The Painting

August 5, 2023
Posted in blog
August 5, 2023 Hiba Ejaz, Volunteer

If there were two things Amna’s mom loved they would be traveling and painting. Every time she would go traveling somewhere and return to create the most delightful illustration of the place she most endeared straight out of her vivid memory. Amna would sit by her mother’s side with expressions of amazement, looking at the colors gliding onto the canvas and creating the most unpredictable delineation of places.

It was a beautiful morning. The sun shone bright with its rays finding their way through the openings in the window and the light breeze swaying the curtains of Amna’s room. Amna, as usual, lay on her bed, tangled in her blanket and lost in her phone as her mom sat on the balcony painting another masterpiece but this time not to hang on one of the walls of her home but for her dear friend. As she completed the piece of art and headed out to deliver the painting to her friend, she instructed Amna to lock the door after her.

“I love you” Amna whispered in her mom’s ear as she took her in a tight embrace. Something didn’t feel right and she didn’t want her mom to leave but didn’t stop her.

Hours had passed by and there was no sign of her mom. She had been out an unusually long time. Amidst all the thoughts striking her mind, there was a knock on the door. Hoping for it to be her mom she rushed out to open it. Little did she know what fate had in store for her.

“Is this Miss Shehnaz’s house?” Two cops standing outside questioned Amna.
“Yes, she’s my mom”
Her heart had skipped a beat seeing the cops.

“Your mom was in a car crash and we’re sorry to inform you that she couldn’t make it. We’re really sorry”
All the voices went silent. It was like she had gone deaf. It all felt like a dream, a really bad dream like she would open her eyes and everything would be normal.

The cops’ words repeatedly echoed in her mind as she sat, cloaked in all white, blankly staring at one of her mom’s paintings. It was at that moment she knew she had to do something. Amna had loved painting for as long as she could remember and her mom’s love for painting had been the greatest source of inspiration for Amna to become a painter.

Amna had been determined to continue her mom’s legacy. She went out, navigated a variety of places, and then let her brush create the most winsome depiction of them and made millions selling those masterpieces.

Today she sat on the same balcony her mom used to sit and paint in, reminiscing all the golden memories and feeling the pride her mom would feel right now only if she was with her.