The Other Side [complete]

Chapter Seven

"Please, it can't be you said Baba was okay on the phone a few minutes ago please don't tell me I was too late." I said trying hard to fight back tears that threatened to spill.
"Calm down Bhaatiji your father is still alive I didnt want to tell you this over the phone but the doctors said that he is in a vey critical condition they are doing the best they can. But they said he might never wake up. He's on life support. But I know Bhai he will get through this with Allah's help In Shaa Allah." Chacha told me as though to reassure me that with life there is hope. And reliefs had washed over me I finally let my tears spill as I hugged Chacha harder.
"InshaAllah Baba will get through this inshaAllah." Baheejah reassured me with sadness and worry evident in her voice.
If anyone had ever asked me if I was close to my step sisters I would honestly tell them only one and that's Baheejah. She's more like a sister to me than Baheerah because me and her can find a common ground without any interference from her mom unlike Baheerah who always craves to be the center of attention and always tries to drag her sister along with her. Baheejah isn't as demanding of unconventional stuff as Baheerah. You could also say that even with Baheerah and Baheejah being identical twins Baheerah is favored more by Ami than anyone of us. I know that Baheejah loves my father as she would have loved her own father. I don't believe that any of them knew that my father was just their step father and not their real father because my father had always treated both of them as his own daughters. Considering we all have the same last name from what I read from one of Babas journals the twins father was my dad's first cousin. Call me nosy but I learned so much about my father reading his journals they go way back to his teenage years when he was sixteen. Not only did I learn the type of person my father is on which helped our father daughter relationship bond to be stronger but I also learned life lesson reading.
They didn't allow any visitors for Baba yet do to his very critical condition. I couldn't get myself to leave the hospital. My uncle had left along time ago telling me he was going to check into a hotel. It wasn't surprising since he and Ami don't get along well. It's more like they can't stand the presence of each other let alone stay in the same building together. At first I didn't get why but the anger I felt this morning after encountering Ami and how she tried to ban me from seeing her, was still there just thinking of her makes me feel hurt. I don't think I want to go back home at this point. The twins had already left already with Baheerah complaining that being in hospitals was nauseous.
"Aziza I got you a vegan burger and a ice tea you need to eat something." Isabel encourage coming back with some food. Making me realize that I hadn't eaten anything all day. It's safe to say that not many people know that I am a vegan been one for a very long time only my close friends do as well as my Dad and my uncle Bilal only.
"Thanks Isa." I said before digging in
"Azi you can't stay her all night I just prayed Asr if you don't want to go home than you can stay at my house. Adrain is out tonight. My mom wouldn't mind since she is too absorbed with my Dad coming back to town. And don't worry about work I called in sick at work for you. I can get Mia to come over as well no one knows about what happen to your father yet." Isabel Suggested and I just nodded in agreement considering my mouth was full.

It was a good thing I wasn't prayer at the moment because I would have missed my dhuhur prayer already thinking of things too much.  After finishing out food we went. Just as we walked to the parking lot I heard someone call my name turning to the direction of the call I saw that it was my uncle Bilal. So we walked towards his direction. He was next to a very expensive looking car. I don't know much about cars but his car looked new much like those cars you see on tv that rich people drive.
"Bhaatiji please don't tell you your going back home now I was planing on taking you out to eat."
"I already ate just now chacha but I am not going back home I'm planing on staying at my friend's house." I informed him gesturing towards Isabel
"Well hello beautiful." My uncle said as though just noticing her. Emphasizing the hello
"Chacha seriously she's the same age as your niece gross." I told him laughing
"Sweetheart age is but a number so are you going to introduce us or shall I do the honors myself."
"Isabel this is my uncle Bilal and Chacha this is my Muslim friend Isabel."
"Oh." He said making both Isabel and I laugh. Considering Isabel not wearing a hijab just a track suit that made it look like she was working out with her blonde hair in a messy bun not many would know she is a Muslim and my flirt much with Muslim girls even though he would shamelessly flirt with any non Muslim girl. Charming them with his smile. It's gross at times. My uncle isn't the most religious person out here he does a lot of things that go against our religion but I love him just the same sometimes I do wish he would change because I know he is genuinely a really good person.
"Why don't you go hang out with you uncle for now and come over to my house tonight if your still planing in sleeping over if not text me." Isabel said to me before turning to my uncle 
"My name is Zunairah by the way." And leaving after that
"That's one beautiful friend you have there." Still watching her as she walked away biting his bottom lip
"Chacha someone seriously needs to call the Haraam police on you." I said Ina joking matter
"They'll probably get struck by Cupid if they see me." He joked back cracking a smile.
"So we're too now." I asked as I got my phone out and texted Hanaan and Maria
"What in the world is that?" Bilal asked looking directly at my phone
"My phone?"
"Why this phone you could have bought a smartphone with the money I send you every month." Taking my phone and inspecting it like it was a foreign to him.
"You send me money?" I asked bewildered because this is the first time I'm hearing of this. Which made my uncle frown "Yes. Every. Single. Month." He told me slowly.
"I never got any, ami probably used it." I shrugged not really surprised if she did to keep up with her expenses. I shouldn't have said that Ami took it because it looked like that angered My uncle. And I didn't want the rest of our day being ruined over conventional stuff such as money. Out of anger my uncle for fully slammed my phone to the ground making me gape at him. My baby was gone dead.
"Why?!?!"
"Let's go I'm going to buy you a new phone. I wouldn't have my niece go around with this ancient device didn't even know they still sealed these." He said before taking the SIM card out of my now broken phone and  getting inside the very expensive looking car. I went inside the front passenger seat as well not really getting the point as to what was wrong with my phone. It worked perfectly fine before my uncle broke it out of anger.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
My uncle ended up buying me the latest iPhone with my contacts saved from my old phone. Saying it would be easier to use but I still am having trouble navigating it. How does one go from a flip phone to an iPhone massive upgrade.
We talked about a lot of things like what schools I got accepted to and what are my plans in the future. I tried avoiding question on my future plans by telling him I was selected as valedictorian at my school which made him overjoyed at the moment and forget about asking me what my future plans were. Just before he dropped me off at Isabel's house we went to a restaurant out of town for dinner the food there was delicious. Even with my lack of appetite worry about Baba I did eat because I didn't want to worry chacha anymore than he already was.
"Aziza I will be in town for a while. I'll work from here up until you graduate. I want you to come live with me after. With your grades you can get into any school. Don't worry about Bhai I plan on transferring him to a hospital near my place. I just don't want you to stay with her so that she would ruin your life." He said as he parked his car in front of Isabel's house. I knew who he was referring to when he said her. It was Ami. Though I was angry at her for the moment I couldn't make rash decisions out of my emotions because how would I repay her for raising me it would make me seem like an ungrateful person if I left her to fend for herself especially with Baba in the hospital. If he woke up and saw that I did that he would be very disappointed in me.
"Let me think about it." I told him before I got out of the car. He nodded like he understood what I meant.
"Okay I'll wait as long as you like for your answer." He told me
"Thanks chacha."I waved as he left once I entered Isabel's house all three of my closest friends were there Hanaan, Maria and Isabel sadly Muhammad wasn't but I came closer to them and was enveloped Ina group hug.

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