After the truth

~6~

Why was his memory in such a haze?
Aaron paced about his room, trying so hard to understand why the feeling and memory of hurting Marwa was present yet in such hazy form.

He couldn't for the life of him stay around her anymore. He wanted to remember what exactly he did. He could hear her cries, scream but what did he do?

"Harun." His mum tapped him. She was the only one who called him Harun and he liked it.

"Mama." He hugged her, sighing into her hair.

"What is getting you so worked up?" She asked going to take a seat on his bed.

"It's nothing to worry about. I'm simply finding it hard to remember a certain memory."

"Don't force it. It will come to you." She patted his shoulder.

"Do you need something?" Aaron asked, coming to sit beside her.

"So I have to "need" something from you before coming into your room?"

"Mama!"

"No. I'll leave." The woman sighed dramatically, rising from the bed.

"Okay stay." Aaron laughed. "What of baba?"

"He'll be back." She smiled sadly.

Aaron had always watched his parent's marriage shake under the weight of various pressures. From their difference in ethnicity to hatred from each family side. And for some reason for the past seven years, his father tried his hardest to be absent most of the time. This caused deep sadness for him since he felt some form of disappointment from his father.

"Okay."

"Hurry up and change. Dinner is ready."

After taking his bath and changing into a thawb since he wanted to go to the mosque for Isha prayer, Aaron decided to call Marwa to apologise but he didn't have her number so he called his assistant.

*****************
Marwa was sitting on the lounge chair outside. It was nice to have a little break from her daughter. She loved the girl, but being a mother could be really draining. She picked her cup from the little stool beside her and took a long sip of her lemonade before setting it back down.

Her mind moved between work, Mukhlisa, Aaron, life in general. Aaron! She wondered why he acted so weird earlier in the evening. Maybe he was ill. Whatever it was she hoped he would bounce through. Her eyes began to droop gently but the feeling of her grudges towards Imran kept her from sleeping.

She wondered what her family were doing at the moment. Her father whom she loved dearly but was quick to disown her. How was Zayad fairing after hurting her. Marwa pulled her legs up and rested her arms on her knees. The sound of her phone ringing stopped the thoughts of sadness.

"Hello. Marwa here. Who am I speaking with?" She asked, listening to the strangely satisfying deep breathes the other person was taking.

"Marwa."

"Imran?" She recognized his voice instantly.

"Marwa. I'm sorry." He rasped.

Living close to each other, attending the same schools right from kindergarten to high school and attending family events together made Marwa know when Imran was happy or sad, angry or confused.

"Are you crying?" She asked gently, feeling sad already. "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"Please forgive me Marwa. For leaving you when you needed me."

Marwa became silent. She was upset about the whole thing but she had long forgiven him. Now she didn't understand why he was crying.

"Marwa?"