BEING YOURS

CHAPTER THIRTY

So umm...

Just forget it.

* * *

When Amira snuck out of bed that dawn, or when she spent the whole night between her husband's arms, or when they played games and made jokes through the last evening, or when Ali was so edgy about his parents going out undercover, she'd never presumed, not for the shortest moment or in her wildest imaginations that she'd wake up to what she woke up to that morning.

She went down to the kitchenette to boil a pot of water which she'd use to bathe when she heard indistinct voices and bustling at that early hour of the morning.

She wondered who or what it could be and hurried up, got a hijab and went back down. As she opened the door, she saw a baffled Yusuf approaching their flat.

Her heart skipped a beat. "What's the matter?" She asked knowing there's certainly one.

He sniveled, his eyes red. "Where's Ya Ali?"

"He's still in bed he didn't sleep early. What's wrong?"

The tears in his eyes dropped and Amira was already at the verge of tears herself.

"Yusuf tell me what's wrong please." Her voice rasped.

"They... they had an accident."

Amira felt dead for a moment. Accident? Who? But then she knew there's only a certain 'them' he could be referring to. "Wait hold on, who... you don't mean..."

He scrubbed his face, sniveled. "That they're being transferred to Royal Hospital now. They said none is dead already but they're in terrible condition."

"Inna lillahi wa inna ilaihi raji'un." She kept exclaiming.

"We need to get going, wake him up."

Amira couldn't make a move for some time. "I don't know how he's gonna react, he was so worried about this whole trip."

"He has to know, we can't even hide it from him."

"What?" Ali asked and they both faced him.

He stood in the middle of the sitting room, his expression anxious and confused. He looked more worried seeing how worried they looked.

"What's going on? What's all that noise about?"

Amira and Yusuf shared a look like asking who'd be the one to break the news to him. Yusuf was right, there's no way they could hide it, not from Ali and not even for that moment.

She bit on her lip, sighed softly. "Can you get ready? We'd be going out right now."

"Where? And why?"

"You'll know when we reach."

"You know I don't have that type of patience." His tone tightened.

They were mute again and Yusuf decided to break the egg cos they're wasting time, he needed to see his parents.

"They had an accident."

The room went pin-dropped silent as they awaited a reaction from Ali who just stood there for forever trying to understand what he just heard.

"You," He stammered. "You don't mean who I'm thinking you mean right?"

"We need to get there fast I have to see how they're fairing." Yusuf's voice trembled.

Ali grabbed his hair, turned on his heels suddenly looking deranged and then checked briefly for something. "Car keys, where are the car keys?!"

"I got mine here, let's go."