Plates & Knives

"To contain it in the time, It started all the way many years ago when The Mattews shifted in the Manor below the hill. Mr. Mattews had only one daughter Miss Rosalind. She was always a friendly beautiful girl. She played with my brothers. When we grew up, we grew up in different schools away in the city, I was all while away as a teen. It was in the year when Al-Hassan was seventeen. He came home for vacations. Now the rules and guidelines of the house were clear and what was not mentioned was deemed permissible. We all never had the lady chat. We assumed there were no rules in the matter. They all were mixing rather say freely mixing. Nobody noticed behind the fancy knobs but one day My father found out about Al-Hassan and Miss Rosalind inclement in a love affair. My father did not say anything. Not a word. He bought the whole Mattew

land and Manor. They had to move out. The evening they left, my father had the whole land burnt down. Red is love. Red is the rage. Red is beautiful yet is dangerous. My father resents Women and all the more women who are wrapped in Red. Thus Scarlett must not survive within us if it wills to live"

"But that is not right"

"Who decides what is wrong anyway"

"but Al-Hassan loved her"

"who decides if it was Love at all"

"this is cruel "

"It isn't "

"was Scarlett's religion a problem? "

"Scarlett is the problem"

"I don't understand "

"you don't have to. The more you think the more it would worry you"

"but? "

"It's late. I must go off to sleep now. I will see you in the morning "

But it isn't fair.

But who decides what is fair anyways.

I pitied Scarlett. I now understand the Red envelopes. The griefs under Al-Hassan's eyes.

Beneath his heavy sighs. Clearly, they have just torn apart because of some stupid reason Mr.Elahim is insecure about Women.

The next day I saw no signs of Scarlett. Danish was more eager than anybody to see her, he even shaved.

Men.

I rolled my eyes. Al-Hassan shows no emotions. He's an endless treasure to look at perhaps that is why nobody ever makes an effort to ever ask him what I did today

"Why are you Sad Al-Hassan?"

He looked at me bewildered.

"I am not Sad Falaq-Naaz. What rubbish"

"But you look sad"

He stared me.

"I am not sad" he repeated.

"I'm sorry" I apologized.

I am stupid.

It's not like that.  I repeat to myself.  I knit another sweater.  I can sense that I am growing attached to the Elahim, even Mr. Elahim but I cannot let that happen because I want to leave.  The prospect of leaving this Manor has left my mind.

But I would miss them.

"How many?"

Al-Wildan asks.

"I don't know maybe if I could have one child it would be enough for me"

I answered.

"How do you know it's enough? "

He probed.

"I don't know, this time can only tell"

"Then how many shall I have? "

He asked to which I laughed.

"How do expect me to answer that"

"It's not okay," Al-Wildan said fixing his glasses.

"isn't one less.  You should have one twenty Miss Falaq-Naaz " Al-Souffian said in a loud precarious tone.

Finding such strong evocative tone in his manner I felt humiliated.

Unable understand his action, unable to attend to my sense I saw Al-Wais rather scolding him in my defense

"Construct your language Al-Souffian"

"I Apologize brother" he immediately added and he was asked to leave.

The same day I found him acting strangely around.

At the dinner table, we had Ar-Danish.

"don't you think Falaq that this place would make a good hotel," he asked me.

I did not answer for I did not have one.

"Brother Wais is being very bitter Bout the conversations regarding it"

"There have been no such conversations because it is no such a matter of discussion " Al-Wais answered inattentively

"I will make it a great Hotel, " he said again.

Al-Wais gulped and looked at him. He was unsettled by his pressure but he acted on.

"Indeed it would be a great profit as well to both of our families and I will make sure to prov--"

Al-Souffian stabbed the knife onto the plate with a loud bang resulting the white dinner plate into pieces.

"Al-Souffian!  Leave!" Al-Wais commanded.

Al-Souffian sorted himself. Smiled faintly at Danish which seemed rather deadly and left with his hands behind his back.

Now Danish somehow wonders that Al-Souffian had walked in humiliation which I must clarify, it wasn't. He mocks the brothers with a vocal expulsion, he laughed.

"Now Ar-Danish, shall you contain your laughter or might I copy my brother's actions replacing your neck under the knife," Al-Wais said smirking.

Danish hummed into silence and soon he left embarrassed.

Dar-Al-Maqamah should be eternal.

But I've grown to realize the people make the house, the structure is only an object.

The next day the morning tea was ordered to be presented in the library.

I froze hearing the worried conversations between Al-Hassan and Al-Wais.

"But for how long? Do you not see the farsighted vision"

Al-Hasaan placed.

"What can be done is being processed.  I make sure Al-Hassan that nobody else can enter the papers"

"I'm worried Brother, you do not understand my dismay. I want to safeguard Dar-Al-Maqamah for generations to come. This is our home, they will turn into a hypocrite society where people discuss their shallow notions in the lobby.  No brother. Who shall after our home"

"do not worry Al-Hassan, we are five "

"in ten, in twenty, in thirty, in forty we all shall die. For time being, it's only you and me. After us, there will be half of Al-Shizad and half of Al-Wildan and you know Al-Wildan if anyone asks him kindly for the house he'd hand them the papers bare from his hands... He is not capable of restricting urge"

"What do you want me to do then? "

"There should be successors, rightful owners. There should be our generation, our own blood in the Air of Maqamah"

There was a long silence. I entered.

"Tea, " I said.

"Can you please send Al-Shizad ?" Al-Hassan asked.

I left the room staring at their tiresome, worried, drenched faces.

In the evening I came out of the kitchen behind the voices of the lobby.

Danish screaming and shouting curse words.

"it is my father's house too. Your father is a mad man! You all are Mad! Psycho brothers!  F*cking ba*tards!

Your father took everything away! "

The servants were dragging him out.

I saw the brothers unaffected of the scenario. Fixing their tie, some reading a book and one eating an apple.

Mrs. Kasheefa sent Mrs. Salman away to her daughter to rest.

Mrs. Kasheefa herself went away for a week.  Now all the kitchen was to me.

"do you expected to be paid?" Al-Hassan asked cheerfully in his mood.

"I suppose not"

"Why do you cook them? "

"Because I do not wish to die of hunger"

He raised his eyebrows biting his peach he still shaking his head.

"what now? " I asked.

"You are strange Miss Falaq-Naaz "

"I don't how to act when comes right from you Mr. Al-Hassan "

"what? " his same wot that makes me smile.

We laid the dinner table.

"I'm a remarkable chef" Al-Hassan bragged.

"oh really?  What is that you cannot do, no seriously tell me? " I was annoyed.

"mum perhaps I cannot Love" he dropped and vanished from the room.

Al-Souffian entered opening all the dishes in fury and then he fell in the chair dragged it loudly near the table.

Where is Al-Wais?  This duo is safe.

This singleton is dangerous.

"what makes you look sooooo worried Miss Falaq-Naaz, " he said in his vivacious tone.

"I am worried. What happened to you? "

"I'm upset! Very Upset! " he banged the table with his palms with startled me.

"the next time we should have to behave when you come to the table Al-Souffian!" Al-Wais said sitting on his chair. "Take his food to his room, you shall dine alone"