The Elahim Brothers

Thunderstorms and Tears

It was raining heavily. The wind was vivid and wild. The pouring water had no delicacy. The smell was much salty.

I opened the front door of the kitchen poured all the soup in a dish, I asked the servants who never talk to help set the dinner table.

The brothers sat on the dining table marveling at the weather.

"Dinner's ready " I called.

None of them moved.

They looked upon the sky.

"Please Eat first" I insisted.

But they were far beyond my reach.
I held Fateh and placed on the table.

"Dinner time" I stated.

They all sat down.
Something childlike in the brothers; everytime it would thunder their spoons would halt before their lips and they would listen and with their mouths open partly frightened partly excited stare outside the window.

It was still thunderstorms and lightning.

We all were in the living room.
I am afraid of lightings. So putting up a brave act I sat beside Fateh embracing him closely, providing him protection or seeking protection.

"it's roaring" Al-Shizad exclaimed.

Out of Sudden, the door slammed open. It was Miss Scarlett Rosalind. Drenched in the salty rain and tipping and stinking of alcohol.

Her eyes were red, her nose was swollen, her poise was dismantled, she was burning in the fierce fire that had the smell of burnt coals and fresh roses.

"I am tired! " she yelled.

"Miss Rosa-" Al-Wais was interrupted

"No! Please, I beg you Al-Wais! I am tired. I am so so tired that now and then I cry and it has become such a part of me that nobody cares. Am I responsible for how I have become? Something to be trampled upon lifeless! Please have Mercy hear me! "
She was agitated.

She was trembling, her eyes were filled with tears that seemed like they'd never end, like An ocean with blue water, clear but sad.

"I tried. I tried every single day to forget him. I took your advice, I went out with other men but after two months he comes back, in any form, in any smile. Like a curse, he comes to me! Hassen is all in me. Every time every f*cking time when I am the peak of my life, moved on and this new man seems like the perfect getaway, there he comes, into my sleep, into my bed, into my mind, into my soul; like I do not belong to myself, I belong to him. What do I do? " she sat on the floor, her head in her heads. Her cries turning into sobs.

"He is your brother. He is obedient to you, I have nothing against it. I promise that would never change. But what about me? Where am I suppose to go because my heart only obeys him? These f*cking letters! "
She pulls a handful of red envelopes from her purse and throws them in the air.

"every month there comes this red envelope that ties me to my bed into a fight with depression ringing loudly inside my head. Five years, countless letters, pick anyone and read them because they all have the same three words: I miss you. How do you live without Love Al-Wais? Why don't you set him free? I only come to you because I know that you are the only one that can understand that I am not here for his beauty or money, you know I am here for Al-Hassan, the nine-year-old boy, the eight-year-old girl fell in love with. You, you understand but you pretend like you don't. Please grant me Al-Hassan. Because if you won't take my request I won't be afraid to rage war.
And you know me Al-Wais I will fight for him, even if he won't fight for me"

She looked at Al-Hassan, his head down. She cried a little more seeing the man she loves not move with her tears but it did move me.

"Get up Miss Rosalind. You have a long journey to make" Al-Wais said handing her his white towel.

She rose to her feet.

"Talk to your Father or have me talk to him"

"Good night Miss Rosalind "
Al-Wais answered instead.

That was the last day that the house ever heard Miss Scarlett or about her because after a month since that day she has faded away from here.

"stop Falaq-Naaz " Fateh mumbled.

"First, stop calling me Falaq-Naaz. Second, stop reading that stupid book! "
I scolded Fateh.

Mrs. Kasheefa has returned but the house is still on a hustle.

Now Wildan and Al-Shizad look at me puzzled.

"what? " I asked.

"So do the people in the city all love Girls?"

Good lord, they have started with the city quest.

"Mostly. Now we have people turning very neutral to homosexuality and stuff"

They looked at each other, returning looks like she said that word.

"So are city girls beautiful? " Al-Shizad asks curiously but acting carefully not to sound much interested.

"They are gorgeous "

"Like Al-Hassan? " Al-Wildan exclaimed his eyes widen.

"More beautiful than him" I teased.

Al Hassan from the side makes a face.

"More beautiful! Like how beautiful? " Al-Shizad is bewildered.

"extremely beautiful. They can make Al-Hassan look average "

"That's Fascinating. I thought they would be ordinary like you" Al-Shizad genuinely insulted me.

Al-Hassan burst out laughing.

"Miss Falaq-Naaz, haven't you heard what goes around comes around " Al-Hassan smirked.

I twitched my mouth.

"do that again," Al-Wais said.

I fetched again. He laughed.

"Weirdos" I hissed.

I went inside my room and opened my hair, am I not beautiful?

Well, I never was I guess.

I tried my hair, pulled the strand straight but every time I leave it, it goes back to the springy, the spiral curl.

I smiled, they are still laughing.

"Here she is," my grandma tells dad.

"Tell her she must behave with the men. Behave! Because if I see here lingering around them I will not see furthermore. I've had enough if this thing! Because as she is she would come unto to anybody. What Sins my lord! What? Why have I been disgraced by such an awful child? " my father cries.

I left the room. I sat in the balcony. I did not cry. Numb. Real. Destructive feelings.

I smelled the air, of evening tea and foxgloves.

I saw the sunset in the largest skin of pink and blue sky.

I breathed slowly.

I breathed heavily.

I felt nothing.

I felt everything.

I felt myself shaking and then losing to the tears that are my morphine.

"Falaq-Naaz, are you okay? " Al-Wais asks.

I cry harder.

He sat beside.

The moon mounted on its throne and the sky decorated itself with the best jewelry. How sad should one be to appreciate that?

He was silent.

I was silent.

It was silence.

"If I would ask you to tell me your story, would you? " He whispered to me.

"only if you listen"

"I will always Listen"