THE DEGREE OF HAPPINESS

21

TW: Physical Abuse (And no, Elizha did not get a concussion, thank you for being worried)!

Dua had to go too, for personal reasons and so it was just Shezwa, Tina, Ishita and me that stayed for the sleepover. Mom gave us the perfect food for dinner and even baked us cookies for our midnight snacks.

Just like old times. When Ammaty wasn't living among us.

Ammaty was the problem here. But the solution was that my friends would bolt out of the house after Fajr, since Ammaty would be busy with her friends all night and come the next day at eight.

But the utter exhaustion of the events of the day, plus the chitchats that lasted hours, made us a) miss Fajr prayer and b) Ammaty caught us whilst we were all asleep in my room.

"WAKE UP!" she yelled.

It took me a moment to understand who and what Ammaty was. Once I did, I had no choice but to get up from bed and slap Shezwa awake. This in turn, created a domino effect and we all got up and stood straight in front of Ammaty as though she were a war general and we, her disobedient soldiers.

"How dare you have a sleepover without my permission?" Ammaty asked, "And that too with these....girls?"

She pointed at Shezwa, "This one's mother spoiled her way too much, which can be seen clearly through her body."

At Tina, she said, "This one thinks that every animal deserves a home which is why she failed in three subjects."

Tina winced.

Then she pointed at Ishu, "And this one? She dyes her hair? I can only imagine what kind of family she has! She's the one that cannot read, right?"

Shezwa was not fat. Her BMI said so. But even without the BMI....no one in their right mind, unless they were scouting for those super thin Victoria's secret models would say so. Tina had a soft heart and Ishu? Ishu had dyslexia. But she was talented in a multitude of different ways.

Including talking back to adults. I waited for her to say something. Anything. Something that would make Ammaty's mahogany hair shred off from her head.

She stayed silent, holding onto Tina's hand, as if trying to control herself. And I realized one thing:

She was doing it for me. She was respecting my aunt because of me. So I didn't get in trouble.

"All three of you get out of my house!" Ammaty said. "Right now!"

They cast their heads down and were about to leave but I held Shezwa's hand. Shook my head.

"This is not your house," I said, looking straight her.

Ammaty's eyes went wide. "What did you say?"

"This is not your house. You do not pay the bills. You do not pay the rent. My mother does." I said.

"You!" She grabbed my ear but I broke free from her grip.

"Go to Soroush's house," I told my friends, "And stay there."

I looked at Ammaty and smiled, "There is something I need to settle with dear Ammaty."

Once they left, Ammaty pushed me, knocking me against my bookshelf. Books began to fall and I had to cover my head to protect myself from head injury. 

"You dare talk to me in that tone, you insignificant little girl!" she exclaimed. "And what did you say? About the house not being mine!"

She kicked me just as my mother entered the room. "I was the one that felt pity for you and your mother! My husband's money is the reason why your mother is here! Why you can study at a prestigious school like IDA. And this is how you repay me?"