Beloved

6.

'You sure you can stay here? It might take me some time...it's okay...she can play outside or stay in the library' The custodian asked me to make sure I was comfortable with looking after his granddaughter while he goes to check on some electrical work that was going on in the college. I often saw him working extra hours and walking home after work looking extremely worn off, it wasn't that hard to guess that he was in need of money.

'No, I don't mind...I'll stay here with her' I reassured him, and he left. I was glad that I could help him in some way. I didn't want his granddaughter to wander around the campus on her own. The little girl was named Janam, she said her mother named her. I looked at her beaming hazel brown eyes and saw so much joy as she ran around the room, playing with her small plastic doll in her bright yellow dress and burnt orange sandals.

'Do you like dolls?' The little girl remained quiet for some time but eventually came to sit next to me when she got tired from all the running and asked a very important question for a seven-year-old girl.

'I do...I still have some' I answered and that's how our friendship started. After playing strangers for the first twenty minutes, we finally declared each other as true friends. There was something so beautiful about talking to a child, it felt as if their souls were untouched, saved from all the chaos of the world.

'Ayat?' Karim Sir slightly knocked on the door before entering the classroom where Janam and I were playing and drawing our imaginary castles where our dolls would live.

'Sir...'I got up and walked up to him and left Janam to continue drawing on the blackboard.

'What are you doing here...who is she?' He asked me and glanced at the little girl.

'That's the custodian's granddaughter Janam...he had to go and do some work, so I am just watching her for him' I told him.

'He asked you to do that? She could have played outside or stayed in the cafeteria. You know you have your session right now, right?' He sounded concerned. I knew he was paying close attention to my participation in this program because of my father.

'Sir...you know it's not safe for kids in our area and I don't know other people who work or study here...that's why I didn't feel comfortable leaving her by herself...I will talk to Mr.Hamza....' I explained to him.

'I think Hamza is giving a special assignment and a test in the class today...he told me about it earlier...I think you should go' He informed me. Special test? Really? Did Mr.Hamza think we were in preschool?

'What about her? I can't just leave her here...' I asked him. I wanted to go to the class after hearing about the special assignment, but would it justify me leaving a young child by herself in this huge building? God forbids, what if something were to happens to her?

'You can leave her in the science department office, there are some teachers there working so she can stay there' He proposed an offer.

'They will be leaving soon as well...there are not a lot of classes around this time so there aren't a lot of people here...it's fine...don't worry about it...I'll think of something' I told him and this time he didn't say another back to make me change my decision and left the room.

'Should we go look for your Nana?' I asked Janam if she wanted to go see her grandfather and suddenly she dropped half used chalk on the side of the board and came running towards me. We walked around the building and finally found her grandfather who was almost done working.

'She didn't bother you, did she?' He came to us after finishing off the work and the little girl quickly let go of my hand to go hug her grandfather.