THE TALE OF SARAH

Chapter Fourteen

"Salam alaykum Umm Hakeem." She said with a very exhausted voice.

"Wa'alaykumus salam Sarah, what happened to you in just these few weeks?"

"Its a long story." Fa'iza who was now in the room, answered her.

"You need to rest. Come on, lie down." She lifted Sarah's head from her chest, but Sarah wouldn't budge.

"Please, I can barely sleep." Sarah replied pleadingly. She clung to Umm Hakeem's body.

Umm Hakeem stroked her back soothingly in an attempt to put her to sleep, and it was working, until Sarah jerked back all of a sudden and broke down in tears.

"Shhhh." Umm Hakeem soothed, holding her tightly, but it still didn't help. Sarah cried and cried. Of course who wouldn't cry? She had just seen herself in the same position she was the morning she was raped.

Without further thoughts, Yusra who had been watching the horror movie, went ahead and picked the Qur'an from where it lay, opened it and began to recite from it.

And within a few minutes, Sarah was asleep. 

**********

It didn't take up to twenty minutes before the old news of Sarah's ordeal spread throughout the quarters. Yusra, Fa'iza, and even Huda had managed to keep it within themselves on Sarah's insistence. But now that Umm Hakeem was back, she didn't have any problem with that because she trusted that Umm Hakeem could handle it.

Now that Sarah was awake, after sleeping uninterruptedly for six hours, she sat relaxedly on her bed, feeling refreshed. The workers were trooping in to sympathize with her, some of them, actually feeling stupid for not having realized it before.

Maymunah, one of the female workers in her late thirties came forward. She sat down beside Sarah and held her side gently. "Sarah dear, you should have told us since the time it happened. I never knew Hamad was like this. Now what are we going to do?"

Umm Hakeem sighed loudly and spoke up. "I'll have taken her to the hospital, but Munirah is coming back soon so I'll just wait. I'm going to talk to Hamad, but before that, I'll like Sarah to take a pregnancy test first."

On hearing this, Sarah bent her head. 'No I'm not pregnant, I don't need to take the test.', she so badly wanted to say, but she knew she was deceiving herself. Tears welled up in her eyes. The reality was coming soon. 
  
"She is expected to be back in a few days right?" Adam, the oldest male worker asked from where he stood in the room.

"Yeah, but I'll still talk to Hamad about it. I thought he's not into this kind of rubbish anymore. There was a time he actually tried rubbish with Yusra. As if he doesn't know its haram." Umm Hakeem replied.

"Be strong dear, we are all hear for you." Maymunah patted Sarah's back and stood up, giving room for the next person.

Then, a loud ear piercing hiss was heard from the corner of the room. Everyone turned their heads in that direction. It was Huda.

Huda.

"I wonder why all of you are sympathizing with her. This is fucking what I'm dying for! This Sarah here," she pointed a finger at Sarah, "is taking my place. She came-"

"Keep quiet!" Adam boomed.

"Don't you have any respect? Or even shame? Is this how ill mannered you are?" Umm Hakeem scolded.

"Get out!" Maymunah pointed in the direction of the door.

Angry, Huda stomped out of the room.

***********

Sarah came out of the bathroom and stepped into the room where Umm Hakeem, and the other female workers were waiting.

Waiting for Sarah's pregnancy test result.

She didn't want to see the result, so she came out before it appeared. She quickly stuffed it in Yusra's right hand and ran to her bed, burying her head in her pillow.

The result appeared, and loud gasps were heard.

Sarah was soon going to be mothering a bastard.

'Ya Rabbal 'Alameen.'

'Ya Qawiyyul 'Azeez.'

'Ya Dhal-Jalaaly wal Ikram.'

Meanings:

Oh Lord of the worlds.

Oh The strong, The Almighty.

Oh The Lord of Majesty and Generosity.