awaited return

where it all started

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Chapter 1

'Mom, where is dad? When is he coming back? For how long are we going to live without him?'

I was lying on my mother's lap when I felt something wet on my forehead. Looking up onto her face I found out that she was crying. It was my first time to see her crying. The stone which was on her heart had melted. She had forced herself for so long not to cry in front of us but at that time only God knows what had happened to her. The heavy drops of tears rolled down her cheeks on to her lips. My throat went dry and didn't utter a single word for a while.

'Mom, are u alright?'

'My son, I can understand the pain of not having your father with you but.....' she stammered and couldn't explain anything at that moment.

I didn't say anything. After all I was just six and was unable to understand what was really happening. I thanked God that my two younger sisters were sleeping at the moment. Mom wiped her tears and hugged me. From that day I promised myself not to ask mom about the where about of dad and not to let my sisters know about the incident. It was already 9pm and I was still awake. The weather outside was quite foggy which made me have a feeling of staying awake the whole night. She put me into sleep and left the room.

Life was not easy as my mom had to do each and everything to fill our bellies. Dad had left and mom never gave a solid reason behind it. We were still very young and needed father's love. The reason he did that I didn't know.

In spite of being a single parent, mom never wanted us to miss the chance of attending school. Her wish was to see us getting the best quality education same as the other kids. Although she was not allowed to complete her high school studies due to the misconception that school was only for boys, she didn't want my sisters to face the same situation as she did. She believed that education was for all and one of the most important aspects of life especially to the girls.

Mom's earning was not enough for her to manage for all the basic needs we required, furthermore to pay the school fees for me and Aisha. She used to cook and sell food at a nearby private school 'Tawheed'. It was one of the best schools in Malindi city. Being just a walk able distance from our home, she decided to take us there. The surroundings of the school were the best for studies.it was a calm place with no disturbances. There was no hooting of cars and bikes as the main road was a little bit far. A long wall surrounded the compound with well-maintained trees which brought a nice breeze.

As mom couldn't afford to pay the fees for both of us, she talked to the headmaster about the matter. The headmaster, Mr. Mohamed was a kind and a very generous man. He cared most about the kids and them having education in the modern world. He gave an offer for one of us to attend the classes without any charge. That was a very big relief for mom as she only had to struggle and pay for one child.

According to the Islamic community, kids had to be taken to a religious school known as 'madrasa' to learn and get to know about God. Few buildings away from our home there was a 'madrasa' for children below ten years. For the fees sh.200 per month was a big challenge for mom to pay. She didn't know what to do about it as learning about God is very much important.

Mom was losing her weight due the responsibilities but that didn't matter to her. My sisters and I were her world and her only hope. She was a strong and courageous woman who had faith and a big hope of raising her three children all by herself knowing that one day they will make her proud. She was the mother and the father of the family. The idea of taking us to an orphanage never appeared in her mind. It was the worst thing that she would have ever done.