I know it's been a while, honestly I know! I wasn't even going to post this chapter but I felt dreadful for not posting anything, this has been the longest time I haven't used my blog for (probably). I said it wouldn't hurt to use an hour for a post, but this is just a small chapter before my finals start to keep you readers going. I hope everyone's doing well with school/university or even work, whatever all of you are up to. Allah yiwafigkom! :D x
Warning, this is a mysterious and SMALL chapter nyahaha.
-
Previously in Chapter 37:
And without another word, I left her room, just as she wished. I agreed to leaving the room. But I didn't agree to anything else. I hurried over to the reception desk, where the nurses where.
"Can I see the results of patient Layal Al-X?" I asked, trying to look casual. The nurse sat behind the desk, her dark Indian skin was covered with a white plain uniform, her dark eyes suspecting me.
"Uhm, is that patient 651?" She looked hesitant, looking around for the papers. "Sorry I'm new, are you the brother?"
"Yeah, Abdulra7man." I lied, thanking God that she was new and didn't see Layal's brother already. She typed feverishly on the keyboard, not bothering to even ask for my ID. She printed the papers out and handed me a copy.
"Thanks Linda," I read her name tag, giving her a kind smile. She was young, she blushed and gave me a warm smile back. I hurried over to the elevators, as I waited for one, I looked over the papers.
I didn't understand anything from the papers, but two words caught my attention and those two words were enough to tell me what was wrong with Layal.
"Fatal cancer."
-
3 years later..
"Layal, squeeze closer to your brother!" The nurse's friendly voice cooed, her young eyes staring at my brother admiringly. Her chestnut hair was put up into a bob but her dimples would appear as soon as she saw my brother come into the hospital to visit me. My brother, Abdulra7man, squeezed me in closer with his strong arm, my body weakly surrendered and my forearm rested over his chest.
"Say cheese!" Jackie, the nurse called out before clicking Abdulra7man's Sony camera, the flash blinded my eyes momentarily as I heard the small click.
"Are you guys excited? It's your last surgery Layal." Jackie hid her sadness of the fact that it would also be the last time she would see my brother. I gave her a weak smile, I seemed to have too many surgeries, too many types of medicines to really keep count. All I knew was after this surgery, the cancer would finally be gone. I'd finally be free of it, there was always the fact that the cancer could grow back and infect me but knowing that still for a period of time I'd be cancer-free, made me happy.
"And then if everything goes as planned, we can finally go back home." 7amany, my brother whispered in my ear. The dreary smell of meds lingered in the air in my all white hospital room in Germany. I'd grown used to my old hospital room in Britain, at least it had more colours but Germany's medical team was what I truly needed for my health.
"Enshallah." I murmured, feeling a slight ache in my chest once the memories of Kuwait came flooding back into my mind. I dug a finger through my veil and felt the bare skin of my head. No long luxurious hair, just the hard yet fragile skin of my bald head. It used to make me tear up every time I saw it or touched it, but Ive grown used to it.
"Layal, shfeech mu mistansa?" Abdulra7man asked once Jackie left the hospital room, leaving us alone.
"Shnu ely yiwanis?" I laughed bitterly.
"El7emdellah, just this surgery and you're finally done." He tried to sound more positive. "B3dain negder enrid el bait."
"To who?" My eyes began to tear up. I might have gotten used to the bald hairless head of mine, but my heart would never forget the death of my father. Who would I be going home to? What was the use of my health anymore when I had nothing left to go back to?
"Your friends," Abdulra7man painfully said, trying to forget about my father's existence altogether. My father's illness took over last year, Abdulra7man tried to fly back to Kuwait to take care of him whilst also flying back to me in Britain (where my old hospital room was), to keep me company. My other brother, Ebrahim, finally decided to go to university in America. So it was just Abdulra7man and I left.
"Yeah," I gave him a fake smile. I knew he was just as pained as I was and I needed to put some effort into being more positive.
"Al7een bas ed3ay ena your surgery goes perfectly as planned and the cancer stays off of you."
"Enshallah," he patted my back but I winced, pushing him away.
"Asif asif, walla nesait!" His fingers had touched my spine, where my last injection was put and the pain was still unbearable.
"3ade, t3wdt." I smiled and he smiled back. A more of a sad smile, nothing to be happy about.
"Yalla, namay, warach ga3da bacher for the surgery. I'll leave you to sleep now."
"7amany?" I squeaked out.
"Halla?" He answered before leaving my side. Before I could tell him anything, he continued speaking: "A packet of oreo cookies before they stop you eating for the surgery, right?"
"You know me so well."
-
-Thari-
"Thari, shift'ha?" My mother giggled ecstatically, her eyes following the short girl that wore her hair in messy waves, her cheeks dipped in red powder and her eyes glancing at me as she walked next to her mother around the mall.
"Yuma," I annoyingly groaned.
"She graduated from AUK (American University of Kuwait) few months ago, omha etgouly et7b tarsim, nafsik!" Mom tattled on, we were both seated at Dean and Deluca, a cafe/restaurant and had a clear view of the girl and her mother. My mother tricked me into saying she needed a ride and wanted help with her shopping, but she clearly tricked me again (oh yes, this hasn't been the first time she's done this) to go wife shopping, rather than actually product shopping.
"Okay, w b3dain? Yuma chem mara agoulech mabe atzawaj!"
"Shm3na?! Al7een ya7leilk tishtighl eb sharekat obouk, w obouk ma36eek most of his business share. W tekherjt men eljam3a, bas bageelik shay wa7d." She pointed to the girl once she was done speaking, clearly saying I was only missing a wife now.
"Tw elnas 3al zawaj."
"Shnu tw elnas?! Tara people these days get married quicker!"
"Yuma shaku? Qa9dch el3ax." I laughed.
"What's wrong with the girls I showed you? Clean reputations, good families and beauty, shtabe akthar besmellah?" My mother aimed her strongly eyeliner-ed eyes at me, her wrinkles in her forehead furrowing in annoyance.
"Mabe shay, yalla meshaina?" I avoided her eyes.
"Walla you're going to regret passing this girl up Thari," she shook her head, her English fluent and she only spoke English when she was super serious.
I regret passing up one girl.
And only that one girl.
Warning, this is a mysterious and SMALL chapter nyahaha.
-
Previously in Chapter 37:
And without another word, I left her room, just as she wished. I agreed to leaving the room. But I didn't agree to anything else. I hurried over to the reception desk, where the nurses where.
"Can I see the results of patient Layal Al-X?" I asked, trying to look casual. The nurse sat behind the desk, her dark Indian skin was covered with a white plain uniform, her dark eyes suspecting me.
"Uhm, is that patient 651?" She looked hesitant, looking around for the papers. "Sorry I'm new, are you the brother?"
"Yeah, Abdulra7man." I lied, thanking God that she was new and didn't see Layal's brother already. She typed feverishly on the keyboard, not bothering to even ask for my ID. She printed the papers out and handed me a copy.
"Thanks Linda," I read her name tag, giving her a kind smile. She was young, she blushed and gave me a warm smile back. I hurried over to the elevators, as I waited for one, I looked over the papers.
I didn't understand anything from the papers, but two words caught my attention and those two words were enough to tell me what was wrong with Layal.
"Fatal cancer."
-
3 years later..
"Layal, squeeze closer to your brother!" The nurse's friendly voice cooed, her young eyes staring at my brother admiringly. Her chestnut hair was put up into a bob but her dimples would appear as soon as she saw my brother come into the hospital to visit me. My brother, Abdulra7man, squeezed me in closer with his strong arm, my body weakly surrendered and my forearm rested over his chest.
"Say cheese!" Jackie, the nurse called out before clicking Abdulra7man's Sony camera, the flash blinded my eyes momentarily as I heard the small click.
"Are you guys excited? It's your last surgery Layal." Jackie hid her sadness of the fact that it would also be the last time she would see my brother. I gave her a weak smile, I seemed to have too many surgeries, too many types of medicines to really keep count. All I knew was after this surgery, the cancer would finally be gone. I'd finally be free of it, there was always the fact that the cancer could grow back and infect me but knowing that still for a period of time I'd be cancer-free, made me happy.
"And then if everything goes as planned, we can finally go back home." 7amany, my brother whispered in my ear. The dreary smell of meds lingered in the air in my all white hospital room in Germany. I'd grown used to my old hospital room in Britain, at least it had more colours but Germany's medical team was what I truly needed for my health.
"Enshallah." I murmured, feeling a slight ache in my chest once the memories of Kuwait came flooding back into my mind. I dug a finger through my veil and felt the bare skin of my head. No long luxurious hair, just the hard yet fragile skin of my bald head. It used to make me tear up every time I saw it or touched it, but Ive grown used to it.
"Layal, shfeech mu mistansa?" Abdulra7man asked once Jackie left the hospital room, leaving us alone.
"Shnu ely yiwanis?" I laughed bitterly.
"El7emdellah, just this surgery and you're finally done." He tried to sound more positive. "B3dain negder enrid el bait."
"To who?" My eyes began to tear up. I might have gotten used to the bald hairless head of mine, but my heart would never forget the death of my father. Who would I be going home to? What was the use of my health anymore when I had nothing left to go back to?
"Your friends," Abdulra7man painfully said, trying to forget about my father's existence altogether. My father's illness took over last year, Abdulra7man tried to fly back to Kuwait to take care of him whilst also flying back to me in Britain (where my old hospital room was), to keep me company. My other brother, Ebrahim, finally decided to go to university in America. So it was just Abdulra7man and I left.
"Yeah," I gave him a fake smile. I knew he was just as pained as I was and I needed to put some effort into being more positive.
"Al7een bas ed3ay ena your surgery goes perfectly as planned and the cancer stays off of you."
"Enshallah," he patted my back but I winced, pushing him away.
"Asif asif, walla nesait!" His fingers had touched my spine, where my last injection was put and the pain was still unbearable.
"3ade, t3wdt." I smiled and he smiled back. A more of a sad smile, nothing to be happy about.
"Yalla, namay, warach ga3da bacher for the surgery. I'll leave you to sleep now."
"7amany?" I squeaked out.
"Halla?" He answered before leaving my side. Before I could tell him anything, he continued speaking: "A packet of oreo cookies before they stop you eating for the surgery, right?"
"You know me so well."
-
-Thari-
"Thari, shift'ha?" My mother giggled ecstatically, her eyes following the short girl that wore her hair in messy waves, her cheeks dipped in red powder and her eyes glancing at me as she walked next to her mother around the mall.
"Yuma," I annoyingly groaned.
"She graduated from AUK (American University of Kuwait) few months ago, omha etgouly et7b tarsim, nafsik!" Mom tattled on, we were both seated at Dean and Deluca, a cafe/restaurant and had a clear view of the girl and her mother. My mother tricked me into saying she needed a ride and wanted help with her shopping, but she clearly tricked me again (oh yes, this hasn't been the first time she's done this) to go wife shopping, rather than actually product shopping.
"Okay, w b3dain? Yuma chem mara agoulech mabe atzawaj!"
"Shm3na?! Al7een ya7leilk tishtighl eb sharekat obouk, w obouk ma36eek most of his business share. W tekherjt men eljam3a, bas bageelik shay wa7d." She pointed to the girl once she was done speaking, clearly saying I was only missing a wife now.
"Tw elnas 3al zawaj."
"Shnu tw elnas?! Tara people these days get married quicker!"
"Yuma shaku? Qa9dch el3ax." I laughed.
"What's wrong with the girls I showed you? Clean reputations, good families and beauty, shtabe akthar besmellah?" My mother aimed her strongly eyeliner-ed eyes at me, her wrinkles in her forehead furrowing in annoyance.
"Mabe shay, yalla meshaina?" I avoided her eyes.
"Walla you're going to regret passing this girl up Thari," she shook her head, her English fluent and she only spoke English when she was super serious.
I regret passing up one girl.
And only that one girl.
