Just breathe

Zyra

It has been almost five years since we ran away from the house, and yet it seems like yesterday.

Bilal was supposed to come here with the lawyer, but due to his dialysis, I had to go instead. The lawyer covered her face with her dupatta, as we walked through the narrow, bumpy streets. And I wouldn't blame her. The sewer line would always gush out, giving off a pungent smell. With her other hand, she pulled up her shalwar every now and then as we hopped on the rocks, leading the way through the streams of sewer water. Children ran around poking each other with sticks. On some corners, you could see street dogs sniffing through the garbage, looking for food.

I hadn't realized how much I missed this place until today. No matter how awful and disgusting this place might be, it holds some of my best memories. My mother's smiles, and my sister's hugs when I was scared all came back to me as we drew near the house.

"This is his house," I told her, pointing at it.

To my surprise, she walked right up and knocked on the door.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

My heart was beating faster than ever. Even though half of me wanted to run away from anywhere near my stepfather, the other half wanted to take just a little peek inside, refreshing all those cherishable memories I had with those who were now gone forever. Hence, I let out a sigh of relief when someone else opened the door. As it turned out, our stepfather had sold the house and moved elsewhere. According to her, the house owner, Ramiz, a 'noble' man, had been recently married to a widow and moved in with her.

"My neighbor Sumiya has been living here since before I even came here. She might know more about his late wife than you ask of her," she suggested.

We thanked her and knocked on the door of the neighboring house.

"You must be Sumiya, right?" the lawyer asked her.

She smiled. and replied, "Yes, that is me."

"Do you remember Ruksanah, miss? Lamiah asked. "She lived in the house beside you. She was the late wife of Ramiz."

Her smile quickly faded and horror spread on her face. "No I don't know what you are talking about," she replied evasively as she banged the door on our face.