ever since Apu got married, I stopped wearing saris and henna much. The reason was simple—Apu would do it all for me, and I couldn't manage on my own.

Now, even when I wear a sari sometimes, the henna never happens. This Eid, though, I wore it on both hands. Apu applied it to one; on the other, I scrawled my own clumsy design. It was nothing, I know—but it looked so beautiful to me.

You want to know why I wore it? Because you were coming!

That earthy orange-brown of the henna faded slowly, bit by bit, until it turned pale... and as it faded, oh, how it hurt... little spotty aches, like the henna itself!

I've applied it again today. And here we go—the same thing all over again! If your color starts fading before you arrive, or fades while you're on your way, don't you think you deserve some punishment? What do you say?

How much care girls take for the ones they love, pressing affection into their palms with henna... and then the beloved arrives only after the henna has grown dull! If he takes too long coming, goodness, how much gets lost in the waiting!