"There's no place for me here, abba," Elena said as they sat outside in the courtyard one pale-sunned afternoon. "Maybe I should just go back."
The old man leaned back in his rocking chair and sighed, holding a cup of chai in his right hand.
"Then, who will teach these precious children?" He asked, furrowing his wrinkly forehead and sipping his tea.
Elena sighed and watched the children play, shouting happily and frequently giggling.
"It is your decision to make," Rizwan said, looking directly at her. "But if you feel you're not needed, you're wrong. These children love you."
Elena smiled.
"But, of course," He nodded in thoughtfulness. "You have a family too."
Elena nodded. She missed her mother and sister. It brought a lump to her throat thinking about them. It seemed like it had been ages since she had interacted with her family and friends back in Canada.
Elena watched Ruheena play with Amal in the sandbox. The little girl squealed in joy and Ruheena laughed as Amal rolled around in the pit.
The children looked up to her for solace and their eyes held an affection for her - a need for her. An affection that children hold for their mother.
Do they really need me? Elena thought.
"Every child needs a mother," Rizwan said on cue, taking another sip of his tea and reading the second page of his newspaper. "Especially these children. They've all gone through the mill."
"I don't know what to do," Elena said, looking over the hill into the busy city.
"Don't make any hasty decisions," He sighed, rubbing his knees. "Take some time to think about it, my dear."
Elena nodded and smiled at Rizwan, taking a sip of her own tea.
Suddenly, Adam hurried over to her. The little boy who so often looked rigid as stone suddenly had a look of immense sadness on his face. He stopped in front of Elena and she warmly smiled at him. He always looked emotionless as if he had seen every tragedy known to humans as he had seen too much at an early age. But, this time he took Elena by surprise. He burst into tears.
Elena immediately bent down and brought him into a hug, rubbing his tiny back in comfort. He gladly hugged her back and cried some more. His little hands wrapped around her neck and he buried his head into her right shoulder.
"It's okay, Adam," She whispered as she held him tight.
He cried and cried some more into Elena's shoulder, his tiny body shaking. He began to sob. And then, he began to wail.
"You cry as much as you want," She comforted him, holding onto him tightly. "I got you."
YOU ARE READING
The Boy Who Made Flowers Sing
General FictionAfter her father suddenly passes away from cancer, Elena is thrust into a vicious cycle of drug addiction. Orange-tinted plastic bottles and NA key tags rule her melancholic world. But people don't like to talk about drug addiction - they sweep it...
