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Wali: The boy with blue eyes and their mystery
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“What is your name?” It was my first question to him. I met him in a park. He was wearing blue trousers and a checked shirt of the same color. His hairs were combed to one side. And his eyes were beautiful, blue and big. He stared me in the eyes for a few moments and after taking his time answered me “Wali”. I was amazed and confused at the same time. Why did not he answer immediately? What was he thinking?
“Where are you from?” I was curious and he was hesitant. After an uncomfortably long silence he answered me. “From around here” his answer brought a smile on my face. Clearly he did not want to tell me about his place. “Do you live with your family?” I tried to understand that how come this Asian child appeared around here? I had been living there for 5 years and I had never met any foreigner in these years.
“Kind of” he gave me another sharp answer while playing with the grass with the tip of his shoes. “What is your age” well, I was certainly not going to give up. “I am 7 years old” he said without hesitation. He had now stopped his play of destroying grass and sat right next to me on the black plastic chair. We talked about half an hour. He told me that he liked this park because of the big swing. “In other parks there isn’t such a big one.” His reasons were cute and childlike, like a child should have.
Evening passed quickly and I was totally lost in listening to his rabbit’s story, suddenly my cell rang. I took a look, It was a text from my husband. He wanted to remind me about dinner. Looking at my cell phone and reading the text I got an idea.
“Wali would you like to come with me on dinner?” I asked him hoping that his answer would be a yes...He had magnetized me and I wanted to talk to him more.
“Ok.” He agreed without any reservations. “Well, first you go to home and get your mother’s permission. I am waiting for you…” I said and thought for a moment. “Why do not we go together and I will meet your mother as well?” I proposed another idea and he rejected it.
“She would not be at home this time. I will tell my neighbor and leave a note for her. She never returns before midnight”. He told me. “What about your father” I asked him. “He does not live here.” The answer was sad.
“Ok, you go, tell your neighbor and then come back. I am waiting right here”. I did not have to wait too long. He took only five minutes. “That was quick”. I said holding his right hand in my left hand and my bag and folders in my right hand. We started to walk toward my house. “I live nearby”. He announced happily and loudly. There was something special about him, a little bit extra maturity and innocence at the same time. He was slightly mature for his age or at least it seemed so.
“Do you know rabbit lives underground?” He asked me suddenly, breaking the momentarily silence. In that moment he reminded me of his “seven year old “ age. I smiled. “No I do not. But how do you know that?”. “My rabbits I told you about? Well, they always made a hole under the walls and used to live underground. Due to those holes the walls always collapsed.” I smiled on his exaggeration. “Where are your rabbits now?” I asked him and saw him getting sad. A little water twinkled in his blue large eyes, making me wonder that how can tears make somebody more beautiful?.
“Back home” at last he said, looking down on his moving feet. “And where is your “back home?” “You don’t want to know” He whispered in a serious tone and without giving me enough time to think about his sadness immediately asked me a question. “Are there kids in your house?” “No, but my husband will be waiting for us and he likes kids very much. He is an animal lover so he also knows a lot about rabbits.”
“What would you do when I will talk to him?” His eyes were glowing again, I wanted to say I will stare in your big blue eyes, I will try to learn everything about their color. I will discover the mystery behind this love, I am feeling for you. And what I said was different. “I will make dinner.” We took a turn and entered the street of my house. “And what would be in the dinner?” He tried to sound casual but I felt the curiosity in his voice. “Pasta, Apple-pie and roles. What would you like?”
“Bread and curry.” He did not hesitate. “Ok…we will make curry as well.” I said while pushing the doorbell. After some moments, my husband opened the door. “Hay little man” he gave his hand to Wali. “I am Wali.” Wali immediately introduced himself. My husband enjoyed the answer and called him in with a hand on his chest and bending forward a little bit, with a friendly smile, like a door keeper of old castles. Wali laughed softly at his style and entered into the home.
As I entered behind him I felt my husband’s questioning eyes. “I met him at the park, he is awesome and I couldn’t resist him.” I said while ignoring the worry and sadness of his eyes. I knew what was he thinking, and I knew I had to ignore it. I placed my folder and other things on the table and went to kitchen. Wali had engaged James into a conversation, although James was listening to him but I could notice the hints of deep thinking easily. He was worried about me with a deep sigh I started preparing for dinner. After an hour I set the dining table and called the boys.
“It looks delicious” Wali commented after arriving at the table. ”because it is delicious.” I replied. James dragged a chair for him. “Thank you sir” Wali said. I chuckled. He had great manners. “How come you make such tasty curry?” Wali asked me with his blue sparkling eyes after taking a bite of bread with curry.
“I have worked as cook in a restaurant for some time so I kind of know a few things about tasty cooking.” I smiled at him. My plate was placed in front of me empty. With my hands under my chin I was watching Wali, smiling at his every move. He held the fork, He tried to get some pasta with it, pasta slipped from his fork, he made a face, he used another fork this time and yes… he succeeded to get some in his plate.
“You know it is rude not to eat anything when you are sitting with everybody at a dining table”. He suddenly said looking at me with a funny face. “Rude is not to taste anything, which I have already done.” I said. James smiled. “Thank you young boy….and lady will you please stop being rude and help yourself” James addressed us both and added some pasta in my plate and Then he went back to eating silently, Again …those hints of thinking and worrying.
“Yes sir” I said slowly and grabbed my fork. Wali ate quite a lot that night, which made me tense. “Wali did you have your lunch today?” I asked him. “I did… but it might be my last dinner at your house you know…?” That cleverness and yet his eyes were all but innocent and deep. I looked at my husband, and he understood.
“Well we can always have this se
at filled Wali, if… your mother will not mind. You are a delight.” “Off course, Sir.” Thus Wali was invited for the next night and then next and the next. But we never met his parents. It was odd. We always dropped him at his house where he used to take a key from his pocket while assuring us that he will be alright and used to disappear in that house. It was another fact that he always ate a lot. And the reason was “I missed my lunch so that I can enjoy your dinner.”
“You have to let it go Elise.” One day while sitting in the living room and watching an old film James said to me. “I know… but it’s different this time. He is not a replacement for Andrew he is special. Just a little longer” I assured him; tears appeared into my eyes mentioning my dead son. The pain in left side of chest increased, which I never understood, how can one feel his emotional pain in his heart as a physical pain?
“That is what worries me more… you are making him more special when we both know that you do not get to keep more of him. You know these dinners have to end one day and you would have to say good bye to him” James said bringing me back to him from my thoughts.
“Until then” It was not a statement, it was a question. James gave me a light kiss on my forehead.