Lost In Paradise

Chapter 12

***

A wise man once said that it is only in the passage of time that we truly come to grasp the depth of another's mind, slowly uncovering the layers of their essence.

But even after all her years, Amina still felt like she didn't fully understand her mother. It was a harrowing feeling, to look at the woman who gave birth to you and realise that she would always be a stranger, and no matter how many times you tried, no matter how much effort you put in, the gap would always remain there, like a chasm that can never be bridged.

Truth be told, she had expected the whole inheritance drama to boil over after a week or two. Surely by now they would understand that it wasn't her fault. And the one thing we know about family is that they will always have your back, especially when the going gets tough.

But nearly a whole month after the incident, Umma still wasn't talking to her, except to give a perfunctory reply to her greetings. She didn't bother to even glance in her direction, and she made it a point to always announce loudly that she was leaving the room whenever Amina walked in.

"Don't bother yourself too much," Saudat told her when she stepped into the living room on a Sunday evening and her mother left the room immediately. "She'll get over herself soon enough."

"Are you forgetting that this is the woman who held a grudge for three years?" Amina asked as she sat down.

"Those are rookie numbers," Saudat shrugged. "I've held a grudge for five years, two months, three weeks and four days. You don't see me being bothered by it. I just ignore the fool and pretend he doesn't exist."

Amina sighed as she leaned back into her seat. She was running out of ideas, and she hated the fact that no matter what she did, her mother just didn't seem interested in rebuilding their relationship.

"You should give her some space," Saudat continued. "Give her the opportunity to miss you. Sometimes, being too available and too close to someone can piss them off. If you're not here, she'll start to miss you and her ego will falter."

"Are you suggesting I leave the house?"

"I'm suggesting you don't beat yourself up over the fact that your mother is giving you the silent treatment," Saudat said. "If my own mother did that, I'd cut her off immediately and not look back."

"Is that so?" Amina's stepmom's voice came as she entered the living room. "Would you like to give it a try?"

Saudat immediately froze, and Amina laughed at the expression on her face.

"You know what I mean," Saudat quickly added as her mother sat down. "I mean I only said it because I know you would never give me the silent treatment."

"Keep talking and you'll see exactly what I'm capable of."

As Saudat settled into her seat begrudgingly and turned her attention to the TV, Amina's stepmother turned to face her with a soft smile.

"Look, Amina," she said, "I'll talk to your mother. She's still hurting right now, and she just doesn't know how to deal with her emotions. That's why she's directing her anger toward you. It's wrong, but it's something we can't change. But don't you worry. I'll talk some sense into her and make her see her errors."

"Thank you Mama," Amina said, smiling at her.

"You're also my daughter," she said. "What kind of mother would I be if I didn't look out for you? I know she would do the same for Saudat if I was also cross with her."

"Mother," Saudat gasped dramatically, "you know I would never do anything to make you cross with me."

"Have you gone to your aunt's house and collected what I told you to collect?"