Burning energy of Shadows

15- Fragile Cactus

              Ibrahim made his way toward Esmeray sitting in the cafeteria, a coffee mug was in her hand.

"Hello" Esmeray looked toward him. He sat on the chair in front of her. Her gaze fixed on him.
"I want you to go with me. But the thing is" He paused finding suitable words to say.  "I am running out of money... You just have to pay your expenses. I'll pay all other expenses." he clarified.
"And why should I do this?" She asked in a demanding tone.
"Whenever I'll get the money. I'll return it to you."
" I promise" He added.
For once Ibrahim thought he was making any pact with the devil. Nevertheless, there was not and difference.
"We have to leave today in the evening." He felt as if he was speaking to the walls.
She was engrossed in taking the sips of her coffee.
It was always like this either she was staring at an unknown point as he was not there or staring only at him as only he was there.
" Are you coming?" Ibrahim said irritatingly.
"Control you are not in a state to show your anger." The pungent smell of cardamon was wafting with the sweet smell of the cheese.
At that moment he wanted to throw the coffee on her not wanting to think about the people nor the future but he was a man tied with a lot of strings.

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"Are you going somewhere?" asked Ayesha.
"It's important, annah." Esmeray held her hands.
"I am afraid that I will lose you"
Her eyes were filled with tears.
"I'll come back after a week or two. You don't need to worry about me." Esmeray patted her back gently.
Before going she has to make a call and a message. A call to Mustafa that she was leaving and a message to Ibrahim that she was coming.
Her packed bag was resting on the bed. The girl on the painting hung top on her bed, wearing white attire, horizontally leaning against the bench, her hand was suspended in the air and the face was tilted in opposite direction, was completely careless that her owner was opening some forbidden doors.

     *************************

It was 5 in the morning when she reached Puerto Rico, San Juan knowing nothing about what would she do now. When she reached the hotel Ibrahim was already there. Their rooms were side by side. She stepped into her room
White walls, white bedsheets, white furniture, white curtains even white lilies it was completely diverse than her room. It seemed as if the magnet has captivated all the colours of the room toward it.
Someone knocked at the door although it was open. She turned her face to see who was there. It was the waiter in a white shirt and black pants.
He was holding the tray which she grabbed with a few greetings and closed the door. It had a coffee mug and a sand witch. She started sipping the coffee. The hotel was on a narrow street mounting with small houses.

Everything was still. No one was awake at this part of the AM except for a few people who were also not in any haste. Esmeray closed her eyes to inhale the fresh air. After taking a bath she went to sleep.

"What's the plan or we are here for another trip." They were sitting in a small lobby of the hotel. The lobby was shoving with the hostile language for Ibrahim creating the room crowded and noisy.
"Last time we were not on any trip. I just want to know where Uncle Badros is? and you know this." Ibrahim said annoyingly not having enough energy to collide with her again.
"You don't have a heart"
"Oh come on. Everyone has a heart. My one is Lil bit hard."
She said elatedly as they were chattering on any humorous topic.
Ibrahim shunned in her direction and placed the file in front of her which he was holding.
Without questions, she opened it. There were photos of furniture shops, perfumes and drugs.

    "What is this?" She asked doubtingly.

"Today we will go to this furniture shop." He pointed at the shop's picture.
"There is something related to something wary about this place. 'cause uncle was finding this place."

   " And when are we going?"
"Now and you, we have to do some acting."

          *********************

"The wooden shop was not too far away from the hotel. He must have chosen the hotel because of the distance from the shop. There were a lot of furniture shops, spas and vegetable shops on their way. Finally, they spotted the particular furniture shop_ having a lot of chairs placed in front with strange names_ French Bistro chair, vintage French Chair, Cross back chair, Modern bentwood chair and more.
  " I don't like anything here. We should go dear." Esmeray said naively.
     "The last shop. Just look at this and then we will go."  Ibrahim tried to convince her.
  "Not now tomorrow."  Esmeray showed tantrums.
" Ok, the last one."
" Esmeray huffed and entered the furniture shop, her eyes moving up and down looking at everything with great disgust.

Esmeray and Ibrahim represented themselves as a tourist who didn't understand Spanish but going to settle there so buying furniture for their home. A normal couple.
   Ibrahim started to converse with the owner of the furniture shop, checking the chairs asking their prices about their durability. The man answered him in his poor English accent but the names and designs of the furniture were fluent_ Avignon design, country harvest design and brook ville design.

     Esmery on the other hand was just wandering in the shop, showing that she was just passing the time but her eyes were inspecting each part of the shop. There were two men in the shop one on the counter and the other was showing furniture to Ibrahim.  Everything was normal, a lot of furniture, woods and the aroma of the wood. She hadn't seen any camera but she was sure there must be ones like a bird encircling its eggs and babies. 
     There she saw the half-open door leading to the basement. And on the end, there was another metal door. It was also normal to have a store in the shop. She descended toward that shut door.
   The metal door was bolted tightly but there was something the door was unable to cease, the fragrance, faint_ but it was there. She has breathed in that odour somewhere before. She stood there still to recollect the memories until someone called her.
      "Mam, please come up." It was the man at the counter. His tone was rigid. He was paniked_ terrified. He was trying to conceal his red hands like a child caught doing something nasty.

   "Ahhhh... I was just finding something good," She said her voice echoing in the stairs. She came upstairs.

        "Don't you have some new quality of the furniture?" She tried to distract him.

   "Mam it's new." and with this, he started to show her some more things but consciously kept an eye on her.
   While he was bragging about the quality of their furniture she saw Ibrahim coming toward her.
"Ibrahim" From her mouth Ibrahim felt his name like a sweet crammed with a lot of honey and nuts. Never in his life, he had known that his name could be so much delicate and hypnotizing.
   Ibrahim came toward her and she grasped his arm.
   "Ibrahim I am worn out we should do the remaining shopping tomorrow. "
"But we..." He was interrupted by her gaze.
   She looked at her innocently, directly in his eyes. Her gaze, penetrating.
Ibrahim has never thought that a stone could be turned into a soft velvet and a cactus could be so much fragile.
       "OK," They left the shop, hands in hands. She talked softly. He listened affectionately and destiny was making its own plan.

     Once on the other street far away from preying eyes of those two men they took off each other hands as one of them was suffering from any pandemic ailment

           "Have you seen anything?" He asked breathlessly.
"No, but I have smelled something."
"Smelled what?" Ibrahim asked, hoping that they have finally got one piece of the puzzle.
"I think you were right. There is something going there."
   " I am always right," He said with a smirk

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