MANAL

30: Manal

The feeling of knowing I was about to return home, after several months was serene—joyous. I couldn't wait to see Ummi and Abii. I didn't think I'd miss Imran, but inspite of how annoying he always got, I still did. I couldn't wait to see and give him the tightest hug ever.

I missed my family.

"Amiga, in which country are you lost? Who are you thinking about?" She wiggled her brows and looked at me askance.

I craned my neck to Hala, who was dressed in a sleeveless blue blouse and a skimpy black skirt. "My family." I pursed up my lips. "I missed them terribly. I can't wait to go home anymore."

"It's just a matter of ten days." Hala's voice depicted tranquility. "Actually, I don't even want to go home. I wish I can just stay here instead."

I wasn't surprised by her outburst, because it wasn't the first time she was mentioning it. She had mentioned it numerous number of times already. I wasn't new to her display of nonchalance, but my curiosity couldn't be repressed. "Why? Do you hate your home so badly? You're the first person I have seen that doesn't want to return home."

Hala heaved a sigh and plopped into my bed. "You won't understand."

"What is it?" I asked and sat down beside her in the bed.

"My parents are very strict with me." She pursed up her lips again.

In spite of how hard she tried to mask the pain in her eyes, I could see through the act. She looked pained. I could understand the feeling, because it kind of reminded me of Ummi.

"Especially my dad. If I tell you the things we're being deprived of, you won't believe it." She breathed. "Do you know we have no televisions in our house? Not because we can't afford it, but because apparently, dad thinks it's immoral to watch TV. He believes there are no good shows. According to him, all shows are bad. As a kid, I had always loved cartoons, but because of the kind of family I grew up in, I couldn't watch it in my own home or even freely outside home. I always had to sneak to our neighbor's to watch. There was a time mum caught me. She didn't even twice, before telling on me. I was only seven then. I can still remember how badly my dad punished me on that day. Why? Because, in his words, I sneaked to a neighbor's and watched a useless cartoon, that had no morals at all. That's not even the worse part." She continued. "Do you know that up until now, I'm not allowed to have visitors or even to visit friends? I'm expected to be home 24/7."

"What?" I asked, bemused. "Not at all?" I found it really strange. Ummi was strict, yes, but she sometimes allowed me visit my friends and she had never stopped any of my friends from visiting.

"Actually, sometimes—rarely, he allows me, but my elder brother would have to tag along. It hurts to know that your parents don't even trust you. And do you know the most surprising thing?"

I shook my head.

"This," she picked up her phone from the bed. "is actually the first phone I have had."

Hmm.

"Dad even suggested a Nokia touch light for me, but mum disagreed, because she feels it'd be unwise, since I'm going to university and would need an Android phone to make researches for assignments and all that. In a nutshell," she heaved a deep sigh. "I have been grounded my whole life—grounded for no reasons at all."

I had always thought Ummi had been way to strict with me, but Hala's story changed that. Her story actually made me feel bad for her. I felt her family background was the reason she turned out the way she did—by this, I meant her interest in hanging out with different people and always attending parties. I felt she was trying to have all the freedom she had been deprived of her whole life—almost as if she was trying to make up for lost times.