THE TALE OF SARAH

Chapter Eighteen

Sarah sat down on her new bed in the guestroom. It was now her new room. Munirah had approved for her to be taken care of to the best, but she didn't know whether Sa'ad will approve. She didn't care less though. She didn't even want any care. She even wished she could die through the pregnancy if she didn't get any care at all. She was already tired of living. Her body ached like mad. But she was sure that was going to reduce in some time now that she had started receiving medical care.

They had taken her to the hospital, where she met with the doctor, who further confirmed her pregnancy through another test. She had also been registered for antenatal care with a specialist doctor. She hated the hospital atmosphere, she hated all the processes they had to go through. All in all, she hated her life now. She didn't even know which situation was better; her present one or the one immediately after her family's death.

Every night, she would stay awake and cry in pain. How'll she sleep anyway, with all the pain and discomfort? With all the disturbing memories and images of the incident? With all the blame she'll put on herself? Life wasn't easy for her at all.

She felt degraded and worthless. How won't she feel like that when she was stripped off her dignity? She was so innocent and pure when Munirah brought her here. When she made friends with Yusra and Fa'iza. She didn't understand how it all got to this. How she got raped.

Most important of all, why she got raped.

*********

Sa'ad returned a few days later. He was exhausted from the summit, because it had lasted longer than planned. Now, as he ate his dinner with Munirah and Hamad, he didn't miss the tension and quietness hanging as the AC spread the cool air. Hamad didn't look up once and Munirah kept her face expressionless.

"Munirah is anything wrong?" He tried to start a conversation.

She faked a smile and shook her head. "No, nothing. This food is delicious." She added in an attempt to change the topic, before it started developing.

"Yes, Umm Hakeem's food is always very delicious." He brought a spoon of the macaroni to his mouth. "For the time she was gone, I felt the difference even if I wasn't always at home."

Munirah glared at him. "Sa'ad." She said warningly.

"What?!" He answered defensively.

"You're the one that prevented me from cooking since you became a minister."

"Yeah, and I did that for a reason. Don't worry my dear Munirah," he mocked, "I still love your cooking. I can still-"

Hamad quietly listened to his parent's bickering. On a normal day, he will join in a take sides, and it will make him feel refreshed. But today wasn't a normal day.

Inside him was a big turmoil. His mother had never been this ignorant of him. He was so scared to look into her eyes.

But that was just one problem.

The other one?

He had sinned.

A big one at that.

*********

Dinner was very jolly that evening evening, and it helped Munirah take her mind off Sarah for sometime.

The key word here is sometime.

After dinner, she had prayed Isha and went to check on Sarah, after making sure Sa'ad wasn't looking. Why was she hiding it though? She was going to inform him.

She sat on her side of the bed, thinking about a way to initiate the conversation. Sa'ad lay on his side of the bed, with his back to her. It was actually a funny sight, as if they had just gotten married.