~the coffe mug~

Chapter 9

Tim handed Biel a rose, “ I picked this especially for you.”

“ that’s really sweet of you…thank you…”

“ Biel I….”

“ heyyyyy I just got out what you guys on about?” Abdullah said kicking the ball towards Tim

“ nothing I have to go," said Tim annoyed.

“ oh see ya then,” he said as he watched young Tim run to his rugby practice.

“ What’s that you got there?” he said stealing the flower from Biel.

“ give it back now!” she yelled chasing after him.

They were suddenly stopped in the middle of the field by Abdullah's new associate, Biel stepped behind him and watched the scary old men speak to him. She then left after jolting into a few of her classmates. Later that day, Tim and Abdullah met up with the same men.

“Drugs!” Tim yelled after hearing what Abdullah had said to him

“Yes drugs, you wanted to buy Biel something nice. Here’s your chance to make some cash for your lady.”

“ im not interested I'd rather get a part-time job.”

“of course you’re the nerd kid who polishes his shoes daily.”

“ whatever Abdullah you're on your own for this one.”

“ Okay then, I’ll be leaving then be safe.”

They bid their farewells and parted ways for that night.

During the weekend, they never planned on meeting up with each other so Tim planned some alone time with Biel, but on his way there caught Abdullah and Biel holding hands,he frozen for a second, dropping the soda he had bought for her.

He was left shattered and confused unable to understand what he had witnessed. After that day nothing was the same between the three of them and Tim kept his distance.

~ Now~

“ do you remember now dear dully?”

“ well, I apologized to you a million times but you still kept that in your heart. And I told you…I only started dating Biel during our first year in University.”

“ im not talking about that. We already had that conversation more than a million times”

“ then what are you talking about?” he said with pleading eyes.

“ it doesn’t matter now, all you need to know is that you're going to pay for your sins for a long time.” said Tim as he shot a ball into the goal on the pool table, " see you around."

***

In the meantime, Arylan had completed her exam, with plenty of summer vacation activities to fill. She moved back home, knowing that Eric would be off with his dad to Germany soon before he went to England, and did not want to intrude.

Aiden on the other hand had his brother coming out on probation, a week before the new year.

“ like a farewell party?”

“ something like that, ” Arylan said confused

“Okay how about we prepare a photographed album for him and an intimate get together?”

“ Sounds like a plan, let’s keep it as a surprise though, he only leaves next week Friday so we have enough time," said Arylan handing him his phone.

“ I’ll do the album, you get the food,” Aiden said.

“ Okay done.”

Even if Aiden was out and about planning Eric's farewell party, he knew he'd have to pick his older brother up from prison with his grandmother in a few weeks. Fear, frustration, regret, and all the knots in his tummy, grew day by day. Time slowly broke him, and the healing he had gone through all those years suddenly felt like nothing.

He still remembered the bloody smell of his parents and the dark look in his brother's eyes. He saw the image of the warm blood scattered all over the hands of his brother. He still heard the sound of the weapon and tasted the tears of that night. Aiden always felt like it was unfair…unfair that he was sparred and kept alive. But was he really okay, living with these images on the inside of him, living with the fear he had to face every single day when the lights were off? It took years of counseling, years of therapy, and prayer to heal the dark image that constantly repeated itself.

“ Aiden, are you okay…your sweating a lot today?” Arylan asked closing his laptop for him

“ yes I'm fine, let’s take the online test quickly, then we can order some food.”

“ yes of course, can you come over for dinner tonight as well. Eric said he won’t make it again, I really hate eating alone.”

“ sure thing, I’ll drop by and leave before 8.”

“ thank you so much, I owe you one. Bring your aunts little sister if you don’t mind.”

“ sure thing.”

They completed their final submission task for university and took a stroll before heading to the bus station.

“ Arylan…” he called out to her in desperation, “ Arylan, how do you feel about your parents abandoning you?”

“ that was out of the blue. Well to be fairly honest….i have no resentment whatsoever. Even if I don’t know them and what they did is unforgivable…I still love them.”

“how?”

“ you see, it's like our relationship with Allah (God)…we can’t see him, yet, we love him unconditionally. We pretend like we the only ones in his world forgetting that he's taking care of everything and everyone. Although my relationship with my parents is less significant, it’s similar…there was a point in their lives where they had me, loved, and cared for me I saw myself as the only people in their world. Although I can’t really remember, my grandmother always tells me about them. No one does what they do without a reason like I discovered about your bullying.”

“ Wow, someone's getting a little wiser than everyone else.”

“ you flatter me. Why’d you ask by the way?”

“ it’s nothing let’s hurry up and pick up my aunts little sister for dinner, or we can eat at my house.”

“ do you think your grandmother would be okay with a girl coming over?”

“don’t worry about that, I already told her about you.”

“ let’s go then.”

Food, water, shelter, and clothing. These are what they call the essentials of life. Things that we can’t live without out, stuff we can’t physically exist without, but, family, friends, and love….are what we need actually to give us reason to use what we need.

Arylan felt mentally disabled her entire life, with a huge part of her life missing, with an unpromising future, she still choose to love and trust those around her. She took care of her self, her grandmother, and her best friend for half of her life, and now without them, although she feels incomplete…she still stayed strong, and still loved them unconditionally, forgetting about the wrong that they’ve done to her. This is true love.

Have you ever had a dream as a kid…a dream about your parents passing on, so you’d wake up and rush to their room to see if they’re okay. Human nature doesn’t allow us to live without the love of a mother or the discipline of a father. With an exception to those who are orphaned…imagine living your entire life believing that your parents are okay, healthy, safe, and happy, but in actual fact…are the complete opposite.