The household was in a flurry of excitement as they prepared for the arrival of Aabid, the eldest son of Jalaludeen II, who was in a few hours to land in the country.
Every member contributed to the young man's homecoming. His bedroom was tidied up by ma'Naima herself with the aid of the maids. Hashim and Karan, his two stepbrothers, placed balloons in the living room and entrance hall. Even the smallest boy in the house put his marvel toys on the dressing table of the expected guest.
"Where shall we put this?" Hashim asked his twin, who was holding a placard with 'Welcome Home' written boldly on it. They had gotten it at a cheap price online and used up their savings to buy it together with a few things.
"Uh... isn't it better if we put it up in the corridor? Near the few balloons we put up. That would give him a hint of what to expect in the living room," Karan replied, pinning the red bow on the walls. They were in Aabid's room, adding minor decorations.
The house is in Ankara. It is a two-storey building with 5 bedrooms where Naima, the third wife of Hameed Jalaludeen, and their 3 sons live (Hashim and Karan, who are 14 years old, and Zain, who is only 8). The man had deliberately chosen to stay with his stepmother because she was the one he got along with straight away compared to his father's other wives. They had had a good relationship since Aabid lived with her during the time he was brought back to Turkey from Germany and she had recently married his father, and all that was 16 years ago. She was the only one at that time who treated him like her own son. Therefore he became incredibly attached to her, even though he knew it was all a sham.
That 'She was not his birth mother.'
'After living with her for 5 years, Aabid then traveled out of Turkey to live with his father and 2nd wife, Haleema in Ukraine. At 19, he proceeded to study Engineering at Tsinghua University, Beijing. Shortly after his Bachelors, Aabid was enrolled to the china branch to develop his business management and entrepreneurship skills together with his 2 cousins, Muhammad and Yeccef.
Having served the Al-Taajir group (still under Jochron INC.) loyally for only 2 years, Aabid began to secretly work at an engineering company which lasted for 9 months till his father found out. The news had maddened and disappointed him; for he had wanted his son to become well acquainted with the life within Al-Taajir Enterprise and the other Empires. As the third male grandchild of late Jalaludeen I, Aabid was expected to fully become a committed member of the Al-Taajir group of Jochron INC, but he showed very little interest in becoming part of the long, hard built family business. This led to his father's fury.
After finding out about his lax and irresponsible lifestyle, Hameed Jalaludeen sent an order for Aabid to vacate Beijing for Turkey, with the luxury to choose whom he wished to live with, which he had no choice but to follow.
He feared his father's power. The old man was capable of doing anything once annoyed.
---
Around 3pm, the gate opened and an orange Toyota Prius drove onto the quiet grounds.
"He is here! He is finally here!" Shouted Karan in Urdu, moving away from the window sill as loudly as he could. The twins quickly ran down the stairs, the other twin bumping roughly into the younger Zain, causing him to fall. It seemed he was on his way up, but he was quickly distracted when he heard Karan's announcement.
Hashim did not stop to comfort his brother, but rushed downstairs as fast as he could as if nothing had happened. Zain, realising that no one cared about his cries, quickly took his toy car and followed the two on.
The twins hugged Aabid energetically as soon as he got out of the vehicle.
"We missed you very much!" Said Hashim, loosening his grip on Aabid.
Smiling, Aabid adjusted his blazer and replied, "I see your English has improved, I am proud of you."
Zain immediately appeared and clung to Aabid's blazer. Aabid took him in his arms and smiled broadly as he looked at his face. He did not fail to notice the boy's chocolate stained cheeks.
"Wow, you have really grown up, Zain! Do you remember me?"
Zain nodded, now grinning from ear to ear. The boy was very little when Aabid left and there was no way he could remember him if not for the video-calls and how often Aabid's name was mentioned around the house.
"I bought you a toy car, I am sure you'll like it," Aabid said quietly to little Zain and sat him down on the floor. The twins grabbed Aabid's hands and urged him forward, anticipating to see his excitement once he finds out it was all their effort.
"What are you doing out there? Come inside! The weather is not good to stay long, I am terribly cold!" Shouted Aunt Naima smiling from the front door. She was overjoyed to see Aabid again after a long time. The last time she had seen him was when she visited Jalaludeen II in Beijing and attended Aabid's graduation ceremony, and that was 3 years ago.
The first thing Aabid noticed were the balloons in the corridor. He assumed they had prepared an even bigger surprise inside. He was indeed right. There was a large poster near the entrance that led to the living room. Aabid read it aloud and smiled at the three boys from the bottom of his heart, feeling appreciated. When they reached the living area, Ma'Naima was already sitting inside waiting for them. Before Aabid could say anything, she hugged him warmly.
"Thank you, Mami," he said, returning the hug. He had learned to call her 'Mami' after leaving Turkey for Ukraine. When he did not, of course, he addressed her as 'auntie', which secretly hurt her, but she never told him. Gradually he learned to call her 'mami' of his own accord.
"I miss you so much, Aabid. Come, make yourself comfortable, I have prepared chapatti for you," she said and quickly went to the kitchen to call the domestic help.
Aabid sat on the comfortable sofa and heaved a sigh. The household help began to take his luggage and the items he had brought with him upstairs to his room.
He looked around at the walls, not missing the tiny decorative items. Definitely the twins, he thought. The boys had gone upstairs to get their drawings and show them to him.
In less than 15 minutes the table was set and Ma'Naima forced Aabid to the chairs, but he still refused, for he had no appetite. Finally, she gave up and left him alone.
The twins, on the other hand, showed Aabid their drawings, for which they were praised.
"Let your brother rest, leave him alone, he has just come from a long journey! You know that!" She scolded them.
"No, no, it's really all right. They entertain me," Aabid assured them, grinning at the children. And so the chattering, squealing and ups and downs continued.