Chapter Four :An oasis in the desert

                                    

                                          
"_When silence decides to play its role, stay calm and listen to the tale of the hearts. For it screams thousands of unspoken words_" Zara Abdul
PULLING into the driveway, he brisk-walked through the large double doors and head in to a big royally furnished room.
Entering the room with a 'peace be upon you', he was welcomed by the gracious scent of bakhoor. 'typical Ummi' he thought. Even though she wasn't inside the room, her scent was all over the place. Relaxing on the huge bed, he abruptly stood up and headed to the bathroom upon remembering it was time for the noon prayer. 
Ending his prayer, he raised his hands and supplicate for a very long time. After that, he choose to recite the verses of the holy scripture. Whilst reciting the last verse of the chapter, a soft 'peace be upon you' came from the door. He slightly tilt his head sideways, acknowledging his mum with a nod, before completed the verse and closing the scripture 
"You are back" she spoke with a heart-melting smile, as she made her way to the bed "Yes Ummi I'm back". He looked down, unable to make eye contact. For the first time ever, Nasim found the floor more beautiful than anything else, as he resist the urge to run a finger through it. "Still in your uniform?" She again asked, in a very concerned tone.
"I wanted to see you before changing" came his almost inaudible whisper. He just couldn't bring himself to face her anymore. That was a once upon a time thing. All bravery disappeared into the thin air as her soft voice echoed around the large room. Sounding like lullaby to his troubled soul.
"Have you eaten?" she asked as she caressed his hair, whilst sitting on the queen sized bed. Nasim sighed, closing his eyes and adjusting himself on the foot of the bed, feeling her hand doing wonders to his hair. He felt as though his heart was been squeezed whenever he thought of how cold and distant he had been lately, especially to his loving mother. "No" he shook his head. 
"I've asked, Rabi, to make your lunch maybe she has forgotten. I'll go check" she tried standing up but Nasim pulled her back. He looked up to her love filled eyes clouded with thousands of emotions, he could see her immense love for him.
How had he been blind for all this while? She had aged a little, and the glint in her emerald eyes seem to dim as well, making her  look so fragile and troubled that reminds him of a certain someone he couldn't pinpoint. "Nasim habibi, what is dear?"
She could tell he was hiding something despite his expressionless face. As a mother, she could see the battle and hesitance in his eyes. She couldn't help but feel sorry and pitiful towards him.
She believed in a way, she was a part of his agony, the pain that had moulded him into this emotionless and expressionless Nasim surrounded with a dark and dangerous aura. How she wished she could help him. 
He was her closest and dearest child but destiny tore them apart. Her heart ached at how life had been extremely cruel and bitter to her son. They were only inches apart but it was as though, they were worlds apart. The distance between them was unimaginable. 
"What would you like to eat?" she asked once again, in spite of knowing his answer would be a big fat no, somewhere deep down she wished he could say a 'yes' just for once. 
"Please say yes...please, habibi" she desperately asked, hoping she could make him change his mind. Her desperate voice caught him off guard, he had always known that mother's have the biggest of hearts –but after what he had done, why would she beg him to eat? Wasn't she already tired of him? Looking at her desperate eyes, he couldn't help but drown in guilt. 
As the silence prolonged, nothing could be heard except for the heartbeats and breaths of two which could hardly reach their ears. The woman mistook his silence for anger, thinking he must be trying to control himself, knowing he was good at that.