WHO IS TO BLAME?

Chapter two

On arriving home, isha met her sister Asma, a fourteen years old girl wandering inside the palour. She seems to be worried.
   "Sister what's wrong? " isha interrogated while shaking her sister.
   "Thank God you're back." she managed to say, her eyes looked swollen as isha noticed.
   "Dad is mad again." she said trying to avoid the tears that are about to fall.
   "What did he do this time?" isha asked getting more confused.
   "He slaps mom while they're arguing and he said you.... You...." she can't complete the statement so she burst into tears.
   "You are scaring me Asma."  isha was crying too. "Tell me what exactly  happened in this house today."
   Asma was still crying unable to answer isha's question. Isha calmed herself down when she thought that crying will not help them. She then tried to calm her sister down.
    "He said you must leave this house." Asma got all the courage and finally spoke.
"What? Are you serious?" Asked isha when it seems like everything stopped working inside her body. She couldn't comprehend anything. Asma was still explaining what had happened to her but she couldn't get even a single word. What's wrong with dad? How could he think of throwing me out of this house?  I don't have anybody except him and mum so where should i go?  I think dad is out of his sense. What a stupid dad?  Do I have any father other than him?  Since i was little girl dad is maltreating me. I think he hates me so much and he doesn't care about me........
   "Isha! Isha!" Asma called her out while shaking her.
Isha suddenly came back to her sense and looked at Asma who was looking at her pitifully.
   "I don't know what you did to dad that you  deserved such merciless act. I  failed to  understand why dad is maltreating you like this. Since we're little kids, dad is always harsh on you. I was unable to think why he's doing this to you and when I asked mum she said she doesn't know either. I thought dad is your father, I mean your biological father so if this is true why is he doing these? I think you don't deserve this from him even if you are an adopted child." explained Asma looking absolutely confused.
Isha snipped from Asma's grip and ran to her room crying uncontrollably. Asma stared at her speechless and unmove.
She fall on her bed and started sobbing. She lied flat on the bed thinking about her miserable life  she doesn't understand what was wrong between she and her father. She could remember when they were young and Asma is having her five years old birthday. She celebrated the day with her siblings: Afreen and zeeshan  and other kids around the neighborhood. Suddenly, their father appeared and they all ran  hugging  him and he hugged them too one after the other affectionately. When it was isha's turn, he turned away to leave while frowning. As a small child, isha does not understand what he meant so she ran to embrace him and he pushed her away furiously.
     "Didn't I tell you to stop calling me your dad?  I'm not your dad." he whispers in her ears and turned to go back into the house leaving her on the ground. Asma tried to pull her up.
   "Sorry my sister." said Asma in a weak voice. They went back to the party while isha wiped her tears.
Another event is oneday they came back from school and they met their father  at home after returning from London. They all rushed to him and hugged him. Isha just stayed behind watching them. Now that she starts growing up she came to realize that her father is not interested in her so she began to avoid him too. Even when he's smiling as soon as she appears he will starts frowning his face and dispersed hatred look on her. That's why most of the times if  he's at home she prefers to stay inside her room for the whole day in order to avoid embarrassment.
While she was standing there at the back watching them he brought out gifts from his bag for each one of them. They all started jumping and thanking him. He doesn't even look at where isha was standing let alone give her something.
   "Dad what about isha?" asked Asma looking at him. "You didn't give her anything."
   "That's all i have for now." he said while standing up and went to his room.
Isha ran to her room and began to weep seriously.
   "I'm sorry sister." said Asma, standing beside the bed with tears in her eyes. "I will share my own with you."
   "No Asma, I don't need it." said isha while trying to wipe her tears.
   "No you must accept it." said Asma frowning a little. So isha accepted it and smiled at her sister. " thanks for caring." said isha.
   "Don't thank me because you are my sister and you deserved everything."
She could also remember countless times when their father brought special gifts for every kid  in the house that got first position in the class but he never give her anything even though she's always the one that took first position in her class. There is one moment that she could still remember when he took Asma, afreen and zeeshan to abroad so as to spend their holiday there. But she was left alone in the house. There is one thing that keep bothering her and she tried all her best to find the answer but she couldn't; the reason why her mother always cry, she couldn't comprehend why she's always unhappy. This is a serious question that only the mother could answer but each time she approaches her with the question, she will either say it's nothing or she will ignore her and leave.
She was still thinking when she felt a warmth hug from behind that brought her back from thought. She knows it was her mother and of course she was the one. She broke into tears again hugging her mother tightly. Seema was also crying holding her daughter.
   "Mom please can you tell me something?" said isha in a sobbing voice.
Seema didn't reply so isha continues.
   "Tell me who is my father please mom."
   "What?" said seema with wide open eyes. "What are you saying isha?" she said and burst into tears again.
   "Don't ever say this again. Okay?" She said looking at her daughter.
   "But mom....." seema covers her daughter's mouth with finger.
She kept quite not because want to but because she don't want to provoked her mother and make her unhappy. She leaned on her body sobbing silently. "Mom dad said I must leave his house today, so where is he expecting me to go?" She sat up eyeing her mom.
Seema burst into painful tears. She cuddled her daughter not knowing what to say to her. "Mom please answer me." Isha spoke again. "Where can I go if I leave this house?"
"I'm so sorry my daughter it's all my faults." Seema said shivering in tears. "You won't leave this house because here you belong. You're part of this family. Don't care about this man he's out of his sense. Don't bother yourself about anything just know that mom will always be there for you.
   "Let's go. I know you haven't eat anything right?  Let us go i cooked your favorite dish today come on." she said, smiling and went out of the room. Isha was very sure that her mother was crying. She knows she can't hold it on that's why she leaves.
She stood up and went to the dining table in order to comport her mother. Suddenly, she met him while he was coming out of his room. She stopped abruptly and he did the same. He looked at her mercilessly for some time. She felt like she was going to fall because her legs were too heavy for her therefore, she knelt down in front of him and started sobbing.
   "Dad i'm sorry please if I ever offended you." she said but instead of answering her he just hit her and get out of the palour.
Isha cried so much at that time. It was Asma who came out and took her to the dining after watching what had happened.
   "It's okay." Asma said in a shaky voice.
Isha didn't eat anything. She was just staring at the food with her teary eyes. when she was tired of staring, she carried her legs and went back to her room. She could hear the  sobbing of her mother when she passed by her room.