Malika Bashir had a darkened view of the world. Ibrahim Ahmad refused to see anything but the light.
Soon, a friend from the past appears at Ibrahim's doorstep and a mysterious set of letters are left in his bedroom. Old conflicts are raised and ne...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
... People say Allah forgives all. At times, I can't believe it. There are days when I can't forgive myself.
But then again, He is not like us. He is All-Forgiving; and there are days this is the only thing that keeps me going.
...
Malika didn't utter a single word on the journey back home.
The Ahmad siblings were casting her concerned looks. It started raining. Dahlia invited her to spend the night at the Ahmad household if she wished.
Malika eventually ended up returning home. The apartment was as empty as she had left it. She retreated to her room and forced herself to sleep early – desperately needing a break from the miserable thoughts in her head.
The silence she went to sleep to left no trace when she opened her eyes the next morning.
Neela Bashir had woken up and seen her eldest child sitting around their kitchen stool, leisurely sipping on his morning tea. The woman nearly had a heart attack at the sight.
It took her a moment to compose her thoughts.
Then she started shouting.
"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW WORRIED I HAVE BEEN?"
Salman chuckled nervously. "Hi, I missed you too."
"Don't you dare!" she warned in the same piercing pitch. "I haven't been able to eat or sleep since Kaveh called me two days ago to tell me you have disappeared without a warning. Your phone was unreachable, your passport and ID were missing, so was the cash he had stashed away for the both of you in case of an emergency!"
"There is a really funny story here-"
"Who just leaves the country without informing anyone where they're going? I thought you were dead. Dead! Kaveh is worried sick too. You could have left a note! A simple note! Would that have been so hard?" her voice trembled momentarily.
"The decision was made on a whim-"
"You could have been kidnapped! Or hurt! Or worse!"
"Mom, seriously." He rolled his eyes. "Who would kidnap me? I know I'm good looking but I can be a handful-"
"You know what, I'm actually glad you're alive!" Neela interrupted once more, voice rising again. "Because now I get to kill you with my own two hands!"
"You're too pretty for jail, Mom. I don't think you would survive."
