That Means that.... JUSTIFIES the End

Chapter 1: My Freedom feels so good

She flicked open her eyes and close them again as the rays of the sun started brightening the room, fumbling about for her mobile phone, which was supposed to be on the bedside stool... But, she could not feel any stool at all  nearby. Alarmed, her eyes flew open and she sat up at once, 'where am I?' Was the only question that occupied her mind, and to which she could not find an answer.
She looked around the room, hoping to find somwthing to aid her memory, something to help her identify her location,  anything at all... An abrupt knock from the door got her startled to a sharp alertness, her heart was beating fast, almost too fast, as she thought of how to protect herself from whoever was at the other side of the door... The knock came again, increasing her inner turmoil, then the knob turned and the door creaked open, the light almost blinding her as she tried to make out the 'visitor', to be sure of whether or not she definitely needed to protect herself from them.
Smiling, he strolled in leisurely into the room, a tray in his hands, 'Good morning', he greeted as he dropped the tray on the bed before her.
She remained silent, her gaze unwavering, trying in earnest to recognize 'this man' and wondering what in God's holy name she was doing on bed 'in his house' (obviously, judging from his conduct since the time he walked into the room).'But...'
'Oh, I guess you  are trying to put the whole picture together, who I am and how you got here,  am I right?' The man spoke, interrupting her thoughts.
Sh kept the solemn silence and that unnerved him greatly, he had to get her to talk, and so far, his customary track seemed to be failing, he cleared his throat and smiled again. 'My name is Richard and I....'
'Richard...' She mouthed quietly as she tried to place the name beside the person standing before her and realizing neither was familiar at all to her. The man -Richard, he said- was saying something but she was past hearing, she needed to make sense of her surroundings, and fast,  but, she could not bring herself to ask, to let him know for certain that she was that vulnerable at the moment, she dragged her attention back to the man standing before her....
Richard was getting agitated, nothing he said seemed to be getting through to this lady. He could have assumed she was deaf or mentally unstable, if not for the one time he saw her lips move and appeared to be thinking over something he had said. He smiled yet again as he noticed her focus on him again, 'I hope you enjoy your meal. I'll be back in a few minutes to pack the dishes,so, relax' he managed to say and saw her brows jump as he said the last word, making him wonder what had happened, if only she would say something instead of just staring at him like.... he was thinking, before he heard her say a few words, 'pardon?' ,he asked, looking intently at her.
Matching his powerful gaze, she said, 'where am I?'
'Oh' was all he could manage to get out,then, his smile back on his face, 'I was thinking we should talk about that after your meal' he said cheerfully, grateful she had eventually asked a question (which she naturally should have as soon as he stepped into the room). Without giving her the chance to accept or reject the proposition,he walked out of the room in long strides, heaving sighs of relief.
The door shut and she sat silently, alone with her thoughts and imaginations once more. Staring at the tray before her, she wondered if the man had... Her thoughts jerked to a stop and her gaze flew to the door at once as a pretty lady walked in to join her, smiling just as brightly as the other man. Her senses acutely sharp and alert now, she watched the lady's every move, up to the point where she sat on a chair by the side of her bed -she had not even noticed the seat before- neither spoke for the next few seconds and they appeared to be sizing each other up.
Still wearing the smile, making her wonder if it was some sort of rule in their house -or was it an organization?- the other lady extended a hand for a shake, 'hi, I'm Jessica, Richard's girlfriend'. For a good long while, the inviting hand was left hanging in the air, making Jessy feel more uncomfortable with every passing second. Eventually, she withdrew her hand, still having the beautiful smile on, and  rose to leave after encouraging her to enjoy her meal.
'Where is this place?' The voice startled her to a halt, just a few steps to the door.
Calmly, she replaced her smile and turned back to face her, 'You're scared? Oh, don't be... I'll be back with Richie in a while, so enjoy your meal now. And....' She added as an afterthought, 'you're very safe, so, relax'. And with that,she closed the distance between herself and the door and let herself out.
Alone again.... She sighed resignedly and moved the tray closer to herself,the sight of food made her stomach growl and her mouth water. Left with no other choice anyway, she started eating and in no more than 5minutes, she was done with everything served, even the fruit juice! Remembering how weary she ought be in the unfamiliar environment and how she cleared every single drop of edible on the tray, an hoarse laughter escaped her throat.
A knock on the door cut off the amusement, she watched the couple -if she remembered that correctly- walk in, the lady in the fore. She felt much calmer than she could ever have felt since the moment she opened her eyes to find herself in that room. Her steady gaze never missed a single step as she watched them advance and then sit; the man in the chair the lady used earlier, while the lady sat at the other end of the bed, after removing the tray to place at the foot of it, making her move back instinctively till her back was against the wall -all for the better, she thought- still clutching the bed spread, she was looking at them from one to the other, expecting either of them to say something.
Richard and his companion had been most pleased to see that she had finished all her food -and drinks; juice and water- and this,they made most evident on their smiling faces. The couple exchanged a short acute glance, then Richard cleared his throat -an unnecessary gesture, she knew- and started saying something -to her? Oh, she could not hear a word- then smiled, 'and, my dear, that was how we brought you home yesterday, around noon. We are very pleased and grateful to see you awake this morning, Jessy had been all scared we probably brought...' He paused for a while, probably weighing his words, 'anyway, we're most glad that you're awake, and okay now' he concluded.
Her mind had wandered off again, the couple knew, but, at what point of Richard's explanation, they could not identify.
'Zaynab' the voice kept shouting, awfully close, begging her not to go, but, she had been too upset to listen.
'Where is that coming from?' she was trying to place the last scene, trying to figure out what part that memory came from -or could it be a dream?- Her head was hurting, terribly so, and she could have been alone in the room for all she cared. Suddenly, it flowed, it hit her pretty hard, she remembered.... Yes, her name was Zaynab, and she... She had left her parent's home in anger that beautiful early morning, her father was not giving her a breathing space, always ready to attack her every move and action. She was old enough to make her own decisions, she could not understand why her parent failed to understand that, so, she had packed her belongings and left that morning, despite her mother's cries and pleas, she knew she has had just enough. Then this place... Oh, she remembered this Richard man -man? Guy, oh, whatever- said they brought her home from some place... Uhm, now she remembers: she had alighted from a taxi and was having quite a hard time deciding on where to go, when, she heard a loud thud, on her own head, she saw no one, she could not have turned to check before she felt herself falling. Her guess was that the couple had probably seen her -at noon? Wow, pretty long while she spent lying lifeless on the streets- unconscious there and had brought her home -their home, or was it his, or hers? Well, she cared less for that information- out of the generosity of their hearts.
A soft pull at her feet brought her back to the present, 'Oh, I'm... Sorry' she managed to say, forcing herself to stop worrying over buts and what ifs...
Smiling, Jessica patted her feet kindly, 'Sure not, so, sweetheart, mind telling us about yourself and how you got in such a state to...' She glanced at Richard, afraid she was not putting her words together rightly, and afraid of putting their guest's will to talk at bay. Before she could decide on whether or not to continue, the lady spoke....
'Uhm, I'm really grateful to you two,I sincerely appreciate the kindness with which you practically saved my life. Uhm...' She thought over how best to explain herself, she sighed, 'my name is Zaynab, and...' The surprise look on both of their faces made her stop abruptly, wondering what was amiss. 'You're Muslim?' The couple asked incredulously, making her feel a bit embarrassed and flustered, 'of course, they would not have known, how would they have?' She querried herself and forced a smile 'Yeah, I'm Muslim. Any problem with that?' She asked in the most polite tone she could manage in that situation.
'Sure, sure not' they both stammered, and Jessica added, 'Just surprised, you know, who would have thought the lady...' Instinctively, she looked at Richard and swallowed the rest of the statement, she agreed with him -in their silence- that what she was about to say was pretty offensive, and downright rude, she forced a smile nonetheless.
Zaynab swallowed, 'so, this is part of what dad was saying', she thought as she chided herself mentally, she hated to ever admit her father was right, but right now, she knew no one could have been more accurate. She forced her voice to a stiff politeness -if nothing else, I owe them for saving my life- and told them of how someone had hit her with something on the head -or, something had hit her on the head, she was not sure either ways, but the first idea seemed more logical- whilst she was waiting to catch a cab to a friend's place. She shrugged, 'well, maybe not entirely the truth, but, it couldn't be called a lie either, could it?', thinking that to herself. The couple sympathized with her and told her to feel at home, she smiled in gratitude, there was nothing she could have wanted more. Just before leaving the room, Jessica asked if there was anything she wanted to have, Zaynab replied in the negative, and instead, asked her where they had kept her bags for she needed her cell phone. The way the couple exchanged a worried glance gave her all the answers she could have wanted -maybe not necessarily want,but had to get anyway: she had been robbed- Well, why else would she have been knocked out on the street in such early hours of the day? What was she thinking? Oops, she realized, she had not been thinking at all -she smiled at them though, 'never mind, I get the gist. Thanks once again for saving my ass, my life, sorry, getting me off the streets like that', the couple smiled, Jessica was so glad she returned to give her a hug -a hug, Zaynab could not remember the last time anyone had hugged her so, out of pure love and concern- Richard was glad watching them, Jessica had that soft spot for any 'damsel in distress', he grinned. He left the room with his girlfriend -that's what Jessica had introduced herself as, right?- soon afterwards.
Zaynab sighed as she heard the door close, all the mystery had been unravelled, now all she had to do was think and think fast, decide on where she will go to from there, what with every single one of her possessions stolen -oh, had she not forgotten her school ID card and ATM card somewhere in the school where a friend had called to inform her she helped her pick it from? Well, that is just the good side, the bad side was that her phone had also been stolen, and that means meeting that someone -friend- would not be any easy. She smiled, she believed something would definitely work itself out, it just had to, she trusted the God she worshipped - worship? She laughed, she was no worshipper, but, definitely, she believed.- At ease now, she pulled back the spread and got to her feet, wondering which of them had helped her change out of her crazy short gown -if that piece of cloth barely covering her ass passed for a gown at all- and into this well over sized shirt and shorts. She snorted, wasn't the answer obvious? Well, not like she cared so much whichever of them if had been, she laughed as she headed for the restroom, grateful for the the beautiful day that did not start like her parent always made it, 'make sure to wake your daughter for solah' her father would say when leaving for the mosque with her brother, and then her mother will come shouting in her ears, 'Zaynab baby, it's time for Fajr Solah'..... Hahhahahahaha, she laughed again, it is so good to be free, so damn good!
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N.B: Surah Al-Baqara, Verse 3:
الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَمِمَّا رَزَقْنَاهُمْ يُنفِقُونَ

Those who believe in the unseen and keep up prayer and spend out of what We have given them.
(English - Shakir)
Surah Al-Baqara, Verse 8:
وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَن يَقُولُ آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَبِالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَمَا هُم بِمُؤْمِنِينَ

And there are some people who say: We believe in Allah and the last day; and they are not at all believers.
(English - Shakir)
Surah Al-Baqara, Verse 13:
وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ آمِنُوا كَمَا آمَنَ النَّاسُ قَالُوا أَنُؤْمِنُ كَمَا آمَنَ السُّفَهَاءُ أَلَا إِنَّهُمْ هُمُ السُّفَهَاءُ وَلَٰكِن لَّا يَعْلَمُونَ
And when it is said to them: Believe as the people believe, they say: Shall we believe as the fools believe? Now surely they themselves are the fools, but they do not know.
(English - Shakir)
Surah Al-Baqara, Verse 21:
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اعْبُدُوا رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ
O men! serve your Lord Who created you and those before you so that you may guard (against evil).
(English - Shakir)
Surah Al-Baqara, Verse 43:
وَأَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَآتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَارْكَعُوا مَعَ الرَّاكِعِينَ
And keep up prayer and pay the poor-rate and bow down with those who bow down.
(English - Shakir)
Narrated By Abu Huraira
The Prophet said, "Faith (Belief) consists of more than sixty branches (i.e. parts). And Haya (This term "Haya" covers a large number of concepts which are to be taken together; amongst them are self respect, modesty, bashfulness, and scruple, etc.) is a part of faith.... Sahih Bukhari 1:2:8
Narrated By Abu Huraira
The Prophet said, "Religion is very easy and whoever overburdens himself in his religion will not be able to continue in that way. So you should not be extremists, but try to be near to perfection and receive the good tidings that you will be rewarded; and gain strength by worshipping in the mornings, the nights." (See Fath-ul-Bari, Vol 1). Sahih Bukhari 1:2:38