Scented Roads

(1)

Dedicated to Ronymacaronni for her cute comments and support!

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Ala
.

"Those that run after success
While leaving behind their loved ones
What do you think will matter in the end??"

.

Ayesha Bint Saleh sits in the living room of her house. The sixty year old lady elegantly picks up a magazine from the wooden side table, where she has always neatly stacked her up to date magazines.  She is sitting on a one-seat cream sofa placed beside the glass wall. Looking at her right, she can see through the glass, the uneven, coarse grey stones that make the boundary of their house. The boundary is as tall as the glass wall, constructed only a feet away from this side of the house. 

She could stare at the different shapes and sizes of the stones all day. It makes her travel back in time, to when she was twenty. She used to be an architect back in the day, especially famous for her stone architectural carving designs. The boundary was her husband's idea when she quit her job. He wanted her to always have this memory of hers' near her. So he got the boundary built exactly like her designs.

She smiles at the beautiful wall. More than anything, the wall signifies to her a precious act of love.

"Mum"

She jerks away from her seat, standing in a swift motion. Her heart skips a beat and she places her hand on her heart, patting it as if to calm it down. Then she looks at her oldest child with squinty eyes.

Omer laughs as his mother's lightly wrinkled face sharpens and fine lines appear near her big bulgy eyes, "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you." he says. 

Only to receive a disapproving shake of the head, from his mum. Ayesha murmurs something along the lines of never getting any privacy or peace.

Ayesha doesn't bother to scold her thirty-three year old brat and sits back on the couch, picking the now fallen magazine.

"Mum, by the way did you see Ala?"

Ayesha smiles "She's in Azhar's room, probably hiding in the closet"  She motions towards Azhar's room, her third child. Omer runs upstairs instantly and is followed by his twin right after who mouths 'thanks' real quick before running. 

She feels blessed whenever she looks at her kids, always so playful and loving. They have given her the hardest times and also the most beautiful one and she is grateful to Allah for what she has. A loving and annoying husband, four sons and three daughters (Two being her daughter-in-laws). 

What more can an old woman want?

A wrinkle-less face, that's for sure.

She thinks before busying herself with another women's daily magazine. While Ayesha flips the pages looking for the beauty care section (like always), Omer and Amir, the twins, rush into Azhar's room and start searching all around the place for Ala.

Omer is a minute older than Amir and always likes to brush it in his face. Even at 33, Omer is a carefree person, a little irresponsible and in most circumstances immature, though nobody can make this out of his appearance. Being a doctor with a height of 6'2 and good built, he gives of the impression of a tall and broody man who is always serious. 

His wife still laughs at her first impression of him. 

Amir on the other hand is more of the logical, always serious type who likes to be practical, reasonable and responsible. Since childhood he analyzes everything, speaks profusely but smartly and never, ever disappoints anyone. In fact, Amir is the go-to person for all his siblings if they have any problem.