His office was not appealing to Aabid muchly. It was not as roomy as the previous one he had in Beijing, and more importantly, there were not as many gadgets as he had anticipated. Even if he wanted to grab a cup of espresso nearby, there weren't many espresso machines.
He chose to take a stroll across the office block because it was a beautiful Thursday evening. To pass the time, he went to a park.
It had rained, so the temperature was a little chilly, but it was just what he wanted.
He pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and looked up at the gray sky, noting that there were still clouds there. He started a cigar, then dialed Violet's number.
(Greetings, handsome! She gave a warm greeting).
When Aabid heard her smooth, low voice, he beamed. She inquired about the local weather before continuing their typical discussion.
She made a comment at one point that she would love to visit him soon.
"Really? Don't worry, I intend to visit America as well." He said while releasing smoke into the air.
(But Love, you do not have to come! Still, I haven't told you about the news yet.) she said joyfully.
"News? What is new?"
She exclaimed, "I got a job!"
Aabid exhaled in satisfaction. He had been afraid to probe it for some reason thinking it was a negative happening.
Although he didn't feel as happy as he sounded, he shouted, "This is excellent news!"
(Yeah, I know. Monday is my interview day. Ideally, I hope!)
"I have no doubts, Vi, I know you will ace it"
Before he had to leave for the workplace, they spoke for an additional 14 minutes.
---
His older sister urged him, "Don't bother yourself, Kareem; I'll fetch it myself," but the young kid persisted in attempting to carry the bag to her. She hurried up to him to grab the bag out of concern that their mother would notice and reprimand her for letting them carry heavy objects, which were often of their own volition, despite her best efforts to stop them. After gathering the bag, she went to their mother's room to give it to her.
"Thanks" came from the mother as she collected the bag. "Start preparing supper. Inform the housekeepers to clean the house promptly today. Your father will arrive in three hours."
"Okay, Mama. We'll get in to work immediately now" She moved, noting excitedly.
While cleaning the couches, Saliha sung. Even though there were maids around, she constantly helped out around the home out of concern that her mother would criticize her harshly.
Saliha would get counsel from ma'Nosheen, the cousin sister of her father, to "work and gain her favor." She was Saliha's mother figure and the sweetest aunt. She had offered her this guidance at a time when Loharani had a heated argument with the mother about the manner the latter had handled Saliha.
"Saliha is now my daughter. She is also your daughter, Amina! Show no difference between the two, I plead you!" He scowled as he spoke to his wife; his voice was loud, and there was a strong likelihood that his blood pressure was up. This transpired when Ma'Amina's younger sister Zara and little Saliha got into a brawl. Zara was only one year Saliha's senior, and She had no love for her whatsoever. Saliha would frequently be forced into a battle by her, and she would have to heed ma'Nosheen's instructions to lose the battle. If not, as a consequence, ma' Amina would have a justification for bringing Saliha forward to complain to Loharani.
Sometimes it was quite aggravating. But she would continue to hold on. She had always persuaded herself that it will definitely stop one day. Everything has a finality. Despite the fact that she had no parents and little hope at the time, she was grateful to God for allowing her to live in good health. Loharani moved her away from her father's family after his passing so that she may live comfortably with him. They knew she would have a better quality of life with him, so there was no conflict over her. He was powerful and had more exposure to the outside world.
"Saliha, Mama said I should go and get a few groceries from the mall," Zara's annoying voice swept Saliha out of her thoughts. "Accompany me. Be fast, ya!"
"I'm coming, I'll get my dupatta," Saliha yelled back, rushing to their bedroom.
---
The neighborhood's peaceful streets were violently shaken by a powerful wind, which tore at the solid, rigid buildings that protected their rich owners.
A Toyota Rav4 drove towards home number 14AD, which was surrounded by high walls and had a huge maroon gate serving as the entry, along the slick, broad road. Yusuf Loharani was the owner of a one-story flat with six bedrooms.
His two children, AbdulKareem, 8, and Jaya, 11, greeted him as he got out of the car with hugs and squeals.
"My lovely angels, great to see you!" he exclaimed as he kept Kareem on his shoulders. The driver handed Loharani's baggage to the maid and she quickly went inside, giving it to Ma'Amina.
"Peace be upon you, welcome!" The wife received her husband and went to give him an embrace. He kept the young child on the ground while loosening his hold on Jaya. They offered each other a brief hug before he went straight to his study.
-
After a while, it started to downpour, and Loharani felt as though Saliha was nowhere to be found. Ma'Amina would also not give it much thought. Zara was still going to school, hence there was no doubt she was not at home. Ma'Amina entered the reading room at that same moment with a mug of kahwah.
"Where is Saliha?" he asked the moment she appeared. Auntie Amina scoffed.
"You're asking of Saliha, right? Zara, what about her? "She said, staring at Loharani with eyes like arrows. He let out a frustrated sigh at her.
He just remarked, taking the cup from the dish, "You are quite peculiar, Amina. "I'll keep checking in to see where Saliha is. If that's what you want to hear from my mouth, Zara too."
I sent them to the mall to purchase groceries, she said as she turned and headed for the door. "I see," he murmured. He stopped her as she reached for the door doorknob, "Amina, come here,"
She frowned and stepped slowly in his direction. She was held by him as he embraced her. "I want you to realize why I only inquired about Saliha," His soothing tones had soothed her now.
"Saliha has indeed passed from college, thus she is no longer attending. Isn't that it?" ma'Amina nods in agreement. "Good. And if I'm not mistaken, Zara continues to attend her language classes at this time."
"Yes, but you know they're on holiday now, have you forgotten?" came the reply.
"Oh, yes... it skipped my mind,"
"No problem, I understand," she gently told, carefully removing her hands from his. He went back to his chair and wore his glasses to begin his work.
"Thank you very much for your understanding, Amina."
Despite having a sad heart for being too hasty to express her sentiments, she nodded and departed. She was primarily being pretend while Loharani was there, even though it was clear that she favored her younger sister Zara to Saliha. He was clever when resolving issues that impacted both Saliha and Zara, despite the fact that he was aware of problems.