Under the Olive Tree

18. Thamania T'Ashar

Reema's expression brightened. "Odd in what way?"

Amani tried to remember what had come before the image that had startled her out of her sleep. "I was with Muhsin in their house, I think his mother and brothers were there but I didn't see Fayza. I don't know why but I kept looking for her until he found me searching and asked what I couldn't find."

"What'd you tell him?"

"Nothing," Amani replied honestly. "It was like I couldn't tell him that I was looking for his sister because I didn't want him to realize she was missing. So, I said nothing."

Reema frowned. "But where was she then?"

Amani hesitated, trying to keep the image from returning to her mind as she answered. "She was in the cemetery. I think she was in a grave, but she wasn't dead. I could hear her laughing from the street. When I saw her... her eyes were open and so was her mouth. She was just laughing. It was unsettling."

Her cousin shifted away. "That is unsettling."

"Do you think it means something?"

"I hope not," Reema murmured.

"Me too."

"Can we go back to talking about happy things? Like the fact that I'm married now or that you'll be married soon, too!" Reema smiled again and Amani laughed at how quickly she was able to flip between topics. "Do you know how many girls have offered themselves to Muhsin for marriage and you're-." Then she gasped. "What if you get jinxed and you get sick or, worse, something happens to keep you guys from getting together? That would be horrible. You need to pray every day to keep away the Evil Eye."

Amani shook her head. "You're getting too excited, Reema. The only person I can think of who might give me Evil Eye is Yasmeen."

Reema gasped again. "I forgot about her. Oh my goodness, Amani she's going to die when she hears about this? Muhsin getting engaged to the girl she's been trying to ruin since she arrived. She'll die. You should stay away from her until everything is firmly in place."

"Do you think I seek her out?"

"No, but now you need to make sure she can't seek you out either. Don't walk in the streets alone. Someone should always be with you. That's the best-."

The ringing phone interrupted their conversation.

Reema picked up quickly. "Hello? Oh, hi Auntie! Yes, she's right here. We were just drinking tea and chatting." Amani waited for her cousin to get off the phone so their conversation could continue. But the way the color drained from Reema's face almost made her wish the phone call would never end so she would never have to hear the news that made her older cousin so petrified.

She eventually uttered the final reply and placed the landline back onto the table beside them. Her eyes were wide and nervous when she turned to Amani.

"Is someone dead?" Amani tried to joke. Though, at the way Reema was watching her, it didn't seem so impossible.

"That would have been better, wouldn't it?" Reema whispered.

"What is it?"

"Your father called," Reema began slowly and Amani immediately felt her chest tighten. A hand had broken through her ribs and violently gripped her heart to keep it from beating as it needed to. "He decided, Amani. You... you're going home."

***

Amani sat on the floor of the empty street, gently wiping dirt from the leaves of her growing grapevine when familiar footsteps approached behind her. She didn't turn to see who it was.