Freeing or Fleeing

Chapter Nine - A, sort of, Broken Promise

"Hafeezah, my doll," Abba began. "You know your mother and I are getting old, I am barely making money and the bills need paying."

There it was, the reason why I had been avoiding going around to theirs. The very topic that doesn't stop coming out of his mouth. I had been about to take another sip of tea but my hand stopped mid tilt and I placed it on the coffee table again. He had sat me down right next to him on purpose.

"Abba, I told you, I don't even have money. Everything I had, I gave it to you last time," I replied, raising my voice.

"Speak quietly!" He commanded, even louder than me. "Why do you have to always scream? Can't you ever speak nicely?"

No, I couldn't. I tried and tried again to explain the same thing to my father a million times before, so how does he expect me speak quietly? Even as I thought that, I knew I shouldn't have raised my voice at my own father but it was hard to control something that I felt so much anger towards.

"Abba," I sighed, lowering my voice after taking in a deep breath. "I told you last time that I don't have a job anymore. How am I supposed to help you out?"

Didn't he understand that I just didn't have the money to give to him? I turned to Amma, hoping she would back me up.

"I told you not to bring that up again to her,' she directed towards him.

"Ey! You don't speak!" He barked.

"Abba! You can't speak to Amma like that!" I stood up, disgusted at the way he spoke to her. "Or I'm leaving and not ever coming back."

It always affected me when he spoke to her as if she was a piece of dirt that only existed to do as he commanded. There was rarely ever love in his tone towards her.

The doorbell rang and it seemed to distract Abba's mood. I saw his features relax. Amma hurried to the door.

"Hafeezah," Abba continued, ignoring the shuffling by the door. He pulled me back down to sit down. "You're my daughter; giving me money is not helping, it's your duty as a family member."

In other words, he owned me and I had to do as he said. Just another object.

"Actually, as the man and the father, while I lived under your roof, it was your duty to provide. Allah made ––"I began.

"Don't you dare lecture me! You think you know everything? I'm older than you, whatever knowledge you have, I will always have more," he interrupted, raising his hand.

Before I could see it coming, his hand came in contact with my cheek and left it stinging.

"Abba!" I screamed. "Don't touch me again or I'll call the police."

It was an empty threat but I watched as his eyes grew wide and his eyebrows formed into a scowl. He lifted his hand again and I closed my eyes, preparing for the impact. I was rooted to the spot out of fear.

"Don't you dare touch my wife!" I heard Eijaz shout.

Eijaz was in the living room when I opened my eyes. I could see a single vein throbbing on the side of his forehead; a sign of his anger. Everything happen so fast that I was yet to comprehend fully what just happened.

"Stay out of this! This is between me and my daughter."

At the beginning of our marriage, Abba had hidden his abusive side but it came out in front of Eijaz one day and ever since then, he never cared if Eijaz saw him act like that.

"If you touch her one more time, then this will be the last time you ever see her," he growled, making his way towards me. "Come on, Hafeezah, we're getting out of here."