The monster didn't go away that day, not that I had expected it to.
Mother said it'll last for almost a week if not more.
The monster would mark its arrival every morning with the throbbing cramps in my abdomen, sometimes numbing my legs in the process. I noticed that at times, it would travel up my spine and forcefully invade my brain, my private thoughts. It would gather all my emotions, all my thoughts from the vault and shake them in their chamber, displacing them. My mood frequently changed and I would have the urge to hit every passerby with a brick (not that I didn't have that urge before). I suppose it had something to do with the nightmares also. In addition to sleepless nights the nightmares would leave me sweating, panting and reminiscing the time when we were back at home, when we had private bathrooms we could attend.
Mother had ordered me to remain in the premise of the tent while she attended to her friends in the morning. On most days I was lucky to have the tent all to myself which meant I could do whatever I wanted without having to worry about raising suspicion regarding my cycle. However; even when I'd have the tent all to myself, I couldn't help but feel suffocated with the fabric of the tent.
Fortunately after Fajr prayer, I had the tent all to myself. Father left to meet his friends at the Hujra while my brothers dragged themselves to the learning center. Changing into clean clothes, I wrapped myself in my mother's over-sized shawl like a cocoon and peeped outside the tent to make sure no one was around. Sparing myself one glance in the mirror I quickly stepped outside the tent and zipped it shut. Sure, mother had asked me not to leave the tent but I couldn't suffocate myself to death any longer. Besides, they say that once children hit puberty they become rebellious. Let's just say leaving the tent without permission shall be my first act of rebellion.
The weather seemed to be surprisingly cold that day even though I had a thick shawl wrapped around me. Black clouds hid the sun from everyone's view while thunder threatened the coming of heavy rainfall. Quickening my pace, I hopped down the pathway occasionally slowing down to avoid mobs of children pouring out of the tents. Unaware of the frost outside, the children came out barefoot with light clothing covering their bodies and eventually most of them ended up with runny noses. Unlike the past few days today I was in a good mood; perhaps because I finally got to see the herbalist after such a long while.
"Babo, are you awake yet?" I whispered as I peeked inside her tent. The herbalist sat in a corner on her worn out mattress, fully immersed in knitting. Clearing my throat I spoke a little louder this time, "Asalamualaikum!"
"Omo! Shireena WalaikumAsalam! How have you been doing sweetheart, it's been ages since I've seen you!" The herbalist finally responded, pushing aside the trays piled with dried herbs to make space for me.
"Ah don't exaggerate babo! I haven't talked to you in a few days and you miss me already? You're really clingy you know?" The herbalist giggled as she patted me on my head with her delicate fingers.
"Ya Shireena! You're the only person that bothers to talk to me. How can I not be clingy to my only friend huh?" The herbalist returned back to knitting while a slight smile danced on her face. I've always wondered how the herbalist would've looked like back in her days of youth. Despite her age, somehow she always managed to look radiant and graceful. Her straight posture and her long, thick hair braided into intricate designs made you look old in comparison to her. Most grandmothers her age have a sour personality however, she sees the bright side in every situation. For instance my mother's mother has no other chore than to criticize my uncles' wives. If my uncles arrive home late, if their wives fail to put delicious meals on the table or if they break a single piece of crockery; my grandmother gets as angry as a landlord who hasn't been paid in months. The sun could be shining and the world could be at peace yet still my grandmother would have a frown on her face. As for the grandmother on my father's side, we haven't had the chance to meet her yet. Since childhood mother had strictly forbidden us from asking questions or discussing about her since father didn't like hearing about her. However, I assume her personality must be similar to my grandmother.
A shiver travelled up my spine as a cold breeze flew through the opening of the tent. Besides me the herbalist also spread her shawl over her legs to keep herself warm. "Babo, if you don't mind me asking, do you not have any blankets at hand? Also, didn't you collect your supplies for the month from the office? I'm sure they give away mattresses if you ask for one."
Shifting uneasily on her spot she said, "Ah, you must be really cold! I apologize, it's just that I've tucked away my blankets and kept them in the suitcase." She pointed at the cases piled behind her, "As for the mattress, it's in perfect condition! Now that the mice are gone I have patched the holes and it looks good as new!"
"You really didn't get your supplies for this month did you?" I sighed as I received no response from her. Unfolding my legs I placed the trays aside and made my way towards the suitcases in an attempt to find a blanket.
"Ya you!" She said as she faked a laugh, "I'm getting old you know. It's tiring to walk all the way to the office to get a few supplies that I could probably survive without. Also the blankets are in the yellow suitcase." She said pointing at a suitcase that looked more brown than yellow.
"You know," I managed to speak while pulling the blankets from a tower of suitcases, "You aren't old really, if anything you've just gotten lazy. At this age you should be taking good care of yourself even if it tires you. You should be wearing warm clothes and cover yourself in as many blankets as you possibly can. Eating healthy food is important too alright? When was the last time you ate meat? I'm pretty sure you're still eating bland rice and lentils from the last two weeks. Besides, how will you tend to other people's health if you're not healthy yourself?"
"You're not in a position to worry about me because you're not doing any better either. Girls your age are healthy and skinny while you've got fat on every inch of your body. You don't go to the learning center nor do you bathe very often." Lifting my arm out of instinct, I smelled my armpit and immediately scrunched my nose in response. Well, she's right about something.
"It's good that I am chubby babo! If anything it keeps me warm during the winter and scares the boys enough so they don't annoy me. As for the smell I'm sorry, I'll make sure to scrub myself the instant I get back home"
Chuckling, we managed to curl up in the blanket and retain some heat by clinging on to each other. "Never mind about what I just said now. I like you much better healthy rather than starved up."
"You're the first one to say that. But I think I like myself better healthy as well." I said biting the inner corners of my mouth to keep me from smiling like a fool.
"Ya by the way Shireena, could you accompany me to get the supplies some day?"
"Of course, babo."
***
Hello everyone! I wasn't sure if I wanted to upload this chapter to be honest. Since it's been so long I'm not as confident with my writing haha. However, I enjoyed writing about Shireena after so long. How have you all been doing in the meanwhile? Oh also, I figured I'd add an audio link to make reading interesting for some of you. Usually when I write, I listen to either the piano or the cello; I find the sounds calming somehow. Therefore, the link is of the instrumental that I listened to while composing this chapter. I know, the instrumental is somewhat sad sounding however it fits the vibe of this chapter. Anyway, I hope you have a wonderful day and I hope to see you again!
