Divided We Stand: Ackley Bridge

...2...

Izza woke to the sound of her mother panicking. She drew her fingers to reach her warmth on her bed but only caught rough canvas. 

She got up from her bed to find her mother in front of her crying.

"He's gone again! Samir is gone, they killed him!" She cried tears falling down her pink cheeks.

Izza looked at her small alarm clock, it said 3:39. She yawned a bit. 

"What happened now my love?" she asked with no interest.

"They took him, they took my boy, of you don't know, no one knows, they took my Samir. Please help me, Izza-meri-Jaan se bhi pyarri beti!" (I love you more than my life Izza) 

"Shut-Up and get off me, I am tired of it!" She shouted pushing her off Izza when her mom began to clench her shoulders in help.

"Izza, my beti! Don't do this, they'll take you too!" She cried.

"I am tired of it! You hear me? I am tired of your insane attitude to me, now say another word and I promise it'll be the last-"

"What the bloody hell is going on?!" Screamed Mrs. Paracha as she walked into the dirty room.

"Nothing, Mrs. Paracha what are you doing over here?"

"Screaming like a bloody cow, now asking me what am I doing over here?! HUH!" Mrs. Paracha asked while getting her mother up from her position on the ground.

"Nothing happened Ms. Paracha! Just leave me alone!!"

"Aye! Don't talk like that, you are tired Nas is downstairs, go with her to her room, be sleeping together!"

"What is your whole family doing in my house?!" Izza screeched kicking her and running downstairs. 

The first face she saw when she ran downstairs was of Nasreen. Izza wasn't a fan of Nasreen, they had worked on a few projects together. But everyone treated her special because of Missy Booth, a dead legend.

"I'm sorry, for coming to your house so late, but since our walls are literally connected we could hear everything," Nasreen said in the kindest tone she could muster, she gave a small smile by the end of it. 

"The dinner lady said I'd be sleeping with you."

"She's my mother! Don't speak like that to her!"

"I am sorry," Izza said suddenly guilt spread over her face, she suddenly felt bad for what she said to her mother and Mrs. Paracha. "Sorry, my mind is just spinning I feel so-"

"I know what you mean, it's no problem, your mad at yourself for disrespecting your mother," Nasreen said as she led her neighbour out of the house and the one beside it.

"I just sometimes get tired of her behaviour, towards me, towards life!"

"I totally understand, my neighbour on my side named Missy-" she suddenly stopped talking she bit her lip as she took in deep breaths.

"I know Missy Booth, didn't really know her that much until her tragic accident, I am so sorry. She probably didn't want for it to end like this, she wanted it to be different." Izza held Nasreen's hand as they entered The Paracha Property. The lights were out. 

"C' mon my room's upstairs," she said quickly spluttering. She closed the door as the finished walking up the creaky stairs and into the room. "You can sleep on the bed, my sis Razia made out a nice mattress for me."

"You guys knew I was gonna come?"

"Yes, my mother often comes to your house to talk to your mother."

"She does?" discomfort suddenly spreading over her own body.

"Yeah you might find it weird but my bestie Missy, one that died had a mother like this- like your one. And now suddenly her mother is Muslim- god got her to the right path. But what I am saying here it's alright to be nervous, to be frustrated on her behaviour, it's alright, no one is stopping you. But back to the current topic ma mom was besties- I mean BESTIES with your mom when they were younger. She was. But now, since things are different-"

"Since all my older brother left my mother a few years ago after my father's death-"

"Since then the bestie thing was getting kind of a...... thing for ma mom."

"Like a problem? Cause that's what I am-"

"God Izza I am not saying that-"

"And that's all that ma mom is, so don't try to deny it!"

"That's not making you feel any better! I see you working at MacDonald's for a bit- you do it for your house, don't you? For your mother... because you love her! More then anything- you love your mother!"

 "Well I wouldn't say more than anything, I would say more than everything." She looked up Nasreen with a small cheeky smile.

The rest of the night went smoothly for Izza, Nasreen's bed was comfortable, she felt bad for letting Nasreen sleep on the mattress. But she had really never slept on an actual bed, so she really did not want to miss her chances.

When she awoke her plaid shirt which had white buttons leading to her collar had started at the bottom of her shirt were all unbuttoned. Her brown skin was shown with her skinny figure. It was all buttoned-down when she slept, she looked down at Nasreen she was sleeping silently, suddenly Izza felt wet. Her fingers felt wet. She felt grimy and dirty. 

"Hey, you girls bloody up?!" Mrs. Paracha ran up the stairs when she caught sight of me she gasped.

"I am sorry," I said while buttoning them down. "I think I was moving a lot in the night, that's why they got unbuttoned."

"Yeah of course, probably something like that!" Mrs. Paracha said, suddenly getting worried throwing glances at the body of her daughter on the mattress. "Come downstairs, made you guys breakfast and need to talk to you after you get fresh, new not opened toothbrush in the bathroom if yeah need it- Oii please need it."

"Okay, Mrs. Paracha!"

After her brushing hard with the toothbrush and washing her face and going to the washroom she walked downstairs.

"C' mon sit down, they no wake yet, they wake at a long time from now- need to talk to you," she said while serving her a plate filled with roast chicken and bread. "Your mother was sleeping with me, I was calming her down. We were friends for since grade three, so yeah don't bloody underestimate me and her! Yeah, so she gone through heartbreak, she gone through so much, made her like this. Be a good friend to her a good daughter. She loves you, yeah know that?"

"It's sometimes frustrating Mrs. Paracha, if you understand what I mean, sorry to be saying that she's like-"

"No she misses her own self, she loves her own self, be good. If you ever feel mad, call me and you come to play with Nasreen- I go and talk to her- yeah she's planning a whole surprise for you- once you go now- you be good and don't be rude- and don't kick me like you did last time!"

"Yeah so sorry Mrs. Paracha- I'll be good."

Izza entered her house, "mom?"

"Yes, sweetie come into the kitchen!"

"Yes, what is it?"

When she came she saw a small cake on a plate. "Oh My GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD, what is this?"

"Cake made it for you!"

"Oh my god it's the best, you know what, I will take this for school lunch!"

"Really, Okay when you come home from job-"

"I am gonna come home late, mom so you sleep in, tomorrow, when I will come from my job at I think 8:00, we'll watch movies together! How's that?"

"YES!"