"Come over here, darling," the young looking old woman, said, patting the seat next to her. Ruqaiyah went to Juwayriyya and sat in the that she patted.
"What is it, Grandma? Is there something wrong?" Juwayriyya shook her head, negatively. "I just wanted to talk to you about something that Adeel would've loved conversing it with you since he knew about it more than I do, but unfortunately, I have to the honours. It's about the serious departure," her warm, velvety voice became stern and serious.
"Huh?" Juwayriyya chuckled at Ruqaiyah's blunt response. "The serious departure is apart of Uthman's past, what caused him to be like that is . . . Heartbreaking, if I say so myself.
"When Wageeha married Zakaria, together, they had three children; Fatima, Uthman and Na'ila. The age difference between each one of them were four years, meaning that she's two years younger than you. Twelve years ago, an incident happened that led Uthman where he were, before you met.
"They were in the park. Fatima, twelve; Uthman, eight; and Na'ila, four. Out of the three, Uthman and Na'ila were the closest. Almost, they did everything, together. They were inseparable from the very start.
"Uthman wanted to play, but Na'ila wanted ice-cream. Grudgingly, Uthman agreed. And so, they went. On their way, a toy store stole his interest that caused him to stop, but Na'ila, mistakenly, completed the path to the ice-cream store.
"He was so mesmerised that he forgot to why he was there in the first place. That's when he remembered and went, running to the ice-cream store that resulted Na'ila gone. Uthman searched for her before he acted as supposed; he called his parents on the employee's mobile.
"The search went on four more years. Fatima, sixteen; Uthman, twelve; and Na'ila, eight, they found her dead body scattered across the lower, poorer areas where danger and illicit is zoetic.
"Uthman started to have anxiety, getting emotionally and mentally exhausted, blaming himself. The only person who understood him was Adeel. He helped Uthman cope with what he was going through, but unfortunately, Adeel's death increased everything.
"That's why, you may have realised that Uthman's clingy, always afraid of letting go of the person he's emotionally attached to."
Ruqaiyah was silent throughout the whole revelation. It was hard to comprehend. It stung. Tears pricked her eyes, causing warm, unnoticed drops to roll down her cheeks. She looked down, her breath hitching as she hiccups.
This revelation caused her love for him to increase.
YOU ARE READING
As One - From The As Series
Spiritual~Ongoing~ Four Families. Two hearts. One Soul. He was a shadow of darkness. He was a puzzle. Always had a frown upon his face. His heart would never mend. She was a ray of sunshine. She was easy to understand. Always had a smile upon her face. Mendi...
