Monday, at around 5:30pm in the evening, it was getting dark outside and Alaina, still isn't halfway home, her whole body hurt, and the thought of she wasn't going to get to rest when she gets home, to talkless of having a bath, and probably she won't eat this night Either, just like last night, the thought of this made her felt a big bitter lump in her throat.
At that point she really felt like bursting into tears, God!, she wished her mom loved her the way she loved her siblings.
"Why does she hate me so much"?!
She asks herself this almost, everyday, but she doesn't have the answer to her question.
At about 6:30 it's was getting very dark, she was walking very fast at this time, but she felt slower than a snail,
If only, Hanan and Haifa had not forcefully, collected her transport fare,
Just because she was announced the most neatest and punctual student of the week, on the assembly today,
They got really jealous and angry,
"What does she have that we don't" they often say, when they see how she was being praised and loved in school.
Because of that, they decided to collect her Transport fare, so that when she gets home she will be too tired to wake up early to school tomorrow.
"Now I will see how you become the punctual girl" next week Hanan said laughing at her, as they board a taxi and headed home, leaving Alaina stranded outside the school gate.
They did that, knowing Alaina, is not the type of girl that beg, she hated putting down herself over little things she can strive for herself, so they know she will have no other option than to walk home.
They always find a way to maltreat her, make her feel like a nobody and unloved.
They are always envious of how everyone in school loved and praised Alaina, while they say nothing of praise about them.
"Alaina, wiped the tears that filled her eyes, and continue to walk very fast, at this time almost running.
With lots of thoughts going through her mind, "what has she done to deserve all this hatred from her own family,?!
She almost fell but pick up her self and continued her walk, almost running.
The only family she had that loved her in her home, was her dad and her brother Noah, then maeesha, their maid even though she's not family but she loved her unconditionally, they are the only ones who console her and make her happy with their funny jokes, whenever her mum or sisters made her sad, Maeesha, is deaf, so she just make funny faces, it makes her laugh her heart out, when she does that.
After an hour walk,
At sighting the gate,
Phew! Finally ! She said" as she hurried towards the house,
As she got to the gate, without hesitation, she started knocking at the gate, the gateman opened the gate door, "Asalamu Alaikum,(peace be into you) good evening sir" she said to him and hurried inside the house, without waiting for his reply, almost stumbling.
Immediately she got in, Noah jumped on her happily, you are home, where have you... he was cut off by mum, "what is your concern with where she was, she shouted at him, go to your room right now and don't come out"
but mum... "shut up" I said go to your room, she hated how Noah loved Alaina, why can't he hate her the way they hated her?! she said in her head, Noah, looked at Alaina with a fake smile and went sluggishly to his room.
Hanan, Haifa and mum were sitted on the dinning having dinner, that was around 7:00pm, but Noah couldn't eat he was so disturbed of where his sister was at, she has never been out this late, but his sisters and mum don't care.
They all looked up, all three of them looking at her with a bad eye,
Hanan and Haifa looked at each other, smiled and chuckled,
They were happy their plan will work out perfectly well, as they can see all part of Alaina's body from head to toe crying out for help,
All she needed now, was to have a hot shower bath, eat, and go to bed,
But mum will not allow her to rest now, she will have to go help the maid in the kitchen, wash all the plates, Clean up the kitchen, and wash their school uniforms,
And iron them in the morning as early as 6:00am before they get ready for school,
That was her everyday chores in the morning and at night.
"Good evening mum" Alaina said shivering, as if she saw something scary,
"and where the hell are you coming from at this time" mum said, looking at her with disgust,
"From school" Alaina said her eyes filled with tears,
"Is this the time you are supposed to be back"? She yelled at her,
she wasn't asking, because she cared, she just used every little chance she gets to yell and insult her.
Alaina Knows better than to say, Hanan and Haifa, collected her money that's why she had to trek home, she just had to lie, not because Hanan and Haifa will be in trouble for collecting her transport fare, but mum will never believe her even though she knows she is saying the truth,
She never like to scold them.
" I lost my transport fare, that's why I had to trek" Alaina said, her head down.
Mum looked at her from head to toe and said,
Alaina! "That's your problem. I don't care, and since you love trekking, I think it's better I stop wasting my money, for your transport fare everyday, so you will get to trek everyday, "As if it was her money!
Alaina couldn't hold back the tears she has been holding anylonger, she let them roll down on her face, freely, "how could a mother say this to her child"
she didn't even care if something bad might have happened to her that's the reason she was late home,
she always had doubt, if this woman she call mum, was truly her mother, but she has no answers.
And whenever she asks her dad, if mum was her real mother, he frowns and tell her never to say such thing again, That she is truly her mother.
"I wish dad was her" Alaina said in her head,
"Oh! I miss him so much, He had to travel for a business trip,
Which is almost a month now, and I haven't even been able to even talk to him on the phone,
Because they always cook up a reason for me not being available anytime he calls or asks for me,
they never allow me talk to him.
If he was here he would have defended me,
she wiped up the tears on her face, using the little curvy hijab she was wearing, which was part of their uniform.
Anytime she was been maltreated by mum, they have a big fight with dad, now mum find a way to do all her maltreatments at any chance she gets whenever dad was away.
Meanwhile Noah was in his room crying, he hates how his mum and sisters treat Alaina, but there is nothing he could have done, he is too Young to defend her, if mum beats her or yells at her, he just come afterwards to console her and tell her how much he loved her and she should keep being patient, At his little age he acts so smart and mature than Hanan and Haifa.
Mum, looked at her with a disgusting look and said, go to the kitchen right now and help the maid with the chores After that you can come and have our remains of the food,
And if there's none, that's your bad luck, giving her a wicked smile, she turned to her plate and continue eating.
this time around Alaina felt a bigger, bitter lump in her throat.
but she can't do or say anything, she was even lucky mum didn't beat her today.
she sluggishly went to the kitchen, did all what she had to do and headed to her room, which was close to maeesha's.
Her small room was just plain white which had a bed, the book shelf adjacent to the bed and a wardrobe, opposite her tiny toilet, even maeesha's room was bigger than hers.
immediately she got in, she went straight to the toilet had her bath, performed ablution from the toilet and prayed. Alaina, never missed her prayers, she try all her best to perform her five daily prayers on time, just as her dad and Islamic studies teacher at school has taught them.
Her dad always advice her to perform her five daily prayers at any situation she finds herself in life, that it should never be a reason for her not to pray and most importantly at the right time.
After her prayers, maghrib and Isha, she went downstairs to the dinning, to see if there's remains of the food, as they have all gone to bed, that was around 8:30pm.
there was nothing, they finished everything, she was going back to her room when, maid maeesha, came out of her room and handed her a bowl of fried rice and a bottle of smoov.
Maeesha smiled at her, and Alaina smiled back at her, she lowered her head a little, showing gratitude and went back to her room.
on many occasions Maeesha had always helped Alaina this way, there was a day mum found out, that day! mum slapped maeesha, and warned her not to try that ever again,
ever since that day Alaina started to reject whatever maeesha gave to her to save her from Mom's wrath, but maeesha frowns and insisted to give her half of her food, whenever she was sure Alaina didn't eat.
when she got to her room, she started eating the food very fast, like a hungry wolf, then she paused and remember, it's in the behavior of a good Muslim to eat with respect for the food, and to start with Bismillah,
she calmed down, said Bismillah and ate her food like a good Muslim should, after eating she drank half of the smoov and hid the remaining in her school bag so no one will see it so maeesha wont be in trouble, she went down to the kitchen, washed the bowl an put it in it place.
Alaina came back to her room and lay down to sleep, but she couldn't seem to find any sleep. Alot was going through her mind.