"Black Tables" by Other Lives

When the whites of your eyes
Come through
You will see
Something new...

A Short Story

"It’s time to kick off my heels and go to sleep."

By Rabia Baig

The night was young. She stood by her best friends, talking about anything and everything. The three of them made their way around the hall, making new acquaintances and reconnecting with old ones. She made sure Asif also met these people, but he was not as interested in meeting new people as she was. He whispered to her that he was going outside to smoke a cigarette. Before she knew it, it was 11:30 p.m. Her husband tapped her on the shoulder, telling her that he was ready to go home.

“Sweetheart, it’s Saturday night. We can sleep in tomorrow morning,” she pleaded.

“I feel really tired. Plus, I have a lot of work to complete by Sunday afternoon. I’ll pull up the car,” he insisted.

She hugged her best friends and then went to the hosts to thank them and say good-bye. She draped her shawl around her shoulders before walking outside. Asif had parked the car outside the main entrance of the hall. He sighed as she sat down in the car.

“Jaanu, is everything okay? I know you don’t have too much work to finish. What is the real reason for us leaving so early?”

“Haan, I am sorry I had to lie in front of your friends. I was so bored! You know how I despise these parties. It’s always fun for you because you love meeting people. I get so nervous at the thought of meeting new people. Perhaps you should go the next party alone. At least you will be able to enjoy yourself,” he said.

“What fun will it be if you’re not there with me? Plus, it will look very odd. Please do not think of such a thing. I’m sure we will be able to find a solution,” she pleaded.

“If you insist,” he said with another sigh. “Let’s go home. I could use a good cup of chai.”

Later on, as she was drinking her cup of chai, she couldn’t help but reminisce about her life before marriage. Her parents had found a good match for her, without a doubt, but was that enough? She and Asif had grown to love each other over the year they had been married, but there were a few issues they had differing opinions on. She loved to go out with her friends, to simply have a good time. Asif was quite shy, which explained why he hated going to dinner parties, or in fact, any other party! Before she married Asif, she would go out with her friends all the time: concerts, art exhibits, parties, museums, dinners, etc. If she went out with her friends now, Asif would call every hour, asking when she planned on coming home. Her friends did not mind at all, which was one of the things she loved about them. But Asif had fought with her about her outings on more than one occasion. Once, she even left her apartment to spend the night at her best friend’s house, so upset by the turn of events. Her parents never had any objection to her going out. Why wasn’t Asif the same way?

“If only Asif would understand that I do not like to stay at home all the time. I have always loved going out, living my life to the fullest with those that I love. I wish there were some way I could get Asif to enjoy our outings. I wish Asif could see that it is okay for me to go out with my friends,” she thought.

There she sat, curled up on the sofa, reminiscing about the days spent with her best friends, and the nights when she would come home late, so tired from the events of the night that she would just kick off her heels and fall asleep almost immediately.

“Those were the days”, she thought, “the days where life felt so carefree, the days when I lived my life with no regrets. What happened to those days? Oh, what I would do to get those days back!”

She fell asleep soon after, and that was where Asif found her an hour later. He took her empty mug out of her hands, placed it on the coffee table, and put a blanket on her.

“I hope you do not think that I am restricting you, Aliyah. I only wish that you would spend more time with me. I feel so lonely when you leave me to go out with your friends. If only you knew how I truly felt. I wonder if I’ll ever be able to tell you,” he thought while looking at her.

And so, he went to bed also, thinking about how to come to a compromise with Aliyah, one where both of them were happy with the outcome.

This is the first time I have written a story in YEARS. I used to write a lot, poetry, stories, you name it, but I had to stop because I so was busy with everything else in my life. My inspiration for this story came from the photo included in this post. My intention was to just take a photo of my shoes, but after looking at the finished product, I just had to write a story to go along with it!!