Her Vocation

19. Naveed Suleiman

———————————

Later that night, I was returning to my room after getting beat up by Dad on missing my tutor session. This time, he had bestowed his wrath on my face alongwith my buttocks.

'Everyone will see my bruises—how will I face them tomorrow—' My thoughts were interrupted by a melodious voice coming from the playroom. I followed it to find her sitting with her back to me, her hair hidden by hijab. Instead of calling her out, I quietly sat beside the door and listened to her Qirat.

"Naveed? What are you doing?" I hadn't realised when she had stopped reciting. When I looked up from between my knees, her face erupted into a gasp.

"You're bleeding! How—? What—" She returned frantically but calmed down after I reassured her that I had fell down from my bed. She seemed to buy it easily and sat down beside me with a sigh after I convinced her that I will take care of it myself in a bit.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" I inquired instead and saw her face fall.

"I—I have trouble sleeping at night. Mummy took me to doctors but the pills make me very sleepy. So Moalima said that reading Quran at night time, would help me." She answered slowly, without meeting my eyes. For a few moments, it was all quiet and then I broke the silence.

"Aasiya? I am sorry?" It was like deja vu, except it did happen twice, in one day. Her eyes met mine with a small smile.

"It's okay. Moalima says that if someone apologises then you should forgive them. Because we make so many mistakes and yet Allah forgives us everytime—" She continued without meeting my eyes.

"You are a good kid, huh?" I smiled at her and her words that held more sense than most adults, I knew.

"Naveed? I am sorry. I—lied—" Just then, I heard her whisper besides me.

"I still play with dolls and........I wanted to be a Princess, when I grew up." Her voice had lowered along with her head.

"A Princess? Why?" I heard myself inquiring instead.

"Because—because Princesses are loved by everyone and they always get a happy ending in the end—" By this time she had dropped her head onto her knees and even though I wanted to tease her so badly, yet I only patted her head.

"It's okay. No harm done. And you can be a Princess when you grow up." I suggested simply and her head bobbed up to meet my gaze.

"Really?" Her eyes gleamed with unbelievable happiness and despite myself, I couldn't help but silently pray in my heart to Allah, whom she so strongly tried to please, to grant her wish.

"Yep!"

###################

"Naveed—Come here—!" I halted in my steps at his voice. He was drunk as usual and by the age of 15, nothing fazed me anymore. Barely sparing a glance at his drunken stupor as he bowed infront of the glass table, that was jammed by alcohol bottles, I began walking towards the staircase with a roll of eyes.

In his current state, it was highly unlikely that he would be able to make any coherent move, so, I thought it best to leave his stoned self be.

"Didn't you hear me—! Get right here—!" I had just took the first step when his slurred profanities made my hand gripping the railing tighten. I didn't wish to deal with him at that moment; yet, I had no other choice when he had hurled a bottle in my direction, which had barely missed me.

"Come here, you brat—!" He slumped forward but fell onto the floor before he could make it to me. Swearing loudly to myself, I threw the books in my hand to the ground with a loud thud and walked up to him with heavy steps. Instead of helping him up, I looked down at his slumped figure. He slightly looked up and met my glare, before breaking into hysterics.

"YES!! Now you get it?! All the hatred you have built in yourself for me, means nothing if you can't see me beneath you—under you foot!" His worlds slurred and he barely made any sense between gags.

"You want to beat me? Then get more powerful than me—! I can do whatever the hell I want—Yet, no one can do shit about it—! I am the most powerful—because I have got the money—You—You won't ever be able to beat me—because you don't have it in you to stomp people underneath your power—You don't—" He wouldn't have stopped if I didn't bend down and lifted him by his collar to meet my gaze.

"If that's all it takes to put an end to your bullshit—then believe me—without doubt, I am definitely your blood—!" I seethed through clenched teeth, before letting go of him and letting his head fall with a slump.

I ran up the stairs and bolted the door shut behind me. Yet, his sinister laugh kept ringing in my ear; deafening all my senses.

Please don't forget to vote & comment, if you enjoyed reading. Thankyou :)