Ishizu comes home before long and is not surprised to find my birth mother here, but she isn't any more pleased than Marik and I are about it.
"It surprises me that you would come looking for our Rishid after all this time," she says, setting her lips in a straight line and trying to be civil.
"As well it should," Halima replies. "I most likely have no right to be coming here. But it is only a natural desire of a mother."
Marik raises an eyebrow, obviously about to make another remark. Before he can, the telephone abruptly rings and he snatches it up. "Who is this?" he demands. After a slight pause, his eyes narrow considerably and he clutches the phone tighter. "Would you care to repeat that?"
"Who is it, brother?" I try to ask him, sensing trouble.
Marik shakes his head, motioning for silence as he listens. After a moment he speaks in a dangerous tone that I have not heard in a long time. "This line is being tapped," he bluffs, "and the police know what you have just said, so I suggest you take your business elsewhere. We do not appreciate being threatened in such a graphic way." With that he hangs up, his lavender eyes aflame with fire.
"Someone threatened us?" Ishizu prompts, looking as concerned as I feel.
"They asked for someone and I couldn't catch who they wanted," Marik says as he sets the phone back in its cradle. "Then when I asked them to repeat it they said that they knew the Ishtars lived here and that they were going to make certain we all died." He crosses his arms, obviously having toned down the threat.
Halima has a strange reaction to this. "I was afraid of this," she says sadly. "I didn't merely come to see my son again. I came to warn him . . . and you as well." She looks at Marik and Ishizu.
"Warn us of what?" I growl defensively.
"Odion . . . your father has been looking for you." Halima gives me a grave look.
"What does he want with me?!" This news is not making me much happier than I was before.
"Nothing good, I can assure you." Halima reaches for my hand sadly. "Odion . . . I don't want you to die!"
Again I pull away, unimpressed. "So now you care whether I live or die!"
Marik crosses his arms. "It sounds like we're in for it, so why don't you explain everything from the top?"
Ishizu nods in agreement.
"Just answer me this first," I say coldly. "Is my family in danger as well as me?"
"You all are," Halima says tiredly. "I must explain quickly, before he finds his way here." And so she begins her tale.
"I met your father in Cairo many years ago. He was a different man then . . . bright and cheerful and anxious to make all these fantastic discoveries about ancient Egypt. He worked as an archaeologist far into our engagement and ensuing marriage. But one day, he found something that was not quite what he had expected.
"He came to the house that day with a strange gleam in his eye. When I asked what had happened on the dig, he said that he'd found an old man who told him of many treasures that could be unlocked by one who had golden eyes, as my husband did. It was an age-old prophecy, and many had tried to open the door so far, but none had managed it.
"I was quite horrified because it seemed that he was growing more greedy even as he spoke, but my husband nevertheless insisted that he would pursue this. From that time forth, he was never the same. He would often hit me in fits of anger, and my younger sister—who lived with us—as well. When I found that I was . . . with child, I was afraid of what my husband would do when he found out. I tried to run away, but . . . he caught up with me again, shortly after you were born." Halima pauses in her account to look at me.
"Surely you did not think your husband would harm your tiny child," Ishizu speaks up, narrowing her eyes. Marik looks equally horrified.
"No," Halima says after a pause. "Even with his sudden changes, I didn't think he would be that cruel. But . . . he hadn't wanted children. And he was always beating me. I was afraid something would happen to my Odion during one of those sessions, and so I left."
I cross my arms. "And?" I prompt.
"When you were born, you had the most beautiful, clear, golden eyes. I knew if my husband saw you, he would try to use you for the horrible purpose of furthering his ever-increasing greed." Halima looks at me seriously. "And sure enough, when he found us, that was exactly what he wanted. He tried to take you away from me. Then my sister, who had run away with me, got in the way and tried to fight with him. Of course, she was not any match for his strength. . . ."
Ishizu and Marik exchange looks. I am not certain what they are thinking.
"I was so torn, my Odion," Halima says sadly. "I knew I had to get you away, but I didn't see how I could leave my sister."
"It must have been horrible," Ishizu speaks up sincerely. "I cannot imagine having to make such a decision." She takes Marik's hand and my own.
I am still not certain what to think. How do I know Halima tells the truth? She may only be trying to make herself look like a heroic mother in my eyes. It would not surprise me.
"My sister told me to flee," Halima says now. "And . . . I knew I had to. I grabbed you from the corner where you were crying in terror and ran out the door just as fast as I could, so afraid that any moment your father would kill my sister and come after us as well."
Marik looks over at me now, a silent message in his eyes. Your dream, the lavender orbs seem to say. Isn't that like your dream?
The thought has crossed my mind. Could I have been dreaming about that treacherous night, if it truly happened as Halima is telling?
"I knew I would never make it in time," Halima whispers. "But then, as I was praying for help, that mysterious man—the same one I spoke with recently—appeared in my path and whisked us away with him. He told me that it was destiny for me to give you up." Tears begin to show in her eyes. "He said that I knew it as well . . . and I did. I knew I couldn't keep you, Odion, not with that madman loose. And so I . . . I left you there . . . by the well, at the direction of the man who was with me." She looks down. "I knew you would likely never know the truth of what happened that night and that you would probably grow up resenting me . . . but I was willing to go through that pain to give you a better life. All I had time to do before hurrying away was to leave a piece of paper with your name on it."
This is all so much to digest . . . so very much. . . . I had never seen my birth mother that I remembered, and now suddenly she has come into my life and insists that her actions were only for my own good. Do I believe her?
"I did do the right thing, didn't I?" Halima says softly, her voice hesitant.
I hold Ishizu and Marik close to me. Even though there is still much turmoil in my heart and I do not know whether she speaks truthfully, I do know that I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. In spite of the pain I did go through, it was worth it. Oh, it was so worth it!
"Yes," I reply at last. "You did."
Halima looks relieved and she actually smiles now. "I know you can't ever think of me as your mother, Odion—oh, I know I should say Rishid, but I'm just not in the habit of it!—but I simply wanted you to finally understand the truth." She touches my shoulder. "Especially now. I fear so for you and your siblings!"
"So this husband of yours wants Rishid because he's the only one who can open the door to these riches?" Marik says.
"That is right," Halima nods, a stricken expression crossing her features. "And he knows that by now he could never get your brother to blindly do what he wants . . . so I do not doubt he might try more brutal means." She gazes into my eyes. "Rishid, my son, please listen to me! He will use your siblings against you to make you do what he wants. I have no doubt of this."
I gaze back, feeling the urgency of her words. She has told the truth. I can feel it in my heart. She has told the truth and we are in very real danger. "I thank you for your warning," I say quietly. "If it helps to keep my precious brother and sister safe, I can never repay you enough."
Halima nods, standing up now. "I should leave," she says reluctantly, turning to give a nervous glance to the nearby window.
We stand as well, but I am at a loss for words for several endless minutes. How do I speak to a woman whom I have always thought carelessly abandoned me but who may have honestly done the only thing she could to save my life? It's so very much to take in . . .
Halima looks up at me, her eyes bittersweet. "Take care . . . Rishid," she whispers, managing a slight smile. She gazes at me, her eyes showing that she longs to take me in her arms but doesn't dare.
Still not certain what to say, I finally answer, "I pray that you will stay safe as well," as I walk to the door with her. I do not feel comfortable letting her embrace me.
Something else occurs to me. "Where will you stay?" I ask.
"I have friends nearby," Halima answers tiredly as she goes down the walk. "I am glad I have finally seen my Odion again."
****
Ishizu and Marik come up behind me as I watch my birth mother leave, laying their hands on my shoulders.
"Rishid?" Marik asks softly.
"Are you alright?" Ishizu wants to know.
I sigh. "I am fine," I reply, though I am still in much turmoil.
"Are you sure?" Marik wonders, tilting his head to the side. "I know that this must have been so very hard for you, my brother."
I reach for his hand and for Ishizu's. "It is hard for me to know what to think at this point," I admit. "I am so confused. . . . I feel somehow that she spoke the truth to me, but then again . . ." I trail off.
"Whatever the case, we will always be here for you, Rishid," Ishizu smiles softly.
"That's right," Marik agrees firmly.
I smile now, pulling them both close to me. My precious family. . . . I love them so much more than any words could possibly express. And I am so very grateful that I have them. What I told Marik before is true—if I had been with any other family, I always would have felt as though something was missing. Whether Halima's tale is true or not, I truly believe with all my heart that this is the family I was destined to have.
A feeling of darkness grips at me as other realizations come to light again. If what Halima said *is* true, then a new danger will very likely descend upon us shortly—and it most likely will, especially in light of the phone call we received. But I will not allow harm to come to Marik and Ishizu. No matter what happens, I refuse to let them be injured in any way. That will not happen.
"Let's go inside," I say now. Perhaps after a good rest I will be able to piece everything together about Halima in a clearer way.
Marik and Ishizu agree and so we do go inside, preparing to face whatever comes.
"It surprises me that you would come looking for our Rishid after all this time," she says, setting her lips in a straight line and trying to be civil.
"As well it should," Halima replies. "I most likely have no right to be coming here. But it is only a natural desire of a mother."
Marik raises an eyebrow, obviously about to make another remark. Before he can, the telephone abruptly rings and he snatches it up. "Who is this?" he demands. After a slight pause, his eyes narrow considerably and he clutches the phone tighter. "Would you care to repeat that?"
"Who is it, brother?" I try to ask him, sensing trouble.
Marik shakes his head, motioning for silence as he listens. After a moment he speaks in a dangerous tone that I have not heard in a long time. "This line is being tapped," he bluffs, "and the police know what you have just said, so I suggest you take your business elsewhere. We do not appreciate being threatened in such a graphic way." With that he hangs up, his lavender eyes aflame with fire.
"Someone threatened us?" Ishizu prompts, looking as concerned as I feel.
"They asked for someone and I couldn't catch who they wanted," Marik says as he sets the phone back in its cradle. "Then when I asked them to repeat it they said that they knew the Ishtars lived here and that they were going to make certain we all died." He crosses his arms, obviously having toned down the threat.
Halima has a strange reaction to this. "I was afraid of this," she says sadly. "I didn't merely come to see my son again. I came to warn him . . . and you as well." She looks at Marik and Ishizu.
"Warn us of what?" I growl defensively.
"Odion . . . your father has been looking for you." Halima gives me a grave look.
"What does he want with me?!" This news is not making me much happier than I was before.
"Nothing good, I can assure you." Halima reaches for my hand sadly. "Odion . . . I don't want you to die!"
Again I pull away, unimpressed. "So now you care whether I live or die!"
Marik crosses his arms. "It sounds like we're in for it, so why don't you explain everything from the top?"
Ishizu nods in agreement.
"Just answer me this first," I say coldly. "Is my family in danger as well as me?"
"You all are," Halima says tiredly. "I must explain quickly, before he finds his way here." And so she begins her tale.
"I met your father in Cairo many years ago. He was a different man then . . . bright and cheerful and anxious to make all these fantastic discoveries about ancient Egypt. He worked as an archaeologist far into our engagement and ensuing marriage. But one day, he found something that was not quite what he had expected.
"He came to the house that day with a strange gleam in his eye. When I asked what had happened on the dig, he said that he'd found an old man who told him of many treasures that could be unlocked by one who had golden eyes, as my husband did. It was an age-old prophecy, and many had tried to open the door so far, but none had managed it.
"I was quite horrified because it seemed that he was growing more greedy even as he spoke, but my husband nevertheless insisted that he would pursue this. From that time forth, he was never the same. He would often hit me in fits of anger, and my younger sister—who lived with us—as well. When I found that I was . . . with child, I was afraid of what my husband would do when he found out. I tried to run away, but . . . he caught up with me again, shortly after you were born." Halima pauses in her account to look at me.
"Surely you did not think your husband would harm your tiny child," Ishizu speaks up, narrowing her eyes. Marik looks equally horrified.
"No," Halima says after a pause. "Even with his sudden changes, I didn't think he would be that cruel. But . . . he hadn't wanted children. And he was always beating me. I was afraid something would happen to my Odion during one of those sessions, and so I left."
I cross my arms. "And?" I prompt.
"When you were born, you had the most beautiful, clear, golden eyes. I knew if my husband saw you, he would try to use you for the horrible purpose of furthering his ever-increasing greed." Halima looks at me seriously. "And sure enough, when he found us, that was exactly what he wanted. He tried to take you away from me. Then my sister, who had run away with me, got in the way and tried to fight with him. Of course, she was not any match for his strength. . . ."
Ishizu and Marik exchange looks. I am not certain what they are thinking.
"I was so torn, my Odion," Halima says sadly. "I knew I had to get you away, but I didn't see how I could leave my sister."
"It must have been horrible," Ishizu speaks up sincerely. "I cannot imagine having to make such a decision." She takes Marik's hand and my own.
I am still not certain what to think. How do I know Halima tells the truth? She may only be trying to make herself look like a heroic mother in my eyes. It would not surprise me.
"My sister told me to flee," Halima says now. "And . . . I knew I had to. I grabbed you from the corner where you were crying in terror and ran out the door just as fast as I could, so afraid that any moment your father would kill my sister and come after us as well."
Marik looks over at me now, a silent message in his eyes. Your dream, the lavender orbs seem to say. Isn't that like your dream?
The thought has crossed my mind. Could I have been dreaming about that treacherous night, if it truly happened as Halima is telling?
"I knew I would never make it in time," Halima whispers. "But then, as I was praying for help, that mysterious man—the same one I spoke with recently—appeared in my path and whisked us away with him. He told me that it was destiny for me to give you up." Tears begin to show in her eyes. "He said that I knew it as well . . . and I did. I knew I couldn't keep you, Odion, not with that madman loose. And so I . . . I left you there . . . by the well, at the direction of the man who was with me." She looks down. "I knew you would likely never know the truth of what happened that night and that you would probably grow up resenting me . . . but I was willing to go through that pain to give you a better life. All I had time to do before hurrying away was to leave a piece of paper with your name on it."
This is all so much to digest . . . so very much. . . . I had never seen my birth mother that I remembered, and now suddenly she has come into my life and insists that her actions were only for my own good. Do I believe her?
"I did do the right thing, didn't I?" Halima says softly, her voice hesitant.
I hold Ishizu and Marik close to me. Even though there is still much turmoil in my heart and I do not know whether she speaks truthfully, I do know that I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. In spite of the pain I did go through, it was worth it. Oh, it was so worth it!
"Yes," I reply at last. "You did."
Halima looks relieved and she actually smiles now. "I know you can't ever think of me as your mother, Odion—oh, I know I should say Rishid, but I'm just not in the habit of it!—but I simply wanted you to finally understand the truth." She touches my shoulder. "Especially now. I fear so for you and your siblings!"
"So this husband of yours wants Rishid because he's the only one who can open the door to these riches?" Marik says.
"That is right," Halima nods, a stricken expression crossing her features. "And he knows that by now he could never get your brother to blindly do what he wants . . . so I do not doubt he might try more brutal means." She gazes into my eyes. "Rishid, my son, please listen to me! He will use your siblings against you to make you do what he wants. I have no doubt of this."
I gaze back, feeling the urgency of her words. She has told the truth. I can feel it in my heart. She has told the truth and we are in very real danger. "I thank you for your warning," I say quietly. "If it helps to keep my precious brother and sister safe, I can never repay you enough."
Halima nods, standing up now. "I should leave," she says reluctantly, turning to give a nervous glance to the nearby window.
We stand as well, but I am at a loss for words for several endless minutes. How do I speak to a woman whom I have always thought carelessly abandoned me but who may have honestly done the only thing she could to save my life? It's so very much to take in . . .
Halima looks up at me, her eyes bittersweet. "Take care . . . Rishid," she whispers, managing a slight smile. She gazes at me, her eyes showing that she longs to take me in her arms but doesn't dare.
Still not certain what to say, I finally answer, "I pray that you will stay safe as well," as I walk to the door with her. I do not feel comfortable letting her embrace me.
Something else occurs to me. "Where will you stay?" I ask.
"I have friends nearby," Halima answers tiredly as she goes down the walk. "I am glad I have finally seen my Odion again."
****
Ishizu and Marik come up behind me as I watch my birth mother leave, laying their hands on my shoulders.
"Rishid?" Marik asks softly.
"Are you alright?" Ishizu wants to know.
I sigh. "I am fine," I reply, though I am still in much turmoil.
"Are you sure?" Marik wonders, tilting his head to the side. "I know that this must have been so very hard for you, my brother."
I reach for his hand and for Ishizu's. "It is hard for me to know what to think at this point," I admit. "I am so confused. . . . I feel somehow that she spoke the truth to me, but then again . . ." I trail off.
"Whatever the case, we will always be here for you, Rishid," Ishizu smiles softly.
"That's right," Marik agrees firmly.
I smile now, pulling them both close to me. My precious family. . . . I love them so much more than any words could possibly express. And I am so very grateful that I have them. What I told Marik before is true—if I had been with any other family, I always would have felt as though something was missing. Whether Halima's tale is true or not, I truly believe with all my heart that this is the family I was destined to have.
A feeling of darkness grips at me as other realizations come to light again. If what Halima said *is* true, then a new danger will very likely descend upon us shortly—and it most likely will, especially in light of the phone call we received. But I will not allow harm to come to Marik and Ishizu. No matter what happens, I refuse to let them be injured in any way. That will not happen.
"Let's go inside," I say now. Perhaps after a good rest I will be able to piece everything together about Halima in a clearer way.
Marik and Ishizu agree and so we do go inside, preparing to face whatever comes.