Hearts On Fire

15: Palace Tour

She quickly peeled her hands off from him when they got to the car and he chuckled with a voice that spoke something only him knew of. He entered the drivers seat and she entered the passengers seat before they drove off. They were driving in silence when Fatima Zarah turned to look at him, "Will you please stop by at my house? I need to get something from Ammi, her driver is not around and I need it now."

He didn't look at her nor acted as if he heard her and he kept driving, "I'm talking to you, Al-mustapha. I need to get my bangles, you can see I have nothing on my hands. Please, I won't enter the house, Aunty Wasila will come out by the gate to hand them to me." Saying please to this man was torturing, but she had to do this for those bangles and because there was no way she was going to the palace with her hands this empty.

He didn't answer but he turned the steering wheel and she watched silently as he drove to their house until he was close to the gate and parked there. She picked up her phone and dialled Aunty Wasila's number.

"I'm by the gate, Aunty Wasila, those bangles and a first aid box please." She ended the call when Aunty Wasila answered and she kept staring at the huge ironed gate hungrily, feeling as if she had the chance to enter. She knew something might hvae changed in him to do as she asked him, may be because she had pleaded with him and he thought that he had won against her this time? He was so pathetic.

Aunty Wasila came out with all that Fatima Zarah requested for and they exchanged quick pleasantries before they drove out of the area. She put on the bangles and kept jingling them as they made a sound, admiring them on her fully henna beautified hands. She took the first aid box and opened it, thankful to the day she had learnt how to dress a wound.

She pulled her feet up, finding her actions so hard because of the thobe and her attire and the little space she had. She dressed her wound and sealed it up, all this while Al-mustapha acted as if there was no living human being struggling beside him and when she was done, she wanted to close the box and keep it at the back of his car, but then she remembered how he cut himself, and for once; Fatima Zarah hated the way Ammi had raised her.

She knew what humanity stood for, she loved for everyone what she had loved for herself and she had never wished bad upon anyone. She did whatever she can to help whoever needed help, and today she hated that part of her soul, because she had to act upon it even if she didn't want. That's who she was, and there was no way she could change herself. He was hurt, physically hurt, so she had to keep her personal feelings aside.

"Can I see your arm?" She asked, nibbling on her lower lip as she waited for the worst answer on the universe. He hated like he didn't hear her and she spoke for the second time, telling her soul that it he didn't reply her she would let him be. "Al-mustapha, I'm asking you something, as you can see we are the only people in this car, can I see your arm?"

He slightly turned and looked at her, "What are you going to do with my arm? Did you per chance forgot what I've told you yesterday?" Ohkay, he hitted a nerve, and he clearly knew it.

She laughed, a humorless laughter before she motioned for him to park the car by the roadside for they were close to the palace and she didn't want to get interupted while she was speaking. She thought she could wait for the whole week to pass before she replied him, but she figured out as days passed by, there was nothing like that. He was filling up the void spaces in her heart with nothing but his hatred.

"Why do you asked me to par..." She cut him, turning completely to face him despite how the thobe was disturbing her whole life, not even body alone.

"I'll make this clear to you once and for all, and I really hope you'll have it engarved into your thick skull. If you know you can't have all I said memorized in your brain, record me as I say it or do whatever you could think of that will help you in remembering this.