Can't Escape

Chapter 10

"Alhamdulillah!" Nafisah screams joyfully before throwing her little hands in the air only to hit my face in the process.

"Ow!" I laugh and rub the spot that she lightly hit and pucker my lips. Her excitement makes her do all sorts of things and I can't blame her to be honest, I guess she got that trait from Dad.

Nafisah immediately gasps and smacks her hands onto her mouth, her eyes wide with regret. "Oh no, I'm sorry! Oops!" Her arms wrap around my neck and my head collides into her petite face. Her arms are wrapped tightly around my throat, almost to the point of making me choke.

"Okay, okay!" I chuckle as I slowly detach her little body from mine. She reluctantly lets go and I don't fail to recognise that her face is full of remorse. "I'm okay, little baby. Your big sister is strong!"

"Like baba?" She says out of no-where, surprising me. I watch as she plays with her toes whilst her legs are crossed beneath her. Her big eyes stare into mine as she tilts her head to the side, waiting for a reply.

I smile at her, wondering how she isn't as affected by the mention of our father as much as I am. Maybe it's because I spent the longest time with him, although she is really young which means that it would have hurt her more. Or maybe it's the fact that I was with him the moment he passed.

"Like Baba." I reply with a peck on her forehead, bringing her onto my lap yet I am careful to avoid our feet from reaching a higher position than the Qur'an that's lying in front of us on its respected stand.

"Baba was strong," Nafisah mumbles incoherently as she fiddles with the sequins on her blue headscarf. "He always used to throw me!"

"Did he?" I ask in an overly enthusiastic voice which humans tend to use with kids, causing my little sister to perk up.

She nods her head eagerly and spins slightly to look at me. "Lots of times! It was so nice but so scary!"

I laugh at how wide her eyes are as she speaks about Dad. It's not hard to tell that she is reminiscing the times where she'd be thrown in the air, her screams echoing through the house due to her eyes boring straight through my own as if I'm not in front of her right now.

"Awe," I pout my lips at her and she batters her eyelashes, wondering what I'm about to say. "I want to be thrown in the air!"

Nafisah giggles shyly, her hand covering her mouth and she hides behind her shoulder. I furrow my eyebrows at her but she begins to giggle louder, soon growing into laughter. She peeks at me and I poke her lightly, laughing with her.

"What?" I cry and tug at her cheek gently.

She clears her throat to speak but then ends up giggling again. I roll my eyes playfully at my little sister and then threaten to get up.

"No!" She holds up the palm of her tiny hands to stop me from doing so. I sit still with an eyebrow raised whilst holding back my laughter. "It's just..." I watch her as she stifles her giggles. "You can be thrown in the air!" I knit my eyebrows at her and her smile grows wider. "By your husband!"

At this I burst out laughing, throwing my head back and she does the same, her cheeks a hint of red. "My husband won't be able to carry me!" I say with a shrug of my shoulders and bring the pout back onto my lips.

Without a doubt, she disagrees with me. She shakes her head furiously with her eyes wide, making me snort. The sequins on her headscarf sparkle under the light, causing colours to appear on the walls. "No! Hud Hud is so strong!"

I suddenly begin to choke on my own spit, hitting my chest in the process. I laugh between my chokes, however a look of fear and worry is spread across her delicate face. She immediately jumps up from my lap although she is very cautious about the Qur'an that is still sitting in front of us.