Chapter 3: No mercy for the unhappy

"Honey, could you please buy us some more dresses, these ones are a little drab."

"Yes dear, I'll get whatever you need of me."

"And some new jewellery for Judith and Iris, they're growing out of their older ones."

"Yes my dear but I must leave space for-"

"And if it isn't too much trouble, can you grab us some better decorations, the house really is plain."

"That… may take a lot out of what I'm carrying so I'm not sure I can-"

Tears welled up in the baronesses eyes as she pressed the back of her hand to her mouth.

"But… I just feel so lonely when you go off to trade every month and the kids can be so tiring to take care of and- and-"

Shhing comfortingly, he wrapped her in a warm hug that she leaned into, sniffing.

"Don't worry dear, I'll be back soon, I'll be back soon. But you can't expect me to carry so muc-"

"If you truly loved me you would do it. Is that not what a muslim man does for his wife, provide for her?"

He winced at her bitter words and soothingly rubbed a circle into her back.

"...Alright. I'll see what I can do. Now cheer up, tears don't suit your beautiful eyes."

He lifted her head up and wiped the water away before kissing her forehead.

"I'll see you soon. Anaa uhibbuki."

Turning to leave, he got to the door before the baroness bit her lip and exclaimed.

"Wait! Honey I…"

He turned back with a soft smile as she continued.

"...don't want you to ever talk to me in that vulgar language again."

Hiding behind the horse, Laila giggled as her father approached the cart. He immediately spotted her purple spotted socks next to the horse's hooves and chuckled, teasingly exclaiming.

"Oh I wonder where my little Laila got off to, I haven't seen her anywhere..."

Laughter was hear from behind the cart and he purposely slowed his steps before swooping her upwards in a giggling mess.

"There she is! My little zahra!"

Laila laughed and wrapped her arms around her father's neck, hugging him tightly.

"Abbi! Take me with you, I don't want to be alone."

"Aw, don't worry zahrati, you have your new mother and sisters to keep you company this time! Be sure to not give them any trouble hm?"

Laila was quiet, not wanting to trouble her father with thoughts of how they acted around her and merely nodded. Seeing his daughter's sadness and confusing it for grief, he hugged her close and asked.

"Ok how about this. I'll bring you back something special, just for you. Would you like anything?"

Laila thought for a moment and then beamed.

"I want a pretty scarf like Ummi used to wear when she went outside!"

He chuckled as he set her on the floor.

"I will buy you a beautiful hijab that will befit my beautiful daughter. I must leave now, my petal."

She began to pout but pecked her father a last kiss on his cheek before waving, standing back as he entered the cart.

"Anaa uhibbuki zahrati!"

He called out. She shouted back in reply.

"Anaa uhibbuka abbi!"

Eagerly waving back to his daughter, his retreating figure was all the joy she had in the day leaving to another land.

"Dearrrrrrrr sisterrrrrrr~!"

Laila winced as she heard Judith's sweet drawl, turning to see her leaning against the wall with an apron in hand. Throwing it over to her, she sighed dramatically.

"Mother gave me some chores but I'm so very very tired, won't you be sweetheart and do them for me? Just for today?"

The other smiled weakly, holding the apron stiffly.

"But I also have to take over Iris's chores and then do my own. Can't you do just half of yours at least?"

Fluttering her eyelashes, she began to whine.

"Oh pretty please? It's just so tiring and frightfully new for me here, I don't know where anything goes and I'm afraid I'll mess up! Won't you be a good sister and help? I'll play with you afterwards!"

Laila sighed, putting on the apron and begrudgingly agreeing.

"Fine, only because you are ukhti."

Judith sniffed a little but remarked nothing as her step sister trudged off to do her work.

And so Laila's life continued with her sister's constantly piling non existent chores onto her and her mother ever berating and complaining about her existence. She was kicked out of her own room and instead slept near the fire in the living room, often ending up covered in cinders. Catherine's ever present disgust for Arabic led to the refusal of even saying her name, adopting the more shorter name Ella. Occasionally, her spanish would slip in and the name began to sound more like the pronoun, like she was only referring to Laila as 'her'. The soot that covered her each morn led to her sister's using a meaner nickname: Cinderella. The only 'games' that her sisters were willing to play often ended up with her in mud or dirty or trapped somewhere until late at night, when the servants would find her. They taunted and jeered at her dark skin and arabic tongue, following their mother's footsteps. Every so often though, Iris would throw her a worried glance and be the one to lead the servants to her at night. Sometimes Judith would even help her cook, pretending in a huff that she was being punished for staying out too late. Still, she was treated as less than she was, only ever addressed properly when her father was around. And even then, she noticed dark circles under his eyes and the defeated frame he hung his shoulders in around her new mother, broken down as well. The scarf he'd brought back for her had been stolen by the sisters and probably shredded into a dress by now. Even so, he had tried to teach Judith and Iris about Islam and to speak Arabic. They had paid attention well in their classes at first until their mother began to subtly hint at her disgust for the topics. Judith quickly lost interest and followed after her mother whilst Iris tried to keep up her own studies. Eventually, she stopped too and it was back to just Laila and her father. Alone against the islamophobic, racist family they lived with.

And then by the second Janazah, it was just Laila. Alone.