Chapter Thirty One – Far away
Raphael sighed as he remembered that day as he sat in his car. If only…..if only she knew the sacrifices he made just for her.
From that day on, Raphael had done exactly as Layaan told him to do. His first request was to let his father take half of his whole net worth through a court case. That was done in exchange of Layaan taking full responsibility of doing his best to cure Raphael’s father. Raphael had sat in the court, listening to the arguments between Ahmed and supposedly his lawyer who was hired by Ahmed. Raphael purposely let them win the case in hope he would have some peace of mind.
And he did. For a number of days. He did not receive any threats about Alaya getting hurt and his father was being treated well. Everything was going smoothly months until he’d arranged a marketing event at a high school hall in New York. He’d arranged the event at a night where they were supposed to have an Islamic awareness program that was led by the Muslim Student Association of that school. It was too late when he got to know that the program was postponed as the prom of the year was preponed to that night. Raphael was furious when he entered the hall where he was expecting an Islamic lecture and saw couples dancing in every corner. When he confronted his employees about it, they said they did not inform him before as they knew that he would refuse. But they were desperate to make some profit as the business was already suffering from a tremendous loss. Raphael understood their sentiments to a certain extent yet made one thing clear to his handful of muslim employees.
“I started this business with two coins in my hand and nothing else. But my mother told me to start every work with the name of Allah. She had told me that everything we do is blessed when we start with Bismillah. As weird as it sounded, I did that for the love of my mother. But I did start seeing blessings when I did so. And my life changed when I began to obey Allah more and more…..there is reason why this company is built upon the basics of decency and honesty. If we move even a tiny bit away from that image and we disobey Allah, we would lose our status and we would be humiliated even more than we are right now…” Raphael said in hope that it would impact his employees. They nodded and apologized sadly to him. Raphael then ordered them to take down everything from there and they respectfully obeyed.
As Raphael left behind his employees to leave that place as quickly as possible, a certain scene caught his eye. It was a girl in a hijab and a blue maxi dress. Her face was not clear to him as he saw her from a significant distant yet something happened in his heart that made him stare at the scene. The girl’s hand was taken by a random western young man and it seemed like the girl did not want to. Raphael involuntarily turned and slowly began to walk towards that direction as the young man brought the girl close and began to dance. The closer he got, the faster his heart raced. And just as the man turned the girl around, Raphael got a clearer look of her face and he stopped in his tracks. It was her! It was none other than the girl he had loved his whole life. It was none other than the one he had waited for so long. The one for whom he’d given up so much.
Raphael noticed the anxiousness and hesitation on her face and his fist clenched as he looked at the man who held her. He took a step forward hoping to save her but just then, the song ended and cheers filled the hall along with a western girl’s voice that stood out in the crowd.
“Whoa! Give a hand for these love birds everyone! Alaya and Max! It’s the first day of their relationship. No wonder they look so romantic together eh Ally? Once more what do you think ya’ll. Once more once more once more…..” as the girl in the crowd began to say it, the whole crowd echoed the same words. Raphael looked at Alaya in disbelief. He saw her trying to smile at the crowd and blushing as the man caressed her face. Raphael looked away instantaneously as it hurt his chest to see it. Was it really true that the girl he loved is in a place like this? With a man with no sense of decency? And she was in a relationship with that man? Had she forgotten about him? Was it that easy for her to forget? Was it only him who cried in desperation?
His heart broke into a million pieces as he came to the realization. His eyes reddened as he thought about it in rage and in sadness. He looked at the couple in front of him for the last time and he began to walk out. He walked fast with wide steps taking him further away from that scene. He walked out of the hall and began to walk out the building as well. He walked out even through the gate of the school in a rush and got in his Range Rover and shut the door. He took deep breaths in an attempt to get a hold of his emotions. But even as he closed his eyes, it was impossible for him not to imagine the scene that he just saw. The scene of the girl he loved so much, in the hands of another man. As he imagined more and more, he could not help but think of the insecurity hidden in that face. How her smile did not reach her eyes even as she faced the crowed. The more he thought about it, the more his thoughts went in another direction. Could it be that she was forced to dance with that man? Could it be that she did not want to be here in the first place? Could it be that she was in danger?
As soon as the question popped in his mind, Raphael found himself getting out of his car. He walked right back into the campus, perhaps even quicker than he came out. Within minutes, he found himself back in the hall. His eyes wandered as he walked in, to see any signs of her. To his utter shock, he found her near a bar. Facing three men and not knowing what to do.
“Meet my new hot girlfriend!” the man who danced with Alaya said to the other two men. Raphael’s jaw tightened as he heard that. Alaya did not respond.
“Well look at that cloth on her head. Why don’t you take it off Max?” Max’s friend said. He sounded equally high to Raphael as his friend.
“Yeah, we’d like to take a look too. Do it Max!” the other one said and Raphael expected Alaya to run away. But he gritted his teeth as he saw her just standing there as Max walked closer to her.
“Stupid girl!” Raphael said under his breath and took steps towards her. As he got just about two steps further from her, he took a drink from the bar. As Max rose his hand to undo Alaya’s hijab, Raphael threw the drink on his face without second thoughts. In the next split second, he held Alaya’s hand, turned his back and began to walk out along with her. As he realized Alaya would be looking at him, he wondered whether she would recognize him. He thought Alaya would ask him about who he was and he wished for it too. But she didn’t. She didn’t say a single word even as they walked out of the campus. Had she did, he’d probably have taken her in his Range Rover. Now that all his fears about anyone harming her were over, he could have her in his hands and protect her. But there were absolutely no signs from her side. The fact that she was in a relationship with another guy was proof that she forgot about him. So why should he walk back in her life? She’d probably not even recognize him, if he showed his face and even introduce himself. How in the world could she remember if he described himself as that poor boy who used to talk to her about 10 years ago and who she had abandoned at the train station? She wouldn’t! And he can’t take a chance of being considered immature by the love of his life.
Raphael was hurt beyond words as he told himself that he would turn his back to Alaya. So he got her into a taxi and gave a dollar bill to a driver without even caring much about what he gave. He walked towards his Range Rover, got in it and took a U-turn though his destination was in the same direction as the taxi in front him. But no. He had to go. He had to go far far away, Raphael thought as he drove away.
