Burning Ashes

Arc 1: Chapter 3

"Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding." ~ Kahlil Gibran

Houses were arranged in rows and boundaries were materialized by seven to eight feet walls and gates to let cars into the porch. Gardens were well maintained by paid gardeners but the weather never let the foliage be as lush as the kind of gardens housewives dreamed of. Our own garden was decent enough with a variety of green and brown grass, assorted plants and a rose bush that yielded an average of one pink rose every winter. I never plucked it to let it last but for some wild reason or the other it always had a longer lifespan in our living room than on the actual plant. I climbed over the steel gate, for opening it would make it creak far too much and alert my father of my little excursion- a risk I wasn't willing to take. I was feeling particularly adventurous, and even that questionable muddy puddle I'd just stepped right into wasn't going to deter me from my path. I'd just have to walk down the street and turn the corner to get to the pharmacists so it was an easy trip...or maybe not. The rain had flooded the street and I waded through ankle deep water till my socks were soaked and the chill penetrated my bones. 

I noticed some of our neighbors see me, particularly some of father's better-known acquaintances and they stopped to give me a look-over.

"Yusuf's daughter, aren't you?" 

I nodded with as much as politeness as I could muster without revealing distaste. 

"Is your father with you?" 

A shake of the head. 

"You shouldn't be here out alone, child. It's dangerous." However the judgement in his eyes implicated more than just the danger (Awomanshouldstayoutoftheway-outofsight) and I felt the patter of raindrops against my skin and the cold in my feet slither up to my chest. 

"I'll be fine, thank you." Not bothering to force a smile I marched off, ignoring everyone's stares at the thirteen-year-old skirting the neighborhood as if she owned it.

"Well, what do you know, it's Yusuf's little one." My grin was genuine this time, because the old man in front of me was a distinct part of my memories as a child. He ran the general store and was a good friend of my father's. He recognized me from the days when I would loiter into the store, pulling at my father's hand and pleading for candy while he tried to do the groceries. It was those times when Ahmad Uncle would that would distract me with a Dairy Milk bar that would keep me busy and out of the way. I would snack on it for ages till it would melt on my fingers and I would just lick all of the chocolate off. (I couldn't say that I had anymore finesse now that I had at three, but I had made eating chocolate a sin upon myself to keep my weight in check).

"And what has brought me the fine pleasure of seeing you here again today, little one?" 

"I just need some cough syrup for Abba please, and some lozenges." 

He didn't wait to ask about why I was alone, or why Omar hadn't come with me. "Is he unwell?" was all he asked as he got right down to business. 

"He's caught a flu that he hasn't been able to get rid since last night, and a terrible cough. Don't know how long it will last, though."

"Give him my blessings then, I pray that Allah cures him quickly."

"As do I." I took the plastic bag from him, because nobody here particularly cared about the turtles and proceeded to dig in my pocket for his payment. Just as I was pulling out the money Omar had given me yesterday, Ahmad stopped me.

"There's no need for that, I wouldn't take anything from Omar's sister, especially after all that he has done for me." 

I froze in my tracks. "What on earth are you talking about? What has Omar ever done for anybody?"