The Scars They Hide

Chapter Two - Chatty Neighbours

Chapter Two – Chatty Neighbours

Lutfiyah held onto her daughter as the train jerked to a stop, smiling unconsciously at the people around her as she passed them to step off. She hefted the grocery bags higher, straining under the weight of the much needed items.

May looked around in wonder as she waved happily to everyone who passed, not the least bit discouraged by the lack of attention. That was her daughter; friendly and happily at all times.

Lutfiyah climbed the stairs and set out for her flat, grateful that it was so close to a tube stop. If there was one thing that she could appreciate about London, it was that. It made travelling so much easier.

She almost groaned in relief when her building came into sight but it was quickly wiped away as she remembered the stairs that she would have to take to get to her flat.
She set her daughter down, comfortable with the fact that there was no immediate danger of her getting hurt.

“Come on, honey. We’ve got a few flights of stairs then we can start with dinner.”

The girl nodded silently, latching onto her mother’s hand as her head continued to swivel, taking in the lobby
.
It was not a bad place, on the contrary, it was relatively decent.  It was in a safe neighbourhood in Ilford, the building sound and stable, the people friendly and polite and the area around had almost everything that a working mother needed. With only one problem.

“The lifts don’t work, dear. The children keep pulling the ‘Out of Order’ sign off, you see. You’re better off using the stairs.”

Lutfiyah glanced up and her heart thudded to a stop. It was the man from the store. What was he doing in her building? Mrs Turner, from the fourth floor, was talking to him, her grumpy nature suddenly disappearing at the sight of a lovely young man to converse with. That was just the old woman’s way.

“Are you a visitor? I’ve never seen a visitor as nice-looking as you.”

The man hadn’t seen Lutfiyah yet and she planned to keep it that way. What a horrible day. Not only had she accepted money from a stranger but now he was here in her building. At least he would be out of her hair soon. That was as long as he wasn’t visiting anyone on her floor. Which she highly doubted taking into consideration the fact that the inhabitants of her floor were an old married couple who had no children, a newly married couple who were still on their honeymoon and would only be back the following week, herself and the empty flat opposite of hers.

She hurried for the stairs, hoping that Mrs Turner would delay him enough that she could get to her flat before bumping into him. Oh Allah but that woman could talk. Feeling slightly sorry for the position that the man had found himself in, Lutfiyah frowned. That poor man.

May grumbled a bit at the hurried pace and eventually allowed her mother to haul her up and carry her up the stairs. However, she had forgotten about her bags. They were heavy and there was no way she could run up the stairs without killing herself and her daughter both.

Feeling like an absolute idiot, she slowed down, taking the stairs as fast as possible without falling down.

She shrieked in shock when someone spoke right behind her.

“Would you mind terribly if I helped you with those?” the deep voice asked, taking a step back at her shout.

She almost sputtered at his words. “Would you mind terribly if-” What kind of man even spoke like that? She turned slowly and started at how close he was standing.

Noticing her discomfort he went back a step and despite the fact that he was two steps lower, he was still almost taller than her.

She shook her head. “Barakallah. I can manage.”

She didn’t know why she had said that. Besides his beard, which could have been a fashion statement for all she knew, there was no other indication that he was Muslim. He was dressed in a pair of worn black jeans, the material faded in certain areas and his black t-shirt hugged him tightly, showing off his well-toned arms and a broad chest.

She started to climb the stairs again, hefting May further up her hip, almost falling over in the process. Groaning with embarrassment, she set May down. “You’ll have to walk, sweetie.”

The man huffed out a laugh behind her, the sound low and thrilling but it stopped just as abruptly, as if the sound had surprised the man himself. “Just let me carry a few of the bags then you can carry your daughter. Wallahi, I’m not trying to steal anything.”

Hearing his oath, May looked at him crossly. “Mama says that you mustn’t just say Wallahi for everyfing and anyfing.”

The man’s face broke out into a small smile and he lifted his hands in apology. “Your mama is right. I’m sorry.”

Satisfied, May nodded and turned to walk up the stairs, lifting her tiny legs and heaving herself up. The man cleared his throat and pointedly looked at her bags. Sighing in defeat, she gave them to him and lifted May back up before carrying on up the stairs.

Lutfiyah couldn’t help but notice how his smile had slipped off his face the moment that May had looked away.

It was only as she opened the door to her floor did she realize that she hadn’t even asked what he was here for. She could have been delaying him for all she knew.

She stepped out onto her floor and held out her hand for the bags. “This is my floor. I’m sorry for being so rude. Jazakallah for the help.”

He nodded but didn’t give her the groceries. “It’s fine, I’ll help you to the door.”

Her eyes widened but he chuckled. “Don’t worry, I’m harmless. And most probably your neighbour. I live in 5C.”

Lutfiyah felt her blood pressure drop and thought that she was about to faint. Of all the coincidences in the world.

# # #
Lutfiyah strained the spaghetti, her mind spinning as she pondered over the day’s events. There was nothing grand about having a new neighbour. People came and went all the time. It was just that the flat opposite had been empty since she could remember and she had begun to wonder if perhaps it was cursed with the way that it seemed to be the only flat in the entire building that was empty. But it turned out that it had belonged to the man who was currently occupying it.

‘Live in’ was what he had said. Not ‘moving into’. How odd.

She set the table and called for her daughter before washing her hands and waiting for her child to sit down. Maysura, almost three years old, was a short and chubby little angel. She smiled as she came wobbling in, her hand and face dripping water. Lutfiyah grinned as she realized that the stepping stool the child’s grandfather had bought for her was surely coming into good use.

“Hungry, poppit?”

The little girl nodded solemnly before climbing onto her chair and waiting patiently for her mother to push her chair in and dish out for her.

“Don’t forget to read your duas before you eat.”

Her daughter read her prayers hurriedly before digging in with glee. She insisted on eating herself despite the mess she would make and Lutfiyah indulged her, if only to let her learn. Lutfiyah smiled with love before dishing out food for herself, her mind wandering back to the encounter with the man who was now her neighbour.

Truth be told, she was perplexed with herself. It had been four years since any man had had any effect on her. Not that this man had had any effect on her, no. The opposite in fact. It was just that he was the first man whom she hadn’t felt completely uncomfortable around. He hadn’t sent a bolt of alarm through her and when they’d reached her door, he had stood a good few feet away from her and set her bags down before nodding in greeting and turning to head towards his own door.

She’d watched him walk away before catching herself and entering her own flat. For that one moment, she had felt safe. Mostly because he hadn't done anything that had felt like a threat to her subconscious.

Yes, it was perplexing. And she didn’t like it one bit.