Mirrors

Chapter Three

Amrah...

Everything in Little Home changed after a vehicle came and took Maama away, no one told us where she was taken. We were all devastated and broken, it affected me the most because of our closeness. Saliha did all she could to make me smile, to make me optimistic about Maama's condition, assuring me that she would come back to us, but I could not get used to her absence. Nor forget her feeble hands when she held mine just before she left. I felt she was saying goodbye and I would never get to see her again.

I fell back to my routine two weeks after her painful departure from Little Home and while working in the kitchen with some of the Maids I tried my best to get some information about her from them.

"See this girl, You don't knead the dough for bread that way, what are you thinking of?" The cook laughed snatching the bowl of flour from my hands.

I gathered my thoughts at the sound of her voice and quickly opened my mouth to apologise but she stopped me with a smile.

"I know how you feel, we all feel like that too" She smiled.

Saliha who was in the middle of slicing some onions also looked at me with a warm smile and we all quietly continued our work. We were so busy making the dough when another Maid came and asked us all to go to the hall, an important announcement was to be made.

I did not like the jitters I was getting. I felt like the announcement had to do with Maama. I wished and prayed inwardly, hoping Maama was okay. When we walked inside the hall, there were so many new faces and they did not look like they liked us. I pushed a chair to get to the front row and it made a screeching sound. A woman with a burly structure glared at me, I did not like her.

Maama always said that first impression mattered a lot in life. Our first impression of the woman was horrible. She spoke like a wicked step mother, not like the type in Cinderella stories, but even worst. And she brought with her a news that shattered all of my hopes and dreams, because I never imagined achieving my goals without Maama. But the woman told us that Maama was no more and she had rightfully inherited the orphanage and everything in it. I could not control my emotions. I felt like I was falling into a dark and ugly abyss. I wanted fresh air, I wanted a place to let everything out. So I stood up and began walking out of the hall.

"Amrah" Saliha held my hand, trying to stop me from walking out.

The new woman, our new Maama as she had called herself was already walking towards me.

"Sali...breath" I tried telling Saliha but all of my words were cut up in my throat.

Saliha understood what I was going through and she knew I would feel the blow of Maama's demise the most, so she let go of my hands. I hurriedly started walking to the door, before the woman could reach me. I was almost outside when she yanked me back into the hall.

"What gives you the right to walk out on me young girl?"

"Please..." I tried to speak, but the abyss I was falling into enveloped me and the last thing I saw was her fierce eyes.

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It was raining when I woke up. Most of the girls were asleep, but Saliha was right beside me. I did not want to talk, so I moved my gaze to the window, noticing how the rain kept splattering on the floor. Then I felt the urge to go outside, perhaps the rain would wash away the pain in my heart. Perhaps the thunder would swallow my sobs.

I got up from the bed, carelessly adjusting my head tie. Saliha had always been caring and considerate. She silently helped me walk out of the room.

"Amrah, we're all so sad about what happened, but I need you to control yourself, have patience, Maama is in a better place"

I did not say a word to her but I continued approaching the front door.