TREASURES AND THORNS

Chapter 72

                       <BROKEN >

OMNISCIENT

UNEDITED

Rukkayya’s fingers trembles as she swiped the screen . “Hello, Mammy.”

“Yes dear, I was hoping we’d have launch together but I was told you stepped out.”

For a moment, her voice failed her. Clearing her throat, she answers.

“Umm—I went out for a quick errand, I’ll be back immediately.”

“Oh Okay, in that case I’ll be waiting.”
The line went dead.

The woman didn’t ask what her errand was about else she would be doomed.

“You’re leaving,” Ahmad states.

“I have to go,” Rukkayya says in a panicked voice. She was already on her feet.

“I don’t even know where I’m going to tell her I went,” She mumbles more to herself.

“She’s after my life.”

Rukkayya stopped buckling her shoe on. “Give it sometime, I’m sure it’ll blow over.”

She closed her eyes seconds longer than necessary dreading what was to come. Saying goodbye to him was proving to be harder than not seeing him at all. She squats before him gently taking his hand in hers. “Take care of yourself, Albi I know thw house feels empty still I want you to eat your meals on time. Most importantly I want you to be prayerful, more prayerful than I know you to be.”

Albi

That sang in his ears longer than every other thing that she had said.

Ahmad slowly nods. The warmth slipping out of his fingers as she withdrew her grasp on him. She had started to walk away when he impulsively got up.

“Wait!”

She stopped mid pace wondering what the issue was. He briskly walks up to her, standing in front of her. He sys nothing simply stares intently at her. She was barely able to breath under his scrutiny.

“What is__?

“I’m in love with you, Rukkayya Nasir.”

The words from her uncompleted sentence filled her throat. She stares wide eyed, mouth agape, Unsure of what to do or say, she was simply hypnotized by his confession. It came as a surprise but she could hardly claim it was all a surprise. They had grown closer over the months, so much had happened between them yet hearing those words froze her.

“Go," he breathes. The two letter word was harder to utter than his blurted confession. It had to take him losing her to realize how much she meant to him. In her absence, he saw clearly the spaces she filled. The pores her dimples had kept full, alive and awake.

As she walked to the car he felt like a living ghost, at the mercy of his mind which happened to do a good job of tormenting him. It wasn’t just saying goodbye to his wife that broke him, he was pained by how upset his parents were with him. It had been four days and all his attempts at making peace were unsuccessful. God forbid either of them passed away in the state of being cross with him.

How much longer could he last?

****

She located the house with little difficulty. There was nothing different about the small house. The rusted zinc door that was the entrance stood in the middle of a worn out fence. The exterior of the house looked much smaller than the garage in her parents residence. She had almost knocked on the zinc then thought better of it. She pushed it backwards instead, It yielded with little resistance.