Last Tears

Chapter 28

There's always a good lesson in meeting new people, its enlarging your circle of friends. And though there are times you don't match with their likes, there are some whom you just blend well.

-Solita
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I woke up to a consistent knocking sound on the door. Akram and I sat up looking at each other in confusion. I looked at the time and it was 6:30am on a Saturday; just an hour ago we'd gone back to sleep after performing Fajr prayers. He got out of the bed slowly due to the sleep he hadn't shaken off. I tried to compose my thoughts as the knocking quickly became banging.  I jumped off the bed dashing towards Akram and grabbing him arm stopping him from opening the door.

He looked down at me in confusion.

"Don't open it" I pleaded in a whisper

"Why not?" he asked his voice croaky

"Who would be at our door this early?" I reasoned. "It can't be good"

"No bad person knocks Maheen" Akram looked at me pointedly

"Just let me call the security first before you open it" I pleaded as I held onto his arm trying to pull him back into the room.

Akram took hold of my hand leading me to the bathroom. I began mentally praising his plan just to realize he had pushed me into the bathroom and locked it from outside. "Stay there" he commanded from the other side of the door. He was already gone before I began protesting. I searched around the bathroom looking for something to help me break out and be with Akram. If we were in danger I wanted us to be in danger together. I had found a rod that could possibly do the job and headed towards the door only for it to come open. I dropped the rod on the floor when I saw Inna standing in front of me with Akram standing behind looking frustrated.

"How nice" Inna said her arms crossed across her chest. "You conveniently hid in here sending my boy to his death"

I saw Akram roll his eyes from where he stood behind his grandaunt before he spoke. "Inna what are you doing here so early?"

She walked away from the door allowing me to join them in the room before she stated. "It's Saturday"

"Which is exactly why we're supposed to be sleeping" her grandnephew replied

"Don't be ridiculous boy. You and your wife are going to sanitize every inch of this dirty house"

"The house is clean Inna!" Akram groaned walking over to sit on the couch by the window. "Besides we have workers to do all this. Can we just go back to sleep now?" he whined sounding like a four year old on the verge of tears.

"Don't be lazy boy" Inna reprimanded "Let's go" she commanded waiting for the two of us to walk out and she followed closely behind. As we descended the stairs after crossing the living room upstairs Akram spoke again, "We'll clean the house but can't we just do it in the afternoon?" he pleaded

"Then something as insignificant as cleaning will take the whole day" She refused and walked past us into the kitchen as we reached the bottom of the stairs switching on the lights as she entered. "You" she looked at Akram. "Get a bucket of soapy water and a towel. You're cleaning all the windows. And you" she looked at me, "Start bringing down every dish from these cabinets" she pointed at them on the wall above her head. "You're going to wash them and wipe the cabinets. When you two are done with the kitchen call me from my room. I'm going to go supplicate" she instructed starting to leave

"Inna I saw a number on a poster just outside the estate. They're a cleaning agency. I could just call them. They're professionals I'm sure it won't take them long..." Akram said desperate