Our land

Chapter 9

"MAMA! ANA MA LAGI AYI ZOAL FI BAIT NAS FARAH. WA MA LAGI UMA WALA AYI WAHID MIN AKWANA. MAMA ANA MA DAYIR ADAYIHA. HE SAHBATI. AL BAYT KULU FADI. MAMA " cried Umar. 

Translation: "MOM! I CAN'T FIND ANYONE IN FARAHS HOUSE. AND I CAN'T FIND HER MOTHER OR ANY OF HER SIBLINGS.MOM I DON'T WANT TO LOSE HER. SHE'S MY FRIEND. THE WHOLE HOUSE IS EMPTY. MOM", He was crying over the phone. He felt helpless.

"Calm down Umar. " "breath," said his mother.
"I don't understand you"
"Try and talk more clearly please"
"And don't worry whatever it is. I'll try my best to help but, first I need to know what the problem is"

"Ok. So basically I have tried calling Farah and tried to get to her siblings but no one would answer so I ran to her house today.", he said while sobbing.

"Umar. That's very stupid of you. You could have died and I would have been the one mourning endlessly over your loss"

"Sorry, Mama. I was just scared.

 What if something bad happened to her or to another member of her family?"

"When I got there her house was empty. I got in but there was no one and nothing. Like no furniture"

He began crying again. Constantly reminding himself of how bad a friend he was, to just leave her like that.

"I should have gone to their house when no one answered. How could I not suspect anything" he thought to himself.

He was crying bent down on the floor with his face covered when his mother arrived with his father, both worried sick about their only son.
Their facial expressions and piercing silence while they hugged him showed just how they felt.

"Uhhhmmmm" his father cleared his throat while looking away from Umar, to hide his tearful face.

"You have been very irresponsible running to their house like that. "

"WHAT IF A FLIPPIN SOLDIER SAW YOU"
"WHERE WOULD YOU BE NOW? HUH?"

His father began shouting and scolding him angrily. Umar stayed silent. His father wasn't the person to show affection by telling, hugging or any of that stuff. So even when his father hugged him it came to him by surprise.

He understood his father well and, he knew he didn't mean harm but, he was scared for him and didn't know what to do.

Umar's mother on the other hand was what people would call a gentle soul. She was always calm and composed and didn't mind showing affection to her children or her husband in public. Which was considered inappropriate in most cases.

After Umar's father calmed down, both his parents began looking and searching around the house to no avail ..... They also found nothing.

"What if - -". Umar's mother didn't continue the sentence but, covered her mouth to stop herself from speaking.

"I'm ready for the inevitable mama. You can say anything. I just want to know where they are so I can rest. Otherwise, I would live my life like I have done the worst of the worst if I didn't help look for her. For them "

"I understand," said his mother.

She had long known of her son's crush on Farah but didn't say anything about it to anyone. That was one of the many reasons why Umar loved her. She never just spread his secrets around to anyone. His mother always waited till he told her he was ready.

            .....................................

Meanwhile, Umar's father led the way back home Umar was thinking of all the possible scenarios. From the worst possible to the best.

What if she's dead?
What if they all are?

He shook his head trying his best to knock those thoughts off. Allah will make it all better. He is the most merciful most compassionate of all doers after all and I won't question him.

"Astaghfarullah Astaghfarullah Astaghfarullah" Umar kept doing Istighfar. Hoping Allah would forgive his sins  and
help them get to Farah and her family.

"Farah". "oh how I miss her," he thought to himself
           ......................................

When the family got home safely they all assembled in the sitting room just like the father told them to.

" Zainab" began Umar's father.
"Nam Habibi"  (yes my love) she replied.

"Do you know wain Hala?" (Do you know where Hala [Farah's mom] is?)

"La. Hawalta atasil layha lakin ma bitrud"
(No I tried calling her but, she doesn't pick up)

Umar's father, Bakri fell into deep thought.

"Baba" spoke Badriya.
"Na'am ya Badu", " yes? Badu" to which the father replied.

"Imkin ikunu fatu to Alaota or Arbagi since it's safer there"(they might have gone to Alaota or Arbagi, both safer options than staying in Khartoum)
"The worst possible scenario is that they have been caught by the soldiers"

"We won't go there," said Zainab! Umar's mother.

"listen it's very late. It's already 11. 20 pm, I suggest we all sleep for today and, discuss where to go further in the matter tomorrow", said Umar's father.

"All who didn't pray Isha, pray it now and pray to Allah to keep Farah's family safe", said Zainab.

                .............................

Umar went to his room but couldn't sleep. He kept waking up due to nightmares. He turned and tossed all night in bed and fell asleep at around 2 am.

Zainab and Bakri, Umar's parents talked about what to do the next morning till both fell asleep.

The youngest two of Umar's sisters slept soundly while Badriya wrote of plans in her diary for the next morning.