Chapter Seven – The trap

How dramatic that was! Alaya thought as she sat in the bus looking at the magazine in her hands. The bold title on the page she’d opened read, “Interview with the richest business tycoon in Egypt – Raphael Hamidh.” And the picture below showed the face that swept away Alaya’s feet years ago. He looked more handsome than ever before. With his bold eyes staring right at her and square jawline more well-defined than she could remember.

Alaya lost herself in the picture for a few seconds but quickly got to the text underneath as it occurred to her that it was his interview. She was not much of a reader but she started to read the page at lightening speed. Raphael had told the interviewer about his business plans which were quite the same ideas that he had shared with Alaya almost a decade ago. His words made Alaya realize how much he has learned and progressed in life. By the end of the interview, interviewer had asked a question that made Alaya catch her breath. He was asked about his family.

“My mother died when I was 16. So it’s just my father with me now.” those were Raphael’s last words recorded in the interview. The article concluded by adding that he was also asked about his relationship status but he had refused to answer. It also added that rumours say that he is happily married with an Egyptian girl.

Alaya’s eyebrows crossed as she read the last sentence. Egyptian girl? For a moment Alaya imagined herself as that Egyptian girl. But how silly of her! If she was, she would probably be in a 5 star hotel room with her scrumptious breakfast served in bed. Along with Raphael on her side of course but no! She is here in a sodding bus on her way to go to the last day of high school. And the fact that ‘the Egyptian girl’ from the rumours was not her, made her chest tight. One could argue that her relationship with Raphael was nothing more than puppy love but now that she thought about it, she realized that Raphael was one of the most sensible boys she has ever met in life. And that is the kind of person she’d like to have not as a boyfriend. But as a life partner. Alaya would love to see the girl that has taken the position that possibly she could have had. Not to congratulate her but to slap the smirk off of her face by letting her know that she was the one who was with Raphael way before her.

With the intense scenes of revenge building up in her mind, Alaya closed the magazine, coming to the realization that she was not being reasonable. She can’t blame anyone for whatever has happened except for herself. If she had told Raphael about her feelings, she wouldn’t be hearing ‘rumours’ about Raphael’s marriage. Alas! What’s done is done! It can’t be changed. If he is married, then so be it. For all she knew he might even have a baby with another one on the way by now. Who cares? Even she’d have a successful career and get married to a New Yorker pretty soon. And Raphael would hear about it.

Trying to be optimistic, Alaya took out her sunglasses and wore them. To forget about the nonsense on her mind, she kept the magazine on the side, took her phone out to take a selfie. As she switched to the selfie camera, she saw her face, half shining due to the sunlight. She pouted her lips as usual and took the picture. When she was done, she took a close look at the picture. As she looked, she remembered a conversation she’d had with Raphael.

“You know why I don’t wear sunglasses?” Raphael had asked.

“Why?” asked Alaya, walking along with him.

“It makes me look like a blind man lost on the road….” Raphael said, and then acted like an old blind man by narrowing his eyes and talking in a shaking voice.

Alaya could not help but smile as memories of that day filled up her mind once again. She slowly took off her glasses, with her smile fading, as a fear crept into her heart. What if moving on from her lost love life does not turn out to be as easy as she thought? If it isn’t easy for her, will it be difficult for the one on the other side of this relationship as well? Alaya kept thinking about it till the end of her long trip.

**

“Sir, was I called?” said a young man who entered a cabin with a door labeled as ‘Raphael Hamidh – CEO’. The young man saw the one he was working for, with his back towards him as he was facing the large window that showed the landscape of New York.

“Sir?” the young man called again, as his boss did not respond the first time. The second time, he turned around to look at his secretary. As the day was ending, he looked informal with his suit taken off and the sleeve of his shirt rolled up to his elbow. He looked tired and exhausted, perhaps because of all the work. But the slight pain on his face told a different story. It was a daily mystery that has always being a hot talk among his employees. Even when Raphael began walking towards his secretary, the young man looked at him intently, in hope of getting the slightest of hints on what was going on in his life.

As Raphael walked up to his table, he took a folded paper and handed it over to his secretary who was nearby.

“Get it framed.” Raphael said. The secretary unfolded the paper as he was given the order. It was a stunning sketch of his boss.

“What is this, sir? This is absolutely amazing! Who made it?” the jolly secretary asked.

“Just…..get it….framed!” Raphael did not happen to like the question. Sensing the irritation from his boss, the secretary immediately responded and rushed towards the door.

**

Alaya could not bring her thoughts under her control even as she crawled on her bed to sleep that night at around 11 o’clock. She just could not believe how impossible it felt to get over those feelings. It shouldn’t even be a big deal. People don’t remember their first crushes because they are just accidents. Or are they?

Alaya brought her pillow to her face and pressed it tight out of irritation. She needed to talk to someone or else she would be sent to a mental asylum before she knew it. Alaya got up and sat straight on bed and took out her phone to dial Lilly’s number. But just then, she remembered the conversation she had with Lilly just that day.

“So what if Max was trying to get close to you Alaya? Wasn’t that the whole point? Let alone Max, even I was very upset when I got to know that you let another guy humiliate Max and you simply ran away with that stranger…” Lilly had said. They argued on the matter for a long time but as usual, fixed their relationship at the end because both of them knew they’d been for each other too many times. Lilly said that she understands that Alaya finds it difficult to break away from her ‘traditions’. But Alaya knew that it wasn’t just her ‘traditions’ that was stopping her from being shameless. There was something more. Though she did not say that to Lilly.

Remembering that conversation made Alaya realize that Lilly may not understand her even in this situation. She might make her feel worse by telling her how she should have proposed to Raphael. She needed someone who’d make her think about it from a different perspective. Thinking of which, only one name came to her mind. Asma! Yes! Her beloved sister who has drifted away from her might be able to give her some insight into her situation. She had to talk to her. Right now! But how? Alaya thought for a while as she could not just walk into Asma’s room like before as she was with her husband. Geez! How things have changed since they last talked.

After about a minute Alaya decided to give a call to Asma, without much hope of getting an answer. But within two rings, she heard her sister’s sleepy voice.

“Salaam. Who is this?” Asma asked.

“Hey Asma, Alaya here! I really need to talk to you right now. Can we meet in the living room if…..you aren’t busy or something?” Alaya asked nervously.

“Ok…I’m coming.” Asma said, without even asking a question. Such a darling! Alaya thought as she thanked her.

Within a minute or two, the two sisters in pyjamas were in the living room, sitting next to each other on the sofa.

“What is it that you could not hold till morning? It better be good.” Asma said, with her eyes that were still sleepy.

“It is….well not good exactly but I really needed you. It’s just…..remember the crush I told you about when we were little? Back in Egypt?”

“Yeah? What about it?”

“Well it wasn’t a crush on Layaan. I liked some guy from our neighbourhood.”

“Who?”

“Raphael Hamidh….the guy who used to milk the cow. The boy from the home where the old man sat on a wheelchair. We met on the street and our relationship grew overtime. I never got to tell him that I liked him. But I think he likes me too. I was so afraid to tell you about him before because I thought you’d say he is too poor to be even liked by a girl with class. But now even you understand that dignity belongs to everyone dont you? And you know what? He is a business tycoon now too. He is worth millions of dollars I think. Isn’t that amazing?”

“And?”

“And….there are rumours that he is married now but I feel that he would still like me. And the rumours may not even be true. So I’d actually like to marry him if he is not married.” Alaya said, with her heart thumping against her chest as Asma looked at her with a facial expression that was hard for her to comprehend. But it was an intense look. A look that made Alaya feel that what was coming was not good.

And the fear came true.

“But that’s not possible now, Alaya.” Asma said, in a calm voice. Alaya looked at her with a start.

“Why?!” Alaya exclaimed.

“Because first of all, he might be married. Secondly, mom and dad have talked about your engagement to Layaan and it can’t be undone.”

“Of course it can! Why can’t an engagement be undone when you can undo even a marriage?” Alaya said, with anger building up inside her. Asma covered part of her face in dismay and let out a sigh.

“Look Alaya, I know this is hard. But you don’t know the full story behind this engagement. It can’t be undone due to our situation. At least not just yet. And I really thought you liked Layaan and that’s why I had not fought against it in the beginning. But now its too late. The only thing you could do now is go with the flow. Until you find another way out.” Asma talked as though she was telling Alaya the riddle of the century. She said those last words, got up from the sofa and walked away. What was that all about? Alaya thought. What was happening behind her back? Was she getting forcefully married like one of those Bollywood movies showing a real story? Was she getting stuck in a trap she’d never come out of?