Chapter 60: Chapter 60

AWARENESS

"What is happening there?, Rashid!, Now, let go of her and don't make me repeat myself." Sheikh Abdul ordered, he was out in his verandah and heard some hot exchange of words, had also heard the commotion in the wee hours of the morning. He turned deaf ears to everything and turned to the other side of his bed, but refused turning deaf ear when it turned out that Janelle was in trouble, he just couldn't lay down comfortably while his daughter in-law is in trouble.

"Father, you needn't worry, we're having a little, minor discussion, it's personal and between us. It's nothing serious, Father, you should go back to sleep." Rashid replied, eyeing Janelle to contradict his words.

"She doesn't look like it's something minor, and, with the deathly grip you're engaging her in, she looks uncomfortable, you should let her go, and NOW!" Sheikh Abdul ordered.

"Janelle meet me in my study room." he said to her, while Rashid looked at him dumbfounded.

"In your study room?, Father, I can count how many times you let me in there, it's been years, ages." he snorted.

Silence ensued between them, Rashid staring at Janelle in a dazed manner, while Janelle never cowered, looking him back, squarely on his face.

"Now, let go of me, Please." she implored, his deathly grip left hers, before he made way for her to pass.

Janelle rushed into the house, like she was being chased by a rabid Bull-dog, she shut the door behind her and leaned unto the door, her breathe loud and hurried.

~~~~~~~~~ΩΩΩ~~~~~~~~~

"Bolt the door, use the extra lock to hold it in." Khadija said to Madok as she clung tightly unto the shawl around her neck, her lips in a straight thin line.

"You've been fidgeting," she paused, "Is there any problem?" Khadija questioned as she drew closer to him. "You look unsettled and anxious, tell me, what's the problem. You've been going on and off since Mrs Janelle left, talk to me." she urged him, resting her head on his broad back.

He pursed his lips, "I, I I, e-er-erm, I've never felt so sure about missing Rashid, like I do now."

Khadija smiled, " Is that all?. Is that what's giving you the chills, making you so anxious?. Darling, you've every right to feel, you're human, so you should feel, you're not an object. You miss your brother, that shows you've taken a step further at retribution, and you think should you meet him, he won't welcome you with open arms?." She placated with her endearing words, trying to make the matter bearable for him.

"I know he would, like he's always done when we both were younger, but what I did, the conspiracy, the fake evidence..... I don't think I've truly ever forgiven myself, when reminded of it all, it's like there's a clog in my windpipe, making me unable to draw fresh air into my lungs." his head sunk low in his shoulder.

"The acceptance of your wrongdoings, your willingness to make a change, speaks for you. I'm always here, and, whenever you're really read to meet him, I'm still here, to help you build the bond from scratch, or rather, patch your torn pieces together", she paused, looked up to the sky, " We better hurry inside, the rain is splattering already, and you don't want us drenched." she laughed, he took her hands in his, before they ran inside for shelter.

~~~~~~~

"No." Fiona maintained, a determined look on her face, she wasn't going to let go of her dream because of some wad of hard currency notes.

Khalid groaned. "You really shouldn't go through the stress, I'm not complaining." he said.

She eyed him, "And that's what annoys me most, the fact, that you're not bothered. I can't stay in this big house from dusk till dawn. Khalid! my mental stability is very much on the low, yes, I enjoy my own company a lot, yet, I feel like I'd run mad, should I stay another week doing absolutely nothing." Fiona complained.

"In that aspect, you're wrong, totally wrong. You don't do nothing," he paused, a coy smile etched on his face.

"No, no. I don't like the look on your face, I'm very serious, Khalid!" she huffed, folding her arms beneath her breast.

"Uhhhh, my woman's all puffed, you definitely don't do nothing when I'm back home?, Or do you?. You always have me to worry about." he smirked, displaying his male-sexuality.

"You do have a way of turning everything sexual, I'm going back to writing, and will definitely set up a book store, I've never wished for more, and, No! Don't tell me you'd pay me to look after the house, you've loads of workers to do that for you." she insisted, walking to the far end of the room.

"Alright, you've prettily concluded. Well, the bookstore it is. Now, come here!, Come show Daddy how much you've missed him." he licked his lower lips, walking towards her, his eyes remained focused on her, like a Hawk does a Weaver.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Janelle stood outside the private study room of Sheikh Abdul, her heart beating rapidly, as flashbacks of what transpired between herself and Rashid kept doing comebacks.

She nudged the big, oak door with her hand, trying to open it, her mind was still clouded with different thoughts roaming through.

Suddenly, it seemed like the first day when she found this place mistakenly, she had been terrified of what the insides would look like, the door and the writings on it made it look terrifying and gigantically horrible to think of what the inside would be. Courage had made her pull the door open and walk inside, her mouth and eyes wide open with awe for how marvelous and strangely beautiful it looked.

Although, it was her third time being here, yet, there was barely or no contrast as to the first time she was here, asides the fact that she came of her own free will, the first time. Now, it was an order from her father-in-law.

As she went in, her eyes went through the books. Her eyes locked on the Ancient Books, when she saw a bouquet of flowers that had dried up. She raised a brow, the study room looked so clean and the bouquet of flowers looked so out of place. It was a white rose. Beneath the bouquet of flowers was a big, brown envelope.

She wanted to walk past it, she hesitated. She quickly opened the envelope, unfolded the content, there was a written content in the thick white paper she unfolded, and the writing!!!!

Damn! The writing. She swore she had seen it somewhere, the contents too, she remembered she had seen it somewhere, plausibly, held it or rather, held it.

"SHLW", she pressed the insides of her palms against her lips.

Seemed like a thriller movie, she pinched herself on the bridge of her nose, but it was no horror movie, it was real. Everything was real.

While she was in Florida, she remembered, she kept receiving strange letters and bouquet of flowers constantly, at a point, she was worried that someone was stalking her, but....

"Christ!!!" she groaned softly.

"It had been the Sheikh all along?" She thought inwardly. While she thought all her secrets were safe, the Sheikh had always known about her, her children, even the day she gave birth to them.

She went still, all that filled her head was "Why the Sheikh never told his son, Rashid, of her whereabouts or most importantly, that he fathered two kids?". He had known all along, but still took sides with her and didn't sell her out to his OWN SON!

Goosebumps appeared on her skin, it was that moment that the door sprang open and Sheikh Abdul walked in, the envelope slipped from her hand, making a soft whoosh sound as it hit the floor.

Sheikh Abdul walked in, he closed the door behind him, still in the dark of what Janelle had just discovered, but when he turned to face her, his eyes went to the paper in her hand and the dried bouquet of flower.

"Ohhh." he sighed.

"I've always been bad at hiding things, always give myself out at the ALMOST-CLIMAX." he shrugged.

"There's nothing to deny, I've known all along. My son and your husband, Rashid. He needed to be punished, and that was the best way to do that, you can't imagine how frustrated he was, about not finding you."