The Flying Dreams

CHAPTER TWELVE

That evening, after we returned to Shifa's flat; Wahab called. I was still high on my euphoria and seeing his name flashing on my phone, my mood instantly brightened up even further. I didn't wait a second before swiping the green button down. Shifa had gone straight to her room, not bothering to even wash her face on the sink and I was left alone with all the excitement bubbling inside my stomach.

"I went to see AIMS today."

Wahab chuckled, "Assalam-aleykum."

I couldn't keep my excitement contained and made an annoying voice in the back of my throat but replied to his greeting. I had so much to tell and just wanted someone to listen. I would have to tell him about the little incident back in the metro and I could already imagine Wahab's sweet face getting all red with rage over my dignity and somehow that made me feel giddy. The idea that someone was willing to be angry for me. Because Allah knows my mother had been nothing but deaf to my pleas of stopping Abdul uncle to visit our home. You must have imagined it, jan. Do you not know how close your father is to your uncle? Don't talk rubbish. She had a way to make me feel guilty about things I had no control over. 

But Wahab, I knew he would believe me and no one else.

"You heard what I said? I went to AIMS today. With Shifa."

"You call her Shifa? Why not apa? She is my cousin, Adia. You shouldn't call her by name."

I didn't try to tell him the details of my little adventure anymore, instead listened to him throwing my mother's words back at my face. What if Shifa tells this Wahab's parents? What would others think upon hearing that Wahab's wife calls his cousins by name?  It went for a good ten minutes and then he might have realized that he was being too harsh over something trivial. He sighed, as if all the lecturing tired him, I got him; I would be exhausted if I talk about one matter for so long. My eyes fell on the round wall clock in the drawing-room, the time to make dinner approached and I hoped he would end the call soon because I didn't want to interrupt him. But Wahab seemed to be on a mission to embarrass me, he kept on repeating the same words over and over, for a second, I thought if I should tell him that he had already used the words but didn't. And at last, my saviour came through her doors, running her fingers through her short hair, making them slick back and for a moment, her face struck with awe. Shifa was beautiful but I concluded that she looked the best with her hair slicked back, which made her narrow chin look even sharper. Her eyes were the same as Wahab's, wide in the middle and pointed toward the end, resembling a cat's. And as if sensing my eyes on her, she raised a brow at me and somehow, I got the question she asked. Without much thinking, I shrugged and made a face, pressing my chin to my phone. She must have thought that I was asking her for help and get rid of Wahab. 

Shifa snorted and coming closer to me, she shouted, "Adia! Dinner! I am starving!"

I controlled my giggle and Wahab's voice sounded playful, "Is it Shifa? That glutton. Go make her dinner. I'll talk to you later."

I didn't let the hurt I felt show on my face. I was an expert at that. Wahab cut the call and didn't ask about my day, and I stayed silent after a while he hung up and Shifa cleared her throat, obviously feeling awkward just standing there, "You okay?"

"What's your age?", I asked, intentionally not using her name or even what Wahab told me to use. For some reason calling Shifa api didn't fit with me.

Her brows furrowed and the bridge of her nose scrunched up as she peered down at me in utter confusion, "Why?"

I decided not to roll my eyes at her.

"Just tell me. I am 22. Now tell me yours."

Tilting her head slightly, her eyes flitted to my phone on my lap and then she answered, her voice still holding that confusion at my sudden demand to know her age.

"21. Why did you ask?"

So, she was actually younger than me, if anything she should be the one to call me api but Wahab wanted me to do that. It wasn't really a new thing or even anything strange, the sisters-in-law usually called all the sisters of her husband api, a way of showing respect but as I stared at Shifa's face, her eyes squinted and head cocked to one side and her short hair slicked back, I decided that I would ignore Wahab's advice. He didn't need to know. But then I remembered that Shifa talked to him. My mother's words, once again, ringing in my ears; cousins talk.

"What would you like to have in dinner--," I had to push my tongue to get the next word out, my ears warmed up before I even said it, and Shifa's eyes on me made it only harder, so to make things easier for myself, I pretended to glance at my phone, "—api?"

The word tasted bitter in my mouth and before I could realize what happened, Shifa burst out laughing. I had no idea why she did, but her laughter made me embarrassed, and I couldn't dare to look at her. I waited for her laughter to subside and at last, after a minute or so, it did.

"Wahab asked you to, didn't he?"

I had been living with her for a week now and often found it difficult to read the girl's emotions but sometimes, only when the conversation went back to her family, her root, the contempt in her voice was extremely hard to miss. She had such eyes which could not give away anything, and I used to take pride in myself to be a good judge of others' emotions.

I nodded and began to open my mouth to defend my fiance before she degraded him in front of me because I knew she would say something ugly and nothing else regarding my Wahab, but her next words shocked me into a strange stillness, "And what does Wahab call your elder cousins, Adia?" 

She stayed standing, seeming to be waiting for my answer and realizing I wasn't planning to say anything because Wahab called all my cousins by their names and it had never crossed my mind but when Shifa asked, I didn't know what to do with her question. She scoffed and threw her head back, a sigh escaping her lips and without looking at me, she said, "I am going to eat out with a friend, should I bring something for you, too?"

My no came out meek and almost on the edge of breaking down and with the shake of her head, she knew it too. 

"Alright, then. Goodbye and... goodnight. And, also, if Wahab calls, give him your api's regards."

I didn't want to. I tried to keep them away. Stared at the bright white bulb on the wall but the tears still escaped my eyes. Shifa must have sensed them before I did because she didn't come to her home that night and I could weep in the comfort of privacy.