ENSHROUDED

30

With pain written all over on her face, Aisha stared unbelievably at Abba. "You slapped me?" That came as a question as she palmed both her cheeks with her hands. She wasn't looking at his face today, she was looking right through his soul and he felt the fire of her eyes burning his skin.

He threw the nylon that had her phone in at her face but she didn't flinch, her eyes were looking intently at him. "I did, and you dare lay your hands on her again and see what I'll do to you." He turned to look at Nuriyya but she had rage clouded on her eyes, "Nuriyya..." He tried to utter when she cut him off.

"Don't say a word more, Muhammad." The moment she called him that, he knew he was doomed. Nuriyya had never called him Muhammad unless he had angered her to the point that it would take them days to reconcile. She did that now, and it was solely because of Aisha.

"Don't bother to follow me, I'll be safe." She uttered through gritted teeth and looked at Aisha, her hands still placed on her cheek. "You'll surely regret this, Aisha." Her words were enigmatic as she stomped out of the balcony and Abba watched as she opened the entrance door and slammed it back with so much anger.

"That's your phone, if you like, call Baba now and tell him what happened. On Monday, I'll come to pick you up." He was out of the house in a flash, all Aisha was left with were the burning feeling his hands brought upon her cheeks and the pain that struck at her heart. She stared at the moon and wished it were human so she would have someone to converse with.

With so much pain, she stood up and the pain in her back reminded her of what he pushed her on. She was sure if she was to be properly examined, nothing could stop the doctors from seeing small fractures and internal wounds in her body. No tear dared dropped down her cheeks, because it felt like she had used up her tears for today. She was in so much pain, yet all she felt was the itching her heart made and numbness. It felt as though she was expecting someone even more painful and shocking than this, but she got what she expected less.

She turned off all the electrical appliances in the house and trudged to her room with her back aching in pain. She had only spent a month together with Abba, but it felt like a year. And whenever she looked at herself through the mirror, Aisha saw the exact opposite of that vibrant girl that was in love with the loveliest man she had ever set her eyes on. Abba maliciously cut off that rope, her only source of happiness and treated her badly that she felt she deserved nothing good in this life.

She put her phone on charge and went in to take her to bathe. With each step she took to the bathroom, she felt a rope being tied in her chest and it was suddenly becoming hard to breathe. She slumped on the floor and a gurgle of her tears escaped her lips. She clutched her chest tightly and cried even more bitterly. The pain was supposed to be felt physically, he slapped her not dived a knife into her heart, but she felt the pain at the pitch of her stomach as it slowly moved to every crevice and corner of your soul

Aisha, get a hold of yourself, this isn't the end of the world. You'll be fine, it's only a trail. She said to herself and got back on her knees with so much aplomb. She felt weak from the inside and she wanted nothing but to have this pain twinging her heart to wash away. As she took her to bathe, Aisha wished the water that was dripping on her body would move directly into her heart and wash it away. It should wash everyone that had ever resided in it, Nasir included.

It took her sometime before she slept, but what she had been grateful for was, she could finally be able to be free. After all the days and weeks she spent with Abba unmoved from the house, she was sure they were going to spend this weekend in Nuriyya's room. And she felt like from the time she started going to school, she wouldn't be in pain anymore. As she closed her eyes, Aisha fell into a slumber smiling weakly at her slowly growing strength.