The Girl in The Green Scarf

T w e n t y

CHAPTER TWENTY
HAMSA

"You're alive," Yahiya whispers into my head scarf, he lets out a sigh so heavy that I feel his chest shake.

"What happened to you? Where were you? How did you even come back? Are you hurt? Tell me," he says in between the kisses and the tears.

"I'm okay, Yahiya," I say with a laugh, unable to decipher all of this.

"I thought you were gone, I thought I would never see you again."

"I am right here."

He pulls back to look at me and then he holds me back in a hug.

"Alhamdulillah," he says. "Alhamdulillah."

"I missed you too big brother," I say and my voice gets muffled by his shirt.

"Okay, okay you guys, enough with the tears," Lamees says with a low chuckle, wiping off a stray tear off the edge of her eye.

"May Allah bless you two, for the sake of each other," Uncle Osama says, smiling at us kindly. Yahiya and I mumble an 'Amen', reluctantly breaking out of the embrace. He gives me one last kiss on my temple before collapsing onto the couch, resting his head on its back.

He looks very tired and from where I stand he seems years older. I wonder where he was staying and what was his reaction when Uncle Osama told him I was back, but I can't bring myself to ask him anything, it's like he said, I don't even need to know. I just want to fill my eyes with his sight and not speak a word. He looks up at me and with a warm smile takes my hand in his, bringing me to sit beside him.

"You look okay, are you really?" Yahiya asks me.

I give him what I hope looks like an assuring smile and squeeze his hand.

"I am very much okay."

"Alhamdulillah," he says, letting out a shaky breath.

"Insha'Allah you didn't run into any guards, father," Lamees says, sitting herself across from us and so does Uncle Osama who's still slightly out of breath.

"We almost did, but we made a run for it," he says with a sigh. "This guy here is one fast runner."

Yahiya smirks, his eyes glistening.

"You're not so bad yourself old man," he says lightheartedly.

"Who are you calling old? I am younger than you dude! Don't get fooled by how old this girl makes me look," he says poking Lamees, "I just got married at a young age!"

"I didn't know it was possible for anyone to get married at age 5, father," Lamees says, rolling her eyes.

"Well my father said I was so mature that I could if I wanted, and your mother was so beautiful she stole my heart, I had to make a move."

Finally none of us could hold it in and we break into fit of laughter.

"But, isn't it too early for patrols?" I ask as the laughter dies.

"Well a lot happened when you were... away," Lamees says, scrunching her eyebrows "long story short; curfew now starts from 4 o'clock, right after A'sr prayer."

"What?" I snap, my posture stiffening. "What do you mean the curfew starts after A'sr prayer now?"

"I mean that anyone seen out after A'sr prayer will be facing severe discipline," Lamees says.

"I – I know what a curfew means Lamees," I say, rolling my eyes. "I mean who set it and why?"

'Who else would it be? And nobody knows why, nobody ever does." She glances down at her hands, her shoulders slumping.