Please point out any errors.

#Chapter Eight#

“Stop it! I’m not going to do it!”

“Yes you are!”

“No!” Samir grunted as he pulled me towards my worst nightmare. He had both my hands locked between one of his large ones and unfortunately, I was no match to his strength. I almost wanted to cry as the sight before drew closer and closer. “Please don’t make me do this!” 

“This will help you get over your phobia!” 

“I don’t want to get over it!” I whined like a baby, throwing my head back and resisting against him as much as I could. 

“Sameena, would you just stop being so difficult? You’re making a scene,” Ziad complained, standing a few metres away from me. I turned to glare at him, scowling as he zipped up his jumpsuit with exaggerated excitement. 

“I loathe you.”

Samir took the momentary distraction to hook up the harness to my own jumpsuit, grabbing me by the hand afterward and continuing to pull me towards the large colourful wall. 

Samir had insisted that since he was only here for two days, we had to make the complete use of every minute, doing as many activities as possible and spending the whole day with each other. Now, usually, I would have no issues with this notion but as soon as the words ‘rock climbing’ escaped his mouth, I was all against it. My family knew of my intense fear of heights but yet, it seemed they were determined to torture me. 

“Sarah, please,” I begged, turning towards her with a pleading expression. “I’ll watch Abir and you go up instead.” 

I grit my teeth as she laughed at me and simply shook her head. “Darling, this is for your own good.” 

“What happened to girl power? You know, defending each other against the more evil of species?” 

“Honey, stop trying to delay the inevitable. The quicker you go up, the faster you can come down. Just don’t break your leg in the process!” 

“Thank you very much for such comforting words of motivation,” I spat and she grinned in return. I hated being forced to do things I despised and it always brought out the worst in me. 

“Are you rea-,”

“Move,” I interjected hotly, pushing Ziad out of my face. 

“Must be that time of the month,” I heard him whisper to Samir and they both snickered. I was using every ounce of my willpower not to turn around and backhand them both. TO my relief, one of the female workers walked over and helped me get in position, ensuring my harness and rope were fully functional. 

“How high is this again?” I asked her, my voice shaking slightly. 

“About fifteen metres. It’s really not that high.” She gave me a reassuring smile and walked off to stand behind me as my spotter. 

“We’ll show you how it’s done,” Ziad boasted, Samir right by his side. In sync, they both began to swiftly climb, hauling themselves up as if it was the easiest task in the world. Oh, how I wanted to hurt them both right now. 

I watched them for a few more seconds, before looking down at my hands. 

“You can do this,” I whispered to myself. “It’s an irrational fear. Fifteen metres? Pfft, what’s that?!” I gave a fake laugh and wiped some of the sweat off my forehead.

“Sameena, you haven’t gone all hysterical and started speaking to yourself, have you?” Sarah yelled from behind me and I heard Salem chuckling at her comment. 

“Leave me alone!” was my lame response. I must have stood there for at least another five minutes, trying to generate any bit of courage left within me until I finally gave up. “Screw it.” 

With a deep breath, I grabbed onto a handle with my right hand and then followed it with my left. I closed my eyes and then roughly opened them, stepping up with my right foot and doing the same by following it with my left. I could hear Sarah cheering me on, even though I was literally just hanging off the wall at this stage, a few inches from the ground. I took my time, and slowly, very slowly began to work my way upwards. 

I just made sure that no matter what, I didn’t look down. Otherwise, it’d be a disaster.

I was doing great, well for someone who felt like they were going to throw up any moment, and I actually began to feel proud of myself. “Look Ziad, Samir, I’m almost half-way!” I exclaimed joyfully, pausing to look up at them. Both of them were at the very top now and they looked down, giving me encouraging smiles. 

“You can do it Meena!” Samir yelled, giving me a thumbs up. 

“Just focus on my beautiful face and you’ll be up here in no time,” Ziad added. I rolled my eyes at him and ignored the sad fact that he was laughing at his own joke. 

“Ignore him, he’s just,- MEENA?!” 

I don’t know how it happened. I had started to make my way up again after pausing to look up at my brothers, when my right hand slipped on the handle and in my panic, I involuntarily let go of my grip using my left hand, leaving me to fall. 

I let out a blood curdling scream as I began to descend. I felt like I would hit the floor at any moment and the air was whipping at my face. I squeezed my eyes shut, expecting the worst, when I was jolted to a stop, the harness pushing in on me slightly.

I was now hanging in mid-air.

“Sameena, are you alright?!” I felt Ziad’s concerned voice get closer to me, until I felt his body right next to mine. I remained silent and kept my eyes shut, my hands, which had flown to cover my face, still held in place. I was shaking and breathing roughly, a mixture of adrenaline and fear taking a hold of my body. “Hey, it’s OK. You’re safe.” Ziad slowly tugged at my hands and I reluctantly moved them away. I opened my eyes, looking down firstly to see how close to the floor I was. To my surprise, I was still a good few metres off the floor and for some reason, it only made my urge to cry intensify. 

I looked into Ziad’s eyes and practically begged him to get me off this thing. “Please, just get me down,” I whispered desperately. A guilty expression washed over his face once he saw the tears swimming in my eyes but he simply nodded. 

“Just copy me OK?” I mimicked his steps as he began to push himself off the wall and within a minute, my feet had touched the floor. 

I don’t think I had ever been more happier than at that moment. 

“Sorry Meena, that was my fault, I should have stayed by your side,” Samir apologised, walking up to me, the same guilty expression adorning his face. 

“Don’t worry about it,” I said, trying to smile but failing miserably. “Let’s just carry on with the rest of the activities.” They all nodded meekly and we hurriedly made our way out; me, the first one out the door. 

####

Other than my horrible first experience with heights, the rest of the day went by smoothly and enjoyably. We managed to do canoeing and only a little bit of hiking as we had Abir with us, ending the day with some swimming to cool off and a hearty lunch.  The best part was watching as my brothers sucked up to me. It was clear they both felt accountable for what had occurred earlier and they were doing everything in their power to make sure I was kept happy. I knew it was their remorse for forcing me into it that was making them do it but hey, I wasn’t complaining! 

The paparazzi had also surprisingly stayed away from us today and I was glad, as they would have only stressed us and ruined our day out. 

“Abir is beginning to get restless as this is usually the time I put her for a nap. We should probably head home as it’s an hour long drive,” Sarah reasoned and we all nodded our heads in agreement. We began to pack our belongings and just before we left we prayed asr in an enclosed area of the bush. 

As we headed to the car, I took one last look at the breathtaking scenery before me. The sky was a deep aqua blue, the white clouds standing out magnificently. The mountains in the distance acted as a wonderful backdrop and the ocean encasing each island sparkled against the last few rays of the sun, as sunset was soon. Birds flew by every few minutes, the only creatures daring to instil themselves into the picturesque image. 

Such creations only made me ponder the powerful Creator.

With a last sigh of longing, I followed the rest of my family to the car and relaxed back into my chair. As expected, the ride was filled with Ziad and Samir’s non-stop chatter and jokes and the one hour seemed like one minute once we pulled up to our house. 

“I’ll grab Abir,” I said, motioning towards her car seat where she was now soundly asleep. Sarah was also sleeping away on Ziad’s shoulder and he lightly tapped her to wake her up. I chuckled when she only snuggled into Ziad’s chest closer, hiding her face between the crook of his neck. 

“Come on habibti, we’re home,” he laughed, kissing the top of her forehead. 

“But I’m so comfortable,” she whined, clinging onto him. 

I shook my head and proceeded to carefully lift Abir from the seat, leaning her sleeping form against my shoulder. Thankfully she didn’t wake up and I was able to easily bring her into the house and lay her into the cot. 

“Thanks.” I looked up and smiled as Ziad walked into the room. He came to stand next to me and we both stood there, staring down at a peaceful Abir. 

“You know she looks a lot like mum.” 

“I always think the same thing. Every time I look at her I see both Sarah and mum.” 

“Looks like she doesn’t want to take after her father,” I joked, nudging him in the ribs. 

“You’re so funny,” he scowled. “Even if she doesn’t look like me, her personality will be exactly like mine, you wait and see.” 

“Dear God, I hope not. That’s even worse.” 

I could feel his green eyes glaring a hole into the side of my head.

“I’m sorry about before, Meena,” he spoke up after a few moments of silence. When I peered at him in confusion, he continued on. “We shouldn’t have forced you into doing the rock climbing. We didn’t realise how frightened you really were.”

“Forget it,” I said, waving my hand in dismissal. “At least I can say I tried, right?”

He nodded his head. “Right.” 

Just then, Sarah trudged into the room like a zombie, walking straight towards her bed, wasting no time in curling up into foetal position. 

“Goodnight,” I quipped, walking out the way she came in. The sun had just set, so it was still early for sleep, however today’s activities really had worn us out. 

“Goodnight,” she grumbled.

####

We all showered and had an amazing dinner. Since everyone was still smashed, we each retired to our rooms for some downtime. I had just gotten off the phone with Lia and was glad to hear that her mother was improving and she was enjoying her time off with her. I encouraged her to stay with her for as long as she needed. 

I also didn't forget that I still needed to give baba my answer on the proposal. I had prayed istikhara last night and woken up feeling fine with no negative dreams or bad vibes. I was going to accept and I prayed with all my heart that it would be successful, unlike the last few times. I wouldn't admit it to anyone but I was beginning to get a little tired of all these visits. I tried not to let it all get to me but it really was exhausting.

Just as I pressed the button to turn my laptop on, a knock sounded at my door. “Come in,” I yelled, knowing it would either be my brothers, dad or Sarah. The internal guards never came up into our sleeping quarters. 

“What’s my lil sis up to?” 

“I’m checking what the latest tabloids are spewing about our family.” Samir plopped down next to me and stretched his long legs out. 

“Why do you even bother with that rubbish? You know half of it isn’t true.” 

I shrugged my shoulders. “Curiosity.”

A collective laugh escaped our lips once we saw the first picture that emerged on the screen. It was one of me and Samir trying to run and hide from the cameras this morning, as we jumped into an awaiting car. The sun was blinding us both, so our faces were contorted in a really unattractive scrunch. Now that Samir was back home, the paparazzi were trying to get as much photos and inside scoop on him.

“I think we look really good!” 

“We’ve never looked better!” I sarcastically replied.

I continued to scroll through and read some articles in silence. From my peripheral vision, I could sense Samir jerking his leg up and down and he was continuously running a hand through his light brown hair.

“What’s wrong with you?” I turned to look him over cautiously. 

“Me? Nothing. Why?” I stared into his eyes challengingly. 

“You’re nervous and you want to tell me something. Spit it out.” He huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. “Come on,” I urged.

“OK, look. I’m going to tell you something in confidence. Which means I trust that you’ll keep it between me and you.”

“Since when do we keep secrets from the rest of the family?” I was quick to reply, cocking one eyebrow in disapproval.

“It’s not really a secret. I just want your advice before I decide anything, then tell the family.” 

My eyes widened. “Oh my God, do you have a girl in mind?!”

He blinked at me. “No.” 

“Oh.” 

“This is important and I want your honest opinion.” I shut my laptop and gave him my full attention. “I received a full-time job offer - stop squealing - and it’s from one of the best flight companies in this world. It’s pretty much a dream come true and I’d finally be a captain, running my own flights.”

“But,” I prodded, feeling like there was a ‘but’ missing.

“But,” he continued, roaming his eyes across my face, as if pleading for me to understand his oncoming words. “Because of the way each flight will be arranged, I’d have to be based in London…”

“So are you saying, that to accept this job, you’d have to live in London?” I asked slowly.

“Yes.”

“So far away…” I whispered. 

“I know it is, but this is a once in a lifetime offer. I mean, I’d be stupid to decline right?” 

“It seems you’ve already made your decision Samir,” I muttered, barely keeping the hurt from my voice. 

“Come on, don’t be like that. I haven’t made a decision, which is why I’m asking you right now what you think!” 

“Do you want to know what I think?” I repeated smartly.

“Yes,” he breathed, sitting up straighter.

“I think the answer is really simple. You either choose between being able to spend the rest of your life living at home with your family, or spend a life away from us, alone and possibly miserable. Let’s not forget that you’ve already been away for seven years. I can understand that it was for studying purposes and you had no other choice. But now you do have a choice.”

“So that’s how you’re going to view it? As an ultimatum?” he replied calmly, yet there was anger simmering beneath his voice.

“I don’t see how you can see it any other way.”

“I see my dream,” he responded hotly. 

“What about your family?!” I replied with equal force, trying really hard not to yell at him. I couldn’t deny that I was hurt. Hurt over the fact that he was even considering this. Maybe I was being selfish, but I was being selfish because I missed him. We all did. “Don’t you want to be a part of our life…properly? Don’t you want to watch your niece grow? What about dad? He’s only getting older you know!” 

“Of course I do! It’s not like I won’t be visiting, you know I’d spend every minute I have off with you guys!” 

“Please,” I gave a dry laugh. “Because a few weeks here and there, is so much time.”

“Look, it’s obviously not the location I’d prefer. I asked them whether I could work for them from a base here and they said it was out of the question. I’ve thought this all through, it just comes down to whether I’m willing to live there or not.” 

“You mean whether you’re willing to sacrifice your family for some worldly gain. Work never ends Samir, but life does. You asked for my honest opinion and my advice is to reject the offer and work from home. Where you belong. It may sound selfish but I know that in the long run, you’ll regret it. You’ll have no one around you that you know and love. There’s a slight language barrier. Life is very different over there from what it is over here. You won’t be happy there,” I finished confidently.

“Yeah, because you know so much about me don’t you?” he bit back and I was genuinely surprised at the venom in his voice. 

“I see how it is,” I murmured quietly. “If that’s the case, then I don’t know why you bothered asking for my input.” 

“Wait, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for it to come out like that,” he said, desperately trying to grasp my arm as I got up from the bed. 

I walked towards the door and opened it for him. “You meant every word, that much was clear. Like I said before, it seems you’ve already made your decision, so I’m no use for you anymore. I hope you appreciate us while we’re here because be rest assured, I won’t be making any effort to see you once you move.”

####

A/N

What do you guys think? Who's being selfish, Sameena or Samir?