Chapter 3 I AM YOUR SISTER

I take the report out of Christina's hands hiding it behind me with my eyes widened in surprise. "Who gave you this?"

"Junior..."

'of course, it was Junior.' I shake my head. I can never keep a secret from him.

"Why didn't you tell me that you're this sick? I had to find out from Junior?!" Tina shouts angrily her voice starting to shake. "I thought we were supposed to be honest with each other."

I take a deep breath and look down at her hands. "I didn't want to worry you, Tina."

"But you should have told me," Tina's voice raises in frustration. "After mother. It is just me, you, and Junior.

"I am your sister. I want to be there for you, to help you in any way I can. You don't have to go through this alone." Tears are now streaming down Tina's face.

And it hurts to see her like that. I reach out to hold her hand in mine. "I am so sorry, Tina. I should have said something to you yesterday. I didn't mean to keep it from you.

"I was just finding a good time and I am still in shock, too. I didn't know how to tell you this. I love you, and I'm sorry for not telling you sooner."

She nods in understanding and holds me tight with comforting eyes that are filled with tears."You just stay home for a few days. That is a command...

"No more running around in that tax of yours. Don't worry, I will find the money. We need to get you admitted. We need to save you."Tina speaks, trying to keep her voice steady.

She stands up and paces around the room as she speaks her mind. "I will pay for everything. I will work extra hours at the bar.

"I will take out a loan. I will do whatever it takes. I am not letting you die on me."

I shake my head weakly. "Tina, please, you cannot do the impossible. I tried that too five years ago. And look what it did to us."

"Never say that again. You did what you had to do. Even if we lost Mother, we gained Junior."

"Do not put yourself in debt for me. I am leaving you in so much debt already. I do not want to burden you any more than I already have."

"You're not a burden, Naomi. You're my sister, neither is Junior and I love you. I will do anything for you."

"No, Tina... I won't allow you to do that. The only selfish thing I will ask of you is to check on Junior once or twice when you have free time. When I am gone."

SALAH'S POV

"You are not getting any younger Salah neither am I. Allow us to continue with the marriage preparations to Shamsi." My grandmother speaks.

I do not say a word as I raise my eyes to my cousin Shamsi who pretends to shy away sitting beside, my cousin and her older brother Haled.

My grandmother holds the highest rank in our family hierarchy. Followed by my father. No one in our family says no to her, her words are law in our household.

As usual, we are having an extended family breakfast, with more than fifty of our closest family members present. Like we have done every day of our lives.

"Shamsi is not only your cousin, but she is compatible with you, she shares your values and beliefs. She is a good match, and she is family. I need great-grandchildren from you ..."

My grandmother points her hand to me, "And you..." and then points her finger to Ahmed, my younger brother, who is sitting beside me eating his breakfast silently.

Ahmed puts his fork down ready to speak.

" Oh, Grandma, do you honestly think I would do that? Enter willingly into a loveless marriage just to secure the family's wealth? That is Salah, that can never be me."

And I pray that the earth opens and swallows me. My younger brother, Ahmed is not someone that cares about hierarchy.

He has a way of making sure the air is thick around the room whenever he speaks his mind.

"SHUT UP!" my father, Said Mohammed shouts, raising his angry warning eyes to Ahmed. My father's face turns red with anger, but he maintains his composure.

And the dining hall turns silent. Everybody at the dining table is scared. Grandma looks at Ahmed with a mixture of concern and disappointment. Shaking her head.

And she continues to pat her mouth clean with a white linen handkerchief before reaching for more Samosas on her plate.

With all this happening. My mind is covered with snippets of memories from yesterday. The memories of yesterday are eating me in a good way.

I had opened the door to my room in the mansion to Naomi throwing herself at me. The biggest surprise of my life.

With how we parted five years ago. I did not expect that... NAOMI...the test of her name on my tongue feels like I am eating honey.

If anyone had told me, I could have won the lottery yesterday and held her again in my arms. I would not have believed it.

When we broke up. I tried reaching out to her. And when I failed and the pain was impossible to take. I tried going on blind dates to replace her in my heart.

I tried everything. She had hurt my heart enough to stop it from loving her. But I could not.

I love Naomi so much.

I could not move on. I even had not had sex in five years since we broke up. And when she showed up yesterday asking for us to get back together.

I was overwhelmed with happiness. With Naomi again in my life, every family member on this table and their problems are invisible to me. She is the woman that has haunted my dreams for the last five years.

Since our breakup, my prayer was for her to walk back to me as a changed person.

I smile at the thought that for the first time in our relationship. She did not send a message asking for money after we parted with each other.

She has finally changed.

I hated the feeling I felt for all the days we dated. When I walked to my car and a message came along demanding me to pay for the sex and time we spent together.

For a person that strives in business transactions. Our relationship felt like one. And I hated it.