Love's Slave (manxman)

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

(Left: Beto Malfacini as Farooq and on the right: Reuben Cortada as Hamid)

Kamal...

"Ugh...For fuck's sake!" I groaned and curled into myself as pain shot through my abused abdomen and my eyes popped open to see a grinning Farooq sitting on the side of my bed grinning like a fool. It's only been a little over 24 hours since I set foot back into my family's home, smothered by my mother, badgered to death by my youngest sister, and then finally allowed to go to sleep. "You are almost 30 years old, doesn't jumping in my gut first thing in the morning get tired?" I blurted out as I rubbed the ridges of my traumatized abdomen.

"Nope, it never gets old, ''Akhi al-sagheer''(my little brother). So how's it hanging?" He asked as he made himself comfortable by forcefully shoving me over to the middle of the bed. Then he unceremoniously stretched out his long muscular frame on my bed and reclined himself on my newly vacated pillows.

I just shook my head and shifted around until I was once again comfortable. If tradition followed its pattern, Hamid was going to be joining us any minute now. At least I was already awake and I was ready to block his attempts of giving me a wet willy. "Nothing is hanging, and the longer I have to stay here, I am sure nothing will be hanging anytime soon." I griped and a burst of laughter from my bedroom doorway announced Hamid's arrival to our long-established early morning get together. We have been meeting together like this early in the morning before the rest of the household was awake since we were kids. It felt kind of nice doing it again even if the two idiots still acted like children.

A smile curved my lips as my brother stepped into the room and shut the bedroom door. He turned to face us with his usual mischievous gleam in his eyes. I anticipated his purpose a second before he ran across the plush carpeting and launched himself into the air. His intention of dive bombing us was clear as day in his goofy expression. I quickly pushed Farooq over and out of my way. He fell off the side of the bed onto the floor with a loud thud and a surprised grunt. I rolled over into his spot just as Hamid's solid weight landed in the very spot I just vacated.

"Ya'll are assholes, you know that." I complained as I rolled back over, it was more like I was pushed back over into the middle of the rumpled bed. Farooq once again settled his large body back on my pillows and made himself comfortable.

"Yeah, but you love us anyway. By the way, to comment on your earlier statement. You will be fine. You know that old man kept meticulous records of everything. It's just going to be a matter of sorting them out and handing it over to the lawyer's so that El-Sayed Enterprises can legally absorb Shariff & Company Ltd." Hamid cajoled and I couldn't help but to feel annoyed with my brother and his nonchalant attitude towards my current predicament.

"If you feel it's going to be so fucking simple to be back here for however long in the foreseeable future where I can be hanged if I dared to look at another man for too long or with any type of interest. Then why don't you stay here and handle the old bigot's fucking affairs so I can go the Hell back New York where I was fucking happy." I snapped in my brother's shocked face a second before our heads snapped towards my bedroom door when we heard an audible gasp.

"I was just coming to tell you boys to clean up for breakfast, your father arrived last night and he will be in attendance." Our mother quietly informed us and I felt the shame of her witnessing my words wash over me.

I quickly pushed myself to the end of the bed and called out, "Mama...I didn't..."

My mother just held up her dainty little hand and my words of apology came to a complete stop on my tongue and she responded, "ibni, (my son)...It's alright, I know having to deal with your grandfathers affairs is going to be difficult for you, but please remember that he was my father."