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“Hello, my name is Ruth,” the maid greeted her. She was wearing a calf-length short-sleeved black dress with a white collar. Her hair was tied into a low bun.
“Nice to meet you.” Janet smiled at her. “I just came to check on the lunch for Sanaa before I go to get her. Is the food ready?”
“Yes.” Ruth had a Middle Eastern accent.
“Alright, I’ll go find her.” Janet smiled before she left the room.
She headed up the staircase and then turned left. Janet headed down the long corridor. She stopped at the end of the corridor. There were two doors there, and Janet couldn’t remember which one led to Sanaa’s room. One of them led to the sheikh’s room, so she didn’t want to knock on the wrong one. She stood there for a moment trying to figure out which one it was. She spun around in a circle.
“What are you doing?” she heard a voice sounding from behind her. She let out a squirm and placed her hand on her chest. She turned and found the sheikh standing there looking at her.
“I forgot which one was Sanaa’s room.” She smiled awkwardly. The sheikh nodded at the door on the right. “Ahh, thank you. I was coming to call her down for lunch,” she said.
“I see.” The sheikh walked past Janet and opened the door on the left. He walked in and shut the door. Janet knocked on Sanaa’s door before she walked in. The sheikh’s daughter was sitting at her white desk with pencils and a coloring book.
“Hi, Sanaa,” Janet greeted her. Sanaa rose to her feet and picked up her notepad and pen. She scribbled on it and then showed it to Janet. Lunch, it read. “Yes, it’s lunchtime,” Janet replied. Sanaa started walking towards the door. Janet followed her out, and they headed downstairs.
Sanaa walked into the dining room and pulled out a chair from the table. She sat down in the chair and then picked up a napkin. Ruth had just finished serving the food. She left the room immediately.
“Can I help you?” Janet asked. Sanaa shook her head. She tucked the napkin into her T-shirt at the collar. Janet went to stand by the window. As per Mariam’s instructions, she had to be in the room whenever Sanaa was eating and had to pay attention to her. Sanaa picked up a silver fork with her left hand and started eating.
“Oh, you’re left-handed!” Janet exclaimed. Sanaa looked at her for a moment and then kept eating. Janet cleared her throat. She thought Sanaa would be as talkative as her sister. However, that wasn’t the case.
Janet watched Sanaa eat. The little girl ate slowly and wiped her mouth almost after every bite. She was only six years old, but ate neatly, unlike Janet’s sister who chewed loudly and got food all over her mouth. Janet’s little sister Kim was more talkative, clumsy and messy.
After she finished eating, Sanaa wiped her mouth with the napkin and then drank her water. She got up from the table and walked out. Janet followed her. They went to the living room and sat down on the sofas. Sanaa turned on the TV. Not long after they started watching cartoons, Sanaa started dozing off.
“Are you sleepy?” Janet asked her. “Shall I take you upstairs to bed?”
Sanaa shook her head and rubbed her eyes. She sat up straight and focused on the TV. She barely laughed or smiled. She started dozing off again. Her head rocked back and forth. She was trying to fight off the sleep, but she seemed very tired. Janet held Sanaa and gently laid her down. The little girl was obviously tired and needed rest.
Janet turned off the TV and then left the room. She rushed into one of the guest rooms and retrieved a thin blanket. She went back to the living room and covered Sanaa with it. Sanaa slept on the sofa so soundly. Janet sighed to herself. She felt so bad for Sanaa because of what Mariam had told her. A few months ago, Sanaa and her mother had been involved in a car accident. Sanaa escaped without any serious injuries, but her mother hadn’t been so lucky. She had sustained fatal injuries. Since then, Sanaa had stopped speaking. She communicated through her notepad. She spent most of her time in her room reading and drawing rather than spending time outside or playing like a six-year-old.
Mariam had warned Janet to never force Sanaa into doing what she didn’t want to do and just give her space. Janet understood, but Sanaa was a kid. She needed to play and have a childhood like a normal kid. Janet just sighed and left the living room.
Since Sanaa was sleeping, Janet decided to go outside for some fresh air, at least for a few minutes. As she was walking to the front door, the sheikh came down the stairs.
“Good afternoon, sheikh,” Janet greeted him.
“Afternoon,” he replied. “Where is Sanaa?” he asked.
“She fell asleep in the living room.” Janet smiled. Sanaa was so adorable.
“She fell asleep?” The sheikh looked surprised. Janet nodded.
“She was dozing off as she was watching TV. She was trying to fight it at first but then finally gave in.”
“I see.”
Just then, the living room door opened, and Sanaa walked out. She approached Janet quickly. “Oh, you’ve woken up,” Janet said. Sanaa scribbled on her notepad and showed it to Janet.
Why did you let me sleep?
Janet gasped. “You were sleeping, so I left you to sleep in peace. You seemed tired,” she said. Sanaa frowned at Janet before she stormed up the stairs. Janet was confused; what was wrong with letting her have a nap? She looked at the sheikh for an answer.
“She doesn’t like taking naps in the afternoon,” he explained. Janet gasped.
“She’s a child; she needs naps,” Janet said. The sheikh looked at her with a blank facial expression.
