at the souq...

The cave like entrance created confusions in my mind...
But once I got into the souq...
A whole world opened up before me...
A whole world of assorted goodies and gifts and spices...
I wandered aimlessly at the souq...
Enthralled by the textiles that hung from the wooden rails...
Traditional niqab...black...with head gears...
Modern versions with the face uncovered...
And shirts and jackets with geometric designs...and colors...so varied like jigjaw puzzles...

Wandering, I came to the place where spices were kept in baskets...
Spices ....ummmmm
The aroma once got into me-
Sent ripples of fruitfulness...
I walked like a dazed woman...
And then...
Somewhere in the middle I heard someone talking a bit loud
That surpassed the hullabaloo of the buyers and sellers...
I looked around...
And saw him...
Standing right there...
And the soft light of the afternoon fell on his face that looked helplessly perspiring...
At the souq...
He was definitely
Having difficulty in expressing himself;

I knew he did not know arabic...
But I know that!
So I went near him...
Thought of lifting my niqab even!
And put him into a surprise!

But then...more than committing a blasphemy
I thought...
It could lead to severe bio-electrical shocks to many...
To him...to my neighbours and family...
And it might cause my harm...
Lead me astray...

So...
I went near him,
Had a good look of his face
( which still had the innocence of his younger days...only the sight of stray beard was new to me!)
...after so many years...alas!  through my veiled eyes...
And slipped away-
Into the crowd;
Leaving him stranded there
Like a dumbstruck man,
Who was surely suffering from memory loss;

Before I took the last turn
That would take me away from his sight...and the souq
I turned my face slightly...
Pretending to look back at a shop that sold shoes-
And I saw him...
Still standing like someone who had seen a ghost!
Standing..as he was....in a middle of great confusion...
While the sellers still bragged him about some wristwatches and bottles of spices...


At the souq...
I met my old fling...
And still
Kept my hijab...