Rodrigo's POV
I wish I could paint all the worries I had out of my mind.
I wish they'd drowned every time I painted the sea.
I wish they could be blown away every time I painted the orange leaves of autumn.
There was a loud knock on my room door.
I turned back to my painting dipping my brush into a sunset orange paint.
The knock came again but I didn't want to unlock the door because I knew who it was.
"Rodrigo open the door!" Rafael banged on it.
"Fine, I will". I reluctantly got up from my chair and opened my door.
"That's no way to greet your cosine". He came in and sat on my bed without invite.
With the door open I could see Fernando, my nephew Rafael's son playing with his toy car.
He gave me a little wave and went on pretending that he was Fernando Alonso. Fernando looks so much like papa but is so much like his mama.
"What do you want?" I asked Rafael closing the door.
"Why would I want something?" Rafael said with a scoff.
"You always want something". I glared at him.
"Couldn't I just have come to see how Abu Ella and you were doing?" He said clearly diverting from the conversation, my glare not affecting him in the least.
"You'd know if you had gone to see her and we both know you have no intention of coming to see me unless to show me a point or to ask me for something", I said turning back to my painting.
"I have a family to look after. It's not like I have all the time in the world", he snapped.
"Family isn't an excuse you use to get off work to go and do gambling". I snapped back.
"And here I thought you'd changed. You used to be fun and you just", he pointed around my room to all my stacked up canvases.
"Rodrigo and Rafael would you two grow up and stop fighting!" Abu Elle came in and shouted at us.
"Sorry Abu Ella. Don't tell me you came all this way on the bus yourself?" I hated for her to be hopping here and there in her condition.
"I didn't come alone I brought Nuriyah with me". She said casually.
"You left Fernando alone with her?!" I exclaimed now worried.
"Would you calm down it's not like I brought a stranger in the house", she said giving me one of her disappointing looks.
Chapter 11
Nuriyah's POV
I sat next to a boy named Fernando on the couch in Clara's lounge.
Fernando had found it so easy to speak with me even though I was a complete stranger. It made wonder more about what Ameera had said about having a spirit of childe. We had exchanged both email and Facebook addresses.
"Uncle"! Fernando excitedly jumped up from where he was sitting to hug Rodrigo.
"Uncle this is Nuriyah. She's been to an Elclasico. She's watched Neymar play live. That's Awesome!" He said.
"You and stadiums what happened this time to your bombs? They didn't blow up on time?" Rodrigo covered Fernando's ears and said.
"Whatever", I rolled my eyes.
Clara came out of a room that I think is Rodrigo's studio followed by a man wearing a cool black hat.
"Come on Fernando time to go home". The man said.
"But Papa, Abu Ella said she's going to read me a story", Fernando said pleadingly.
"I can still read you short one. It won't take longer than 10 minutes. You are not too busy for that?" She suggested to Fernando's father. Fernando's father the nodded his way.
"Gracias Papa", Fernando said he then took Clara's hand and chatted along the way to presumably her bedroom.
"So you're the famous Nuriyah. It's great to finally put a face to the person has been taking such great care of our beloved Abu Ella. I'm Rafael by the way". He held out his hand for me to shake but I simply replied to what he said,
"There's no need to praise or thank me. It is a complete pleasure to spend time with her".
Rafael looked at me confused and took his hand back.
I looked down at my watch it was almost past Asar time and it was getting dark outside.
I better get going or else I'll miss the once a week diner Aslam spends with us. It also wasn't good to be outside mahgrib time.
"Are you in a rush to bomb another place"? Rodrigo said something idiotic again.
"Unlike you I have a social life", I said getting up and picking my camera job.
"At least I have a job". He snapped.
"Why don't you crawl into whatever dark hole you from?" Rafael said surprisingly coming to my defence.
"You are one to talk gambling away your son's school fees", Rodrigo looked like he was about to strangle Rafael.
Wow, have I just stepped on set of a Telenovela?
Rodrigo turned his attention back to me and said, "You question why I pretend God's not there. It's because he put people like Rafael and my. ..in my life."
He then stormed off into his studio slamming the door behind him.
"I'm sorry you met Rodrigo". Rafael shook his head and said. "I'm more sorry you're related to him". I reply.
Fernando came back into the lounge looking rather confused.
"Did Abu Ella tell you the story about Hercules again?" Rafael asked his son.
"She was reading to me the story, but then she just fell asleep in the middle. She didn't even wake up and finish the story".
I knew then what he could be meaning but I had to make sure 1st.
I put my bag back down walked over to where Fernando was standing.
And took his hand and asked, "Can you show me where Abu Ella is?"
And he did.
She was sitting in her chair with her reading glasses on.
Pulse still as still can be.
My heart dropped in my chest.
A tear rolled down my cheek as I read, "Ina lil la hi wa in na il lay he raje oon".
To Allah do we belong and to him do we return.
