6:45 pm
Istanbul (Turkey)
Minahil waited anxiously in the living room for Musa'a arrival. Anxiety was seeping into her veins like a slithering snake, poisoning the thoughts of her mind. She kept making duaa to her Allah and tried to ease the shaking of her leg but it was hard. It had been so long since everything that had taken place in her past and now that it was in front of her once again, Minahil didn't know how to ease her nerves after all those fights.
Mrs.Ahmet stood in the kitchen watching Minahil. Her heart felt heavy seeing the distraught condition of the Muslimah. She loved Minahil with all her heart and knew how strong and resilient the girl was but the heartache that she went through, Mrs.Ahmet never wanted anyone to even go through it.
She sighed and turned the stove off and just as she put out the flame, the sound of the door rang and at once Minahil snapped back to reality, abandoning her worries for the time being.
Halil answered the door and greeted the guest. The two walked in the living room where Mrs. Ahmet was present with Minahil, to ease her nerves a little. Her husband too stood from his chair to greet the male standing before all of them but still, Minahil couldn't bring herself to speak.
She was too nervous and she didn't know how was she supposed to approach this situation, it's been years and so many things had happened between these two.
"Assalam-u-alaikum, (Peace be upon you!)" Musa greeted her. His tone warm but she didn't feel like home like she used to do. There was distance of so many years now between them and she knew that nothing could ever be the same again because her duties lied towards her Lord and His beloved messenger ﷺ.
There was no friendship among them now. They were just two strangers for each other at this moment.
"Walaikum Assalam, (Unto you be peace)" Minahil replied.
Minahil's eyebrows furrowed when they made eye contact with him and saw the difference in his eye color and she wondered why he decided to change them once again.
She let it slide not wanting to intrude. They sat in the living room and began talking, but it was just a formal chatter since every one knew they can't shy away from the conversation that lingered in the air. Everybody could feel the gravity of the situation.
Halil and Mr. Ahmet soon stood up and took their leave. It was just an excuse to give Minahil and Musa some privacy so they could talk about whatever it was that Musa wanted to say. Mrs. Ahmet remained there seated because Minahil wasn't comfortable enough to talk to him alone. For a moment silence engulfed the room, the two women waiting for Musa to begin talking.
The slight twitch in his upper lip showed his nervousness, something that always happened with him since he was a child and Minahil wanted to smile, seeing that some habits still remained the same, but she held herself back.
"Minahil," He began, his voice was so soft. It was like he was scared to even disclose this to her because he knew that whatever it was that she was going to learn was something that would break her.
"Mien jaanta hoon k tum bohot pareshaan ho magar mera yeh baat tumhe batana bohot zaroori hai. Mujhe maloom hai k hum dono k liye humaray baba bohot eham hain aur humnien unpar humesha fakhar kia hai magar kuch haqeeqatien aesi bhi hain jinse hum anjaan hain,"
(I know that you are very worried but I need to tell you this because it is very important. I am aware that for both of us our dads are our pride, but there are some realities that we aren't aware of.)
With his every word, Minahil's heartbeat sped up. She didn't want him to continue but there was no way out for her from this conversation. She could feel the darkness now seeping into her bones.
"Humien laga tha k un dono ko shahadat ki mout naseeb hoi hai aur yeh baat humari dharas bhi bani kahin na kahin unka gham khud par haavi na hone denien k liye. Magar haqeeqat yeh nahi hai,"
(We thought that they got martyred and this was a reason that gave us the strength to bear their loss and to not let this sorrow engulf us, but this was not the reality.)
Minahil flinched when he uttered about their deaths. She didn't want to be reminded about their martyrdom and how ruthlessly it happened in Afghanistan but she tried to be strong for herself.
"Woh log haq par nahi thay. Jin logon ka woh saath derahay thay woh humaray muhafiz nahi thay."
(They were not on the right side. They were helping those who were not our protectors.)
A painful gasp escaped her lips hearing the accusation on her father and her dear uncle Haider. She felt rage in her blood at the slander. Her eyes burned when she looked at Musa and there was nothing but sorrow and sadness in his eyes. His lips turned into a hollow smile, a smile which told her that he felt the same when he too learned about this.
Her throat clogged at the mere thought.
"Kia bolrahay ho? (What are you saying?" She whispered. Her tone wavered but she held her tears back.
"Sach kehraha hoon, (I am speaking the truth)" He replied. His voice just above a hush. There was resentment and grief in his tone.
Minahil could not believe him even if she wanted to. How was she supposed to believe that her father, the man whom she loved the most in her life, the man who had always guarded her, protected her, guided her, he was the one betraying his country? This could not be true, this can not be true.
Uncle Haider, the man who always guided her about the right path, with whom she had played during her entire childhood. These two men were not loyal to their countries?
Her mind became chaotic and it was hard for her to breath. She tried to ease her nerves and let Musa continue, but she couldn't bring herself to do so.
Seeing her nerves, Musa took the papers out of the folder, the folder which was with him all along but Minahil was too disturbed to even notice it in the first place. He took out two files and placed it before her. She didn't look at him when she felt his gaze because she couldn't bring herself to look at him, not right now, not after everything that he had said.
"Mujhe maloom hai aap abhi mujh par bohot ghussa hain. Magar hum haqeeqat se bhaag nahi sakte kyoon k jo kuch unhonien kia hai usska ka khamiyazana humien bharna hai. Woh humse iss ka hisaab lengay aur hum dono hi abhi khatray main hain,"
( I know you must be so angry at me, but we can't run from the reality because what ever it is that they have done, we are the ones who have to bear it's consequences. They are going to hold us accountable and we both are in danger right now).
Her heart sank by his words. Her whole body shivered at what she was hearing. The memories that she cherished so close to her heart, they flashed before her eyes. The laughter, the joy, but all for what?
The files were still on the table when Musa stood up. He knew she needed time for all of this to sink in and he was willing to give her that time, but still they were short on the clock and needed to make a move for their safety and for the safety of their loved ones.
He dipped his head in acknowledgement and bid her and Mrs.Ahmet farewell. Minahil didn't even stand up to take him to the door because she felt so drained out from this conversation. How could she even began to fathom everything that he had said to her. When she heard the sound of the door being closed, it was then that she allowed the tears to fall from her eyes and she felt warm embrace wrapping around her.
She leaned into Mrs. Ahmet's arms and cried. She cried for all the agony, pain and losses that she had faced. She cried because she was terrified of the truth. She felt alone in that one moment, she felt so alone, so small. Since the demise of her parents, it was in this moment that she truly felt like an orphan because now when she needed them the most to ease her, they weren't here to comfort her broken soul.
She called upon her Lord, her voice was so loud yet so silent. She screamed out to her Lord to provide her ease. She begged him, asked him to show her the way but still Mrs. Ahmet couldn't hear her loud voices because her lips were sealed.
It was her heart calling out to her Allah, talking to him, asking him to provide her ease. The world couldn't hear the cry of her bleeding heart but it was her Allah who had heard her from the 7th sky. Her lips were absolutely silent but the roar of her soul had reached Him. Minahil wept but she only displayed her wounds and pain to the All-Seeing, the All-Knowing.
***
Minahil sighed and poured herself some coffee from the machine before returning to her cabin. She could feel the migraine crawling into her head, making a mockery of her emotions.
Yesterday was very hard for her and all night she was tossing and turning in her bed because her mind was not being merciful to her. The Muslimah couldn't sleep and the thoughts that had taken away her peace made sure of that.
She let the bittersweet beverage ease her nerves and took the file that her boss had asked of her before making her way to the elevator. Dominic was waiting for her downstairs and she didn't want to give him any reason to be angry.
Once outside, she quickly spotted the sleek black vehicle and climbed inside beside Dominic's driver, Kerem.
Kerem was a kind man. He wasn't anything like Sargent and Borris. He was an average stature man with big warm eyes that held such tenderness in them that Minahil always feel the need to protect him from the world. The best part about Kerem was that he knew Urdu and Minahil loved to talk to him. He was almost sixty years of age and was one of the oldest worker of Dominic and hence the most loyal one.
"Assalam-u-alaikum Kerem (Peace be upon you)" Minahil greeted as soon as she entered.
"Walaikum Assalam Miss Durmaz (Upon you be peace)" His soft voice replied. He had a strong voice with a hint of gentleness.
"Karem you know you can use my first name, we have already discussed that," She teased and Karem let out a small chuckle. He had only used her surname to annoy her. Minahil shook her head at the mischievous man and greeted Dominic as well before settling in and making small talks with Kerem as they began their journey.
It took half an hour for them to reach the factory. Minahil climbed out of the car and rechecked the files quickly before walking inside. Once inside, she was in awe immediately. There were large machines working simultaneously. Their loud noise could not be missed. There were so many different colors of fabric that were being cut in uniform size and then they were passed on the next aisle for further procedure.
It was so refreshing to see how much hard work and labour goes into making a single piece of clothing. There were workers, making sure that things run smoothly, some were working manually where it was needed.
For a while Minahil completely forgot her worries because her curious mind was so busy watching the technical work before her.
"Merhaba Mr. Knights," a voice called out which snapped Minahil out of her thoughts. A woman stood there, greeting Dominic as they began to converse. She looked younger and Minahil at once knew it was Nida, the one in charge of the workers here.
No doubt she looked so elegant and classy. Her tone had a hint of grace in it. She spoke so properly that Minahil was impressed by her manner of talking. Nida glanced at Minahil and nodded her head in acknowledgement, passing her a small smile.
All three of them began walking and Nida filled Dominic in about all the recent methods that they had found successful and Dominic put his insights as well. Minahil jotted down everything that she thought would be useful and tried to grasp as much information as she could. Her eyes would catch Dominic's every now and then where her input was needed and the three continued with their work.
***
The stars loitered in the sky and the Moon glowed with it's radiance. It was quite everywhere, some were lost in their past sorrows and some scheming about their futures.
"They are looking for him, Dominic." Anais sharp voice cut through the hush surroundings. Dominic stood there, looking down to the city glittering with lights. The faint sound of his car engine was the only noise between the two until Anais spoke up.
"And?" He questioned. His brown eyes glanced at the lady beside him.
"You know the consequences."
A moment of silence passed between the two. The hill on which they were standing upon gave them an edge over the rest of the city, making the tall buildings and the people so small, almost negligible. The Devil took a puff from his cigar, blowing the smoke in air as if to leave his mark.
"I will get to him before them," He said. It was a promise that Anais knew he wouldn't break.
"I know you will."
***
Minahil sighed as she sipped her tea. All she could think about at the moment was Musa's words. Everything that he had said, every allegation. She looked at the file laying beside her on the seat but she couldn't toughen up enough to open it and accept everything that he had said.
There was so much going on in her head. So many questions and there were no answers. She didn't even know that what kind of mess she was into. What kind of danger was Musa talking about? She shuddered thinking about the safety of her brother and her dear friend.
Tears filled her vision and she tried to keep them at bay and before they could escape, her phone went off, making her jump in fright. Looking at the caller ID, she frowned but nonetheless picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
"Miss Durmaz." Dominic greeted, "I hope you were not sleeping." He said and Minahil looked at her wristwatch which read that it was almost 12.
"Um no,"
"Good, you need to come to the office right now." He was not asking her but merely letting her know.
"Excuse me?" was her most abrupt question but she quickly rephrased it, " I mean sir it's almost midnight."
"Yes?" He asked. Minahil looked at her phone again making sure that he was not drunk while talking to her.
"If it's urgent can I do it from here?" She asked.
"No," She wanted to slam his arrogant head on a wall to make him realize that it was not easy for her to come so late at night.
Brute!
Minahil thought to herself.
"Send me your location, I am sending Kerem," and then the line went off. Minahil's mouth was left open at the man's audacity and she so wanted to give him a piece of her mind which she will make sure she gives, once reaching there.
He may be a powerful man but he needs to realize that people were not his slaves that he could call at any hour. Huffing she looked down at her cute strawberry shortcake PJ's and decided that she would just throw her abaya over them after all he did call her on a very short notice.
After 15 minutes she received Kerem's message that he was outside, waiting for her. Quickly putting her niqab in place, the Muslimah kept the files in her bag and ran towards the door. Once outside, she climbed down the stairs and sat inside, greeting Kerem.
She felt pity for the poor man because of Dominic. It was fifteen minutes past 12 and Kerem was still up, working just like her.
They finally reached the office and Kerem chuckled.
"Stop making those faces under your niqab." He said and Minahil's eyes widened at his observation because he had caught her.
"How did you know?" She asked, shocked.
"Your eyes." He said and she also let out a small chuckle. He was a smart man after all.
Bidding him goodbye, she entered the building and made her way to where the Devil was waiting for her. She had no idea what was so urgent that he had to ask her to come. This better be worth it, she thought to herself and went inside the lift.
Minahil got out of the elevator and walked towards Dominic's cabin. She knocked the door and waited for his reply.
"Come in,"
She entered inside with the files in her hand and tried to keep her frustration at bay. She had no idea what she was supposed to even bring so she bought all the files that she currently was working on.
He could have mentioned the specific file at least!
Dominic looked up and there the little Muslimah was standing, looking lost.
"There was an urgent meeting with Mr. Selim.Due to an emergency he is leaving town and couldn't reschedule it." He explained and she nodded still not satisfied with his answer.
"Did you bring the fabric file?"
"Yes sir," She answered putting the file on the table. What if she hadn't brought the files because he didn't mention them, would he have asked her to go back and bring them?
Minahil thought and shuddered at the idea.
"Miss Durmaz, prepare the meeting room because Mr. Selim will be here at any moment," He ordered. Nodding her head, Minahil walked out of the room and was so close to slamming it but held herself back because she knew the client was going to be here and she didn't want to leave a bad impression on him but once he will leave, she was going to have a conversation with her devil for a boss.
That man didn't even show any consideration when she walked inside. He didn't even apologize for the sake of ethics.
Just as she turned the projector on, She heard footsteps making their way into the room and she quickly straightened.
The devil walked in with the client and Minahil greeted them as everyone took their respective seats.
"Apologies Miss. Durmaz for the inconvenience," Mr. Selim acknowledged. Minahil accepted and looked at her boss, who was already looking at her. The message was clear in her emerald orbs before she refocused on the task at hand.
45 minutes have passed and they began to wrap up the meeting. Minahil glanced at her watch and it was almost 1:50am.
"It was a pleasure doing business with you Mr.Knights." Mr. Selim said and the gentleman stood up, shaking hands. Mr. Selim forwarded his hand to Minahil and she placed her hand on top of her heart, in a respectful manner. He understood and greeted her the same way before walking out the door with the Devil.
The Muslimah finally sighed and flopped down on the chair, resting her head for five minutes, waiting for her boss to come back. She was feeling so sleepy that she didn't even realize when she dozed off into a deep slumber, forgetting about the devil that was soon going to come.
***
Assalam-u-alaikum. Hope you all are doing great!
I am so sorry for the late update. I know it's been months and I didn't update. I had been very busy these past few months and honestly couldn't update. I am so sorry guys but now that I am back , I will try to update as frequently as possible. Thank you so much for bearing with me, honestly!
BACK TO THE CHAPTER:
1) Did you guys like it?
2) What do you think about Musa?
3) Are you guys liking the story so far?