TEACHER TEACHER! [re-uploaded due technical issues with first upload]

Chapter 31- Relations

WARNING:
EMOTIONAL CONTENT
Includes mentions of illness, young carers and emotional distress.

At the Syed's, Zee was praying in her room. She had just finished reading Asr namaz. Still sitting on the floor, she raised her hands to her face, to read a dua—a prayer where Muslims can ask God for something. 

"O Allah, please send my blessings to the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and to all of the other prophets, as well as their companions and loved ones. O Allah, thank you for looking out for my mum and dad. Please improve their health. They are in a lot of pain and I don't know how to help them. Please keep Nazrat safe, and... please make Irene's dad better. I know she's been struggling lately, so please make things easier for her."

She gently brushed her hands over her face, smiling softly to herself. Sometimes she rushed reading namaz because she forgot to read it earlier, but when she allowed herself to take as much time as she needed to read, she always felt a sense of peace wash over her. Her parents were still ill, her older sister was still away from home, and she still had to deal with school stress, but praying reminded her that she was not going through it all alone. 

"Zalim! It's the door. I think your friend is here!", called out her dad. 

Zalim quickly folded up her prayer mat and put it away. She took off her prayer clothes, revealing a black turtleneck jumper and olive green jeans underneath. She put her prayer clothes and headscarf back in her wardrobe. She quickly hurried down the stairs, having already told 0her parents that she wanted to be the one to open the door. 

She put the key in the keyhole, before freezing. An unusual amount of nerves ran through her body. This was the first time she had ever invited someone over to her house, including her best friend Aurelia. After taking a deep breath, she unlocked the door and opened it. 

"Hi!", smiled Irene. 

She had a lilac knitted jumper on, with black stripes across it. Her hair was parted down the middle, both sides in French braids. She had black leggings and boots on. Despite her excited greeting, the way she fiddled with her sleeves showed she was nervous too. 

"Hey. Come on in."

Irene entered the house and looked around, making sure not to stare for too long as she didn't want Zee to think she was judging her. Near the front door, there were some beads hung up on one of the walls. One was a mustard yellow, one was dark brown, one was orange and the other was bright blue. The dark brown beads looked glossy and perfectly round. The blue beads were also round, but some were more oval in shape than the others. 

"They're called tasbeeh", said Zee. "They're basically special prayer beads. When we do something called dhikr, which is where we repeat phrases to remember God, we use them to keep count of how many we say."

Irene nodded. "They're beautiful."

Irene followed Zee into the living room, where she saw who she assumed were Zee's parents. Zee's mother had a baby blue salwar kameez on, and her hair was styled into a low bun. Her father had a crisp white shirt on, with dark blue trousers. Her father was sitting on the sofa, and her mother was in the adjoining kitchen, stirring a pot of delicious smelling food. 

"Mum! I told you to leave that", said Zee, rushing over to her mother and taking the wooden spoon out of her hands. 

"I can handle stirring a pot, Zalim", she replied. 

Her mother turned around, a warm smile appearing on her face when she saw Irene. She walked closer, resting against one of the tables. Irene was a little surprised. Zee's parents didn't look like they were struggling, not like her own dad was. She wasn't judging them at all though. She knew what it was like to hide what you're going through.