My Lifeline

epilogue

"Khaleel!..... Khaleel where are you?"

"Mummy he's not in grandma's room either"

"This boy" Noor hissed as she swung the door to Kaleem's painting room opened. KHALEEL a 2 years old, soft looking boy, with a touch of curly black hair dangling above his temples close to his thick eyebrows that proves the existence of his long lashes flapping everytime he blink his oily eyes. That long and pointy nose he inherited from his late uncle and his flat lips gave away how deep the kid resemble the late Khaleel. If not we all believed that no soul could ever reincarnate, they would have said medium brother did. Because his nephew junior Khaleel look just like him. He sat there playing with paint, and he smeared a considerable amount on his face and hair.

"Jaya!" His face lit up as he saw Hidaya, clapping his hand in excitement with a bright grin showing his 8 teeth.

"Jaya am! (Hidaya come)" he gestured with his hand for her to come.

She sighed and rolled her eyes before walking past Noor who froze there watching the mess junior Khaleel created.
He stood up and ran to her as she approached him, trying to put the paint in his hand on her clothes. She quickly nudge his head with her finger, resulting in loosing his balance, Noor panicked, she shifted fast to save her son from falling down but it's too late,as he swayed back and almost hit the ground.

"Gotcha" hidaya caught him breathing heavily. "You're so weak JK(junior Khaleel), just one touch and you're down" she glared at him making him beam and hug her, successfully getting paint all over her.

"Come here junior" Noor tried to hold him but he refused clenching onto Hidaya.

"Jaya ah wee-wee" he scrunch his nose.

"You want to pee?"

He nods "uhm"

"Ok, let's take your weewee to the toilet." she adjust him on her and make way out of the room carrying him, with Noor's gaze escorting them seeing how Khaleel is continuously putting paint on Hidaya's face but she doesn't mind at all.

She sometimes wonder about the strong bond that Khaleel and Hidaya shared which is absent between them even though she's Khaleel's biological mother, whom carry him in her womb for nine months and gave birth to him in the most painful way possible. But still, he prefers Hidaya. He became like a leech always sticking onto her. He won't mind spending the day without seeing her or Kaleem but will throw tantrums and weeps hard everyday when Hidaya is going to school.

The only one he allows to bath him is Hidaya, she feeds him, dress him, take him to poo-poo or wee-wee, and put him to sleep, even though she's just 7 yet she miraculously manage to take care of JK the way his own mother would.

..........

"1...2.. 3. Aaand....Go!" Habeeb got up in the speed of lightening and grab the last piece of chocolate left in the box as Lailah also reach for each. She watched in horror as he quickly throw it in his mouth.

"Habeeb Pleaseee!" Lailah screamed and climb onto him trying to get back the chocolate in his mouth, while Habeeb chuckled at her frustration tightening his lips in a straight line so she can't get to take it.

"Please don't chew it, let's share it in half okay?" She pleaded.

He looked down at how she's sitting over his torso her chest pressed against his, then look up at her pleading eyes again. And move his lips slowly.

"It's like you're ordering me" he says in a weak voice.

"No babe please!"

"Again?"