FARMAN

The broken mask

Maryam: Where are you going you just came back from the office

She asked when she saw him putting on his shirt as she came in.

Junaid: Umm, I've been trying to call fa-had but he's not picking my calls and it's very important so I have to go see him.

He said not really wanting to tell her he's going to see Farouk.

Maryam: It's quite late why don't you leave it till tomorrow, hmm?

She said placing her hand seductively on his chest.

*****

He woke up to find himself in a strange room, trying to remember how he got there but all in vain, he stood up and made his way towards the door at the far end, his moves almost robotic the cold of the tiles new against his feet. He found the bathroom instead, so he just performed ablution and then he decided to pray seeing the time on the clock in the room somehow he knew what time to pray and how to or rather his body just moved without his concern.

After he was done praying, he met an older lady seated in the lounge area.

'You're awake' she said with a warm smile on her face.

He nodded in reply confusion etched on his face trying to find the familiarity but there was none.

'Come out for dinner if you're done okay?' She said getting up 'you'll find us by the left if you exit the room'

Again he just nodded and instead he just followed her, she had the warmth of trust emitting from her which made him trust her almost immediately.

Entering the dining room his eyes immediately fell on a petite young figure she looked 17 or so beside her a 10 year old and then at the head table was their father who looked in his early 50s or maybe late 40s.

He greeted the man which rolled off his tongue almost as if he had done it multiple times. They tried to engage him in different talks but all he did was nod and hum in reply.

They asked him different questions and all he could remember was his name that was it everything came almost robotic as if it was imprinted in his memory.

That is how life kept going and going joining his new family's business. Abbah who took him in apparently is a scholar so he realized what was wrong and gave him different medicines which started showing effect after 7 months.
Everything slowly coming back the first thing he remembered was Maryam and that was it he couldn't remember her surname or anything but after two years he finally moved out of the house and moved into his house which was just a walking distance from Abbah's place.
And after almost about a year everything came back and he remembered everything, he tried all he could to look for Maryam but he couldn't find her, his parents haven passed away so he couldn't go to any relatives home. He found out she had left for London so he intended on going there but Abbah stopped him.

END OF FLASH BACK

Junaid: Abbah said they just found me unconscious by the door so i decided to ask around and the people said i have been walking around for a while... for a day (he paused taking a breath) Abbah became like a father to me and knowing what she had caused to my health he refused to allow me to go look for her.

He said looking directly at her meeting her gaze.

Maama was just mutturing 'Innalillahi wa inna ilaihi raji'un' repeatedly.

We all knew she was evil but didn't know it had reached that extent that she would try to kill someone and just because she wanted my husband that broke my heart into tiny little pieces.