Endurance

CHAPTER SIX

The figure dressed in a beautiful shade of olive green simple Caftan dress gently set a foot on the ground, turning slightly to face Khaled with a charming smile gracing her face. Layla stood behind the curtains, dumbfounded, yet she couldn't take her eyes off them. She said something that made him laugh as he handed her a paper bag, his hand lingering on hers a while. She took it before sashaying away from him in the direction of the entrance. He shook his head smiling, then got back in the car to park it in the driveway.

Layla quickly trampled down the stairs to the main living room. Her mind still unable to comprehend what she just saw, making something in her scream that she made sure she wasn't just being delusional.

Zahra?!..... and Khaled?

There was an unmistakable glow on her face when she stepped in. The color she wore blended with her fair skin tone perfectly, the dress sash that was tied around her waist gave a slight impression of her curves, and the veil was loosely wrapped atop her head. If anybody could pull off such a very simple look so elegantly, then it'd be Zahra. The sparkle in her eyes was what Layla could only describe as pure joy, before it faltered when she saw her standing at the bottom of the stairs.

"Uhm... hey sis!. She slightly stuttered then cleared her throat. "You're back ".

"It's 7:36 already. And I got back before Maghrib". She replied casually, her eyes flickering briefly to her phone. Zahra nodded and slowly moved to her direction, trying to walk by her.

"Where have you been by the way?". Layla called out, a confused look marring her face as Zahra took two steps up the stairs.

"Uh..nowhere, I just needed to get some stuff. Our convocation is around the corner, so..." She vaguely explained and turned.

"Oh". Layla remarked.

"And lest I forget, Abbu will be home soon. In a week or two ". She shared the news.

Her curiosity went down the drain as she felt a chill ran down her spine. Having to digest such news was the one thing she didn't expect on that same day, and she could already discern the familiar feeling of apprehension upon meeting with her father after months building itself around. Whirling around, her cousin was already on the last few steps to her room. At that moment, everything around her stood still as she stood there, processing Zahra's words.

Cold fingers hesitantly tapped her arm that rested on the railing of the stairs. She turned around and saw Mariam standing there, whom quickly retreated her hand, a concerned look on her face. She seemed to have recovered considerably from the cold she had been battling with a few days before, but she still looked weak. Layla took a fortifying breath and spoke, knowing very well she didn't have any energy for it.

"Yes, what is it?". She asked. Mariam smiled slightly, bringing out her pencil and paper.

"I don't have time for this". Layla muttered and walked up the stairs. Mariam heard the way she shut the door to her bedroom and knew she came at the wrong time. She sighed, wondering what could distress Layla to this extent, and silently hoping that she wouldn't go through it for long. She went to the Madam's bedroom to announce that the dinner she instructed her to supervise was through, before coming back down to await further instructions.

Zahra strolled into the kitchen as Mariam was clearing it and took two mugs out from the shelf with saucers. The girl tried to be unbothered by the woman's presence by focusing on her work, so she wouldn't have to worry too much about how intimidated she was by her. Zahra brewed some coffee and turned on the jug separately to boil water, then stood leaning on the counter waiting for it to heat up. The seconds ticked longer than usual for Mariam and the stain she was scrubbing off from the cooker seemed to suddenly prove difficult. It took a lot of courage out of her to turn around, meaning to soak the dust cloth a little more when the unfortunate event unfolded.