Cursed With Beauty (70)

Previously

Khalid forgot about mother's death.

Someone's after Saeed's father, and the rest of the family.

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Amal:

I woke up, and found my father on the desk, his business seemed to go everywhere with him.

Me: Plan?

Father: Leave.

Me: And Khalid?

Father: Mai will be joining him.

Me: Pregnant and alone?

Father: With her husband, not alone.

Me: The husband who does not remember her, right?

Father: Stop this Amal! Khalid's still working, and your grandmother should know nothing about this.

Me: So what is actually wrong with him?

Father: He just needs someone around him in case it happened again.

A pregnant woman is the right support? I didn't think so. Poor Mai, how much could she possibly tolerate? I wondered about both their reactions..

Father: We're leaving in a couple of days, you can't miss out on school. Get dressed, we'll tour the city while we're here.

That was not a proposition, that was an order, I knew. I get up and get dressed immediately. When I'm done, settling my make up, I remember my email. I dropped my brush and ran to my laptop.. No reply.

Khalid:

I sat in a huge meeting room with a class of business men gathered together discussing whether or not there is such a thing as being successful enough. While they act cocky and brag about their work and how they got there, I stare at the window, thinking about everything that my father told me.. How mother passed away, how I ended up, where it all got me. I just wished that I knew what I was thinking back then. How was it like to fall in love, lose, then love again.
What about Amal? How'd she take mother's death? Was I there with her? How could I have been there for her, if I'd spent most of that time at the hospital myself?
Amal was right about the car accident, I found scars on the back of my knees, huge ones. Amal was also right about the fact that I'd married Mai, but how? When? I was supposed to be expecting her at night..
I didn't remember how I treated her, let alone get her pregnant.. So much was on my mind, too much to think about work.

Saeed:

I opened my eyes, the clock said 3 a.m., I closed them again.. Smoke clouded my eyes, but a tall, skinny figure stood before me.. "Remember me?" I was on my knees, weak, helpless, why was I crying? "How could you?" it threw me on my back, and then it was on it's knees. It was so hard to concentrate. Who was it? I was crying louder, I knew those eyes.. They pierced through me.. I knew him.. Who was he? "You took her away from me!" It shouts loud in my eyes. No! Joojoo? "Joojoo is mine!" I shout back.. "Not for long.." He laughs. loud.. Too loud..

My heart leaped almost out of my chest, as I sat up in my bed.. I was asleep, thank God.. Only when I woke up did I realize, the boy in my dream was Saif.. My former best friend and I fight over my wife? I calmed down when I remembered he was gone.. I haven't heard from him ever since he left the country.

When Saif left, he left me a treasure, a woman he took for granted. She's mine now, he can't take her away from me..

Amal:

We did all the cliches first, visit the Eiffel tower, and the arch de Triomphe. Then father follows me around the Lafayette as I shop for souvenirs for my friends. After the female building, the male's building. I shop for father, Khalid, Saeed, and uncle Rashed.

When we finally sat down for coffee, my phone nudges an email..

Cursed With Beauty (69)

Previously:

 

Khalid: So, mom's here? 

 

Amal: How can he forget something this important?

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Amal: 

Father lead me to the hotel room, and then left with Khalid. Instantly I pulled out my phone and emailed the stranger who had the answer to almost anything. I wrote and I wrote, and with every word I'd  typed in, I felt heavy weight lifted from my shoulder. Life was messed up, but I was not alone. 

I stare at the phone "Sent" written across the screen. Then what? I thought. I knew this stranger I have unnamed won't answer back instantly. I decide to unpack, but how long were we staying? I had no idea. I took out a couple of outfits and hung them in the closet. I skyped with Salma, for a while, and later took a shower to sleep. 

In bed, I wondered where Khalid and father were. 1 AM, but they weren't back yet. I closed my eyes, and nothing else mattered. 

S3eed: 

"Get up."

I blink.

"Get up Saeed, breakfast is ready."

I see father at the end of the bed. I search for my phone to check the time, 6 AM .. I get up instantly, freshen up, and wear my uniform. When I get out of the bathroom, dad isn't there.

Me: Dad? 

I call out. 

Dad: The kitchen. 

I find him in the kitchen having breakfast. 

Dad: S3eed, I need to tell you something. We have to move.

Me: Where to? Why? 

Dad: I don't know, but we're being stalked.

By who?

Dad: It's not just one person S3eed, it's not safe at all.

Me: Does mother know?

Mom and dad got divorced while we were kids. She got married soon after to another man. I decided to stay with father, while Salma chose mother, but mom couldn't handle her. She was too rebellious even for mom's new husband. We used to visit them, once a month but, her husband decided it was best not to.

I notice father's reaction. His eyes close as if to search for some peace in him.

Dad: She doesn't, but she's not in danger.

Me: What about Joojoo?

Dad: We need to take her away with us. 

Me: But, no one knows we're married.

Dad: no one has to. Don't worry about that now, we need to find somewhere to go.

Me: So who's stalking us? 

Dad: Saeed, your father has caught over 20 top criminals. I've been on news far more than I intended, but it must be some gang started by someone I've already caught. 

Me: And the plan is? 

Dad: Disappear. 

I feel a shiver go down my spine. 

Dad: Just for a while.

Me: What about school? We can still go right? 

Dad: I've had some help from the station with that. We've changed your names on the server. 

Me: To what? 

Dad: Just write your grandfather's name from now on, until I tell you not to. Salma will be writing her grandmother's maiden name.

I breathe out. We're going to do this, we have to do this right. I have to keep Joojoo away from danger.