“Are you planning to stay behind?” Mumtaz asked Adam and Siyad
“Will that be a problem?” Siyad asked
“Never since Hannah is sleeping here on the couch. You may use her room”. Mumtaz offered her hospitality.
“That won’t be needed Mom. We are trying to secure a proper hideout for Maria” Siyad explained their situation.
“Why can’t she stay with us?” Mumtaz liked the kid
“This neighbourhood is not safe for her.”
Mumtaz said no more.
“Help yourself. I will be inside my room.”
Adam later got a phone call from his home. So he left Siyad at Hannah’s apartment.
Alone with a sleeping Hannah. It somehow brought a smile on Siyad’s lips.
Then suddenly Syrene’s call appeared on his mobile. He had move towards the balcony in order to avoid disturbances for the inmates.
“Yes Syrene.”
“Where were you? What happened? Why are you not asking about my Mom?
“Oh God. How nagging and bossy she can be.” Siyad thought. But grabbing all his patience Siyad explained the entire story to her.
“So where is she?” Syrene questioned.
“She is with Hannah.”
“No, I am asking, where is Hannah?”
“She is with Maria.”
“Oh don’t confuse me. Where is Hannah at present?”
“Are you jealous?” Siyad smiled and asked.
“Yes I am. She only misunderstood and left us behind. And then you only went behind her and that too alone without me.” Syrene made herself clear.
“Okay. I am sorry. After all seeing. Whatever she did for your mother, it is indecent to insult her like that knowingly or unknowingly.”
“Oh that’s true, leave it. So when will you leave to your apartment?”
“Look Syrene, Maria is waking up. I have to be there before she starts crying.” Making an excuse Siyad just disconnected her call.
He entered the living room and saw Hannah and Maria sleeping peacefully, hugging each other tightly. He just switched off the light and sat opposite to them. He felt cozy inside her apartment. It was a moonlit night. And he could observe her beautiful face in the moonlight.
Suddenly out of the silence Hannah spoke a word.
“Annie”
Siyad got surprised. “Annie?”
Then it happened.
“Hannah is missing from the couch.”
Siyad could not understand the situation.
“Am I dreaming?”
He switched the lights on.
“Yes she is missing.”
Maria started to frown and fret in her sleep. Siyad panicked, he went inside her room, bathroom, kitchen and finally he thought of searching in her mother’s room.
‘No she is not seen anywhere.”
The front door is locked from inside even balcony was empty. He looked down below the couch, bed and even beneath the balcony.
“Oh my God. What might have happened here? Suppose to wake her Mom? Or……”
Then he heard her voice again and that too from inside the living room. He rushed back and to his surprise, there she is lying on the couch hugging Maria.
“What? How can……?” He got completely confused.
He checked his watch.
“1.15pm.”
“Nearly for 15 minutes Hannah was missing”. He thought
“Am I dreaming? I need rest. Am I that tired?” Siyad felt as if his head is spinning. Then again Hannah spoke in her sleep.
“Annie…….. Siyad will help me to find you. I promise… I will find you.”
Even if she was blabbering in her sleep. Siyad could clearly make out her words.
Siyad sat astonished for few minutes. He took out his mobile and opened his mobile camera. Expecting an unforeseen another move from Hannah he waited to capture it. But somewhere around 2.30 in the night he too fell asleep.
In the morning Mumtaz woke Siyad.
“Siyad please wake up. Maria had started crying again.”
Mumtaz said pathetically. It took few minutes for Siyad to gain his consciousness. Soon he regained his last day’s memories and along with that last night’s events also came flashing before his eyes.
“Vanishing Hannah. And who is this Annie?”
In the morning Adam showed up at the early hours itself.
While Mumtaz engaged in homely chores. Hannah and Siyad managed little Maria.
Mumtaz could not control her smiles, when she saw how Hannah behaved around Maria.
Making the little girl Brush her teeth, pampering her to eat, dressing her like a mother.
Mumtaz only knew how groovy How clumsy her daughter is.
Somehow Siyad acted as a dad, and not as a brother around Maria.
Adam opened his laptop and sat silently in the middle of all these havocs.
“Why are you forcing her to eat? If she does not want it?” Siyad questioned Hannah.
“Kids are like this. We need to force them.”
“It seems like you have too many kids of your own.”
“People are not born with experiences, they observe and learn.”
“Whom did you observe, by the way?”
“Oh you now want my contact list?”
“To which directions this fight is heading to?” Adam thought and he later understood that they are fighting simply because they wanted to have a conservation between them.
Meanwhile Syrene’s repeated phone calls got displayed on Siyad’s mobile which he had intentionally turned onto the vibration mode.
Adam waited for nearly 30 minutes for the verbal fight to get over. But it went on. Even Maria sat observing Siyad and Hannah debating on some unknown issues.
“Excuse me Guys” finally Adam interfered “We need to move now or else the officials won’t wait for us”.
They were officially planning to admit Maria into a government rescue shelter. Mumtaz had packed few eatables for Maria. Hannah too felt a bit heartbroken to part with her. They made Maria cover her head with a ‘Hijab’ so that no one could recognize her at sight. Maria hugged Hannah warmly and kissed her on Cheeks.
“Come on lets hurry up.” Siyad got irritated.
Adam, Maria and Siyad slowly stepped out of the apartment. Siyad then stopped and turned.
“I will drop you at your school if you want.”
Hannah who was feeling so heavy at mind, said
“No it’s okay. I will manage.”
Without further words, she went inside her apartment, while Mumtaz bid them good bye.
Mumtaz knew her daughter’s mental status.
Parting someone near and dear, makes her mentally depressed.
“Her dad!”
Mumtaz thought, she also knew that, why her daughter never got intimate or involved with another human being. And why she isolated herself from the entire world.
The mental trauma, which she had to undergo at the loss of her dear father. Those messed up days from her mental delusions. Those days which she spend inside that mental asylum.
Mumtaz eyes flooded with tears. She never wished to remember those things. She refused to see Hannah as mentally sick, even though her real life situations had turned her into one such thing.
…………
The day was very hectic for Siyad. Last night also he hardly slept. Still he was feeling happy.
As he stood under the shower, cooling himself down. Thoughts of Hannah came haunting him.
“Was that a dream or did she actually disappeared? And who is this Annie?” I need to know.” Later when he brushed his hair, he thought.
“Why am I getting involved with Hannah? May be she needs my help?”
He took his mobile. Nearly 30 miss calls of Syrene could be seen.
Siyad then thought of calling her back and he dialed her number.
“Hello, I was busy.” He said
“So what am I supposed to do?”
Syrene sounded angry.
“Sorry dear….? I was caught up with Maria.”
“Okay. Fine. But why are you calling me now?”
“What?” Siyad got surprised “Ms.Syrene so now you are angry with me.”
After few minutes of silence, she spoke.
“Mr.Siyad, this is Hannah’s mobile you have dialed and not your dearest Syrene’s phone.”. There…then the call went dead.
Siyad then only noticed that he had accidently dialed Hannah’s phone number instead of Syrene.
*
