Sequoia Valley: Risk (Free Preview)

7

Aileen didn’t know what had possessed her to do it. She had always cared how she appeared in public and to anyone who might see her. Jeremy had ensured that. Any small mistake or misdemeanor in public had always resulted in a punishment. So she’d acted exactly as he expected—the mature adult, the perfect lady—any time they were in public, and she’d done her best to limit those public appearances so she was rarely punished for any small mistake she made. Of course there was always at least one. 

But she was changing since she’d left Jeremy. She felt safer, braver, and more independent. Then she saw the vacant swings of the empty park in the early morning after sunrise after she’d left the apartment on the day she had the appointment to remove her cast. She remembered Dr. Zakarîyâ boldly using the swings several days ago, enjoying himself even when he was stared at. 

A spark of defiance lit inside her heart. Why can’t I have fun, too? If he can be a mature adult in the hospital and play like a kid when he’s off, so can I. Jeremy can’t stop me anymore. 

Without allowing any second thoughts to convince her otherwise, she entered the quiet park and walked straight to the swings. She sat down on one, gripped the chains, and allowed childhood memories of playing at the park after school to flood her mind. She probably looked strange—a woman clothed in Islâmic attire on the swimgs—but for once she didn’t allow herself to care what she looked like or what people would think if they saw her. She freed her mind of every obligation to be the perfect mature adult and pushed off, lifting the swing higher and higher as the minutes passed. 

Free, she thought as the chilly breeze brushed her face, closing her eyes. I’m free. I can do anything I want to. 

The next time she opened her eyes, it was to the familiar sight of Dr. Zakarîyâ in his traditional ethnic attire standing several feet away. She couldn’t make out what his expression was, but he stood there observing her for several moments before he turned and walked a different pathway to a separate area of the park. 

What that meant, if anything at all, she couldn’t determine. She wasn’t even sure if she was relieved he’d walked on before she’d be obligated to speak to him or disappointed that he’d acted as if they were strangers by so casually walking away. If he’d tried to seek her out, she would have been suspicious of his motives; but ignoring her presence felt hurtful, too. Unable to decide, she pushed all thoughts of him from her mind. 

She stayed on the swing until families and children started to appear and she began receiving odd looks. Since it was nearing the time for her hospital appointment anyway, she stopped the swing, got off, and then walked away, trying to ignore the stares that followed her. She wasn’t sure if it was her attire or that she’d been seen playing on the swings—maybe both. 

On her way out, unsurprisingly, she found Dr. Zakarîyâ. She couldn’t help stopping when she saw him. He was sharing the see-saw with a young boy of about six or seven who was definitely not a relative this time—he was a redheaded, fair-skinned child with bright green eyes. She wasn’t the only one staring, but he was ignoring the looks he was receiving. Since no one called the young boy away from his new friend, it seemed that those who were watching only thought him odd rather than a threat. 

He caught her gaze and raised an inquiring eyebrow. She looked away and continued on until she’d exited the park completely. Then she walked the short distance to the hospital. 

After her appointment and exiting the hospital with a cast-free hand, she set off for her usual rounds of inquiring for a job. Her day was as unproductive as many of the days before it. Some places weren’t looking to hire at all; others wanted applicants with more experience and education than she possessed. It was the same story over and over again. By lunch time, she was demotivated, depressed, and uncertain of the future. She trudged back to her apartment with slumped shoulders and hopeless eyes.