A walk on thorns

Chapter 36| Fire Cracker

Flashback
Anisha's POV

“Anisha, what’s wrong with these? I even picked out the ones that are hardest to mess up. You need to relax and focus,” Jalila said, exasperation evident in her tone.

“You wouldn’t understand, Jalila. This feeling of uncertainty, it’s overwhelming.” It was the morning after that disastrous anniversary celebration. Jalila had shown up just after Mukhtar left for work, sorting through the products Mama had sent alongside the ones she brought herself.

“Anisha, the last person in this world who would ever harm you is your mother. She’s doing for you what she did for me and what I’m still doing now. Everyone around you is trying to help, but you’re so good at being ungrateful. Fine, if you don’t want this, we can wait until you’ve had enough beatings and humiliation to make it clear.” She rolled her eyes, letting out a sharp sigh.

“No, Jalila. That’s not what I mean. It’s just... this is my first time trying something like this.” My voice softened, trying to deflect her irritation.

“Then relax, Anisha. Nothing bad will happen. Only goodness and more,” she said firmly, pouring a thick liquid into a measuring cup and handing it to me. “Drink this while I finish mixing the perfume.”

My hands trembled as I took the cup. The syrup wasn’t as bad as I expected, though the taste was unusual. Afterward, Jalila handed me a bottle of water containing bits of leaves and other unidentifiable ingredients and instructed me to bathe with it. Once I was done, she tied my hair into a tight ponytail and burry a traditional charm knot, rubbed the perfume over me, and steamed my body with herbs.

“If we do this for five days, we’ll pull him out of that toxic mindset. But don’t remove the knot, Anisha. If you do, all our efforts will be wasted,” she warned me as I escorted her to the parking lot.

“I hope so, Jalila. I just want him to stop, if not to be friendly, then at least to stop abusing me, especially in front of my daughter,” I said softly as her driver opened the car door.

“It’s still your choice to endure this suffering, Anisha. But wait and see what you’ve been missing all this time.” She stepped into the car. “I’m picking Amna from school, so I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“As you always say,” I replied, rolling my eyes as I tapped the car door playfully. We exchanged goodbyes, and she left.

When I entered the house, I was startled to find Sabrina sitting in the mini-parlor near the foyer. If she’d overheard Jalila, she wasn’t the type to hide it and Jalila’s voice wasn’t exactly soft-spoken. Sabrina was focused on her computer, typing intently, but guilt pushed me toward her. I needed to know if she’d heard anything.

She’d been cold and distant with me lately, often responding with just a yes or no, but I decided to try anyway.

“Sabrina, what are you working on? Are you aiming to be a writer?” I asked, tapping her shoulder as I passed to sit across from her. To my surprise, she looked up and smiled.

“No, it’s just an assignment,” she replied politely. Relief washed over me.

“Ugh, part-one assignments are the worst. Hell, the whole level is draining, so many materials, no proper guidance, and endless assignments that never get marked. It’s brutal,” I said, recalling my own struggles.

“You’re absolutely right,” she said with surprising ease. “Just yesterday, I was telling Abdul Majeed that university is out to ruin me. It’s anything but funny.”