Wounded: Our Journey Home

Wounded- Chapter Twenty Four

Edited:

Published: Monday, October 5th 2015 6:30 pm

Jafar:

"Okay, I need some cake," Wasim declared after he put the last bag in my room. After getting out of Allen's car, I packed up my stuff and got the earliest flight back to Riverside. I had to come back home, being in California didn't seem right anymore, especially after I got out of my contract. My apartment is still there for cases like a vacation house, but I'm planning on putting roots back here in Florida.

      I'm just thankful that my parents let me back in the house. They weren't happy that I gave up career, but after I explained why, they understood and didn't judge. I don't plan on living with them forever, it's just until I can find a place somewhere. But I won't make any big decisions without consulting Ayah. If we're going to live here, we both should decide on a place.

But then there's New York. I don't even know if she wants to come back here. There are so many things that we need to talk about.

        I still haven't talked to Uncle Yaman yet, and that's what I'm dreading. He told me not to do anything stupid. I don't think what I did was stupid, but he might think differently. I should give him a call though. I should give Ayah a call. I haven't heard anything from either she or Jamila since yesterday when we talked. I can't believe Jamila really went all the way to New York.

        She has done some odd things since her entry into teenage years, but flying is a whole different story. It was one thing to be upset, but flying away isn't the thing to do. Now Abi--my stepfather and I had to confront both of the boys Jamila was talking to and their parents. It took so much for me not to hit someone. Jamila is my baby sister, of course I'm going to be overprotective all the time. One of them--Khalid was very calm and collected during this whole thing.

           He even had to audacity to ask for my sisters hand. Abi actually had me to go outside because I was fuming. I honestly think that if I saw them out in town, I wouldn't be able to control myself. But I have to remember that it's a two way street, and Jamila was also at fault. Sure, I was calm and nice to her on the phone, but when I see her face to face, we're having a long talk.

          "When are you going to talk to him?" Wasim asked after a while, and my whole mannerism changed. I knew he was talking about our father right away. We don't have that hate relationship that most parents have with their kids, you know, the ones when you have that father. Ours is just...non-existent. We've never been close, not even when I was little.

          Another reason why my parents got a divorce is because he was really never around. He wasn't around to the point where she would cry herself to sleep. And closer to the end, finding time to bond with Tehreem, Zahrah and I seemed hard for him to do. He was avoiding us. The last time I saw him was over a year ago. He's not even there for Wasim or Fatimah--his wife.

          I guess that's why I've taken it upon myself to be there for my brother, because who else will? He has no one else.

        "He's in town?" I asked.

        Wasim nodded. "He just got back the other day. But he'll probably be gone tomorrow for all we know."

        "Yeah he does that," I laughed with no emotion. "And to answer your question--I don't plan on it. I have too much to do to be dissapointed again."

        "Do you know the first thing he asked me about is football? He couldn't even ask how I was doing. But it doesn't matter. I quit the team."