6 Chapter 6

Afra excused herself from Noora and went downstairs to open the door when she heard the doorbell ringing. She knew that it must be her little girls. Because they always arrived home at 1:25 pm from their nursery.

She was worried about them, mostly about Thasneem, after Mrs Miller had talked to her about the fight she had at the nursery. Maryam was most prim and proper while Thasneem was more of a tomboy. They were both sweet in their ways. But they brought troubles in their ways too. Sometimes it was difficult for her to handle their mischiefs, but sometimes she couldn't stop herself from admiring them.

She opened the door, and there stood her naughty little girls, both covered in dust and dirt. Thasneem had mud sticking in her elbows and knees. And she had bruises in her forehead, chin and legs. Her thick, dark hair was so messy. Afra felt relieved that she had cut her hair short only a week ago. Or it would have been even messier.

She kept her hands on her hips and gave them a disapproving look. "What is all this?" She asked with wide eyes as if she didn't know.

"Mum, a boy pushed me," Maryam said, looking innocent.

"And what happened to her?" She asked her, pointing at Thasneem, who suddenly looked interested in a plant which was growing in a pot few feet away.

"Uh... She was trying to help me." Maryam said awkwardly.

"Okay, go straightly to the bathroom and get yourself cleaned." She said and let her walk inside.

"So Neem, how did you help her?" She asked at Thasneem, who had plucked a leaf from that plant. "I got a call from Mrs Miller. Did you know that?" Thasneem nodded her head, folding the leaf now. "Neem, please look at me while I'm talking to you," Afra said, a little bit annoyed now.

"I got angry when he pushed Maryam." She said, now facing her mother. "I... I hit him. I'm sorry, Mama. But I apologized to him when Mrs Miller told me to apologize. I wouldn't do that again." Afra sighed. But how can she not forgive her adorable little daughter? 

"I think, I'll have to attend to your bruises when you've cleaned up." She said as she let her inside. "Go to the bathroom, I'll bring both of your clothes and towels. I think I'd have to come in and scrub both of you. You both need it. Go now." She hurried her, but then she grabbed Thasneem by her hand as a thought grasped her mind.

"Neem, I don't appreciate the fight you had today." She told her confused daughter. "I know, Mama," Thasneem said, looking sorry. "I really wouldn't do that again."

Afra smiled at her. "Let me finish, darling." She said as she continued. "I'm not appreciating it. I don't want you to get into a fight again. I don't want to hear any more complaints from your teachers. But I'm glad that you stood up for your sister today. You made sure that no one bullies her again. I would have given anything to have a sister like that when I was in the orphanage."

The orphanage. This was one of the few times Thasneem had heard her mother mentioning that word. But she didn't know what made her mother emotional whenever she talked about it.

"What was it like, Mama?" She asked her. Afra looked at her with wide eyes for a moment which made Thasneem think that she had asked something wrong.

But then she gave her a small smile and sighed. "Well, it's not the worst place in the world," Afra said. "The Grace children's orphanage has been my home for almost 17 years. I've been there ever since I know. But I've always wondered what it would be like to live in a home where I could have a family who loves and cares for me. And I've always longed to have someone who would be there for me whenever I need them. Allah has given me a beautiful home and a sweet family now, Alhamdhulillah."

"Why did you live there?" Thasneem questioned her, "Why didn't you live in a home with grandma and grandpa?" Afra fell silent at this. She didn't know how to explain it to her. Because she didn't even know who her parents were. Mrs Andrews, the Headmistress of the orphanage had told her that someone had brought her to The Grace orphanage from a refugee camp when she was only a few months old. And she told her that she didn't know anything about her parents.

"Well... Not everyone is lucky enough to have parents, family or a home." She told her daughter. "Some people don't have any of it. But they can hope and pray that Allah would make their situations better in the future. We should pray for those people too. And we should try to help them if we can."

Thasneem kept looking at her mother's face like she has some more questions in store for her, and she looked like she was considering which one to ask first. Afra raised her brows at her, knowing her curious little daughter. "No more questions." She told her with a sigh. "Now go to the bathroom and get in the shower. I'll come with both of your clothes and towels." She gave Thasneem a little push towards the bathroom before going upstairs to get their clothes.

"I'm sorry for making you wait." She told Noora when she reached the living room on the second floor. "My kids need to clean up themselves before they meet their cousin."

"It's okay," Noora said with a smile. "Take as much time as you want."

"Okay, I'll be back with them soon," Afra said and rushed to get their clothes & towels. And then she went to the bathroom to scrub her little girls. They were both sitting in the bathtub, splashing water at each other and giggling loudly when she got there. "Okay, now please stop spraying the water everywhere." Afra almost pleaded with them. "I'm in a hurry and I don't want to get wet."

She quickly scrubbed both of them with a scrubbing cloth and soap. And then applied Maryam's favourite jasmine shampoo to her long curly hair and Thasneem's favourite rose shampoo to her thick dark hair. Then she washed them again in the shower before rubbing them dry with the towel.

"There you go." She said with a smile after she had rubbed Maryam's wet hair well with the towel. "You two smell so nicely now. There's someone in the upstairs who's waiting to meet both of you."

"Who?" Thasneem asked her as she adjusted her blue pinafore dress. "You'll know when you see," Afra told her with a wink. "Is that Auntie Sulaiha again?" Maryam asked her with wide eyes while struggling to get her hand through her dark red velvet frock. "No, it's not her," Afra said as she helped Maryam to get her hand through the sleeve of her dress. "Go upstairs and find out for yourself."

With that, both girls started running upstairs, but Afra quickly followed them and took hold of Thasneem. "Well, you can't leave until I've applied medicine to your scratches."

"But, Mama..." Thasneem protested. "Come with me to the kitchen now if you don't want your Dada to find out about your little fight," Afra said, heading towards the kitchen to get the first aid box and Thasneem followed her disappointedly.

Afra made her sit on a stool in the kitchen and started cleaning and applying medicines on her wounds. "Aaaaw... It hurts!" Thasneem whined now and then. "I'm sorry, but I have to do this to heal your wounds and to make sure they don't get infected," Afra explained, feeling sorry for her daughter.

"Mama!" Maryam entered the kitchen in a rush at that moment with a sulky look on her face. "What is it, honey?" Afra asked her. "There's a boy in our playroom and he's playing with my toy train station!" She complained gloomily.

Uh oh... Maryam was too careful about her belongings and she didn't like it when someone took her things without her permission. "Well, that boy is nice," Afra assured her. "And he wants to be your friend. That's why he came here. Maryam, get me that bandage roll, please. I'm almost done with your wounds, Neem. Just the bandaging part is left. Stay still, okay."

"Okay," Thasneem said with a sigh of relief.

"But I don't like him," Maryam told her, as she handed the bandage roll to Afra. "He's playing with my train. I don't want to be friends with him."

"Now, don't say like that, Maryam," Afra said with a sigh. "I told you that he's here to be friends with both of you. So you should be nice to him." Maryam didn't say anything. But she still looked upset about him playing with her train.

Afra finished bandaging Thasneem's wounds and helped her to get down from the stool. "Well, then listen." She said looking at both of them. "Let's make a deal. I'll take both of you to the park in the evening and buy your favourite ice creams from the Sunny Corner if both of you shared your toys with him and be nice to him. Is that okay?"

"Yes!" Both girls said together with wide grins spread on their faces. "That's my girls!" Afra cheered as she pulled them into a hug. "And I'll bake your favourite cookies for dinner if you became friends with him! How about that?"

"Okay!" Both girls said in unison. "Alright! Then go upstairs and talk to him." Afra encouraged them, smiling from ear to ear as she watched them rushing towards the upstairs again. She hoped that her plan would work & those kids would become friends soon, in shaa Allah.

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