𝓜𝔂 𝓫𝓪𝓫𝔂, 𝓶𝔂 𝔀𝓲𝓯𝓮

15# EVENTS

THE KHALIL RESIDENCE,
ASOKORO.
JANUARY, 2021.

Jamilah was preparing to go out.

It was her first time leaving the mansion since she'd started living there.

The previous week had been quite eventful, with Christmas parties thrown in every estate.

She'd stayed in through it all, talking with her new therapist and catching up on books.

Her therapist, Doctor Intisaam had come every day since the past week, but she'd finally taken a break for new year and public holiday.

Jamilah found that she liked the woman.

She was a dark, tall woman who looked quite intimidating at first glance.

When she'd started talking to Jamilah however, she was warm and full of smiles.

It was an added bonus that she didn't probe too much and gave her time to talk.

Jamilah had been taken aback when the woman didn't ask her to speak about her past. She'd assumed that'd be the first thing she'd ask. She'd even been preparing her mind to answer her questions as best as she could.

Instead, she'd started by asking her what she thought of her marriage to Ayman.

Jamilah, though stunned had answered as best as she could.

She'd replied, telling her that she greatly enjoyed Ayman's company, particularly how he would bring her sweets and chocolates.

Intisaam — She'd insisted on Jamilah calling her that — had only looked at her with a cryptic smile, then went on to ask other questions.

The woman's mannerisms threw Jamilah off sometimes, but she'd adjusted to it for the most part. She reckoned all therapists were like that,...a bit weird, but very warm.

When Jamilah had gone to bed that night, she'd thought about it again.

As far as her memories went, she still didn't remember much, and the few she did weren't very vivid.

But she'd never lost certain aspects of who she was. And those kept her busy.

She'd been reflecting on herself and actions, noting her response to different situations, and how they made her feel. Consequently, she'd come a long way in her pursuits of self discovery.

It did get a bit frustrating sometimes, hearing people tell her about herself. They'd tell her that she'd been a nice person and very down to earth, and that she'd been extremely intelligent and won tons of prizes.

Jamilah struggled to reconcile what people said, with what she was learning about herself. She found it hard to believe that the same her that was stumbling through words and struggling with concepts had been some kind of whiz kid.

Through it all, Ayman had been supportive of her. He'd teach her the basics of things, he'd put her through every little thing...gently, kindly. If there was anything she was displeased with regarding him, it would be how he'd sometimes forget that she was still, in reality, a twenty three year old woman.

He'd buy her toys sometimes, or he'd talk really slowly, or dumb down his speech.

She felt offended at times, but knew he didn't come from a place of mockery.

He just didn't understand how to deal with certain aspects of her new life.

*****
The governor had told her to prepare for an outing.

It was the first time in a while that everyone was present at home, courtesy of the holiday break. Even the older brother, Jamil, who she never saw much of, would be going for the outing.