After the truth

~12~

'ask your daughter.'

Aaron heard it. The sentence dripped sarcasm, frustration and defeat. The tears in her eyes showed how much she was feeling but he couldn't hold her. He couldn't tell her how things would turn out better.

"Mukhlisa." Aaron called firmly, staring down at the little girl who also had tears in her eyes.

"Mr Aaron." Lisa cried, running to hug his legs.

"Can you tell me what happened." He asked, kneeling.

"I was expelled from school." Lisa whispered loudly, twiddling her fingers.

"Mukhlisa." Emma scolded.

"But it wasn't my fault I swear. Mummy said to stand up for what is right and that was what I did."

"Did you explain that to mummy?"

"S-she didn't even let me explain, then she started to yell about how I love to misbehave."

"I get why you're upset." Aaron hugged her.

"I made a friend. Her name is cherry." Lisa pulled away. "She uses wheelchair and I learnt cool things from her. I told her I wanted to be a doctor so I could heal her." Lisa explained, tears falling rapidly from her eyes.

"You don't have to tell me." Aaron cooed, raising her up.

"No. You're listening. Unlike mummy." She stated, wiping her face. "During recess, a mean bully began mocking Cherry and when cherry began to cry, the bully pushed her out of her wheelchair. I got really angry and told her to put cherry back, that she's being mean." Lisa sniffed.

"Then she said a bad word and hit me on my face. See." Aaron was just seeing the red skin on the little girl's face, he frowned. "Then I got angry at her and beat her up. She was mean first and she would have hurt cherry but nobody sees that. Just because I'm bold, they pick on me. Including mummy."

"Ssh ssh. It's okay." Aaron patted her back. "Would you like some hot chocolate?" Lisa nodded, wrapping her hands around his neck.

"Emma get her some hot chocolate and take her to my office. Stay with her, I'll meet you guys."

"Yes sir."

Aaron informed his secretary to change his schedule. He needed to speak with Marwa. He wasn't supporting the violence but perhaps, if she had listen to the girl, it would have been easier to see that the school could have been sued easily. Aaron simply nodded at the greetings as he walked into the interior design department. He asked for Marwa's cubicle and walked in, closing the door behind him.

"Marwa." He called out. She was sitting in her chair facing the window. Slowly she turned the chair to face him, her face puffy from crying.

"Please." She raised her palms, stopping him from talking. He wasn't raising her daughter with her, so he couldn't say. She was tired and had no will in her to speak. She let out a squeak when Aaron pulled her up from her seat and embraced her. She stood there feeling shocked and surprised all at once. "Aaron." She whispered, wanting to pull away but letting the warmth spread all over her body. She missed Imran.

"I'm sorry. It's just. You're crying and I felt helpless and..."

"It's fine." Marwa coughed slightly stepping away from him.

Aaron nodded, looking around the little office. He felt embarrassment wash over him from his impulsive action and his hands moved behind his head to scratch at the little spot.
"Look. You have to speak with Mukhlisa and understand her."

"Zulfa will be coming to get her." Marwa stated. Her phone pinged, alerting her to a new message. It was Zulfa and she wasn't free to pick up Mukhlisa. "Great." She muttered, rolling her eyes.

"You are free to go home." Aaron informed her, slipping his hands into his pocket.

"I have things to do."

"I'll take you and Mukhlisa home. No excuses. Go sort things out with her."

"Aaron...."

"We'll be down in the parking lot."

Marwa had a frown on her face as she stood shuffling her feet from standing for over ten minutes. Was this some sort of punishment? She thought. At the sound of clacking on the smooth outline of the floor, Marwa looked up to see Aaron walking over to the car with a sleeping Lisa, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Sorry. She didn't want to wake up." Aaron apologized, opening the car door to place her on the chair.

Marwa sat in the passenger seat, patiently waiting for Aaron to start the car. It felt weird sitting beside him with Lisa in the back. She couldn't help but imagine being married to him and Lisa finally having a father figure. The sight of Aaron's patience and kindness to her little girl made her realize how much Lisa needed a fatherly presence. She let a sigh escape her lips as the car started to move.

*****
Marwa made a strong dark coffee. After the events of the day, she deserved something hot and bitter that would make her cry as she compared her life to what she was drinking. She wondered what her mother would be doing now. Would her routine of applying her camel milk moisturizer to her face have changed?

She was feeling like the worst person on planet earth and it was all thanks to that snappy feeling she had over Lisa. She knew the girl did not want to speak with her so she remained 'asleep'. Aaron explained everything that had transpired to her and she just felt like crap. Her anger immediately deflated.

She placed the coffee on the coffee table and walked over to the bedroom where Mukhlisa was fast asleep on the bed. It wasn't even nighttime yet. She gently sat and with shaky hands, she caressed the cornrows that was neatly plaited on her hair. Her daughter's breathing hitched a bit before releasing a loud sigh, a small smile on her face.

"I love you Lisa." Marwa kissed her cheeks. "And Mama's sorry."

  She grabbed her phone which was going off with messages. She wondered who it was.

Miss Genaro: I hope your daughter is fine~3:15
Miss Genaro: you can call me if you need someone to talk to~3:16
Miss Genaro: take your time. We can work on my cabin later~3:17
Miss Genaro: would you like to go for tea later in the weekend? Or a waffles treat? ~3:24

Marwa chuckled. It was nice to see someone cared. She had a friend in an actress. How lucky.

Zulfa: wallah! I'm going to beat that principal to a pulp ~4:00
Zulfa: there's nothing wrong with Lisa standing up for herself. I'm glad I taught her self defense~4:01
Zulfa: I'm taking my princess out for an ice cream treat and you better say Yes!😤

Marwa let out a boisterous laugh. Her sister was a clown, please. Who would say no to an ice cream treat. She quickly typed a reply.

Aaron: you might be thinking you're a bad mother for being so mad but it's okay to be frustrated and I'm sure Mukhlisa can testify to the fact that you're a great mother. Don't beat yourself up.

A small smile was all she could muster as she thanked him. She felt like he was doing so much that her family couldn't. She was grateful for the little people she had. She wouldn't let anyone bully her daughter at all. She was going to face the principal and an explanation was needed.