forbidden whispers

chapter 2

Hanan turned her gaze back to her little one. It was indeed a challenging task. Qassem had never forgotten his sister. He constantly asked about her, always waited for her return tirelessly, and they could not allow him to mingle with his cousins for fear that someone might say something about the accident. He did not even attend school, as the doctor had advised them to travel abroad, far from the scenes and places he had visited with his sister Mais. Salem had followed this advice, finishing all his pending work and taking his family to Saudi Arabia to start a new project there.

Despite this, Qassem never forgot Mais. He waited for her presence every day. His mother immersed him in various activities and sports, including horse riding and swimming, both of which he mastered skillfully. Yet, at the end of the day, when he returned home, he would ask his mother when Mais would join them. They lied, telling him she was with her uncle until their work was finished and that she would come at the right time. Every time he asked when that would be, the answer was always, "Very soon, God willing." But Qassem sensed that they were hiding something from him. He began causing trouble, teasing his teachers, and even hitting other students. When asked why, he simply replied, "I hate you because you lie," before shutting himself in his room for hours, sometimes refusing food and remaining silent, exhausting his parents.

Hanan suggested to her husband that they adopt a boy, someone closer in age to Qassem, hoping it might help him recover from his grief. Reluctantly, Salem agreed, hoping Qassem would return to his former self and stop longing for his deceased sister. Every day, they visited orphanages searching for a child of similar age, but they either found children too young or too aggressive, and their attempts failed.

On the way back, while the car stopped at a red traffic light, Hanan noticed small, timid knocks on the window. She raised her head and met the gaze of wide, honey-colored almond eyes looking at her with silent pleading. A little girl, perhaps three or four years old, held a bouquet of worn, artificial red flowers. She extended a shabby red rose toward Hanan as soon as the window opened, her expression full of hope and supplication.

Hanan whispered gently, "Do you want me to buy it?"

No answer, only innocent eyes and a smile that could melt stone. Hanan prompted her again, "Alright, I will buy it if you tell me your name."

Still no answer. Hanan was surprised by the girl’s strange silence. She tried again, "How much do you want for it?"

Again, no answer. Hanan frowned in puzzlement. If the girl wanted to sell the flowers, all she had to do was answer. Yet Hanan’s gaze returned to the child, examining her from head to toe. It was impossible that she wasn’t in need. Her tattered, worn clothes were proof enough. Despite her dirt and rags, the girl’s beauty remained untouched. Her eyes were as pure and wide as a gazelle’s, her lips cherry-red, and her long lashes nearly reached her carefully shaped eyebrows. Her messy hair, loosely braided, partially covered her forehead. The girl’s poverty had not diminished her charm.

The little girl’s gaze shifted to despair as the traffic light turned green, signaling the cars to move. The blaring horns urged Salem to drive, and a traffic officer pulled the girl away from the window, shouting angrily at her, "If you keep doing this, one day you will find yourself under the wheels of a speeding car. I don’t know why your family doesn’t care about you. Damn them."

As the girl was led away, Salem drove on, unaware of the inner battle raging in his wife’s heart. Hanan wished he would stop so she could buy the flowers from the poor child, but he drove away, and the girl disappeared from sight. Yet Hanan never forgot her. The child haunted her thoughts, appearing even in her dreams, blaming her for not buying the flowers.

Hanan returned to the same spot each day, accompanied by her driver, hoping to find her. Finally, she saw the little girl again, the same shabby clothes and worn flowers, the same radiant smile. Hanan quickly rolled down her window and called to her, but the girl did not respond. She simply moved between car windows, offering her flowers, yet was shooed away and insulted by passersby.

Hanan felt a surge of anger and sorrow for the poor child. She jumped out of the car, ran to her, helped her up, and promised to buy all the flowers. She tried to coax her into the car, but the child, frightened, darted away through the traffic, disappearing from Hanan’s shocked eyes. The girl was right to be cautious; surely she had been warned not to trust strangers. Hanan smiled with admiration. The child was brave and clever. Despite Hanan’s promise, she remained wary.

Hanan sighed, wishing she could truly help her. Returning to the car, she left, yet the child remained in her thoughts, a vivid flash of light she could not ignore. Her imagination intertwined the girl’s image and smile with Mais’s, as if the two were inseparably linked.

Determined, Hanan returned to the spot with her driver. This time, upon seeing the girl, she got out of the car and asked the driver to wait, silently following the child, observing her movements as she offered flowers from car to car. Unfortunately, no one bought any. Heart aching, the girl retreated to a tree for shade, waiting for the traffic to allow another chance to sell her flowers.

Hanan approached, holding out money for the flowers. As her shadow fell over the little girl, the child’s almond eyes lifted to see who it was. Fear filled her gaze. Hanan knelt to her level, speaking softly. "Would you give me some of the flowers?"

The girl did not respond. Hanan extended some bills and whispered, "I don’t know the price, so here is the money. I want to buy all of your flowers. Will you let me?"

The child focused on the money, then looked back at Hanan to make sure she was alone, without a car that might try to abduct her. Satisfied, she examined the money with suspicion and hope. She pointed to her flowers, asking if Hanan truly wanted them, without uttering a single word. Hanan smiled and nodded gently. "Yes, I want to buy all your flowers. Is this money enough?"

The little girl could hardly believe it. She took the money after a brief hesitation. Since the amount exceeded the price of the flowers, she subtracted the cost, returning the rest with the flowers to Hanan, and ran away, ecstatic. Hanan knew she was happy from the wide smile that lit up her face as soon as she received the money.