If somebody asked Zahra - "do we ever reach a point in time when we just cannot love a person any longer?" - she wouldn't know.
Zahra Yusuf is the most sensible girl in her family. She listens to her mind more than her heart, maybe that's why her Na...
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chapter 11: just an acquaintance
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"What do you think you're doing?" I whisper - screamed.
"Shh, Zahra." Nana chuckled. "If your Nani catches me emptying her cookie jar—"
"What exactly will I do?" A voice spoke from behind us.
Nana and I froze.
"Nana was just counting them to make sure we had enough for Safwana's School Party." I told her, turning out slowly.
"Well, it's true that I was counting…" Nana spoke, setting the jar down. "But Zahra, do not lie even when your life depends on it."
"I…" I was dumb-founded. I blinked. I was trying to save him, and he —
"Every single word will be brought into account, do you want to lose sight of Jannah for a measly, filthy lie?" He spoke.
Ten years old and the words sounded too heavy to carry on my shoulders. Twenty-one years old, and now I felt like I should've been a keen listener around Nana. I had forgotten half the things we had spoken about. There was a terrible sadness in my heart I couldn't explain. Perhaps it was because somewhere between the strings of life and the shock of uncertainty — I had taken up a trait that did not sit well with my soul.
"How do people lie so easily?" Shafaq had asked in the car one day. Someone had lied about finishing a presentation at his office, and he was furious. I had seen Jennifer's expression and decided to follow the same actions — a blank stare outside the window.
But it affected me, as it should. Things about Naahil were so complicated, I felt like the truth was trapped in a network of lies that could be easily avoided. For the first time since Naahil's death, I felt like taking apart each event that occured and freeing the truth from the lies. I was finally beginning to understand how the winds change behind every word that we speak.
"Zahra, don't you want to go to college today?" Nani asked me, sitting across the white kitchen island, she filled herself a glass of water and toasted the bread I would soon be eating.
"Of course I do, Nani." I spoke.
"You honestly don't look well, do you want to rest for today?" She sounded concerned as she peered at me.
The offer sounded comforting, something I'd take up in a minute if it wasn't for a report submission I had to do in college. I sighed, shaking my head and giving her a small smile.
"You also look confused." Nani pointed out.
"Ah — that was the word for this feeling." I grinned. "Confusion."
