Chapter Fourteen – Ice cold encounter

Alaya could not help but think about that voice throughout the day. The voice inevitably kept echoing in her ears. Shivers go down her spine as she even imagines that voice. And she had an irritable urge to ask Laana who that could have been. But how obnoxious would she be if she did? For all she knew it could be her husband. She better stop daydreaming about other people’s spouses before she gets under someone’s skin.

That night, Alaya went to sleep early for a couple of reasons. One was of course to experience sleep on her new comfy bed and another was to get away from the thoughts that was disturbing her. At this point, she wasn’t just thinking about the voice from Laana’s phone but also about her family. She looked at her phone as she remembered each and every one of them. She’d changed her number just on her way to the subway to get to Boston. Alaya didn’t regret doing that because if she hadn’t done so, her call list and inbox must have been flooded by now. And her mother will have used her ‘tactics’ to convince her to go back to New York. That thought removed any wish in her heart to even talk to any one of her family members.

Alaya fell into a deep sleep as she was thinking about all that has happened in her life in just the past 24 hours. Somewhere in the corner of her head, there were thoughts of Raphael for some unknown reason. She didn’t know how long it took for her to completely escape reality deep into her dreams.

**

A fulfilling happiness filled Alaya’s heart as she ran across the lavender field. She felt as though she was in an 80s love story as she realized that a man was running right behind her calling out to her and laughing. She did look back at him through her laughter but only caught a glimpse of his off-white shirt and black jeans. Though she did not know for sure who it was, she knew that it was someone who loved her. She knew that it was someone who would never hurt her. And she was just running away from him jokingly. The feelings of love only deepened as she heard him from behind her calling her and telling her to wait ever so lovingly. As she realized whose voice it was so clearly, she heard that was shouting out her name in a sudden fearful manner. When she was just about to look back, she felt a hard push on her left arm. Alaya went rolling down the field for a few feet. When she stopped, she looked at where she was. To her horror the man who followed her was now on lying on with his face down on the ground, which had all its flowers replaced with sharp thorns. Alaya got up to her feet and ran towards the man with all the happiness in her heart replaced with worry and grief. When she reached him, she knelt down and ran a hand through his hair. She slowly turned his face up and shouted out when she saw his bloodied face.

**

Alaya got up with a start when she woke up from her dream. Her heart was thumping against her chest and she felt breathless. What did she just see? What was that dream all about? She hadn’t even seen a horror movie last night for her to see a dream of that sort. Who was that man? Wait….this isn’t the first time she is asking that question to herself. Could that be the man from her dream from way back in the day? She had figured out his name in her dream but she just couldn’t remember at the moment. Whoever that was, he must love her a lot. He sacrificed his life for her. Did she see that dream because such a man does exist for her? Is there really a man who loves her a lot? Who could do anything for her? Who would take the thorns just for her?

Alaya felt a pain in her chest as she thought about it. Wait just wait! What is up with her? It was just a damn dream. If she wasn’t watching movies recently, she was still daydreaming of a man who would ‘save’ her on this journey to her new life. Daydreams don’t take long to make their way into real dreams do they? It couldn’t have meant anything. She is just deluding herself. Alaya remembered Asma’s words as she thought about it. Life isn’t a frigging movie. There wasn’t a charming prince who was going to save her. She was the only one who could save herself at this point. Right! She should never forget that. It was just her raging hormones that led to this dream. Nothing else. The quicker she realized that, the better.

Alaya felt much better as a result of that small ‘positive self-talk.’ She tried to sleep but couldn’t bring herself to do so. Alaya was reminded of the countless times Asma had told her to listen to Quran whenever she felt down. Alaya had downloaded some short surahs on her phone due to Asma insisting on it. She thought of playing one of those as she went through her playlist. But ended up listening to music and her mind on went on an entire field trip on her memory lane with Raphael as she heard the love song. She knew it was the same as pressing a ‘self-destruct’ button to think more about whether or not Raphael might love her or not but did not know what to do to help her heart. As a result, Alaya had a restless night.

Nonetheless, the next day Alaya wakes up, freshens up and prays fajr in a rush as usual since she woke up late. She didn’t feel sleepy after fajr so she had to wait, sitting in her bed on an empty stomach until she was sure Laana would be awake. She heard Laana’s humming voice at around 9AM and immediately headed for the door. But she opened it and came out as though even she’d woken up a few minutes ago. When Alaya saw Laana, she was still in her pyjamas and yawning. But Laana showed a hypocritical smile at her and invited her for breakfast.

It was a maid who prepared breakfast and set the long dining table at Laana’s ‘command’. Alaya noticed that she was quite bossy with the maid as well and the Chinese girl’s face clearly showed that she didn’t like Laana either. Alaya smiled at her to let her know that they both were in the same boat.

“So Alaya, where have you planned to apply for a job?” Laana asked as the maid went after serving the breakfast.

“Haven’t decided yet. Do you know a good place?” Alaya asked, not expecting much of a help.

“Well….my husband owns a huge business. There is a vacancy in one of his branches always because they are just so many. So I guess there will be. But I don’t think you stand much of a chance in the company…you see my husband likes everything to be perfect. Therefore he told all his employees to only hire those with proper qualifications. There would rarely be anyone with just the A levels and no experience even at the reception. So….better luck with other places though. At the McDonalds perhaps?” Laana said, giving Alaya a look that burned her with rage. Who needs your help anyway Mrs. Little Perfect? Kudos to you and your rich husband and the huge business. She was going to find a job way far away from all of it.

And that’s exactly what Alaya did. She started searching for vacancies in different companies starting from that day. And she applied to multiple of them with the little help from Laana and much help from the maid at home when Laana had gone to work. Within just a few days, Alaya got a call for an interview for the job she wanted the most. The post of an administrative officer with an 8-5 job. If she did get this job, her life would be set. She began to dream of how she would finally settle down with her own family with a job of that sort.

She went to the interview after a lot of practice in front of the mirror along with the same hopes and dreams. She always had this thing of doing well if she thought well about it. She was nervous about the interview even on her way to it. But because of her hope of building a new future for her own self, she killed it. She came back home, swelled with pride finally realizing that she had something to show off about. She was planning an entire script in her head on how to rub it off on Laana’s face just as Laana did to her all this time. But her plan reversed, as she saw Laana too excited to listen to anyone when Alaya reached home. Laana grabbed her by the arms the moment she entered through the door.

“My husband coming back early from his business trip! Alaya you’ve got to help me with the decorations to welcome him. You said you were sort of an artist weren’t you? He likes artistic stuff. So do help me. I want everything to look perfect…..I want…” and then came a list of things Laana wanted to come to be within the next week. Alaya was taken aback with Laana’s attitude. It was less like she was welcoming her husband and more like she was welcoming a celebrity who was a stranger to her. Alaya soon realized that she wanted to show off her relationship with her husband as well. She was planning to throw an entire party with all her friends and colleagues invited just because he was coming back.

Alaya felt sympathy for him, as she started working on the plan she made to transform the huge living room into a party hall a week from that day. It must be difficult to live with someone who refuses to connect emotionally and artificially shows to others what isn’t true of the relationship. Or maybe he had the same kind of mindset as Laana’s and they’d be soul mates. Who knew? It shouldn’t bother Alaya in anyway.

And she didn’t. She didn’t waste her energy in thinking about the marital life of a woman she particularly disliked. As a result, she didn’t even walk out of her room while the party that she arranged was going on just downstairs from her room. She was lost in a gripping story book as an attempt to escape her nervousness for tomorrow as it was her first day at work. She fell asleep while listening to the pop music she heard from outside.

The next day Alaya woke up early and got ready for work. She went to work early and that impressed her boss along with the other employees. She does know how to leave an impression, Alaya thought as she worked away on her computer. Time flew quicker than she thought and it was time to go home before she knew it. Pleased with her job, Alaya got into a taxi to go home. Her excitement about her work almost made her forget that there would be someone else at home as well. Somewhere in the back of her head, she had firmly concluded that he wouldn’t be an important person to her and perhaps she might not even see him. But that was far from truth.

It was close to 6 when Alaya reached her new home. She got off the taxi, closed the door and walked towards the front door. She fixed her knee length black dress that she wore with her shawl of the same colour. She did not like the dress at all but that was the only thing appropriate to go to work in since her wardrobe was full of informal T-shirts. Thinking about what she looked, she rang the doorbell. When no one opened, she rang again. This time, she heard footsteps from inside that she was sure were not of Laana’s or the Chinese maid. The heavy footsteps came and stopped close to the door. Within a split second, the door flew open and Alaya turned ice cold.