HAYATI

Rain

Him

It's already dark and it's raining heavily. The lighting in sky and the lanterns hanging in people's houses permit him enough light to see the road.

He's just a few minutes away from reaching the palace but the rain isn't allowing him. He's already half drenched in rain.

Khalid decides on waiting under a big animal shed. There's a small room attached to the shed. He walks in and allows Aslan to rest as well. He senses someone peeping at him. He turns around and it's a girl. She quickly gets shy on being caught staring.

"Excuse me ? Do you mind if I wait here for a while ?" He asks.

Another man walks in.

"Marhaba. I'm Jamal. I'm the owner of this shed."

"Marhaba." He doesn't reveal his identity. "Do you mind if I wait here for a while ?" Khalid repeats his question again.

"Absolutely. Although I don't think it will stop raining anytime soon."

"Shukran."

"Shall I get you some tea and a blanket ?" Jamal offers.

"No that wouldn't be necessary." He politely declines.

"No no it's pretty cold and you are already drenched."

"Taiba...Taiba." He calls out to the girl. "Go make some tea and pass me a blanket and get me one of my thobes." She nods and gives him the blanket and goes in the small room they have to make tea.

"Your daughter ?" Khalid asks.

"Yes." He nods. She comes out and gives him the thobe. And then rushes inside again.

"You look worried." Khalid says taking the thobe and the blanket from him.

"I..uh...it's nothing."

"It's certainly something."

Khalid quickly changes his thobe.

"It's not easy to raise and protect a girl in today's world." He lights a small fire. "I try my best to provide her with the best but..."

"But ?" Khalid looks at him with empathy.

Jamal hesitates.

"I had borrowed a loan from someone and I haven't been able to clear it yet. I own two cows and I sell milk but that provides me with very little money for daily necessities."

Taiba comes out with the tea. She hand it to her father and she leaves.

"Here. It help you warm up." He passes the cup to Khalid. "The person whom I'm indebted to works under Khurram Hijazi. He was the earlier wazir. And he has connections with the palace."

"And ?" Khalid asks taking a sip of the tea.

"He keeps threatening to kidnap my daughter if I don't pay it. I did ask him for some time but he doesn't agree. And he is always accompanied by two gaurds." He says wiping his eyes with the hem of his sleeves.

"Do you mind telling me his name ?" Khalid pats his shoulder to help him calm down.

"Burhan."

"I'll take care of it." Khalid says without thinking.

"You'll take care of it ?" Khalid looks at him being unable to form a response.

"Do you work in the palace ?" Jamal asks another question.

"No. I am uhh....do these kind of things happen often ?"

"What ?"

"I mean soldiers and gaurds being rude and bullying people in the name of the palace ?" He asks, his face portraying anger that he is somehow controlling.