No Looking Back

Chapter 13

Layla's POV:

"Hello?" I say, answering the phone. According to the time, It was 1:00 in the afternoon. I had slept for four and a half hours. 

"Layla, beta, it's me, Auntie? Ayesha Auntie?" a familiar voice replies. 

My eyes open a little more as I take my phone away from my ear to check the screen, and sure enough, the caller ID reads Ayesha Auntie.

"Oh, hello, Auntie! I'm sorry, I picked up the phone without reading the caller ID. How are you?" I say, smiling.

She laughs on her side of the line, "Oh, it's all right, beta. Yes, I'm fine, how are you? How was the trip? Did you get there safely? Your mother is here and she keeps on asking me questions to ask you."

I laugh, shaking my head. It's so like my mother to be stressing out about me.

"Ye lo, Fauzia. Aap aapki beti ki saat hood baat karo," Ayesha Auntie says, and I can hear the phone move.

"Hello? Layla baby?" My mother says into the phone.

"Salam, Mama! I'm here, I'm safe, and you need to stop needlessly worrying," I say, smiling.

"Oh, Layla, I know, but I can't help but worry," she says, sighing. "You are my only daughter, beta, who else would I worry so much about?"

"How about me? Is that Aapi? Can I talk to her?" Yusuf says in the background. I laugh at the sound of my active little brother. It honestly sounded like I was on the receiving end of a game of pass-the-phone.

"Hey, Aapi! How's Argentina? Is it pretty? Are there Spanish-speaking people? Where's Faiz Bhai? Can he speak Spanish? Can you speak Spanish?"

I shake my head, grinning, not knowing where to start.

"Whoa there, buddy, calm down. Ok, um, Argentina's amazing. I wish I could've brought you with me. Yes, it's absolutely beautiful here. Yes, these people mainly speak Spanish. Faiz is in his room right now. Yup, he can speak Spanish. And no, You know I can't speak Spanish," I sigh, exhausted from answering his questions.

Kids in the business world who were to inherit their father's or mother's businesses were basically forced to learn at least three foreign languages for the opportunity of better business deals.

Aside from Urdu and English, I knew three more. My mother wanted me to learn Arabic, and then my father wanted me to learn Mandarin. I chose French as one that I personally wanted to learn. It was fun to learn them, and it makes for a very impressive resumé. 

I hear Auntie and my mother laughing in the background at my and Yusuf's lengthy conversation.

Yusuf grumbles something about not getting to talk to Faiz, and then passes the phone to someone else.

"Layla? How's Faiz? Is he taking care of you?" My mother asks, getting the phone back.

"Yes, Mama. But you and I both know that I can take care of myself just as well."

My mother laughs on the other line, "Yes, just like your father. But, once in a while, it's ok for someone else to take care of you, you know that, right, beta?"

Where is this conversation coming from?

"Mom, is there anything you would like to tell me?" I ask hesitantly.

My mother coughs almost awkwardly on the other side of the line, "I don't really think that this will be the right way to tell you, beta, but Inshallah, when you get back home, I promise I'll tell you, ok?"