A Prayer Heeded

by Samreen Ahsan

  The doctor also mentions to Adam that if she won’t agree to consult the doctor, then it’s Adam’s job to listen to whatever she is willing to share and let the doctor know. He doesn’t want to be a bridge between her and the doctor. Adam wants her to talk to the doctor directly.

  He slips under the warm sheet with her and places his head on her shoulder. He is very tired; his eyes are drooping but he keeps looking at her, sleeping by his side. He had never thought life would take him this far; first, he never imagined falling in love, and then when he did, the woman he loved has problems with trusting people.

  He thinks about last night. It was the moment. And they were both in it. He doesn’t know what happened to her; it was as if someone took her out of that moment and shook her hard. He did feel her body; he knew that she was feeling him completely. Her body was communicating to him and burning for him. And the words of passion she spoke, that she wanted him to take her anywhere his heart desired, what was that about? Now when he looks at her, sleeping peacefully, no one could imagine she is the same woman who was floating in the water. Just the image in his mind makes him shiver deeply. He wraps his arm around her and sleep takes him over.

  After a couple of hours, Rania wakes up, feeling hot. She can’t figure out if the heat is due to the warm blanket or something else, but she is sweating badly. When she opens her eyes, she sees Adam’s arm wrapped around her tightly and possessively. She looks at her body and is shocked to realize that she is wearing something different than the gown she wore to bed. Oh! I forgot to change. She lifts his arm from her waist, and he winces and flutters his eyes. He looks at her with concern.

  “Are you okay?” Adam sits up instantly, throwing off all the drowsiness from his body.

  “I’m fine. Just sweating too much.” She places her palm over her forehead. Yes, she is sweating badly. She looks at her bathrobe, annoyed, and then to Adam.

  “Why did you change my clothes?”

  “I had no other choice, Rania. You were shivering; your clothes were all wet.”

  She rolls her eyes but says nothing.

  Adam continues, “I found you in the pool last night. If I was not there at the right time—”

  “Hang on, Adam. What the hell were you doing at the pool last night?”

  “I can’t believe you are asking me. What the fuck you were doing there?” Adam asks her with wide eyes, scowling at her.

  She averts her eyes from him and looks toward the door. “How do you know I was there?”

  “You knew you were there? You weren’t sleepwalking? What the—”

  “What? You think I’m a sleepwalker?” She stands up from the bed. “I just can’t believe it, Adam.”

  “What the hell were you doing there, then? You would have bloody died. If you don’t know how to swim, then what’s the point of going to the pool in the middle of the night?”

  “That’s none of your bloody business, Adam. It’s my personal life. I have not given the right to run my life to anyone, not even you. You get that?”

  On that, she turns around and heads to the master bedroom to use the washroom. Adam looks at the closed door in shock, trying to grasp what she just said. Last night, she said she didn’t want to lose him and now, she just snapped at him and pushed him out of her life in an instant. If she went to the pool deliberately, then what the hell was she doing in the water? No, she cannot be suicidal. She can’t kill herself. He shakes his head in dejection, follows her into the master bedroom and waits for her to come out.

  When she comes out, after changing her clothes, she is still frowning at him, but the only expression on his face is of shock. He still can’t believe what she just told him, but right now, he is not in a position to argue. He wants her to see the doctor, who is waiting downstairs for the session. If he starts an argument, she will never agree to meeting Dr. Nicolson. She is brushing her hair, sitting in front of the dresser, when he goes to stand beside her. He places his hands on her shoulders.

  “Am I no one to you, Rania?” he asks patiently, looking at her expression. Their gazes lock for a moment.

  She stands up and turns around to face him. “How did you find me, Adam? How do you always find me?” Her eyes are emitting millions of questions.

  Adam doesn’t understand what she’s talking about. He cups her face gently in his hands. “How did you get there, Rania? You remember going there? What happened then?” She closes her eyes at his questions. “Tell me, Rania. I want to help you.”

  “You won’t believe me, Adam. No one would.” Her eyes are still closed.

  “I am not no one. Please trust me. Did you slip and fall in the water? Did you—”

  “It’s not what you think.” She shakes her head in distress and opens her eyes to look at him. “I’m hungry. Can I get something to eat?”

  “Sure.” He removes his hand from her face. As soon as she starts to leave him, he holds her by the arm. “You have no idea how much I love you?” She keeps looking at him intensely, but is not sure what to say. He takes her hand and leads her downstairs, toward the kitchen.

  “Mike?” She yells her friend’s name in exasperation. Adam has called Mike here to convince her to talk to the doctor; she wasn’t expecting him. And that is not the expression Mike was expecting from her. “What are you doing here? Is everything okay?”

  “Yeah, I just came to see you. How are you?” Mike says apologetically, looking back and forth from Adam to Rania.

  Rania looks at Adam, and then back to Mike. She suspects something is wrong. Mike would never just show up like this. And she didn’t want to mention to Mike that she was staying with Adam at his place. But by the look Mike gives her, it is obvious that he understands that Rania and Adam have sorted out all their differences, and Mike cannot attain the same position in Rania’s life as Adam.

  “I’m fine, Mike. What would happen to me? But what are you doing here?”

  “I called him,” Adam interrupts. He comes closer to Rania and stands behind her, snaking his arms around her. “Aren’t you happy to see your friend, Rania?” Mike looks at both of them blankly. He wasn’t expecting such a gesture from Adam. Even Rania was not expecting Adam to touch her like this, in front of Mike.

  “Your friend is here to talk to you,” Adam whispers in Rania’s ear, and releases his embrace. They all sit on a couch and look at each other. Mike looks toward Adam, wondering how to start the conversation.

  “You wanted to talk, Mike? Is everything okay? Is Ben okay? Is Baba okay?” Rania is getting upset.

  “Everything is good, Rania. I came here to talk about you. Adam says I’m the only one you would listen to.” Mike has an expression of pride in his eyes.

  “Listen to what?”

  “Adam told me you have a sleep disorder. We were wondering if you could see a therapist and get treated.”

  Rania stands up from the couch and glares at Adam.

  “What did you tell him?” She shakes her head in disbelief and throws her hands up. “I can’t believe it, Adam. You told him I have a sleep disorder? You guys think I have some psychological problem?”

  Mike and Adam stand up with her, and Mike places his hand on her shoulder.

  “It’s all right, Rania. This can happen to anyone. You don’t know all this because you are asleep when it happens… Adam has seen you sleepwalking, talking to someone in your sleep, either in the closet or the washroom, and last night...you were drowning in the pool. Anything could have happened if he—”

  “Just stop it.” She shrugs her shoulders, dislodging Mike’s hand. She looks at Adam and frowns. “You guys think I’m a sleepwalker? Is that what you think, Adam?”

  Adam looks everywhere except her. He knows it will be hard to convince her, but now he isn’t seeing any point in having called Mike here. Mike is as helpless as he is.

  “Rania, you need to see the doctor. She’s here. Let her talk to you. Things will get sorted out. Adam has seen you talking to people in the darkness. You might be imagining
things, possibly your mother.” Mike is trying his best to convince Rania, but he is failing.

  She steps toward Adam, ignoring Mike, and looks straight into Adam’s eyes.

  “You think I’m sick, Adam? You think I am schizophrenic? Is that what you think about me?” Adam sighs, but he can’t meet her eyes. She steps back, due to his silence, and looks at both the men. “Of all people, I thought you two were the only ones whom I can trust completely. But…” She shakes her head in disgust and leaves the room, running toward the bedroom.

  Mike and Adam look at each other in silence. Dr. Nicolson steps out of the study to break the ice. Mike puts his hand on Adam’s shoulder.

  “I’m sorry, man. You should have thought about it—if she wouldn’t listen to you, why would she listen to me? You should know that you are closer to her. She’s hurt that you shared her problem with me. She treated me like an outsider.” Mike fakes a smile, trying to hide his pain. “You should have talked to her, before me. I should go now.” He looks at Dr. Nicolson and back to Adam. “Just take care of her. She is very sensitive.” Mike grabs his jacket and disappears.

  Adam looks at Dr. Nicolson, to see what she has to say.

  “This is not good, Mr. Gibson. She has issues with trusting people. She didn’t like the idea that you shared her problem with her best friend. But somehow, you need to convince her to talk to me. I cannot do anything if she doesn’t share. But right now, I don’t think it’s a good time. I should go now. Let me know whenever she’s ready.” Dr. Nicolson grabs her jacket and turns back to Adam.

  “Keep an eye on her, Mr. Gibson. Make sure she is secure, when she is sleeping. Lock the room, if you can. She shouldn’t be leaving the room when she’s asleep. And make her believe that you trust her. That you would believe whatever she has to say about her imaginings.” Dr. Nicolson’s statements are full of warning.

  Ali is watching all this drama in silence. He wouldn’t have imagined a girl like Rania would have so many issues.

  You have no idea what you are getting yourself into. Rania’s words are coming to Adam’s mind. She once said that. But if she has an issue, that doesn’t mean he would leave her alone and let her die from her own mistakes.

  He rushes back to the bedroom, where he sees Rania getting ready to go somewhere. She is packing her belongings in her bag, wearing socks.

  “Are you going somewhere?” he asks her.

  “Do you see any point in me staying here, Mr. Gibson?” She glares at Adam and starts tying up her hair.

  “You can’t leave me like this, Rania.” He holds her hand tightly, as her brushing her hair is annoying him.

  She turns around and looks into his eyes. “You don’t own me, Mr. Gibson.”

  “Bloody hell! I do own you. Get that clear in your mind.” Adam responds frantically.

  She pulls her hand out of his grip and as soon as she is about to leave him, he grabs her arm tightly and throws her on the bed. He pins her arms over her head with his strong hand and looks deeply into her eyes, lying over her.

  “You are not going anywhere without letting me know.”

  “You are such a fucking caveman.” She yells at Adam, trying her best to escape from his strong grip.

  He smiles from the corner of his lips. “And you have a beauty to make this caveman an artist, to carve you on the stones.” He kisses her tenderly on her lips. “I know you love me, so stop pretending you don’t. What you confessed to last night, I’m not stepping back from. You wanted me to take you where I want you to go, so stop pretending now that nothing happened.”

  His gaze softens, but the heat in his body is still there. He kisses below her ear, and she takes a deep breath.

  “Stop it, Adam. I am not—”

  “I know you feel me, Rania. I am going to break this fucking shell one day with my touch.” He keeps kissing her neck, throat and collarbone, until she stops resisting and starts to melt at his touch. He smirks at her reaction and looks into her eyes.

  “I know you like it when I do this to you. But right now, you need to listen to me and you are not supposed to deny it. You need to see the doctor. Tell her about your issues yourself.”

  “I am not a sleepwalker, Adam,” she says in a broken voice.

  “What the hell were you doing in the pool in the middle of the night then?”

  She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. “You are not going to believe me, Adam. It’s useless.” She opens her eyes and stares at the ceiling. “And I don’t expect you to believe me. But I am neither schizophrenic nor a sleepwalker.”

  She looks at him, pleading. “I don’t need a doctor. I know I was there. I went there consciously, with my eyes open.” He releases her hands and lies down at her side, but he never takes his eyes from hers. “I don’t imagine things. I know you have been noticing my unusual habits since you have been in my life, and we haven’t ever talked about it. But even if I do, you would never believe me.”

  If she is open to you, then talk to her and find out what is in her imagination. Listen to what she has to say, make her believe that you trust her. Dr. Nicolson’s words are repeating in his mind. He has to show his trust in Rania and make her believe that he will accept everything she has to say.

  “I will believe you, Rania. What makes you think I don’t?” He tries to bring faith into his eyes. She looks at him, trying to read the truth.

  “Can I trust you, that you won’t tell this to anyone?” So she has something to share. Adam looks at her patiently, and nods. “I mean anyone. Even Mike or the doctor.” Her eyes are glued to his, as if she is reading him.

  “If you say you don’t walk in your sleep, and you knew where you were going, then I believe you. But you need to trust me enough to tell me why you went there. I almost died when I saw you in the water. Do you know how I felt?”

  “I see spirits, Adam.” She looks toward the closet door, still sitting on the bed. “It’s hard to believe, but I do.”

  “You mean dead people?” Adam is giving her all his attention. He desperately wants her to spill the beans.

  “Not dead people. The other spirits.” She looks at him ruefully. “The Jinn.”

  What? Is she crazy? She definitely needs to see a therapist. He is quite shocked, but he doesn’t allow that disbelieving expression onto his face.

  “Carry on, Rania. I’m listening.”

  She stands up and walks around to the other side of the bed, looking out at the city skyline from the large windows. She isn’t even looking at him. He follows her and stands beside her, so that he can listen to her imaginings.

  “What you heard and what you saw was true. I used to talk to them every night, but after you came into my life, our communication was cracking up. Every time I was talking to him, you were there to pull me out of it. I don’t know how you always found me, but...”

  “Who is him? Who are you talking about?” Is she imagining Jibran? He looks at her with sympathy. While he doesn’t believe her, he has no choice but to listen to her, on Nicolson’s advice.

  “His name is Khaldun. He is one of the powerful Jinni, and he likes to possess what he wants. His name means ‘immortal,’ and he is somewhere around four thousand years old.” Adam looks at her in utter shock; his jaw drops at her words. What? She is definitely imagining this! It sounds like one of the books she reads.

  “My soul is cursed, Adam. When I said I cannot give you anything, I didn’t mean because of Jibran.” She takes a deep breath. “Khaldun possesses my soul. I cannot become anyone’s soul mate. I cannot feel anyone’s love.” Tears are coming from her eyes, following a straight path down her cheek.

  “There was a human princess named Kiya, before the pyramids were built. At that time, the land was full of magicians and sorcerers. Everyone was communicating with these fiery creatures and at that time, they had immense powers to transform themselves into anything, and appear in front of humans.” She pauses.

  “Kiya was a princess at that time, and her passion was the danc
e. One night, she was dancing under the moon, when Khaldun’s merciless eyes fell on her. He instantly fell in love with her, but to hide his actual fiery existence from her, he appeared in front of her as a handsome, dignified man. Their spark was instant and Kiya also liked him. Khaldun knew if Kiya learned his true form, she would never accept him. What he failed to understand, all these years, is that humans and Jinn can’t be united. God has made them separate, to live in separate worlds.” Her eyes are clouding with tears.

  “Fadil is Khaldun’s brother, and he became friends with Kiya. He had lots of compassion toward Kiya. Fadil kept warning Khaldun that they can’t be united, and there would be no future for them, but Khaldun was possessed by his powers, and Kiya’s charms were making him think crazily. Love was making him blind. Fadil knew that Kiya was madly in love with Khaldun, but he was unable to convince his brother to leave her. Finally, Khaldun married Kiya and on their nuptial night, Kiya found out that the person she married was not a human like her. She didn’t expect to fall in love with a Jinni.”

  She blinks at him, and then faces toward the window. “Afraid of what she saw, she ran away and killed herself. She freed herself from all the pain.” She sighs. “Khaldun’s lack of understanding not only took Kiya’s life, but it also took love out of his life. He started hating everyone, and became a true descendant of Satan.” She takes a deep breath. “For four thousand years, in every era, when a Kiya is born, Khaldun tries to possess her because he thinks the woman he sees is his wife. He looks at her as his wife, who died due to his fiery nature.”

  “You mean Kiya is reincarnated?” Adam asks her flatly.

  “No, Adam. Reincarnation doesn’t happen. The soul taken out of the body stays with God; it doesn’t come back, ever. Here, I’m talking about having similar looks. Whoever has Kiya’s face and beauty, she is doomed. What he fails to understand is that God has Kiya’s soul, and he searches for her in every woman. He sees his wife in that beauty. After that, any woman who possesses beauty like Kiya, it is just the mere physical appearance and not the soul he desires.”