Christmas in New York : the city of fairy tales Part 3

Christmas in New York : the city of fairy tales

3

Do you feel what I feel?

Asad paced the length of his room for ten minutes, contemplating whether he should go to Greenwich Village, he was perplexed by Zoya's demands, and reluctant to dress in the winter gear Zoya had lovingly placed on his bed, disinclined and unwilling to travel out in the freezing temperatures of New York to adhere to some imprudent and silly rules and a game Zoya had planned for him. He already knew he had lost to Zoya because as imprudent and impulsive as she was, to the same degree or greater she was stubborn, adamant in her ways to ensure that he made an attempt to take part in festive activities whether he liked it or not. Even if he decided to venture out in the cold, on his own authority he reassured himself, possibly on a whim for her, it would only be for her sake and above all her safety and not to change his views of the whole Christmas front.


It took a few more seconds of contemplation before his mobile which now fully charged vibrated with the arrival of a MMS and on further analysis Asad realised it was from Zoya. Her name blazed across the home screen of his mobile almost ominously as though an awful event had transpired. As the picture sent by her came into full view, it frightened Asad for what he could make out from the picture was a red liquid substance. On further observation it was Zoya's left hand on which the engagement ring he affectionately presented her with was in clear view but what frightened Asad was a trail of red which drizzled its way down her hand. Red viscous liquid oozed from her hand and immediately the words blood shot across his panic stricken mind.  Alarmed by the MMS his rational thought processes flew out the window and he fought with his Christmas demons and got dressed into the clothing Zoya picked out for him. He tried calling her mobile several times only to be greeted with a voicemail greeting.

Not wasting another second Asad ran down the stairs towards the study to alert Aapi and Jeeju of Zoya's MMS.

"I think something is wrong with Zoya, I need to get to her fast," Asad told Aapi and Jeeju, his voice broke as he spoke because the fear of losing her pricked at his heart.

Aapi and Jeeju exchange looks, looks that showed no sign of alarm but traces of understanding and a hint of joy , knowing perfectly well that Zoya had something planned for the day and this was her way of getting Asad to comply with her. After all Aapi and Jeeju were Zoya's guardians, her parents in the real sense and they knew her too well to know this was one of her silly pranks. As far as pranks go Christmas Eve happened to be the focal point of all of Zoya's mischief because they already had first-hand experience of this on their very first Christmas Eve with her in New York when she was at the tender age of 5.

Aapi and Jeeju looked on at each other recalling this particular experience. That particular Christmas Eve, the nautunki age 5 Zoya wrote a letter addressed to Santa asking for a new set of parents because she did not get to ice skate at the giant ice rink located next to the picturesque Christmas tree at Rockefeller Centre, nor was she allowed to go to the famous and cultural Christmas Stroll in the magical and affluent Greenwich Village. She wrote that she would travel to the local orphanage in Lower Manhattan if these conditions were not met and this is where her running away habit first made its appearance in her life.

Of course back then Aapi and Jeeju searched for her high and low and found her rather smugly and merrily skating in the ice rink at Rockefeller Centre and after that frightful prank, Aapi and Jeeju agreed to take Zoya to skate there and indulge in seasonal festivities in Lower Manhattan every Christmas Eve since then. That way it became a tradition on Christmas Eve for Aapi, Jeeju and Zoya to have a merry time at Greenwich Village, Rockefeller Centre and Central Park annually on Christmas Eve.  Aapi and Jeeju both snapped out of their reverie on Asad's bidding, he had repeated his sentence a total of three times before they listened to what he was saying.


Asad stood baffled to the indifference on Aapi and Jeeju's faces, their calm expression worried him.  He had asked for the car keys to any car that was parked in the garage. And finally Anwar Jeeju broke his silence. He suppressed a chuckle and told Asad that he felt content for his concern for Zoya's wellbeing; it truly moved him knowing that after Aapi and himself there was someone like Asad who made Zoya his priority.


"Asad, relax I'll give you the keys to my silver Audi A7 S7 Sportback which is an efficient and fast car. It has SatNav and it'll get you to Greenwich Village at quick speeds. I've fitted ice track grips to make it easier for you to drive in icy conditions. Please do consider what I say now Asad. This is your first time in New York and I think once you find Zoya, the two of you should immerse yourself in the festivities and go sightseeing instead of limiting your stay by confining yourselves to the four walls of this house," Anwar Jeeju advised Asad.


"But New York is a big city and anything could happen and for all I'm concerned Zoya is probably hurt and I would much rather bring her home and take care of her here. I cannot trust anyone out there. Aur mujhe ye sab kuch pasand nahin hai, all this merry festive commercialism is nonsense and a waste of time," Asad retorted back.


"Asad, when I was a kid my parents bought me a beautiful and the latest pair of rollerblades on Christmas. I was too scared to even try them on because I thought I would wreck them and so I kept them in a box, because I was such a geek back then. I kept them in a box so that they remained as new and shiny as ever. I wore them in my room once or twice that Christmas but I never got the opportunity to rollerblade outside because I chose not to and by the time I wanted to rollerblade I outgrew them, my feet grew twice the size by the following spring," Anwar Jeeju tried his best to impart some philosophy to Asad.

"But feelings and blood are not like rollerblades. Rollerblades can be replaced but Zoya cannot be," Asad argued his point of view.


"I totally agree that Zoya isn't replaceable but I think you did not understand what I am trying to tell you. Those rollerblades maybe replaceable but the sentiment is the same as you have for Zoya. If you choose not to use your heart and get the chance to explore this festive season with Zoya then it is no different to the rollerblades in the box. You've put up this barrier between yourself and happiness. You begin to block your dreams when you allow your fear to grow bigger than your faith. Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood and with that, you must understand why your dreams are your dreams.  You may be holding onto fear of failure from your past, your childhood most likely which still haunts you but you allowed for your fear to grow greater over the years. There is a fear that is blocking you from potentially furthering your dreams and creating a happy and whole life with Zoya. You need to let that fear go Asad. I'm not saying protecting her is wasteful; it's a good thing that you protect her so fervently but fear is so crippling. If you're not going to use this opportunity then it's no different to the rollerblades because by the time another opportunity like this comes again then who's to say that ... God forbid one of you is no longer around.  You have nothing to lose if you go out and spend some time with Zoya on Christmas Eve and just immerse yourself in joy. As for her hand, a few plasters can easily fix that. So go for it, take a chance, take a leap of faith, take a chance on love this Christmas Eve, Asad," Anwar pleaded.


"Asad it is easier to give up, to forget, and grow resentment on the idea, the hope, or the want of love. You need to continually replenish that source of love between the two of you and today is the perfect opportunity. Life, it's all about taking chances and living, so go out and have some fun with Zoya, I'm sure she's fine, she knows her way around New York, so you don't have to worry too much about her," Zeenat Aapi consoled a worried Asad.


Asad realised he was being his usual uneasy and concerned self but somehow he felt convinced that he should listen to Aapi and Jeeju, they surely made a convincing point that he could not counter back. He ran out of excuses and decided to take the keys of the Audi and make his way to Greenwich Village. He did not want to waste any more time. Asad hugged both Aapi and Jeeju and took his leave.


After Asad left, Aapi and Jeeju smiled at each other knowing that their nautanki Zoya had a lot planned for Asad because she already called them before and told them of her plans. They knew perfectly well that she was not hurt but that red liquid was red syrup remaining from her candy cane. It was the tradition of the Farooqui family to spend Christmas Eve in Lower Manhattan but they felt happy that Zoya decided to involve Asad in this experience this year and quite rightly so. This was their first outing abroad as a couple and it was the perfect season for both to learn a lot about each other before their wedding in the spring of 2014.

                                                                 
                                                               

End of part 3

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