Behind A Smile ✔

70

It doesn't hurt to vote 😪

•

Bilal maneuvered back to his car and got in. His breaths were emerging in labored pants and his palms, sweaty. Up until that moment, he couldn't believe his father would do that to him. He hadn't exactly been a good father to him, by only providing him with material things. What he needed ever since he was just a kid, was for his father to be there for him - to always give him the right advice and to also be a mother he wasn't opportune to meet. He hadn't been the ideal father to him, but at least he knew he had a family, even though it wasn't perfect. Now that he had disowned him, he knew he had no one to call his own anymore. In a matter of two months, Zynah would also leave him and take their son away with her. He will be left with no one to rely on and stay with, when his sickness would kick in hard. He didn't want this. This wasn't the life he visualized, but since it was his destiny, there was nothing he could do, but embrace it. He placed his head on the steering wheel and sobbed - he didn't care about seeming week to Zynah at the moment. He was broken beyond words.

Zynah's heart broke at the sight of Bilal's shuddering body. Indubitably, she knew his good for nothing father must have done something extremely terrible to him. She felt bad for him. "Bilal..." She called in a soft voice. "Bilal." She called again and placed a hand on his shoulder.

He instantly stiffed.

"Please talk to me; what's wrong with you? What happened in there?" She inquired, worriedly.

He wanted to speak, but knew he couldn't in his state of emotional trauma.

Zynah understood and gave him time to regain his composure, but her hand didn't leave his back, rubbing to and fro, soothingly.

Within few minutes, he calmed down and wiped his face with a kerchief, before lifting his head.

Zynah swallowed a painful lump in her throat at the sight of his red and puffy eyes. This wasn't the first time she was seeing him this broke, but it was the first time she felt so much pity for him. His father had always done nothing, but add to his problems. "What's wrong?" She repeated her question.

Instead of giving her the reply to her question, he scooted closer to her and wrapped his arms around her, tightly.

His action made Zynah's heart thump harder against its confines. "Bilal?" She mumbled.

"I'm now an orphan." He stated in a broken voice.

Zynah's eyes widened. "Your dad is...dead?"

Bilal's arms suddenly tightened around her. "You and Adnan are the only family I have left." His tears drenched her shoulder. "When you finally leave me, I'll be all alone. I don't want that moment to arrive, Zynah. I really don't."

Zynah opened her mouth to speak, but no words could emerge. She suddenly became tongue tied. She knew she had to leave by the end of the given time, but hearing Bilal speak in that way had her reconsidering her decision. Was she doing the right thing?

"Dad has disowned me. He doesn't want anything to do with me anymore. He...he considers me a stranger now."

Zynah's heart fell - she still couldn't bring herself to speak, but wondered the kind of father Mr. Idris was. How could he do that to his son without a valid reason? "SubhanAllah!" She pulled back. "How did that happened? What did you...just like that? I mean..." She rambled on, not knowing the right words to use at the moment.

"He is furious because of what happened with Zaahida. He wants me to divorce you as well." He responded.

Zynah felt a pang in her heart. From the very beginning, she didn't know what she ever did to deserve his family's hatred. "What didn't you just do it?" She questioned. "Its bound to happen anyway." Immediately those words left her mouth, she wish she could take them back. Even in her ears, they sounded cruel. He was going through an emotional disaster and instead of making him feel better or keep quiet, she just had to oppress him, by adding to his distress.