Twice His Age

10: Her Punishment

"Go and help Uncle Zaid with the nylons, Waleed." She urged, and he got down from the bed and took one from his hand.

She watched as Zaid smiled at him and slightly fondled his head before they both walked to the nightstand and kept the food there. He pulled one of the chairs and sat down before he looked up at her, and remembering the kind of position they had seen her yesterday, Sabeeha quickly averted her eyes from his and looked away.

They both knew one of them was supposed to great the other first, but she was the eldest here, right? He should be the one to great her not the other way round. And so, when they waited in silence as Waleed brought out the takeaway food, she heard him cleared his voice.

"Anas has something to take care of, that's why he couldn't be here." She simply nodded softly. "You should eat the food, and if you want, I'd ask them to discharge you or if you want to stay for a day more then we can wait until tomorrow for that."

That made her shot her eyes up to him instantly. She could take forever avoiding what was to come, but it surely will. So, she'd rather face the storm at once and get it over with. "No, I think I'd be fine to leave now."

She was already pulling her legs down when he shook his head. "I promised Anas that you'd eat before we leave, he believes you won't be able to eat once we get home." Their eyes met, and it felt as though he was giving her an order to eat and she knew she had to follow.

She wondered what was with little boys and manning up these days. Look at him talking to someone ten years older than him and acting as though he were speaking to someone of Waleed's age. She didn't even want to argue with him about that, because she knew what he said was the truth and no matter how she may deny it, her body system needed food to be able to function for whatever occasion was going to happen today.

Waleed sat close to her and lifted both his hands with a childish grin. "I've washed both my hands, Ammi. Can you eat? Or I should feed you?" She wanted to be fed by Waleed, because that's what it had always been whenever Dahiru gave her one of his beatings and she was nursing her wounds, he always fed her.

Somehow, she lifted her eyes to Zaid and found him fully staring at her, not even bothering to take his eyes away when she caught him staring. He simply rubbed his eyebrow and looked away for barely a second before he continued looking at her again. She found him uncomfortable. There was something about him that slightly unnerved her and an authority surrounding him that seem to faze her.

But she'd never be able to show him that.

So, mustering the remaining courage left in her, she turned to Waleed and smiled, nodding her head. "You should feed me, Waleed." He gave a little squeal and did just that.

They played and laughed while he fed them both and when they were done, Waleed held her hand and escorted her to the toilet and she washed her face and rinsed her mouth before they came out. Zaid had already gone out to get the discharge letter and he was back in no time, so they all walked to the car, with her hand carefully held by Waleed as he guided her every step.

∞

The walls of her heart shook when the mansion came into view and she clenched her eyes shut to calm her racing her, but nothing worked. Zaid parked in the parking lot before he turned to Waleed that was beside him on the passengers seat and smiled lovingly at him.

"Waleed, you should go back to the chamber now and continue doing your assignment, okay? Leave the mathematics until I come in, we'd do it together." It was as if he had a different tone he used solely on Waleed. Which wasn't authoritative like the one he used on her and she felt slightly annoyed.