C H A P T E R  F I V E

“Mum, please, would you calm down?” I sighed and rubbed at my tired eyes. 

“No Amira, I can’t calm down!” She picked up the phone and dialled Saleh’s number for the fiftieth time in the last hour. 

No seriously, I was even counting. 

Saleh was due to be home an hour ago from uni and he hasn’t been answering his phone every time one of us has called him. It went straight to voicemail so I assumed his phone was dead, but mum being mum, had to dramatise everything. “What if he had some sort of accident?” she began, her voice shaky. “Maybe someone abused him or he got lost, or -,” she continued rambling before dad cut her off.

“Habibti, relax. I’m sure he’s on the way home right now. Like Amira said, his phone probably just died. Have a little faith in him, OK?” He proceeded to embrace mum from behind, his big build enveloping her petite form, almost like a blanket. She closed her eyes and nodded her head, leaning back against him as she instantly relaxed.

“I think you forget that he’s twenty-one years old mum,” I voiced, crossing my arms over my chest.

“And you’ve forgotten that you’re not a mother. Come back in a decade’s time and try telling me you don’t get worried over your children every second of the day, no matter how old they are.” She clutched onto my fathers forearms, the concern clear on her face again. I rolled my eyes and dropped back onto the kitchen stool, sagging against the table slightly. I had been feeling drowsy and tired all day today. 

We waited another twenty minutes for Saleh but when he still didn’t show up, even I began to get slightly uneasy at his absence. At this point, mum was almost hysterical, pacing up and down the kitchen. “That’s it.” She picked up her phone and keys and headed to the door. “We’re going to look for him,” she announced, but before we could stop her, the door flung open and in walked Saleh. 

“Saleh.” Mum stopped in her tracks, relief flooding her voice. “Where were you? We were worried sick!” 

“Asalamu alaikum,” he casually greeted, before closing the door and hanging his keys up. “Sorry mum, got caught up at uni and I lost track of time.” Usually he could look mum straight in the eye but I readily noticed how he averted his, not only from her, but all of us. 

“Doing what?” She interrogated, her features shifting into a frown. 

“Err,” he paused momentarily, as if he had to think of what to say. He scratched his neck and face, before rocking on the balls of his feet. “I stayed back with my physics lecturer, so he could help me on a number of concept points I was struggling with. That’s all.” 

I felt my eyebrows automatically lift. Saleh struggling at uni? Ha! Now that’s a good joke. I immediately wondered what he was hiding. 

“Is that all?” Mum asked suspiciously, most likely catching on to his odd behaviour too. 

“Yep,” he answered quickly.

“‘Why weren’t you answering your phone then?” dad continued with the questioning.

“It died early on in the day. I forgot to charge it last night.” He was staring blankly ahead now and he looked like he just really wanted to bolt out of this room. 

“OK,” mum concluded, allowing a smile to grace her lips. “Just making sure.” 

I scoffed. If that was me, I’m sure I would have gotten a solid lecture after the traditional interrogation too, even if my reasons were legit. They would have been scolding me for a good hour before I was let off. My dad gave me a knowing look before pulling mum back into the living room with him. Saleh scurried off into his room and I hurriedly followed him before he could lock his door. 

“Someone’s hiding something,” I sang, venturing into his room slowly. I closed the door behind me and looked at him expectantly, one eyebrow raised. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he replied dryly, his golden eyes staring past my head. 

“Oh come on! As if you need help in Physics, let alone any subject. Where were you, really?” 

“Amira?” 

“Yeah?”

“Get out.” Jeez. Who spat in his coffee this morning? 

“I will get to the bottom of this,” I huffed, glaring at his figure that had turned around to pick up his laptop.

“Whatever you say, lil sis.” I glared at him - hard - since he knew I hated when he called me that. I trudged out of his room and back into mine. Stormy was sound asleep on my bed, so I kissed his fat head before walking over to my window.

I pulled the glass outwards, allowing the chilly breeze to flow in. I looked up at the moon and observed how it illuminated the clouds. I was amazed at how the light pierced through in a strong yet gentle manner, giving life to the Earth. I leaned my head against the sill and aimlessly gazed at the rustle of the trees and listened to the chirping of the crickets. 

It was like a whole new world existed out there at night.

“Amira, can you pick up Wael from soccer practice please!” mum yelled up the stairs. 

“Yeah, OK!” I yelled back, even though I really wasn’t bothered to leave the warmth of my room. I slipped on a jacket and pulled on my vans before heading down the stairs two at a time. “I’ll be back!” 

“Drive safe,” dad spoke as he walked up and kissed my forehead before retreating up the stairs, emitting a loud yawn as he went. 

“Such a grandpa,” I mumbled. It was only eight in the evening.

The drive was less than ten minutes, thankfully, so I arrived a few minutes early. I pulled up to the kerb and waited, not so patiently, for Wael to finish his training. Five minutes later, the door opened and a grinning Wael jumped into the passenger seat. 

“Oh God,” I coughed, covering my nose and mouth instantly. “You stink!” 

“Guess what?!” He fussed in his seat, ignoring my comment. Excitement was radiating off his body in waves and he looked like he was going to burst.

“I don’t care but you need a shower!” I let down the windows and in an overly dramatic gesture, stuck my head out to breathe. 

“Coach made me captain!” 

I pulled my head back in and looked at him, shocked. “Really?” He nodded his head rapidly and I beamed, genuinely happy for my little brother. “I’m proud of you, man.” I punched his shoulder playfully. “I would hug you but I’m not into that. Also you reek of sweat and mud.” 

“Well it rained and coach pushed me extra hard today,” he argued, settling back in his seat. I started up the car and headed back in the direction of home. “Hey can we go for ice-cream?” 

“No,” I said, before he could even finish the sentence. 

“Please?” he begged. I looked over at him momentarily. He swiped a curly lock of hair off his forehead and stared at me with wide eyes.

“Argh fine, afro-head,” I relented. “Only because you made captain.” 

“Yes!” He fist-bumped the air and I couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t mock my afro. The girls love it.” 

“Mhmm,” I hummed, amused at the thought of Wael speaking to any girl. I’d be surprised if he could say the word ‘hi’ without self-destructing. “Seriously though, where did the ‘fro come from?” I asked, grabbing a lock and pulling it before watching it bounce back in place.

He shrugged his shoulders. “Mum says it’s the Turkish gene. Curls are very common apparently.” 

I smiled and thanked Allah SWT for blessing me with soft curls that weren’t hard to maintain. Until now, Wael had to use a special shampoo that cost seventy dollars to wash his hair properly. Poor guy wasn’t only blessed with a ‘fro but with thick hair too. 

I rounded the corner and slowly drove into the smallish plaza that housed our favourite ice-cream shop. As soon as we got our cones, we headed straight back into the car since it was too cold to linger around. “Mmm boysenberry,” Wael moaned. 

“This bubblegum ice-cream is damn good too.” 

“Hey Mira?” Wael asked, his tone suddenly turning serious.

“Yeah?” 

“I have something to tell you. I mean - I’m not sure if I’m just making a big deal out of nothing or if somethings really up but I thought I should mention it nonetheless,” he rambled. I glanced at him in confusion and urged him to go on. “I heard Saleh talking on the phone the other night.” 

“OK…and?” I asked, puzzled. It was common for Saleh to talk to a few of his mates over the phone every now and then.

“It was at one in the morning.” That made me stop and think.

“Wait, what were you doing awake at that time?” 

He rolled his eyes. “I couldn’t sleep and got up to go to the bathroom. On the way back, as I passed his door, I could hear muffled shouts.” I scrunched my eyebrows, trying to fathom a reason as to why Saleh would be on the phone at one in the morning, let alone shouting at someone. Saleh doesn’t do shouting and yelling. Well, not since he was a kid. 

“That’s odd,” I murmured, more to myself. “Did you confront him?” 

Wael shook his head. “No. I was going to but then thought better of it.” 

“Interesting…” I carried on. “I’m sure it was nothing, but if it makes you feel better, I’ll talk to him tomorrow OK?” I would have thought nothing of it, if it wasn’t for his behaviour today. Being autistic, it was always very easy for us to read Saleh’s emotions and interpret his actions. As a result, he was always caught whenever he tried to lie or hide something. 

“Thanks Mira.” I gave him a reassuring smile before focusing back on the road.

The question is…what was going on with Saleh?

~~~~

A/N

Hey guys! At this point in the story, I would love some feedback or constructive criticism, especially since I haven't been feeling very motivated for this story lately. Thanks!

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Definitions:

Allah: God

Habibti: 'My love' - common term of endearment in Arabic.

Asalamu alaikum: Islamic greeting meaning 'Peace be upon you'