Beloved

12.

'Thank you again, aunty...I had such a great time' I told Mr.Hamza's mother on my way out.

'Oh please...I am so glad we met...I wish you could stay here longer...I look forward to seeing you again before I leave' She told me. Mr.Hamza was right behind us.

'Me too...you are so lovely, take care of yourself' I hugged her and went outside. Mr.Hamza said something to his mother before following me outside.

'Mr. Hamza, I have to go to the market, I will go on my own' I stopped to let him know that he didn't have to drop me home.

'I can drop you off at the market' He offered.

'No...it's fine...thank you' I nodded in his direction and turned to leave.

'Are you upset?' I heard him say from behind.

'Why would I be upset?' I stopped but didn't look at him.

'With me' He walked around to stand in front of me.

'Mr. Hamza I don't know that well to be upset with you' I avoided looking at him in the eyes, because I knew I'll say something which I will regret later. I wanted to keep our interaction neutral.

'Why don't you look at me when I am talking to you?' He took a step forward and I automatically moved back.

'Maybe I don't want to look at you' I said right away and walked away from him without waiting for his reply.

'How did it go?' Haya asked me about the visit to Mr.Hamza's house for lunch.

'Okay,' I told her while looking at her homework assignment.

'How was his mother?' Haya was becoming nosy day by day. Her favorite thing to talk about for the last few days was my marriage, my personal life, and Mr.Hamza.

'Why are you concerned? Focus on your homework' I eyed her, but it made no difference.

'Why are so bothered when I ask you about Hamza or his family?' She stared back at me.

'It doesn't...I just don't get why you like talking about him' I pointed out.

'Because something strange happens to you whenever I mention his name in front of you' She returned her attention back to her assignment without saying anything further. I didn't want to find out what she noticed in me, but my curiosity got the best of me.

'What happens to me?' I asked after a while and she smiled.

'You get fidgety' She commented.

'I don't' I spoke up to defend my ego. She didn't reply to me, instead, she continued to smile and work on her assignment, leaving me with a feeling of embarrassment.

'Glad to see you back' Karim Sir greeted me when I ran into him in the hallway days later.

'I am on my way to the class' I smiled at him.

'Good...good, you are doing the right thing, your father would have wanted you to continue your studies' He told me.

'Yes, Haya really help me out. She is the one who encouraged me to continue with my studies' I told him.

'She is a smart girl, I see a lot of potential in her...anyways, I am heading out...Mama might drop by to your house to talk to you' He told me.

'Talk to me? Is everything okay?' I asked him, I hope everything was okay.

'Yeah, everything is fine don't worry...I'll see you later' He excused himself and walked away.

I walked into the class and felt anxious suddenly, maybe because I was away for so long that coming back felt weird. I felt like I missed out on so much. I walked to my usual seat and waited for the class to the start. Mr.Hamza was not in the class.