Will you leave me as well?

Chapter 5

Arylan was no longer the person she knew she was, she wanted to move on like everyone else. Pretending as if nothing had happened, pretending as if it was not her who had to face it.

With the trial examination coming soon, the teenager felt wounds ripen on the inside of her. The comforting messages and monthly medications felt like sirens. The nightmares becoming clearer and clearer.

“ so have you told Aiden yet?”

“ about what?”

“ uncle Abdullahs confession.”

“ why would I do that, the man's nothing to me.”

“ Arlyan…even if you deny it till the day you die that man will forever be apart of you, this could be a lead to finding your parents.”

“ drop it Eric…why would I look for those people…they seem to be doing perfectly fine without me.”

“ sure.”

Aiden rushed out of the library and hopped onto Eric's back, “ missed me?”

“ you have got to stop doing that!” Eric said moving him to the side.

“ my bad, someones a little grumpy.”

“ Whatever.”

The next few days were spent at school, study cafes, or the library. More caffeine, sleepless nights, and an increase in junk food. Arylan decided to put her little investigation on hold to focus a little more on her school work and her university applications. Grandmother on the other hand was more mysterious than before.

***

~the swing~

Grandmother Biel pushed the young boy watching him rise higher and higher as she listened to his cheerful laughter. Abdullah would go into their room to grab another passport before calling his wife to pack his last meal.

At first, he called himself a salesman, a salesman who needed approximately 50 different identities to be successful..a salesman who had bloodstains on his clothing and zero of his so-called products sold.

The young boy who looked up to his hardworking father would often hand him a drawing before hugging his father goodbye.

But…it was an everyday thing, and every year it worsened…he would come home with a wound or drunk and receive mysterious calls at night leaving in different vehicles every time...

until one day when his son Haxel was holding onto his trouser and his wife lying on the floor of the kitchen with a bleeding head.

Business was bad he said, looking into his son's eyes before leaving, and never returning. Grandmother Biel was left alone to raise a child whose father promised to be back before he would turn 15...But birthday after birthday, with an extra candle on the cake. There was no sign of the man, no call, no letter, not message.

Until he appeared the day before Haxels death…

And now today, in front of Grandmother Biel's house who had just emotionally healed from the trauma.

“ jazakallah (thank you) for meeting me today, ” he said pouring her some tea.

“ It’s not like I had a choice, I don’t want you near my house again.”

“ why not?”

“ you have zero relation with me, my dead son, his missing wife and daughter, and definitely no right over me and my only hope.”

“understood…what would you like to know.”

“ Why are you back? Why are you here sitting in front of me as if we are buddy, buddy as if you hadn’t chosen your growing illness over me and your only child.”

“ it’s not like that!”

“ then what is it? Tell me?” she asked handing him a photo of their son

“ tell me, Abdullah did you kill my baby boy…”

“ No. How could I have done that?”

“ Don’t play DUMB, the last person he spoke to was you.”

“ How could you accuse me with zero evidence!” he said tossing the utensils to the ground.

“ I think I have all the answers I need,” she said standing up slowly packing up.

“ wait, Biel, ..i..”

She walked towards the door of the restaurant rushing out. Abdullah rushing behind her. She attempted to take a private taxi but was grabbed by the man, who held her arms. She attempted to push him off but ended up falling to the ground injuring herself...Abdullah did it again.

Another blank moment for her caused by the same man, the first time was in high school, when he saved her from a few of his friends who wanted to get rid of her, the second on the day he left and today when he tried winning her back. “You reap the rewards of the seed that you sow” but that was impossible for the man who had not watered his plants for decades, so he has to eat dried debris.

Grandmother was in a comma, the injury was something on its own. her blood pressure had risen the moment she asked about the death of her son, she looked at that man she once loved and saw the devil on the inside of him. This devil was devoured by his desires, driven by an evil passion.

That was not the dully that bought her flowers or the dully that folded origami for her during class. That was not the Abdullah who cried on their wedding day, and definitely was not the father of her son. At least for that moment, those hours that she was not present in this world…were the moments of peace given to her in year’s…she would’ve stayed, but Arylan was what she needed to guard for as long as she can.

Arylan who was already shattered and completely drained, could not contain the pain she felt after hearing what had happened to the woman who served as her mother, father, and best friend throughout her life. Words, nor actions could describe the pain the teenager felt, no expression, quote, or saying could soothe what she felt. How do you live on, once your identity is removed from you? grandmother served as Arylans identity. She knew not of who she really was.

She knew not of what she was made of and knew not of what makes her who she is. Grandmother was her past, present, and future. Praying was the only peace that she had found during those trying times.

“ here I got you an iced coffee, I’m so proud of you, I heard you amongst the top 10 for tourism,” Eric said handing the coffee to Aiden before leaving

“ I’m glad, I bet grandmother would have been proud of you, ” Aiden said handing her an assignment

“ Thank you,” she said accepting the coffee

“ it’s good to see that you doing better than before, at least you eat and study now.”

“ thank you… I can’t afford to be sick, it the last thing grandmother needs right now, I want her to wake up as soon as possible.”

“ she will trust the process, anyways just handed in our last applications for the University of Pretoria.”

“ Thanks again, I almost forgot about that.”

“ if you really want to thank me a smile would do.”

“ what?”

“I said a smile, I mean I haven’t been fueled up in the past few weeks. Your smile gives me strength."

She laughed before walking into the hospital to visit her grandmother.

Another day, a different way, is what she constantly thought and at least uncle Tim paid for grandmother's medical bills, so there was one less problem for Arylan.