A silent cry

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"mama" I turn around and i see Jabil. He sits next to me "what are you doing here?" he said leaning against the door

"your dad used to always watch the moon and he told me whenever I miss him to watch the moon and pray for him wherever he is." I said and for the first time, i realize how tall Jabil is. I've realized he's taller than me, there was no doubt about that but Subhan'Allah he's grown so quick. Height is such a liar, he was still my little Qamar, he's just too tall. i laugh staring at him

"what's funny?" he says looking away from the moon. he had curly brown hair like mine but his dad's hair color. He had Abbas's hazel eyes. 

"you" i said 

"me?" 

"look how tall you're getting, you look like a tree compared to me, and yet you still dirty up your clothes like you always did when you were five."

"you're just really short mama, also i can't help it, it's my job." he said shrugging 

"then it's your job to also go and get a shower and pray isha so you can eat after"

oh, the food. I get up running. i can't believe i forgot the stove on. "i turned it off already if that's why you're running" he said laughing behind me. alhamdiluha i stop on the stairs. 

Jabil doesn't come back to eat anything so i go check up on him and find him bandaging a big scar near his waist. i hold both hands over my face. He looks up and winces trying to cover the scar with his hand. i find bandages near him and can tell he tried to cover it up. 

i run to the kitchen to fill a bucket with warm water. i feel my legs shiver from the site of his scar. i sit next to him and clean the wound and then i wrap it up seeing him flinch from moment to moment in pain. he tried to hide the pain on his face when i looked at him. my hands tremble trying to wrap his scar. he holds over my hand "it's alright mama i got it"

"it was during the job mama it's nothing to worry about. its actually really funny."

i press on the wound and he stops talking inhaling from the pain. There was nothing funny about this and he knows it,  just at the sight of the scar made want to faint. 

"there's this crazy dark horse and i usually can calm it down but today someone bothered it and when I went to help it kicked me onto a big sharp-edged rock and it scratched my stomach like this. "

"don't lie to me Jabil" i leave the room and prepare a plate of food for him. i turn around to take it to his room and i see him standing by the kitchen door and walking to sit on the sofra. "don't" i hold him up and let him sit on the sofa to eat.

"I'm fine mama see, it's not as bad as it looks," he says eating and not keeping eye contact with me. 

"Did someone do this to you?"

"no, why would anyone hurt me?" he smiles and i wonder why would anyone actually hurt him

"then what happened?" I said sitting next to him

"i told you already"

"you lied to me, I'm not an idiot Jabil, did you try stealing again?"

"no wallah i didn't. i told you i stopped"

"Jabil i need you to be more honest with me son, how are you asking for marriage when you can hardly take care of yourself"

"Mama don't worry, i told you it was just an incident at the stables, I'm fine now. come on go eat too you probably haven't eaten all day. also, does that mean you've talked to Maryam"

 i pour myself a bowl and eat. "yeah I did" 

"What did she say?" he said leaning closer towards me like the words might fly too far away for him to hear,

"she said she will ask Marwa and her husband but from her side, she doesn't mind the wedding because she believes you're a good boy Jabil. you better not let her down" i see him smiling and lifting his posture up 

"wow look at all this confidence, you look confidant that you're going to marry her. the girl hasn't even spoken yet," i said. I didn't want to question him further about the incident but i couldn't stop staring at the blood stain over the bandage.  he notices and stands up. i get up and help him "I'm alright mama, I'm going to sleep okay" he kisses my forehead. I hold his arm and take him to rest. 

i pray for him all night. Hopefully, he isn't stealing, and hopefully, no one is out there trying to kill him. 

Jabil pov 

 holding over the wound lightly. i know my mom knows I'm lying but how was i supposed to tell her when i swore to Marwa i wouldn't tell anyone? Marwa looked so scared when she saw the man near her house. she stopped telling me what she overheard our mothers saying and went silent with fear. it was the first time I saw her like that. the man walking in the street fit the exact description she had given me of the man who cut her ankle and when i looked he was looking at Marwa with this devilish look in his eyes. i couldn't stand it. it was disgusting. out of anger, i followed him far away from Marwa's house even though she called for me to go back. i jumped him from behind and started punching him. I didn't see him pull out the knife but i felt it cut through my skin. Then I felt him move it sideways and i could hardly breathe. he pulled the knife out and i gasp for breath. i wanted to get back up but I couldn't. i see Hamza running towards the man before he could stab me with the knife again. 

Hamza grips the man by the neck from behind and grabs the knife out of his hand. he punches him hard and fast, i turn my head to see and i see the man's tooth fall out of his mouth. people gathered around and pushed Hamza off of the man out of fear that he killed him. Hamza resists and tries to push through them to hit him again. i try to breathe but it hurt to breathe. Hamza's eyes turn towards me, and he takes me to the side of the road and takes off his coat, pressing it against my wound.