Chapter Three

Mariam came out in the early hours of the morning carrying Um' Bilal's luggage to the car that was to take her to the train station. By the main entrance, Layla stood with a woolen bed jacket wrapped lightly around her shoulders. The light that illuminated her back made her look even prettier than she did during the day. She moved forward and hugged the elderly woman.

"When will you be back?" She whispered. 

"In four months if you aren't coping well without me." Um' Bilal teased as she patted the young woman's hands. 

"It's not funny.” She pouted but smiled then gave a quick look at Mariam before whispering something to the woman again. Maryam could see Um' Bilal's face from where she stood and her heart sank when she saw the look of uncertainty on her face, a look she quickly masked with a smile then a nod before replying. Mariam knew they were discussing her, so she turned her face to another direction so she can distract herself. 

The eldest brother, Khaled, came out through the door and unlocked the car, grabbed Um' Bilal's bags and loaded them into the trunk. Mariam slightly bowed by briefly bending her knees in greeting and that was when he noticed her. He stared at her with drawn eyebrows like she just grew two heads that minute. 

"Her way of saying good morning. Just.. general greeting ". Layla explained. 

He awkwardly nodded back and pressed on the trunk button then got into the car. 

"I thought the driver will take me." Um' Bilal whispered and Layla shook her head with a chuckle. 

"He offered." The young woman whispered back, her eyes flickering in the direction of her brother mischievously then waved at Um' Bilal after walking her to the car. 

"Today is my lucky day that he's not having those morning mood swings." The elderly woman said with a voice that hinted at humor then gestured for Mariam to come. 

"Be good Mariam. Be good.” She gently warned and Mariam nodded with a sad smile then brought out something from the pocket of her gown with a note, held it with two of her hands towards Um' Bilal. She turned the little object to find out it was a little crocheted hair band connected to an adorable bow looped in different color of threads. 

"Allah! You made this for my grand daughter? Oh how thoughtful of you. Thank you dear". Her eyes glinted with joy. "Such talent! I'll read your note on the way. If not you're going to have me nagging for the rest of your life if I miss my train." She teased and Layla laughed while Mariam smiled and nodded then waved. Khaled drove the car out of the driveway and through the gates. 

"Um...excuse me." Layla called out on Mariam's attention. "I'm quite certain Um' Bilal has briefed you on everything right?." Mariam stood upright and nodded. 

"Then we expect you to do your best. Am I clear?.” She nodded again to show she was very much capable. 

"Good.” She commented and walked back to the house. Honestly, she felt the same way Zahra did about the girl. She just wasn't fit to be the person to take care of a house like theirs, but nothing could be said about it as it was their stepmother's idea to have her work here. And their father, he thought highly of the woman's opinions that there was no budge. 

Mariam felt uncertain and weak from the inside, she knows this was going to be one of the hardest challenges in her life but she was determined to do her very best even if her life depended on it. She won't disappoint Um' Bilal. Not with all the goodness and kindness the woman had shown her these past two days. 

The breakfast she made that morning was simple and what she was used to preparing. Fries and eggs with offal sauce. It reminded her of her old days when she used to prepare it for her cousins before they left for school and on weekends. The arrangement she made on the dining table wasn't so appealing, but the breakfast was appetizing alright. 

Sa'ad was the first to come through the front door in a black shirt and camouflage three-quarters with a hand in his pocket. His eyes were on his phone as he strolled into the living room while she arranged the plates. Raising his head for a moment, he looked at her and asked her to grab some water for him. Her heart pounded loudly as she did so. 

Coming back with a bottle, she handed it to him and greeted Layla with a brief and slight bend of her knees in a half bow before standing back in case they needed anything, the way Um' Bilal had instructed her to do as long as they haven't started eating. The other twin, Mas'ud, walked in whistling and nudging his brother's shoulder before taking a seat on the chair. Their stepmother pleasantly greeted them and took her own seat. 

"Khaled has already left for work?.” Their stepmom asked. 

"Yes. He said something about maintenance work that needed to be done at the company.” Zahra replied. 

By the time everyone was settled, Mariam turned to leave when she was called out. 

"Did you follow today's menu?.” Her heart halted in her chest before she slowly turned around. A slight confused look marred her face as her mind refused to comprehend just what that meant. The men served their meals then moved to the living room and turning the television on before digging in. 

The females were left on the table as Layla looked between her stepmother and Mariam with a raised eyebrow before serving her own meal and preparing her beverage. Zahra on the other end uncomfortably slid the tip of her index finger on the plate wearing a disgusted expression while their stepmother stared at Mariam with a look that almost made her knees gave up on her. She gave a shake of her head even though she had no idea what the woman meant. 

"Next time, follow the day's menu.” Nodding, she left their presence as quick as she could because she had no idea how to ask what it was. Besides, she had always learned to figure out everything herself and keep her mouth shut, not that anything will come out of it anyway. She grabbed a broom and a mopping bucket to clean the house when she was permitted to do so. The vacuum cleaner Um' Bilal tried to familiarize her with was scary enough that she couldn't use it, at least not yet. 

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The weather wasn't harsh nor was it hot. Pleasant afternoons like this were her favorite where leaves from the masquerade trees out back were falling occasionally on the interlocked ground as Mariam sat and watched them. The continuous chirping of birds, the sways of the palm trees that lined up the backyard equally calming and the slight darkening clouds promised the fall of rain soon. The neighborhood was quiet and peaceful, something she'd never been accustomed to. The chores here were not demanding as it didn't involve kids. Mariam was used to kid's all around her, tending to their needs and their parents' all the time. 

Her mind was drifting as she sat on the entrance steps leading to the kitchen through the back door and absentmindedly rubbing on her calloused hands, thinking about her life like she usually does. But the house just had too much beauty to it. 

The beautiful flat that she noticed behind the gardens the other day turned out to be for the men, making her wonder if she was going to be the one to clean it up for them as well, even though she hadn't been asked to ever since she came. Her life was remarkably better than she had imagined it'd be. She was learning fast enough about what the household required of her, which made it easier to acclimatize to the environment. 

Shuffling could be heard from where she sat and she quickly got up, removed her shoes and pat down her clothes that got dusty from where she was seated. When she heard nothing after that, she slowly pushed open the and peaked her head in. The kitchen didn't seem like anyone was in it so she entered and shut it. 

Turning around she found Layla by the island pouring some apple juice in a glass and froze. Thankful for the piece of paper in her pockets, she quickly pulled it out and scribbled something in it with shaky hands, aware that the woman held the glass halfway to her lips, staring at her with a bewildered expression. With the raise of a perfectly arched eyebrow, she collected the paper and read through its content after Mariam reluctantly handed it to her. 

Layla was surprised with what the girl wrote on the piece of paper. Her handwriting was beautiful, but the spellings were a little jumbled and misspelled. 

I'm so sorry Ma'am, I had no idea you needed something . The note read, if she were to piece the words out correctly.

She'd be lying if she said she wasn't impressed with Mariam, nothing in her appearance was an evidence that she had ever been to class. And she really couldn't believe that the girl was truly mute, as at first she thought she was just a recluse or that it was just Hadi's weird sense of humor. Taking a sip of her juice she shook her head and dropped the glass. 

"Have you been to school?.” She curiously asked. Mariam nodded and smiled. "Secondary?.” The girl shook her head no. "Primary?.” Layla asked again with a raised eyebrow. Mariam nodded again at that and Layla hummed. 

"Don't worry about it. You can clear the table though, everyone's through with the meal.” She nodded towards the direction of the living room and Mariam nodded then left. Layla looked at the note again before throwing it into the bin. She chugged the whole juice, wishing her mother was there to witness and apprehend her unladylike behavior. Thinking about it, she smiled sadly and left for her room. 

Mariam cleared the table and cleaned up the kitchen afterwards. She was doing her very best to clean it as much as Um' Bilal does and when she was finally satisfied with how it looked, she got out and quietly shut the door then took the plastic bag she kept outside. 

Heading to her room, she untied it and ate the leftover lunch she packed in it. She sat on the floor and grabbed her old copy of the Qur'an to do her daily memorization of two verses using its transliteration. She was getting better at her Hurouf, but it was taking a lot of time and she knew that she needed to commit to her memory more verses in order to pray better. 

Her spellings on the other hand were improving as well, slow all the same, but improved. She wished she could get a hand on a dictionary the likes of the one she saw at a friend of her aunt's house. She might have a problem interpreting the words in it, but at least it was better than not knowing them at all. Dinner came but she was told to leave it, they were ordering so she returned to her room and laid her makeshift mattress then got ready to sleep. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Layla was exhausted from everything, She got up in the morning, as usual, feeling like a weight had dropped itself on her shoulders. She grabbed her phone to check the time, only to see a couple of unknown numbers lining up on her screen. Sighing, she prepared to freshen up before walking down the stairs. She was halfway down when her phone rang and unknown caller ID made her wonder who might be calling her that early. 

"Hi Layla". The cool masculine voice greeted and for the thousandth time she could feel her nose flaring. She hung up the call and sighed in frustration when her phone dinged almost immediately, indicating a message. Reading through its content, she gave Hadi a call. 

Hadi opened the front door and carried the stuff that were delivered in for her. She instructed him to sign off the delivery man before he returned to his post. She watched the exotic gifts that lined up her bed that did little to lift up and improve her mood and she was running out of ideas on just how much nonchalance she could pull off to get rid of this man. 

He thinks all of these will ever stir my feelings? What part of I'm done does he not get?. She thought bitterly as a soft knock sounded on her door. 

"Come in." She called out. The door knob slowly turned and the timid girl entered. As usual, Mariam stood by the door because she was always acutely aware of how out of place she was in Layla's room. It was another breathtaking sight she had ever seen apart from the rest of the house. It didn't have any golden touch to it. It was white and all shades of brown. 

A moderate sized bed that sat in the middle of the room was draped in a silky white and beige bedspread, a frame hanging above it. A nightstand by the right held a patina lampshade and a clock while the left one held faux books and a flame diffuser. The wardrobe was situated adjacent to the bathroom door on the right side of the room.

A dresser attached to a mirror was lined up with designer perfumes, skin and hair products where beside them sat a brown colored vase that retained a Pampas. 

The rug was situated beside the bed atop a carpet that covered the entire floor where it's edges connected to a full length wide glass door that lead to a balcony, a deep brown and beige spliced curtain draped over it. There was a small coffee table surrounded by two chairs arranged to the left part of the room. 

Mariam moved with uncertainty. Offering her usual greeting, she passed the note in her hands towards the woman. Layla didn't think too much of it, but it seemed like ever since their encounter in the kitchen a week ago, the girl had gotten a little more comfortable writing to her, to ask what she needs. And she couldn't help but notice how her spellings had improved a little over the week. 

Mariam told her that she could give her the notes back so she doesn't have to worry about trashing them. But from the looks of it, Layla had understood that she erases the writing and then write on it again. At one point during the week she shyly asked her what the word 'menu' meant and Layla couldn't help laughing when she was finally able to understand what word she was referring to. 

"It's spelled as M..E..N..U, not Manu. It means a list of food. So if you're asked to follow the days menu, you're simply to follow the list of the meals you should prepare for that day. That's how it's done here. And I believe Um' Bilal has acquainted you with it haven't she?.” It took a moment before the girl's eyes flash in understanding, and she nodded eagerly then carefully retrieved the recipe book from one of the cupboards. She raised it up to Layla and opened it. Turning the book to her, she pointed to the word 'Menu' at the front page and smiled, seemingly proud of herself. The menu contained names of the meals, the days of the week, and recipes on how to prepare them. Layla nodded her approval and she gave her a quick note of thanks. 

One good thing about the girl was how she keeps clean it makes Layla always wonder how she manages to when she wears almost the same clothes every day and so far, she cooks just fine and keeps the house spotless. It makes her wonder how Mariam does it all alone. 

'Ma'am, do you wish to have your room cleaned now?' The note asked and she took a look at her before checking the time. It was almost noon and she was sure by then everyone had already left for their business. 

"Is there anybody at home ." She asked and the girl shook her head no. 

"Even Zahra? You mean she went out?.” She asked and Mariam nodded, waiting to know if she could go on with the work. 

Layla worried about Zahra these days, she couldn't wrap her head around all she does which was stay in her room, come out only when there's need for it or when she has to go somewhere. What made her suspicious of her sister's activities was also the sudden obsession she developed for going out ever since they came back from vacation, and sometimes without a particular reason or place. Zahra’s behavior baffled her sister. 

Layla inwardly sighed and instructed Mariam to get the job done then handed her the piece of paper back. As she went out and walked back with a broom and a towel, Layla gave it a second thought. 

"Do you not know how to use the vacuum cleaner?.” She asked and the girl shook her head. The small smile that tugged on her lips and the glint in her eyes made Layla understand she had something in mind. Layla raised an eyebrow and Mariam's smile quickly faded as she stared at her wearily. 

"Come on, I don't have all day and I'm not in the mood to wait until you're done cleaning with this thing. Go get the vacuum cleaner.” She gestured to the broom stick making the girl almost trip over trying to get the vacuum. Mariam tends to have such a recoil sometimes from Layla's observation and she couldn't help that it stirred a familiar feeling in her. 

What is this girl's story?

She brought it up and dropped it, kept staring at it as if it were going to engulf all of her. Layla sighed impatiently when Mariam gave her one of her notes, again. She was just not in the mood at that moment. 

Will I ever get used to this? Allah!...

'It scares me, I've never seen something like it before'. Layla chuckled when she read what the girl wrote before handing her the paper back

"I'll brief you on how to use it. It's easier.”

The delighted way Mariam's eyes danced as she was finally able to comprehend how to work her way through the vacuum cleaner was contagious. She laughed, and even though it was inaudible, Layla surprisingly heard herself laughing along. She instructed her to finish up the chores before leaving the room. Mariam’s days were getting better here, and she couldn’t have asked for more.