Chapter Eight – Evil plans

No way! It couldn’t be happening. She couldn’t possibly be forced into an arranged marriage. For God’s sake her parents have lived in America for over a decade. It can’t be that they still carry with them their old school thoughts. It just can’t be. They will accept if she tried to talk to them. They had to!

Alaya wanted to end the matter, then and there. She walked fiercely towards her parents’ room. As she reached the door she imagined herself knocking the door to the point it falls right through the room and her parents wake up with a start. That would have been a funny thought for her if she wasn’t so furious. She just stopped at the door panting. As she was just about to knock on the door, she heard the loud sound of a police car siren from the outside. She looked towards the main door in wonder. Within a few minutes, her mother opened the door.

“What’s that about? Those burglars must be back in the neighborhood again. Mahmood wake up! Alaya what are you doing here?”

Waleeda asked too many questions at once in a hurry while startling Mahmood who was trying hard to get up from bed.

“I…I…I..I just…” Alaya attempted to answer to her mother’s question. But she went towards the main door fixing her hijab on her head and paying little attention to Alaya. Just then, even Asma and Liam were out of their room and within a few seconds, all lights were on.

When Waleeda opened the main door, even Mahmood, who was just coming out of his room heard the cry of their muslim neighbor from just across the street. Hearing the cry of the middle aged women named Rafiyya, everyone came towards the main door to sneak a peak.

“Help us officer….our daughter has fled from home, leaving a suicide note.” Rafiyya talked to the police officer, crying her eyes out.

“We understand ma’m. We will do our very best to find her.” the officer said, consolingly. Rafiyya was still crying when the officers went inside the home to carry out an investigation. Waleeda being the best neighbor in the community, immediately went to her close friend. Alaya simply did not want to go as she seriously does not know how to handle a crying person, let alone a crying mother, who has just lost her daughter. But when Asma followed her mom towards that house, Alaya felt compelled to go.

The three of them reached Rafiyya just as she was about to go inside.

“Rafiyya wait a second!” Waleeda called, reaching up to her with her two daughters following behind her. Rafiyya turned around with teary eyes and burst into tears when Waleeda held her by the shoulder.

“What happened Rafiyya? When did your daughter go missing? She was here so well just last evening. What happened?” Waleeda asked, trying to understand the circumstance.

“Well just a little while ago, I went to wake her up for an early suhoor and I just found a note. Saying that she is leaving home. She said she wants to kill herself ever since we decided that we are going back to our home country to get her married. She never even told us she did not even like the idea. We would have considered if she did. But she didn’t! And she said she will kill herself if we try to call her back…” Rafiyya started weeping anew at the end of the story.

“Oh dear! I’m so sorry. Kids these days! They don’t realize when we do something for their own wellbeing. Don’t worry Rafiyya. I’m sure the police will find out soon where your daughter is, In Sha Allah. It hasn’t been long since she had gone has it? So the chances are good.” Waleeda began comforting her friend, talking to her and wiping away her tears. Alaya thought that would be the end of her mother’s conversation with that women but it didn’t happen. She kept saying words of condolence. How does she even keep up with that for so long? Alaya thought. She looked at Asma who had the similar kind of empathy towards that

‘aunt’ of theirs. But Alaya did not feel even a bit of empathy. That’s perhaps not something she has learned to have. All she cares about it herself. And that realization made Alaya feel extremely bad at the moment. So she slowing started taking steps backwards into the street. And eventually she ran towards the house and into it.

Thankfully when Alaya got in the living room, dad and Liam were in Maaiz’s room because, as Alaya could here, the boy had started coughing again due to the flu he has had for a week now. Not feeling the need even to check on her own nephew, she passed by his room towards hers, got in and locked the door. She got on her bed and plugged her ears with headphones and blasted them with music in hope of getting all of tonight’s thoughts away from her head.

But they came rushing back, the moment she woke up the next day. She didn’t have school that day since it was a weekend and the next time she had to go to school was only for the exams. She couldn’t concentrate on her studies because of how disturbed she was, by what she heard last night. But why was she disturbed? She wasn’t feeling sad for the girl neither for the family. But she felt extremely uneasy about it for reasons she couldn’t figure out. Was it that her mom was constantly talking about it from outside her room? Or was it that the girl’s story was quite familiar to hers? Being forced into a marriage? And fleeing from home because of it?

The last question sent shivers down her spine. Yes she was being ‘forced’ into a marriage. But what will she do as a result. Will she flee from home just like that girl? Or will she be FORCED to flee from home because of that marriage?

Alaya didn’t know the answers to any of those questions. Just like every other time, she needed to talk to someone about her thoughts. She wanted to let it out. And the only person she could trust to have a conversation with at that point was Lilly. Because it was apparently Lilly who was the only sane person in her life who could truly understand and connect with her.

So Alaya found herself on a bench of a park with Lilly that afternoon. She spilled all the beans to Lilly along with the questions that were running in her head.

“Oh boy what a life you have Alaya! You face trouble, along with a practical example of how you should face it!” said Lilly.

“What do you mean?” asked Alaya.

“Do I seriously need to explain this to you Ally? You just told me yourself. That girl was forced into a marriage just like you are! And how did she solve the problem? She fled from home!” said Lilly.

“I can see that Lilly but……don’t you think that it’s too much for me to do? Like lying to my parents, blackmailing them and running away? I think I can still talk them through this whole engagement with Layaan thing…”

“Oh you still do? While your mom said that the marriage is still going to happen? That you are still going to meet Layaan when you clearly said you don’t want to? And on top of that your sister has said that it is IMPOSSIBLE to undo this engagement? Wake up Alaya!!!” Lilly exclaimed and Alaya could not say anything. She did not know what to say and wasn’t sure how she even felt. Was she really falling prey to an old tradition as her friend has been warning?

“Look Ally….you are just scared. Because you always stay away from risks. You are the one who never applied to be the president of student association because you were scared of responsibility. You were the one who stayed away from prom for so many years because you were scared your family will find out. You are the one who barely talked to boys because you feared your father might ground you for life! But as I always say Alaya, you cant always stay in fear. You need to take chances. And then only will you see a change in your life.” Lilly said and Alaya still did not have words to express what she felt. But she knew one thing for sure. Lilly was right. She was always scared. Scared to take any chances. And perhaps that’s what kept her from living her life to the fullest till this point in life. Once again, a sense of rebellion started building in Alaya’s heart. She completely forgot what happened the last time she took a chance like that. She almost got humiliated in public by a bunch of drunk high school guys. And yet again she was ready. Ready to go against her parents. Because they were hindering her ‘freedom.’

“But I’d tell you this as well Alaya. First check out this Layaan guy for once. Tell me about him too so we could swoon over him or curse him together. If he’s hot then well and good. Otherwise, we are going according to plan flee!” Lilly said and Alaya looked at her this time and nodded with a smile.

**

A tall figure walked across the massive departure in Cairo International Airport. The muscular man’s green Van Heusen shirt was tucked loosely to into his denim jeans. Many looks of young girls were thrown onto him as he walked by. He got out of the departure towards the flight that was getting filled with many other passengers. As he walked with a backpack on one shoulder, his phone rang. The word ‘dad’ had appeared on screen as he looked. He answered the phone while walking.

“Hello dad! On my way towards the flight.” he said.

“Excellent my boy. Alaya should be waiting for you now.” the dad said from the other side.

“That is bound to be…..if the cow boy is taken care of properly.” the man reaching the steps of the flight said.

“No need to worry about him. He is right under our footsteps.” the dad said and he shared an evil laugh with his son.