Tears of Zubaida.

•••••TEARS OF ZUBAIDA••••• •••Chapter Thirty-five•••

Her eyelids rolled up slowly, revealing her misted eyes, she quietly scanned the room she was in and nothing seemed to be familiar. Gently, she moved her fingers one after the other before she pressed her palms deep into the mattress that was perfectly fitted into the bed, then she tried sitting up.

"She's awake." An unfamiliar voice said.

"Sannu Zubaida." Hayaat walked to her and helped her adjust her position.

Zubaida nodded her head, at the same time trying to remember where she has seen that face.

"Where's Ruqayyah? I saw her earlier." Zubaida questioned Hayaat.

"Rest a bit, she'd come in to see you later."

"Who are you then?" She asked, "and where am I?"

Hayaat's heart churned, "Zubaida, don't you remember me? Hayaat, Aunty Hayaat, Maman Aisha?"

Zubaida looked down trying to recall where she heard that name but the little attempt became futile. "I... I don't know you." She said. "Where's my sister?" She further asked.

Hayaat turned to the lady in the room, "could you please call her sister? She should be with Maleekah."

The lady nodded her head and exited the room to the filled canopied environment searching for Maleekah and Ruqayyah.

Ruqayyah entered the room and met Zubaida speaking with Hayaat.

"Ruqayyah!" She exclaimed. "Ashe zan ganki." She added almost inaudibly.

Ruqayyah hugged Zubaida tightly, as though leaving her will be the end of them both.

"What happened?" Ruqayyah inquired releasing the hug. "How did you met this woman? I visited Wardanga and Inna told me what she knows."

Zubaida guiltily looked down, a lot happened, she ran away from home, and ran away from the hospitable family that took her in, she was pregnant.

Oh my pregnancy.

She rubbed around her belly and felt no bump, it was flat, like nothing has ever lived there. She gasped.

"My- my baby."

"He died to sickle cell, remember?" Hayaat chipped.

"It's a lie! I haven't birthed him yet, I know I ran away. I didn't want to abort the baby. I wanted to keep the baby." She said in a loud voice. "Dana." She said with a croaked voice.

Ruqayyah was shocked, she couldn't decipher anything from what Hayaat or her sister had both said. Inna told her everything but she skipped the abortion part. For how long has Zubaida been away exactly? This is a family issue, it shouldn't be discussed in a house filled with people that are there to celebrate. She quickly dialed Aunty Baraka's digits, the call was picked at the fifth ring.

"Aunty... I think we are done... oh alright." Ruqayyah hastily ended the call.

"We will be leaving soon." Ruqayyah referred to Hayaat. "But before then, I would like to know everything about her stay with you. Did she actually had the baby? And he died?"

"My child isn't dead!" Zubaida interrupted. "He's here," she rubbed her belly. "He is here, he isn't dead." She began sobbing silently.

"If you think I'm lying, ask Amina. Call her or go to her house and ask her."

An unfamiliar look was exchanged between Hayaat and Ruqayyah upon hearing her mention a third party.

"Who's Amina?" Ruqayyah queried.