UNSCATHED

Mehmet sat in the car as the rain pattered against its window. He had grabbed the steering wheel, his head against it. He looked outside, tears in his eyes. His gaze followed the scene outside to a mother hugging her child tightly, her hands gently embracing her daughter. Mehmet swallowed his tears and started his car. His mother had passed away just a week ago; his only supporter, his guardian and his soul.

Tears still brimming, he knew he couldn’t keep going like this. He had to stay strong for his brother. He was his only family. The horror of that day flashed before his eyes once again.

The cold hands, the lifeless eyes, the way she no longer held his hand.

The anger inside him could no longer be suppressed. His fingers tightly held the steering wheel as he pressed the accelerator.

“Why did you leave us, Baba! Why!” He screamed, his voice laced with pain. “If you were here, this would have never happened. I am not going to forgive you. Never!”

Deep in his thoughts, he realised his car's speed had surpassed the speed limit. A car appeared in front of him, but he failed to notice it. That's when the car's light started signalling, shaking him back to his senses. He tried to press the brakes, but they had failed. And slowly his eyes widened in shock. Time seemed to slow down as his car slammed into the car ahead, and then everything went black.

*******

Cemal slowly pulled the body out of the car. There were deep injuries, and even his back was bent. He put the body in the ambulance and then stood until the ambulance vanished from his sight.

Cemal blinked his eyes as he pulled out his phone. It had been ringing for the past half an hour. He picked it up. It was his mother.

"Oğlum, her şey yolunda mı?" (Son, is everything okay?) She asked.

"Evet, anne. Burada bir kaza oldu. Ama şimdi eve dönüyorum." (Yes, Mom. There was an accident here. But I am coming back home now.) He replied and then cut the call.

Cemal now made his way back home. It had been almost an hour since the accident. The traffic had slowly cleared by now. On his way, he decided to stop by the Mosque, to pray.

After the prayers had ended, the Imam turned around to share a few words. He cleared his throat before starting.

"My dear brothers, you can pray, give charity, do all the good deeds in the world, but if people are hurt by your actions. If you're causing pain, none of these good deeds matters..."

As Cemal reached home, the faint voice of his mother reciting the Quran echoed through the corridor. He sat down beside her, smiling as she recited.

Bareera finished reciting and looked towards her son, greeting him with a kiss on his forehead.

"I have to go somewhere. A friend of mine; their son was involved in a car accident. So I need to go to see her. She might need help."

"You don't have to ask me, my dear mother. I am your son. You just have to tell me."

His mother laughed in return "Also, you might know her son. You used to play a lot with him when you were younger."

"Did I really? " What's his name?" he asked as he started the car.

"Mehmet", his mother replied