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Behind A Smile 035
Taking a last look at her reflection in the mirror, Zynah smiled. She was clad in a sky blue abaya and a white hijab wrapped around her head. She looked breathtakingly beautiful. Satisfied at the image staring back at her, she took her handbag from the bed and ambled out of the house. To her utmost surprise, Ibrahim was standing just outside her gate, with a bouquet of flowers in his left hand. Her eyes almost bulged out of their sockets. She raised her hand, taking a swift look at her wrist watch. "What are you doing here?" She whisper yelled. "So early?" "Good morning to you too," He replied sarcastically, a smirk playing on his lips. "I hope you had a good sleep." Zynah rolled her eyes. "Don't you have somewhere more important to be? The office for example?" "You keep asking me this," He scoffed. "To answer your question, nope," He shook his head. "I don't have anywhere more important to be. I took a day off yesterday." Zynah rolled her eyes. "Okay, why are you
Behind A Smile 036
A light-skinned, average-height young lady of barely twenty three was in a mall — in the men's section — shopping, alongside a man whose back was turned on her as she searched through the ranks for a shirt. "I think this shirt will look good on you, baby. We should totally get it," She said, showing the emerald colored shirt to him. Without even taking a look at the shirt, a nonchalant shrug was his response before he muttered. "Okay." His back still turned on her, and his focus remained on his phone. Undeterred, she switched tactics, picking up a blue shirt, her voice high-pitched. "Baby, how about this? Do you like it?" "Yes." He gave yet another nonchalant reply. "Come on, baby!" She whined, stretching the words into an annoying singsong. "Just take a look at it for even a second and tell me what you think. Pleaseeee?" "I will be fine with anything you choose," he said dismissively. "No. This won't do! Why did you bring me along then if you knew you were going to
Behind A Smile 037
"Oh my God!" Zaahida shrieked, her voice laced with panic. "Did you just kill a child?" Her eyes widened and her mouth hung slightly open in disbelief. Bilal shot her a glare before averting his gaze to the little boy lying on his toes. He was pretty sure he didn't hit him with his car, then why did he suddenly pass out? A knot of worry tightened in his stomach. Staring intently at the little boy, he couldn't pinpoint why he looked exactly like him as a kid and that wasn't all, at the same time, he looked like Zynah as well. To get rid of the ridiculous notion, he shook his head vigorously. Missing Zynah this much couldn't be causing him to hallucinate, could it? Yet an inexplicable feeling lingered. "These people will take care of him, let's leave, baby." She placed a hand on his shoulder and spoke in her annoying squeaky voice. "Before someone accuses you of hitting him." Bilal peeled her hand off his shoulder with a grimace, and crouched beside the boy, gently placing a
Behind A Smile 038
Hafsa stumbled through the doorway in tears. She had tried all she could to look for Adnan, but her efforts were all in vain. She didn't know where he was or in what condition he was in. Every passing moment felt like an eternity. "Please calm down, mum. We will find Adnan in sha Allah," Ramlah reassured, fighting back her own tears. She was trying her best not to break down in front of her mother, but inwardly, she was also losing hope. "Why Ramlah? I shouldn't have left him alone with you!" Hafsa pointed a finger at her accusingly. "Why did you let him out of your sight?" Ramlah's shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry, mum. It wasn't intentional," She allowed the tears that brimmed up in her eyes to finally fall. "I didn't want this to happen either." "Poor Adnan!" Hafsa sobbed. "How are we ever going to find him now? He's still so little." "Should I tell Zynah about thi—" "Don't," Hafsa yelled, cutting her off. "She's not related to him, so why should she be disturbed? Ju
Behind A Smile 039
"People are just so uncivilised these days," Bilal voiced, shaking his head in disappointment..He was just about to get into his car, when his phone started vibrating in his pocket. Without caring to take a look at the caller ID, he fished the phone out and placed his index finger on the fingerprint sensor. "Hello." "Please where are you baby?" Came Zaahida's high-pitched voice that Bilal found extremely annoying. "I'm stranded. I don't even know where I am!" Bilal puffed out air from his mouth. "And?" "I don't know how I'm supposed to come home. I'm scared, baby," She cried. "Please come back." "Alright," Bilal finally obliged. "Stay right where you are. I will be there in few minutes.""Thank you so much, baby. I knew you'd come back for me. I love y-" he didn't wait for her to finish her statement before ending the call. Getting into his car, he sped off. •"My baby," Hafsa knelt in front of Adnan and engulfed him in a bone crushing hug. Tears streamed down her face uncontro
Behind A Smile 040
Zaahida held her lower lip in between her teeth and snorted; "Doesn't seem so. Who is present in your life? In your house right now?" Bilal's nostrils flared, disgust laced in his voice. "Just because my father forced me to allow you live here, doesn't mean you have a place in my heart. That would never happen, so I'd advise you not to get your hopes up. Zynah-" "Zynah! Zynah!" She yelled, throwing her hands up in the air in exasperation. "I hate her! I hope she's dead already! I'm tired of hearing you speak about her!" Anger boiled in Bilal's veins, his brows tightly furrowed and his fists clenched. Albeit knowing how childish and annoying Zaahida could get, her words surged right into his heart, like a dagger. Without hesitation, he lunged at her and wrapped his hands around her neck, wringing it mercilessly. Zaahida gasped and choked on air. She attempted to peel his hands off her neck, by hitting and clawing them with hers, but her attempt was futile. Her eyes had alre
Behind A Smile 041
Hafsa couldn't bring herself to at least take a seat. She was pacing to and fro in the hospital, anticipating the emergence of the doctor with anxiety. Her demeanor was detorted in extreme worry. Ramlah, who had been watching her mother with concern all the while, approached her in a subtle manner and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Please have a seat, mum," she beseeched. "You're making me feel dizzy with the way you're pacing about. Please stop it already. In shaa Allah, Adnan will be fine. I'm sure it's just a fever. Nothing serious." "I hope so," Hafsa muttered. Inexplicably, she was having a bad feeling. Ever since he was birthed, this was the first time he was rushed to the hospital. She felt uneasy. "I—" just as she was about to say something else, the door to the emergency room swung open and a young man of about thirty three years of age emerged. Both Hafsa and Ramlah rushed towards him. "How's he doing, doctor?" Ramlah inquired, apprehensively.
Behind A Smile 042
"No," Hafsa shook her head vigorously. "We can't do that! Those two don't need to know. We will find a way somehow." Ramlah furrowed her brows in disbelief. "We don't have a choice, mom. We have to do this for the sake of Adnan and besides, they are his parents. Zynah is still his moth-" "The moment she decided to abandon him, she lost all rights to be called his mother," Hafsa cut her off, irritatedly. "Adnan doesn't have a mother." "This isn't about her," Ramlah reasoned, gazing into her eyes in an attempt to draw compassion from them. "This is about Adnan. Let's do this for him please." Defeated, Hafsa crouched down and cried. She never knew a time would arrive when she would ask for favors from Zynah for Adnan. She swore not to even speak about him to her anymore, but we don't always get what we want in life, right? After how Zynah abandoned her son, she didn't deserve to be in his life anymore. Hafsa had given her a chance to change her mind, but she didn't take
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