2009, Thursday 4:20pm
-Gambino residence, outside of distribution hubs, in brookevilla village/Town.
As we walk through the streets, this side of our town is exactly like the movies, our town is somewhat like a desert, its dry, hot and moist, but this area of our town is quite vulgar perhaps I'd say, there's bars everywhere, and loads of macho men with heavy beards and Jugs filled with beer in their hands. Giving us a strange look, they all have either fractured wrists, leg or scars on their forehead and arms, some even have patched eye. There are bar tenders using their professional tricks to serve drinks. Juggling steal glasses and lemons.
There are also pole dancers intimating everyone to come inside. The bars are wooden but more of a crapy type, can easily break I assume. Outside, there's wooden chairs, benches and tables, where more scary men and women are sitting.
"Why haven't we ever seen this side of our town before Sam?" Ifan whispers in my ear, while shaking, his tone is cranky, but he's right though, even I've never been here before, but from what I've heard and according to my research, and by my research I mean Chad, who is my personal messager, he told me Mr Faisal's hub is around here somewhere.
The huge old cursed mission I've heard about all my life is apparently Faisal's mansion. A cruelly malicious person who is involved in unforgiving business.
I might as well not be a hero of my story after all, although I think villains are awfully misheard, and misunderstood, I believe everyone is a villain in someone's perspective, we can't impress everyone. maybe I would become one, too.
I just hope it's not in Ifan's story, I don't know where that thought came from but the saying is true, the closer you are with someone the more chances there are of hurting each other, Misunderstandings and the more reasons to get separated.
"Where are we going?" Ifan is right beside me holding Ayat's hand, she tightens her grip to her brother's hand, she's slightly behind him, looking over from his shoulder, She's covered in niqab and abaya, only her eyes are visible, her beautiful kajal almond shaped eyes looking at me with worry in them, we don't usually bring her with us in these types of situations but uncle was drinking again but this time with his friends and let's be honest, we don't trust his friends or even him. Godforbid but anything could happen, so we didn't want her to be left behind, which is why we sneaked her out with us, at least we'd be able to keep an eye on her. As we're walking deeper, and seeing all the things we've never seen before, our body feels more and more anxious.
I would love to have a taste of some beer someday, but Ifan would despite me for it. we're walking hand in hand with each other so we don't get lost, surrounded by unknown and for some reason angry people, we see some men coming straight towards us, we stop because where else would we go. Those really huge men surround us all the way around, capturing us in a circle. one man steps infront of me, staring me in the eye, as if he's going to kill me right away, his eye tweaked and I gulp nervously, I don't know why they're so grumpy, he looks down at me, not because I'm short or anything, I'm quite tall for an eighteen year old, I'm 5'10, he's just abnormally tall and broad and huge and I think I'm going to die.
"What do you kids think you are doing here?" the man says his sentence word by word with an actual question mark in the end, it's all written on his face. He spits out a stick he had in his mouth. which makes him even more terrifying but as cool as I am, I respond with "We don't think it's quite necessary to tell you"
Ifan panickly grabs my arm and squeezes it
"Just tell them who we are brother" I refuse to listen to him, when the man repeats his sentence again. "I'm asking you, you little shit" I will not let anyone and when I say anyone I mean literally no one can talk to me or my best friends like this. We've already been through shit enough, I deny to be any more disrespected, I'm saying all of this because by the look on his face it seems like he might beat us till our faces are no longer recognisable, but I won't lose my cool.
"We're here to meet with Mr Faisal so if-" the man starts laughing, what the-? everyone starts to laugh pointing at us. Ifan is panicking I can tell, Ayat's only sixteen.
What did I got ourselves into?
I shouldn't have brought them here.
if what I think might happen in any moment, this is going to end up bad, like really messed up. stay calm.
"Mr mustache man sir can you please just let us meet with him?" Ifan calls the man, I turn facing him as Ifan turns all pale, the man is scowling, my heart rate beats faster to the sense of danger, been there, done that.
I've been involved in so many street fights but none of them was this intense, I ignore the man and try to cross him giving his shoulder a slight push with my shoulder but when I was about to cross this giant man he grabs the back of my shirt and throws me back.
My back hits the ground, Ifan gets startled.
I had a feeling this might happen, I just didn't thought this soon.
We
Will
Get
Beaten up.
I scream "get Ayat out of here!" I try to stand back up, my legs are shaking.
The man explods at me, Just launches himself forward with his right arm scything around in a giant roundhouse strike.
I sidestepped his body and ducked under his arm and bounced up again, spun around. He stops short on stiff legs and whips back towards me but Ifan comes in between giving the man a straight chance of punching him in the face, my fists clenched "no one fucking touches my best friend like that you freak!" I launch myself to him and threw myself on to him, making him and myself fall behind onto the wooden table shattering every mug and bottle that was on there, as the table itself broke in half, the glass went through his back and I stand back up on shaky legs.
I flinch to the sound of applauding of a single man, when I turn my neck back to take a look, everyone else is silent and backed up in a straight posture as if a king has showed up, my vision's a bit blur, I regain my focus on the man who's applauding, and I see a tall, masculine yet scraggy man, his face is thin, his jaw line is more like a knife, the look on his face is staid, giving us a grave sight, his downturned eyes are literally dead inside, he has no light of his own, his dark black hair are gelled back, and he has a nasty scar on his left eye.
"There there kids, now which one of you children would like to tell me what's going on here?" His voice has no soul, it's smoothing but not in a good way, its giving me shivers down my spine, Ifan is struggling to get back up on his feet, Ayat is helping him get up, the tall man blocks my view as he stands infront of me "No one from the outside has ever dared to cross these streets, and you.." His eyes are investigating me "and you decided to show up here with a little girl, how stupid." his question hit me straight in the gut. I recognise him, he's Faisal's left hand. Victor.
Ayat can't be left alone at home, not since her uncle is planning to get her married, more like planning to sell her in the name of dowry. "You don't know anything" my teeth clenched. "Follow me" victor gestures.
. . . . . . . . . . . .
Victor leads us to Faisal's lobby, he stops infront of a huge maroon double door and knocks then walks in with small steps, he looks back at us and Allows us to follow him in, we walk in the room, it's a grand well composed room and has a sharp chandelier hanging down from the ceiling, a dark wooden and black ceiling that has geometrical design, we stand straight.
Mr Faisal's sitting with his leg crossed on one another, He's everything I've ever imagined him to be, a stunning man, grew like fine wine, he's around his 40s, I'm fascinated.
He has a screen clipped on the wall which shows the view where I fought with one of his man. Has he been watching me? Victor clears his throat to get Mr Faisal's attention. "What are they here for?" Mr Faisal's voice is tenor, smooth and heavy, his eyes are narrow and has a slight brown beard turning half white. "Mr Faisal, I'm Sam, this is my best friend Ifan and his sister Ayat" I say, Faisal turns his head after listening to my introduction "Ifan.. practicing religion I assume?" Mr Faisal keeps his eyes on Ifan "no sir" Ifan's steady.
"Ayat, aren't you too young to be around here?" Mr Faisal is scanning them, seems like he's avoiding me, Ayat says nothing instead she waits for me to answer for her. "she shouldn't be here I know, I didn't had any opti-
"there's always an option" Mr Faisal cuts me mid sentence leaving my mouth open,
I clear my throat nodding. "not always sir" Faisal's lip loosens "what do you want from here?"
"We want you to hire us."
"Hire you for what?"
"We can help in many ways"
"Do you kids even know what we do for a living?"
"Yes sir"
"Yet you want me to hire All of you?"
"No sir, leave the girl out"
"Why bring her here?"
"Like I said sir.. we didn't had any option-" as I was about to complete what I was saying,
Ifan comes in between continuing me.
"even if we would have, I'd still rather have her stay near me than to leave her at some place she'd never be safe at." Mr Faisal switches his eyes from me to Ifan "Smart yet stupid."
"It's smarter to act stupid somtimes" I say looking at Ifan.
"Defensive I see."
"For them, anytime" woah that came out fast.
"We're not hiring anyone."
"Sir just hear out our situation first" I beg.
"And if I see any one of you wondering around in my territory again, it will not be pleasant" He completely ignores my request, I've got to repeat. "Sir please we really need the help" Mr Faisal turns his chair back to the window side.
"please we need the money" I take a step closer.
"get them out victor" no no, victor drags us by the shoulders, shoving us outside, he pushes Ifan and bumps into Ayat making her fall, I instantly grab Victor's hand and pushed it away giving him a death stare. "Don't you ever lay you're filthy hand on her, we're leaving anyways" All the panic I was feeling just a minute ago vanished.
"you scamp" Victor was about to grab my collars when Faisal calls him out.
"Let them go victor." All I feel now is anger. "Let's go, they're no help" I give Ayat my hand, while Ifan's still giving victor a roque eye, I press my hand on Ifan's back leading him outside, I mumble "Why invite us in if your answer is going to stay no."
"To take a look at you up close" Faisal says behind my back, he heard me? I take one last look at him saying nothing.
and we left.
. . . . . . .
We're back at home, I'm on the rooftop where I sleep, I'm laying down looking at the stars and wondering what will happen next, Ifan comes upstairs, his energy is down, he sits down with me.
"Did he do anything to you?" I ask in a polite manner to calm him. when we got back home his uncle as causal got mad and because he's always drunk he kicked me out of the house, it's been seven times now this month, but I always clime back up through the back door, I don't know what happened after he shut the door on my face.
"He pushed me to the ground, and as I fell he straight up ran to me to freaking punch me in the face but I somehow managed to escape and ran away" Ifan takes a deep breath.
"It's all I'll ever be able to do, just run away like an absolutely coward I am."
"No you're not." I reassure him.
"You told me yourself though." He looks at me.
"And what do you think you're doing on the freaking ground like a coward"
I remember what I said, to make this conversation a little brighter I sarcasticly say. "Don't blame me, I was ten"
"That's the thing sam, I don't blame you,
I blame myself for not being able to stand up for myself, the thing I'm so afraid of is God forbid if something ever happens to a
Ayat and In that moment what if I'm not brave enough or strong enough to protect her, just like today." Ifan's not making eye contact with me. I pet him consolingly, he turns his head down so that I can't see his face, he's wrong for thinking I don't know whatever goes in that brave mind of his.
"Aunt threw a plate at Ayat, it shuttered on her feet"
"Was she hurt?!" I ask.
He frowns in confusion.
"no she's alright, I took her upstairs, aunt was yelling and breaking stuff but we ignored her, what's with you? why did you get so pale."
"cool cool cool" my palms are getting sweaty
"your family is trash" I don't why I said that, it came out of nowhere and why does my tone seems Nervous. I'm not nervous.
"That is why I don't want my sister to stay here when we leave" glad he didn't notice my sweaty palms.
"I've been saving up for in case of an emergency, we can use that for her." I say.
"I'll send her to a good collage."
"since when have you been saving up?"
I pose to look even more cooler than I already am. "you know, your brother got some ideas" I say showing off.
Ifan releases an infectious laugh, which makes me laugh but I hold it in and ask.
"what's so funny?" I try to seem mad because he's making fun of me but he doesn't care he laughs even harder causing me to laugh as well, I push him, he falls down still brusting out laughing.
"shut up" I roll my eyes, he's a pain in the ass.
"you think you're so cool" Ifan's mischievous laughter is hilarious.
"go away" I slap his back, I don't know how he manages to stay so pure, even after everyone has done him so wrong, he sits back again.
"but on a serious note, you're willing to spend your savings for her?"
"Yes, like I said, I saved for in case of an emergency, this is an emergency, your uncle forcefully getting her married to some old shit" Ifan is listening to me, nodding agreeingly "besides we've already found what We'll be doing, It's not appropriate to take Ayat to such nasty places" I say smiling. Even Though Faisal kicked us out, I'm still planning on doing whatever he does for a living. Earning uncountable money is much better success than some degree.
"I'm glad you thought of her" Ifan's relieved, I grab his shoulder consolingly.
"of course, she's your sister, and your sister means my- uhm My brother's sister." I give him a wide grin.
"Yeah right, wait- why didn't you just say our sister?" Ifan frowning in confusion again, I say nothing I just widen my smile even more. "you shit" Ifan stands up, his motion makes me stand up, too.
"just say she's your sister, too" Ifan's coming at me, I run around the table.
"it's not that deep" I say teasingly, he's running after me and I'm running away from him, horsing around, pushing each other.
"she doesn't mean anything to me! you're the love of my life Ifan." I dialogue cinematicly.
"just admit that she's our sister, it's that easy Sam!" he's throwing my pillow at me, I jump across my bed to grab a pillow myself but my plan fails when he jumps on me, making us fall out of bed, our head hits the ground and we both burst out laughing.