Chapter 91

Morning came and caught him lying in bed. He fell asleep crying. He slowly opened his eyes, trying to protect his eyes from hitting his eyes. Regardless, something else slapped him. The memory of the morning before. Samanta was gone forever.

Tears started pouring again.

“Samanta” he whispered in sobs and stayed like that for most of the day. With his eyes lost, crying in silence.

“How long has he been like this?” Charlotte asked, who had come a few minutes ago. She was sitting on the couch, watching Dominik.

Carlos came up to him with a tray of food.

“Since last night. He hasn't eaten. He didn't get out of bed all day” said Carlos, leaving the silver tray on the bed side table.        

“Dominik? Can you hear me?” questioned Carlos, putting his hand on Dom's shoulder.

Dominik was completely idle. Breathing from inertia. His eyes, bloodshot, lacking their characteristic glow.

»You gotta eat, bro” Carlos' voice broke the silence.

Dominik turned around on the bed, away from him, refusing to eat.

“Dominik, even if you don't want to, you have to eat” Charlotte tried encouraging him.

The day went by and no human force could get Dominik from his abstraction, he would get up to go to the bathroom from time to time, but nothing more.

Carlos and Charlotte remained watching.

When the afternoon came, Charlie left to pick up Aháva from school. The girl reacted in a different way to the news of her parents' decease, according to her beliefs, death was only the beginning of the soul's eternal life, although she cried enough not to disturb her parents' rest, she knew they were with her, taking care of her. Her Hidaad could only last three days, and she had already used up one.

After some minutes of contemplation, Charlie decided to bring the girl to see Dominik, after all, from that moment on, she had to cultivate her bond to him. Amir's father found out she was not his granddaughter and decided to retreat from the world. The pain from the death of his son blinded him completely. Samanta's parent were already too old to look after the child and Teresa had no more power over the child than Dominik. By law, morale and everything. It was Dominik who had to take charge of Aháva.

“Mr. Dominik?”

That sweet voice made Dominik come out from the state of shock he was in. When he looked up, a little girl with big green eyes, a pretty floral dress and a blue bow in her hair was looking back at him. The girl standing by his bed extended her hand and stoked his hair. Dominik smiled.  

“Little one. What are you doing here?” Dominik sat up quickly.

“I figured maybe you should see her” said Charlotte from the door.

Aháva walked up closer to the bed and jumped on it, sitting, crossing her legs, by her father.

“Thanks, Charlie” Dom gave her a slight smile and turned back to his daughter. “Can I hug you, baby?”

The child nodded.

Dominik got closer to Aháva, and, with shaky hands, he pulled her tiny frame against him. They hugged lovingly.

The moment Dominik felt her tiny hands on his back, he couldn't take it anymore. He started crying once again.

He had his heart on his sleeve, so many memories were running through his mind. It was mental torture. So many years away from that woman, not knowing the fruit of their love ran around, playing a dreaming. Dominik  held his daughter as hard as he could, Aháva was scared, no one had ever hugged her as tightly as him. Dominik noticed his lack thereof tact, and loosened his clutch, laying his chin on her hair.

If that day had been hard for Dominik, the coming days would be even worse.

The bodies of Amir and Samanta arrived the morning after, two sealed coffins. The report the forensic gave Amir's father revealed they were both unrecognizable. Their affairs and id's were the only way they could be identified.

Amir had an Islamic ceremony. Although he was never a firm believer, his father did, hence the ritual. Maher traveled from Chile with her husband, to pay her respects to the body of her late brother, hoping to meet him again in another life. She could not attend her brother's Al-dafin because Islam forbids the presence of women in male funerals, however, she did go to Samanta's wake.

Mr. Ihshan Mobarek hired the service of a western funeral home for Samanta's wake and funeral, she was brought up as a catholic. Out of respect for his late son, it was the least he could do. Samanta's parents, along with Teresa, arrived only a few hours before the burial. Their expenses were covered by Dominik, in their totality.

Samanta's parents, Carlos, Charlie, Maher, Ms. Tahirah, a few of Samanta's acquaintances, Aháva and Dominik, were there to bid farewell to Samanta Andrade. Friend, mother and devoted wife. As her obituary read.

Silent tears were shed under Dominik's shades, Aháva stayed by his side throughout ceremony.

“Stop crying, dad” were Aháva's words, the moment they were getting in the car, ready to leave the funeral home. Dominik stopped right on his tracks and took off his shades, uncovering his red eyes. “Mommy is in a beautiful place where she will be expecting us until the day Allah decides it is our time, too.”

“What did you say?” Dominik looked at her, confused.

“I said mommy will…”

“You called be dad” he interrupted her, with a shaking voice.

“That's what you are. Right?” She answered in spontaneity.

More and more tears rolled from Dominik's eyes. All that pain became minuscule to the sound of that girl pronouncing that tiny little word, which meant the world to him.

He picked up Aháva and held her in his arms.