Walking inside her room, Suhana unwrapped her dupatta from her head and put it on the bed after making sure all the curtains were drawn. She opened her waist-length hair and started to comb through them with her weak hands, standing in front of the...
Moving into the McAvoy Manor brought a lot of changes. I was staying with completely unknown people for the first time in my life. The estate itself is a maze. Even though Billy gave me some idea about what is where I was still scared of getting lost.
Inside the main house, I only saw the lobby, the kitchen, and Sarah's room. The rest of the manor is still unexplored. I didn't go for a walk since the day I stepped in here but I wanted to. So I decided to take a walk tonight after putting Sarah in her bed.
It was only Mr. McAvoy and Sarah who lived inside the huge house. All of us who worked there lived in the cottages inside the estate. I was living alone in mine. The first couple of nights in the cottage, I was scared to go to sleep.
Every night when I returned to the cottage after putting Sarah in her bed, the silence inside the cottage felt eerie. My body and mind were always on alert when I stepped inside. But slowly, I got used to it because living alone gave me privacy too.
Apart from Billy, there was Robert and his wife Martha. They have been working for the McAvoy family before Mr. McAvoy and his sister Elanor were born. Martha is in charge of the kitchen and the manor while Robert is the head staff of the estate and security. They are a lovely couple but unfortunately have no children. A reason they took care of the McAvoy children like their own.
There was also Jessica and Emily. Their work was to help Martha in the Kitchen. About 10 more people were there only for doing other chores like cleaning and laundry. Among them, I got acquainted with Loren and Ana. Almost every person I got to know there welcomed me happily. As if they were already a family and I became their new member.
Especially Martha. She would always ask me about my family, about how my life was before moving here. Her interest in my outfits was something else. She said she loved my ethnic wear and would love to try dresses like mine one day. I suggested that she can try one on Eid. She merrily agreed and said that she will take me shopping to help her select an Anarkali Salwar Suit.
While everyone seemed to have accepted me, Mr. McAvoy seemed the opposite. Since the day I arrived, we crossed paths a few times but he never said a word. He did not even ask me about how Sarah was doing but spent time with her whenever I'm not around. Not that I'm complaining. I, myself wanted to maintain a distance from him as his dislike towards me was too evident.
Sarah would observe me the entire day like a curious kid and shower me with questions right before going to bed. Especially about Islam. Maybe the interest came to her naturally as her father was a Muslim. She would sit near me during my salah and watch my movements.
I gave her answers but then she would come up with new ones. It was so hard to convince her to sleep as she has to go to school the next morning. Like the past few nights, tonight is nothing different. She kept asking questions till she fell asleep.
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