The tapping sound from the sink brought Shamin back to the present time. Her mind had just just united with her body. The embarrassing afternoon she spent yesterday is still fresh in her mind. Hashim walked into the house carrying an empty bucket and placed it at it's usual place as a waste container. There was just a silence between them.
JAIS has summoned them that evening to get the date of the hearing for Hashim's case. With such a reluctant heart, Shamin had to accompany Hashim to the court. She was her translator. Hashim was born with a lack of hearing. He could still hear when he was a kid, but it wasn't as clear as anybody else. He enrolled into the school like everyone else, but his classmates liked to pick on him. They teased him and called him with names. Eventhough Hashim couldn't hear every words teased to him, but sometimes when he was able to hear one of the word, he felt unwanted.
Hashim never finished his study. It's a common thing at that time. Most of the kids in the village would just follow their parents to work. Padi field, coconut trees, coco orchards and banana farms were their main source of finance. Getting older and older, he could barely hear people screaming next to his ear. He could understand what people were saying if the person facing him. Hashim would try to read their lips.
Shamin finished washing her dishes and was getting ready to accompany her husband. It's 2 p.m and they need to be there at 2.30. Hashim had already waiting by his motorcycle. Wearing her veil, Shamin hopped on the bike and they went to the JAIS HQ together.
Shamin had to fill up some forms and it was a quick process. Hashim had told her to settle everything while he waited outside. Shamin had to bear with the eyes looking at her. The only way she could ease her thick face was by saying to herself that everyone there was having the same situation as hers. Every single letters had to be wrote with a great urge to cry. But Shamin managed to contain herself.
Once finished, she submitted the form and the officer there informed her the date of the hearing. SHe thanked the officer and went out to get her husband. While shamin was explaining the whole thing to Hashim, Hashim spotted the officer who brought him in walking with some other officers towards a car carrying a file.
"That's the man who brought me in. OOoo..they work as a team..No wonder", said Hashim.
"They are going to storm other premise. I heard them talking inside", answered Shamin.
"Really??Let's go...let's follow them!!"
"What??Are you crazy?"
"Aahh..let's follow them, I want to know how they work"
Shamin had to follow her husband. SHe didn't want her husband to cause another problem. Shamin knew it was a carzy thing to do, but how could she resist when Hashim started to raised his voice insisting to follow the officers. They followed them slowly from behind. The officers were about to storm another premise which located not far from the place where Hashim was caught.
The officers parked a bit far from the premise. They scattered and blended among civilians. Hashim parked his bike and got off from it not far from them. He walked as he was investigating something like he was part of the operation.
"Oooo..this is how they work. No wonder I didn't realize till the moment the catch me", Hashim spoke to Shamin like it was nothing. Shamin was afraid that the officers would spot them and might think that she was helping her husband for a scheme to avoid the operation in the future. It was utterly embarrassing to observe a team of officers who were about to catch some wrong-doers. Before the officer could spot them, Shamin dragged her husband to the bike and forced Hashim to leave from there....Another embarrassing day Hashim has led her into.
-to be continued-
Comments