As if it... never existed

After leaving the house, Ruqayya walked the streets, feeling broken, cold, and lost. She saw an elderly woman sitting on a chair, her eyes gentle and her face lined with the marks of time.

The woman called out to her in a soft voice: – "My dear, come sit with me. Don’t walk alone at this hour."

Ruqayya stopped, looked around, then approached and sat beside her, tears streaming endlessly. The elderly woman gently took her hand and said: – "Tell me, what happened?"

Ruqayya told her everything: how her mother, Nadia, didn’t recognize her, how the police had taken her, and how even her family had failed to be there for her.

The woman remained silent for a moment, then said wisely: – "Life sometimes presses on us harshly, but that doesn’t mean you are alone. You have to find your own path and never let anyone break your spirit."

Ruqayya looked at her, eyes full of confusion: – "But I don’t know where to go… I have no one."

The elderly woman smiled warmly: – "Come with me to my house. I live alone; my husband has passed away, and my children are married. We can share what little I have, and I will stand by you."

Ruqayya hesitated for a moment, but for the first time in days, she felt a glimmer of relief: – "Maybe… maybe we can try."

The elderly woman held her hand firmly and said: – "Come on, my dear. Step by step. Don’t rush. What matters is that you know someone hears you and that you are not alone."

Ruqayya felt, for the first time in a long while, her heart lighten from the heavy burden she had been carrying.