After
placing her bookmark on the middle of the spread, Nur closes her book
and lets her excited thoughts wander around hunches about the next
action of the character she was reading about. She then glances at her
wristwatch; when she realises the time, the smile on her face gradually
transitions into a frown.
So far, it has been forty minutes since Nur had started waiting at the station for her friend—no, acquaintance. 'Friend' seemed too intimate a word. If Nur is not mistaken, the person's name is Maria. Their bus service is the only one left; every other has its last one taken off. Nevertheless, Nur remains calm.
With searching eyes, Nur looks out into the all-too familiar bare expanse. Usually, she would be the only one present aside from the Chan family who owns one of the two tiny stalls lining the far end of the station, so she was surprised when her eyes were greeted with the sight of extra company in the form of the landlord, Mr. Han – more commonly known around there as Boss. The land of the station and its the neighbouring markets belong to him, though quite unfortunately. One look at him can give you a hint of his haughtiness. The things he has done do not give him much justice, either. He is very much well-known for the mockery he showers his employees with.
Nur has one of her eyebrows raised in curiousity. Boss has probably been sitting there for quite some time. With twiddling thumbs and knitted eyebrows, an aura of frustration and displeasure emits from the built man. Right now, he is probably sharing something in common with her: the art of waiting. But as it appears, he does not share the rare skill in the practice of patience.
A figure from the path that joins the market with the station moves into the light and tears Nur’s attention away from Boss. She sighs in relief when the figure collaborated with recognition. Nur’s wait for Maria has come to an end. The girl is in her usual attire, holding her Polaroid camera with delicate care. Maria awkwardly smiles at Nur in unnecessary apology.
Quickly and unexpectedly, the apologetic smile was slapped off of Maria’s face with a hard blow on her head.
Maria collapses onto the floor, clutching on to her right cheek where Boss unsuspectingly struck her from behind. The Polaroid camera landed a few feet from her. Her breaths are heaved and are caught up in gasps. Tears begin to dot her eyes due to the stinging pain. Boss stands behind her with a face contorted with cruel satisfaction.
A loud gasp escaped Nur’s mouth. She certainly did not see Boss’s figure coming up behind Maria. An itch to help overcomes her, but she hesitates due to the fear that grips her coldly; she feels frozen to the spot. The sight of the Chan family’s stall falls in sight; but to her dismay, the family is nowhere to be seen. There are only three of them present at the station. Nur cannot stay silent.
Maria turns around to face her assailant. Her eyes widen in horror at the sight of the landlord. Boss smirks and stomps towards the Polaroid camera. Without hesitation, he lifts his leg high and proceeds to crush the camera under his boot. It is as if the word ‘mercy’ does not exist in his twisted dictionary. Maria draws in her breath sharply; her crushed feelings displayed in the distress that distorts her face.
“Next time,” Boss speaks coldly in a loud voice. “Read the damn rules before you snap a photo in Han’s market!”
Suddenly, the insides of Nur begin to boil. From that much she could conclude that a photograph was taken in Boss’s market using Maria’s Polaroid, and he was mad about it. It seems like it’s far from the first time, too. Why is he making such a big deal out of something so ridiculously petty?!
Nur begins to take deep breaths and drenches her tongue with dzikr. She knows she will have to do something. When Boss spat at Maria’s direction, Nur snaps. The heat from her fury melts away the cold fear that had clasped her. That something cannot wait any longer.
"Oi, Han!” Nur calls out, striding towards the pair. Her book protrudes slightly from the opening of her drawstring bag that was swung on her back in a rush. “Who do you think you are? Apologise to her!”
Boss looks taken aback. He probably has never been told to express remorse for whatever he was doing, no matter how detestable. What more from a short woman who puts on a headscarf.
After recovering from his bewilderment, his drew his mouth back in a cold snarl. "What did you say..?" he fumes. In front of Boss, Nur resembles a timid kitten.
But, well, kittens are known for their unexpected bites. Nur stands her ground, reminding herself to keep calm and unafraid. If God wills, she knows what she’s doing.
She wedges herself between Boss and the nonplussed Maria. “I told you to apologise to her,” Nur instructs, her voice surprisingly firm. “No good male leader dares to lift his hand against a woman; and cowards do it from the back. ”
“Save the lecture, lady.” Boss sneers as he inches closer towards Nur. “Do you know who I am?”
“Do you know who I am?” Nur counters.
The sneer does not leave Boss’s face, but a hint of uncertainty has crept into it. He keeps silent, so Nur continues at a slow place.
“I am Nur bint Mustafa Khan.”
At the mention of ‘Khan’, Boss expresses alarm.
Nur nods at Boss’s silent response and repeats her instruction of apology. Boss hesitates; he glances at Maria, who is standing up timidly behind Nur. Sensing Boss’s stubborn indecision, Nur presses further. “I said, apologise, Han. Or would you prefer a retrenchment on your part?”
Boss scowls at Nur. Disdain fills him as he realises how easily threatened he can actually be. Initially, he doubted Nur’s relation to the Commissioner; but the more he studies Nur, more resemblance surfaces on her face. Arrogance still exists; but the worry of losing his desk overcomes it.
“Fine,” he mutters, exasperated at his own quick defeat. “sorry.”
“Louder.” Nur orders. “And about what, exactly?”
Boss seethes. "How dare this lady order him around?!" he thought. Out loud, he repeats his apology louder. He sarcastically adds a promise to replace the camera, to which Nur replies there is no need.
When Boss had his back turned with the broken bits of Polaroid in his palm, Nur calls out to him.
“I lied, by the way.” She says simply, her voice echoing around the area. “I’m not Commissioner Khan’s daughter.”
Boss turns towards her, rage filling his eyes as he realises he has been tricked.
“But I didn’t really need Khan to boss you around, did I?” Nur interjects Boss’s thoughts, jabbing at his nickname. “I am Nur, and that’s all you will have to remember. Learn to respect others without a name threatening you from above.”
With one last fleeting look mixed with humiliation and fury, Boss storms off.
Nur glares at the back of his large body until he has fully disappeared into the darkness. She then takes a glance at Maria standing behind her. Maria is facing the floor while clutching her left arm, feeling embarrassed of the whole situation. Her slightly puffing right cheek shows a faint hint of crimson, indicating where she was hit a few bizarre moments ago. Nur takes Maria’s hand in hers.
“Hey, um, Maria,” she starts awkwardly.
Maria looks up with a perplexed expression, but she does not release Nur’s hand. “Mariam.” she corrects Nur.
“I’m sorry, what?” Nur raises her eyebrows.
“My name is Mariam, not Maria.” Maria– Mariam repeats, a little louder.
Realisation dawns on Nur like a smack on the face. She lets out a long silent ohh, feeling sheepish. “Right, sorry! Um, Mariam,” she lets out an awkward laugh. “I hope you’re alright. Here, I’ve got a wet tissue.” Nur lets go of Mariam to reach into her bag, but Mariam grasped it baack.
“That’s okay!” Mariam said as she stops her. “Um, thank you.. Thank you, very very much, sister.”
At the word ‘sister’, both Nur’s heart and expression softened. She smiles and gently squeezes the warm hand in hers.
“My name is Nur,” Nur says. “and laa syukra ‘alal waajib, dear; we are supposed to help each other.”
The both of them held gazes for a while before instinctively falling into an embrace. Nur smiles to herself.
She'll leave the explaining of the truth behind her Khan linage later; it seems a friendship has been born.
So far, it has been forty minutes since Nur had started waiting at the station for her friend—no, acquaintance. 'Friend' seemed too intimate a word. If Nur is not mistaken, the person's name is Maria. Their bus service is the only one left; every other has its last one taken off. Nevertheless, Nur remains calm.
With searching eyes, Nur looks out into the all-too familiar bare expanse. Usually, she would be the only one present aside from the Chan family who owns one of the two tiny stalls lining the far end of the station, so she was surprised when her eyes were greeted with the sight of extra company in the form of the landlord, Mr. Han – more commonly known around there as Boss. The land of the station and its the neighbouring markets belong to him, though quite unfortunately. One look at him can give you a hint of his haughtiness. The things he has done do not give him much justice, either. He is very much well-known for the mockery he showers his employees with.
Nur has one of her eyebrows raised in curiousity. Boss has probably been sitting there for quite some time. With twiddling thumbs and knitted eyebrows, an aura of frustration and displeasure emits from the built man. Right now, he is probably sharing something in common with her: the art of waiting. But as it appears, he does not share the rare skill in the practice of patience.
A figure from the path that joins the market with the station moves into the light and tears Nur’s attention away from Boss. She sighs in relief when the figure collaborated with recognition. Nur’s wait for Maria has come to an end. The girl is in her usual attire, holding her Polaroid camera with delicate care. Maria awkwardly smiles at Nur in unnecessary apology.
Quickly and unexpectedly, the apologetic smile was slapped off of Maria’s face with a hard blow on her head.
Maria collapses onto the floor, clutching on to her right cheek where Boss unsuspectingly struck her from behind. The Polaroid camera landed a few feet from her. Her breaths are heaved and are caught up in gasps. Tears begin to dot her eyes due to the stinging pain. Boss stands behind her with a face contorted with cruel satisfaction.
A loud gasp escaped Nur’s mouth. She certainly did not see Boss’s figure coming up behind Maria. An itch to help overcomes her, but she hesitates due to the fear that grips her coldly; she feels frozen to the spot. The sight of the Chan family’s stall falls in sight; but to her dismay, the family is nowhere to be seen. There are only three of them present at the station. Nur cannot stay silent.
Maria turns around to face her assailant. Her eyes widen in horror at the sight of the landlord. Boss smirks and stomps towards the Polaroid camera. Without hesitation, he lifts his leg high and proceeds to crush the camera under his boot. It is as if the word ‘mercy’ does not exist in his twisted dictionary. Maria draws in her breath sharply; her crushed feelings displayed in the distress that distorts her face.
“Next time,” Boss speaks coldly in a loud voice. “Read the damn rules before you snap a photo in Han’s market!”
Suddenly, the insides of Nur begin to boil. From that much she could conclude that a photograph was taken in Boss’s market using Maria’s Polaroid, and he was mad about it. It seems like it’s far from the first time, too. Why is he making such a big deal out of something so ridiculously petty?!
Nur begins to take deep breaths and drenches her tongue with dzikr. She knows she will have to do something. When Boss spat at Maria’s direction, Nur snaps. The heat from her fury melts away the cold fear that had clasped her. That something cannot wait any longer.
"Oi, Han!” Nur calls out, striding towards the pair. Her book protrudes slightly from the opening of her drawstring bag that was swung on her back in a rush. “Who do you think you are? Apologise to her!”
Boss looks taken aback. He probably has never been told to express remorse for whatever he was doing, no matter how detestable. What more from a short woman who puts on a headscarf.
After recovering from his bewilderment, his drew his mouth back in a cold snarl. "What did you say..?" he fumes. In front of Boss, Nur resembles a timid kitten.
But, well, kittens are known for their unexpected bites. Nur stands her ground, reminding herself to keep calm and unafraid. If God wills, she knows what she’s doing.
She wedges herself between Boss and the nonplussed Maria. “I told you to apologise to her,” Nur instructs, her voice surprisingly firm. “No good male leader dares to lift his hand against a woman; and cowards do it from the back. ”
“Save the lecture, lady.” Boss sneers as he inches closer towards Nur. “Do you know who I am?”
“Do you know who I am?” Nur counters.
The sneer does not leave Boss’s face, but a hint of uncertainty has crept into it. He keeps silent, so Nur continues at a slow place.
“I am Nur bint Mustafa Khan.”
At the mention of ‘Khan’, Boss expresses alarm.
Nur nods at Boss’s silent response and repeats her instruction of apology. Boss hesitates; he glances at Maria, who is standing up timidly behind Nur. Sensing Boss’s stubborn indecision, Nur presses further. “I said, apologise, Han. Or would you prefer a retrenchment on your part?”
Boss scowls at Nur. Disdain fills him as he realises how easily threatened he can actually be. Initially, he doubted Nur’s relation to the Commissioner; but the more he studies Nur, more resemblance surfaces on her face. Arrogance still exists; but the worry of losing his desk overcomes it.
“Fine,” he mutters, exasperated at his own quick defeat. “sorry.”
“Louder.” Nur orders. “And about what, exactly?”
Boss seethes. "How dare this lady order him around?!" he thought. Out loud, he repeats his apology louder. He sarcastically adds a promise to replace the camera, to which Nur replies there is no need.
When Boss had his back turned with the broken bits of Polaroid in his palm, Nur calls out to him.
“I lied, by the way.” She says simply, her voice echoing around the area. “I’m not Commissioner Khan’s daughter.”
Boss turns towards her, rage filling his eyes as he realises he has been tricked.
“But I didn’t really need Khan to boss you around, did I?” Nur interjects Boss’s thoughts, jabbing at his nickname. “I am Nur, and that’s all you will have to remember. Learn to respect others without a name threatening you from above.”
With one last fleeting look mixed with humiliation and fury, Boss storms off.
Nur glares at the back of his large body until he has fully disappeared into the darkness. She then takes a glance at Maria standing behind her. Maria is facing the floor while clutching her left arm, feeling embarrassed of the whole situation. Her slightly puffing right cheek shows a faint hint of crimson, indicating where she was hit a few bizarre moments ago. Nur takes Maria’s hand in hers.
“Hey, um, Maria,” she starts awkwardly.
Maria looks up with a perplexed expression, but she does not release Nur’s hand. “Mariam.” she corrects Nur.
“I’m sorry, what?” Nur raises her eyebrows.
“My name is Mariam, not Maria.” Maria– Mariam repeats, a little louder.
Realisation dawns on Nur like a smack on the face. She lets out a long silent ohh, feeling sheepish. “Right, sorry! Um, Mariam,” she lets out an awkward laugh. “I hope you’re alright. Here, I’ve got a wet tissue.” Nur lets go of Mariam to reach into her bag, but Mariam grasped it baack.
“That’s okay!” Mariam said as she stops her. “Um, thank you.. Thank you, very very much, sister.”
At the word ‘sister’, both Nur’s heart and expression softened. She smiles and gently squeezes the warm hand in hers.
“My name is Nur,” Nur says. “and laa syukra ‘alal waajib, dear; we are supposed to help each other.”
The both of them held gazes for a while before instinctively falling into an embrace. Nur smiles to herself.
She'll leave the explaining of the truth behind her Khan linage later; it seems a friendship has been born.
•*•*•
A random story I picked out from my old folder to publish here.
I want to be as brave with a voice that's heard, like Nur. :D
Anyone
wants to criticize the story so that I can improve? I'm aware the
setting probably doesn't exist anywhere in the world. Haha
But, well, I hope you enjoyed it? ^_^"
Wassalamu'alaikum warahmatullah.
