CHAPTER 19

"What do you mean she has ghosted you?" I frowned at Dana.

"She doesn't reply to my texts, calls." she shrugged.

"Did you not try to meet her in person?"

"I don't care. If she doesn't want to meet me, why should I

try?" she stated proudly.

"Can I have her number? Or address?"

"It's of no use but, here." she proceeded to write it on a paper.

"Thanks." I smiled and walked away.

"Now, I just need to meet her somehow."

The bell rang indicating the time of dispersal.

Where was officer Badr Al- Din today?

The guards were present outside but, he hadn't come today.

Shouldn't I be relieved? I thought as I gathered my stuff.

"How will I meet Sarah?" was the only thought in my mind as

I excited the building and got home.

I smiled to myself as I searched the address on google maps.

"Mummy, can we go to the corniche today?" I massaged her

shoulders as she cooked lunch.

"Corniche? Suddenly? What's wrong with you?" she removed

my hands and walked to the sink.

"Please. I've been feeling very sick today." I pouted.

"So? Go and take rest." she washed her hands.

"But I want to go out. Besides, it has been so long since we've

gone somewhere?" I held her hand.

She didn't say anything.

"Come on. We can have a family picnic near the beach." I

smiled.

"I don't know. Kulsum is busy with some assignment. And,

your dad likes to rest on Thursdays." she sighed and walked

out of the kitchen. I ran behind her.

"I'll talk to Kulsum. I'll help her with her project. But you talk

to daddy."

She didn't say anything.

"Come on, mummy. I never ask anything from you." I frowned

and looked away grumpily.

"What happened?" my sister walked in.

I saw her curls bounce as she sat. She had gorgeous hair.

"She wants to go to Corniche."

"Oh. Fatima wants to go to Corniche." she whistled.

"Or, is it Harram?" she laughed as she said that.

I rolled my eyes.

Did I ever tell her that I hated her? Yes.

"She's faking it all, mummy. She isn't feeling sick. The pain

meds are doing a fine job. And, I've an assignment to

complete, dad wants to rest and you should rest too."

"I'll help you with the assignment and I'm sure dad won't

mind. I really want to go. Please." I smiled at her.

If there was a key to mom and dad's consent it was Kulsum.

Mom trusted her with her life. Kulsum was right all the time.

Kulsum knew how to do everything and anything. Kulsum

this. Kulsum that.

Was this my little jealousy speaking?

Probably yes.

"You're always saying stupid things. I am the sensible one

here. You're so immature." she played with her curls and then

she narrowed her eyes at me.

"Wait a minute. You don't even like to go to Corniche. You are

not a beach person. Whenever we go there you make a crab

face and complain about stuff. So, why do you want to go their

suddenly?"

I mentally facepalmed myself.

Can she listen to me for once? And, crab face? What's that?

My mom looked at me suspiciously too.

"I..." I looked around and my gaze landed on my brother. He

was playing with his cars. A clever thought entered my mind.

My brother has always been stubborn. So much that he always

gets what he wants. His strategy was simple. Bawl your eyes

out and roll on the floor. Well, let's just say that I was going to

adopt only the first part of his strategy. For the sake of

decency.

"I just felt like going there." I muttered in a small voice and

covered my face with my hands.

"But, it's okay. You guys never listen to me anyway." I made

weeping sounds.

"It's just one thing that I asked for..." I hiccupped.

"She's faking it mom. Look..." my sister began.

"Let's go. We can have a little picnic. She's sick, it will make

her feel better."

I peeked through my fingers.

"But, my assignment..."

"Take your books and assignment to Corniche. You can sit

there and complete it." my mom smiled at her.

"Who does assignments when they go to Corniche?" she cried

out.

"Then you can stay at home." my brother spoke up.

I stifled a laugh.

My sister looked defeated.

"Fine. The assignment isn't important anyway." she got up

and walked out, probably to go put some makeup on.

Sara's house was near the Corniche. Just a road down the

corniche lane. Now, I just had to find a way to get there. Even

if that meant sneaking away from my family for a while.

How was I going to do that? I didn't have a plan yet.

"Fatima, come sit down." my mom yelled.

"I want to go the washroom." I smiled nervously.

"What? Where will you find a washroom here?" she frowned.

"There's one beside the women's prayer room."

"I'll come with you." she began to get up.

"No, mummy. It's not that far. I'll be back within minutes.

And, stop treating me like a baby." I whined.

"Let her go." my dad turned to her.

"Okay, but, be quick."

"I'll be quick." I yelled as I ran away.

"Building no. 56, Building no. 57 and building no. 58... there it

is." I smiled as I stood in front of the fancy building.

It took me too long. It was already 10 minutes now. I was late.

How will I find out her flat number? I thought as I waited for

the lift to come.

A man probably Saudi came to stand with me.

Should I ask him?

"Excuse me." I turned to him as we got inside the lift.

He looked confused.

"Do you speak English?" I asked him in Arabic.

He waved his hand.

"A little bit." he replied in Arabic.

I should try in Arabic and English. Since, my Arabic wasn't

good.

"Do you know a Yemeni family that lives here?" I asked in

Arabic.

"I am a Yemeni." he smiled.

"There must be other..."

"The building is filled with Yemeni residents." he scoffed.

"There's this girl. I mean a Yemeni family with a daughter."

"I have a daughter too." he smiled.

"Yeah, but..."

How do I ask about her?

"Yes, the girl she recently lost her ear." I pointed to my ear as I

spoke in my weak Arabic.

He started laughing.

"People lose their stuff, loved ones, memory and sometimes

heart too but, how can someone lose their ear?"

My eyes widened a little bit.

He had quoted the exact same sentence that I had quoted.

Despite my lack of understanding in Arabic I had somehow

understood what he said.

Maybe I should learn to qualify my statement.

"It was an accident."

"OH..." he drawled.

He thought for a moment.

"I think they are our neighbors."

"Thank you so much." I smiled at him.

"Welcome, habibti." he smiled as we excited the lift.

Habibti?

Creepy much.

He pointed to a door and rang the bell of his door. I avoided

his gaze until he went inside. I rang the bell.

An old man opened the door.

I smiled politely. As much as I was scared of coming to an

unknown place without my family, I knew I had to do this.

"I am Sarah's friend." I smiled.

He nodded and yelled her name. I saw her coming out of a

room. She was wearing a large and loose t-shirt with baggy

pants.

Billie Eillish style?

I smiled at her hoping for her to recognize me.

"Hi." I extended my hand to her; she just eyed it wearily so I

retreated my hand back. Her grandfather excused us and we

sat in her posh living room. Very posh.

"Do you remember me?" was the first question that I asked

her.

She nodded.

"What are you doing here? I mean how did you know my

address? We don't even know each other." she asked grimly.

"I was here to meet a friend of mine. And, trust me I wanted

to meet you ever since, your accident. I just didn't have the

courage." I smiled nervously; the effect of my meds had faded

away. The pain would start intensifying any minute now.

She nodded.

"I am just here for a few minutes. I just wanted to see how

you're holding up."

She sighed and proceeded to remove her Hijab. I gasped as I

saw her ear. It was there. Unharmed and all okay. She must've

seen my horrified expression so, she smiled slightly.

"It's a prosthetic ear." she wrapped her Hijab back.

"I wear a hearing aid too."

"That's good. I am glad you were able to repair the damage." I

smiled.

"Can I ask you something else too?" I asked her carefully.

She smiled politely.

"How did this happen?"

Then her smile faded away, her skin paled and she shut her

eyes.

"What happened?" I got up and went near her, the pain at the

back of my head intensifying.

She started screaming. I panicked and looked around. I saw a

woman probably her mother rushing to her.

"Sarah. Sarah." she held her shoulders but, she wouldn't stop

screaming.

Her face was pale, eyes shut and her screams were probably

the loudest screams that I've ever heard. She was wildly

thrashing in her chair. Soon, all of her family gathered around

her and I was pushed aside. They were struggling to hold her

in her place. The scene petrified me. I had only witnessed such

scenes in those horror movies that my sister and I loved to

watch. The person in those movies that would behave in such

a way was usually possessed. In that moment I wondered if

she was actually possessed. I did what I had to do. Run away.

So, I ran out of the door, to the lift and out of the building.

I took deep breaths but, it wasn't helping. The pain was at its

highest peak now.

This was a bad idea. I thought as I started walking back to my

family.

What will I tell them?

I sighed in relief as I saw them where they were earlier. I

didn't want to lose them.

"Look she's there." my sister pointed to me.

"Where the hell were you, Fatima?" my dad roared at me. I

looked around.

"Easy with the yelling, dad. We're in public." my sister chimed

in.

"I was inside the prayer room." I blurted out the first thing

that came to my mind.

"Prayer room? Why?" he yelled again.

I flinched and sat down.

"I just peeked inside the prayer room once and the

atmosphere was really nice and warm so I thought of sitting

there for a while. Besides, my pain was intensifying so, it kind

of helped."

I saw him staring at me for a moment then he probably didn't

get mad at me which is why he handed me a plate of hot

French fries.

"Have this first, then you can eat your medicines."

"Just a few of them alright. The rest is mine." my sister

narrowed her eyes at me.

I nodded.

Doing so much for ending up with nothing at the end. I

thought as we got back home.