Scarred For Life

Chapter 32

*

"Sit," Yusuf said forcibly, gesturing to the seat beside him. Adnan remained standing, his feet in a small puddle which remained as an aftermath from the rain. Yusuf was staring at the swimming pool, even though it was covered and empty. Beside him was a bottle of coke with two glasses filled with ice cubes. Adnan was thankful it wasn't something else.

"Do you have any idea what you have done?" His voice was arctic, colder than it had ever been. "Do you have any idea how foolishly you acted?"

"I did what I felt was right."

"You made the girl cry," he said. "She came out crying, Adnan. What do you expect us to believe happened in there?"

"It's your fault for refusing to listen to me."

"That girl was the key to your future; to our future. Do you know how long I have been meticulously planning that future for?"

"I think I have a right to plan my own future the way I want to," Adnan said, tapping his feet impatiently.

Yusuf poured himself a glass, then downed its contents quickly before refilling it.

"Hopefully, the damage is not too deep," he said. "I will speak with her father, and see if the situation cannot be salvaged. Should anyone ask, you will tell them that you were suffering from a recently broken heart or whatever the hell you want to say. A recently destroyed relationship should serve as a decent excuse. You will call her and apologize to her for what you did."

"I don't think I will be doing that," Adnan replied defiantly. Yusuf turned to looked at him, disdain in his eyes.

"I don't care what you think, Adnan," he said. "You will do as I command, and you will apologize to Maryam. And when the time is right, you will marry her. You will wed her, bed her and put a baby in her as soon as possible. That child will be the future of our family. I will not have my name dragged to the gutters like nothing more than a filthy peasant."

Yusuf's pleniloquence was beginning to bore him. Adnan gritted his teeth, staring at the wall.

"We can do this all day," he said. "It still won't change the fact that I refuse to do what you say. It's my future, and I shall do with it as I please."

Yusuf stood up slowly, his ancient bones creaking after being motionless for so long. He stared directly at Adnan, shook his head, then downed the contents of his glass completely.

"Do you think I raised you so you could one day defy me?" he asked.

"You didn't raise me at all, Abba," he replied. "Maryam is not the one for me. And you can continue to insist, but I will never marry her. Not for you, or for any future you have imagined. You can go ahead and marry her if you really want to."

The slap echoed across the courtyard. Yusuf's hand stung from the contact, but he shook it off as he reached for the bottle once again.

"You will mind your tongue when you speak to me, Adnan," he said. "Were you not my own son, I would have thrown you out into the streets a long time ago. Nevertheless, things will go according to plan whether you like it or not."

Adnan continued to hold his cheek long after Yusuf returned into the house. The slap didn't hurt; not in the least. The only thing that stung him was the fact that he couldn't do anything about it. To raise his hand at his father would be a sacrilege. The man was his father after all, and he would have to respect him regardless of how low he sunk, or how misinformed his judgements were.

"I wouldn't have stood for that if I were you," Zainab suddenly said behind him. Adnan refused to turn around, not wanting to look at her face. He could hear the mocking laughter in her voice, and the sound made his blood boil.