The Bends : Chapter Nineteen

Back to college after being away for almost four months, was simply agonizing moment for Aden, as for one thing he had missed so many semester, and he needs to stay behind for extra classes in order to keep up with his other classmates on the latest curriculum. Thankfully for Aden, his classmates were helpful enough to assist him with his missed lessons. However during one of his lesson, Aden nose starts to bleed again. Aden had no other choice but to leave the class as he headed straight towards the washroom. He grab the paper napkins from the roller and pinch his nose as he tries to subdue the bleeding. Suddenly he begins to feel faint and his head seems to get heavier. Aden held on to the sink as he tries to regain his balance, however he fell uncouncious onto the floor.

"Thanks Matt for your help." utters Aden as he massage his temple with his fingers.

"Are you sure you do not want your parents to know about your fainting spell?" asked Matt with concerned in his voice.

"I have given them enough trouble. This is nothing..maybe it's the weather or I'm exhausted." trails Aden while they waited for his name to be called by the nurse at the clinic.

"I need to do some blood test on you. This fainting spell, nose bleeding and feeling fatique most of the time could lead to something else." said the doctor as he prepares the needle and syringes for the blood test. After Aden blood has been taken, the doctor prescribe him with some medication and suppliments for his ailment.

"Let me sent you back home. With your condition right now, I don't think you are fit enough to ride on your bike." exclaimed Matt. Aden nodded as he agrees with Matt's offer. Aden close his eyes while Matt drive his car along the smooth road. As Aden was about to doze off, suddenly the fiery eyes of Ilhan came into his mind. Aden wakes up in a startle and unconciously he hold on to his right arm which Ilhan had merciless jab an unknown liquid into his vein. "What is wrong with me? Does my conditon was cause by that thing?" thought Aden to himself as he begins to feel some sense of fear in his soul. "The result..the result from my blood test will determined it all." thought Aden to himself again as he tries to inject himself with some positive notes.

"At last, all done!" cried Aleeya as she flung herself on the couch. "Come on Aden, join me at this cafe..it shall be my treat to celebrate my last day of examination."

"Aleeya, you go ahead with mum and dad all right. Cause I've got alot of assignment which I need to finish up." said Aden with a smile. "And futhermore later evening, I need to bring late Zhorif's belongings over to his family home."

"Okay then, I shall pack you some roasted wings your favourite all right." utters Aleeya as she stood up and about to went into her room, however suddenly something had caught her eyes. Aleeya saw some medication which has been place inside Aden's helmet. "Aden, these medication, does it belongs to you?" asked Aleeya with concerned in her voice.

Aden stood up and grab his helmet. "Just some supplements, that's all." utters Aden. "You go and rest for a while before our parents comes back home. said Aden with a faint smile.

"All right." said Aleeya shortly however she can't help this feeling of anxiousness about Aden.

"When will the rays of Hope and Faith will ever set it glimpes of Light on me? Being drift too far away into the cold, merciless ocean..still searching for the shore of Divine Courage. Strange..I thought to myself...the coldness of the ocean does not seems to heal the burning guilt surrounding me." After reading few more pages on Zhorif's journal, he discover something more complex about Zhorif personality. He seems to be searching for someone or something to hang on...some sense of security and the guilt which Zhorif must have seal within his soul seems to be disturbing his path towards enlightment. After paying the cab the fair amount of price, Aden steps out from the vehicle and walk towards the front gate of Zhorif's home. Aden peers through the front gate for a while as he sucks up his courage before entering the magnificent garden which lead him towards the front door.

He rang the bell and waited for a whille when suddenly he heard a voice. "We are at the backyard. Please come over here."

Aden held on to Zhorif''s small wooden box in his arm as he walk towards the back of the home following that voice and soon he realised it was Nisrin with Zhorif's mother sitting by the stool.

"Please forgive me if my presents brings more grief to you and your family..but I believe Zhorif wants you to keep this." said Aden as he hands the box towards Nisrin hand. Nisrin slowly took the box from Aden's hand but with tears in her eyes.

As they both sat by the garden stool, Nisrin opens up the small but beautiful box which seems to be a precious momento for Zhorif, and there she saw his engagement ring and their wedding ring which has been beautifuly binds together by a tiny white ribbon. Nisrin took one of the photo which she and Zhorif had taken together at one of the amusement park near their hometown as she gently run her finger on Zhorif's picture. And this time her tears begins to fell on her calm face.

"He's the best thing that had ever happen to me. It's funny..we used to be the best of friends but unknowingly our platonic relationship had eventually developes into something more extraordinary..and it's beautiful." utters Nisrin with her eyes still fix on Zhorif's photograph. "How long have you exactly known him, Aden?" asked Nisrin as she turns her attention towards Aden instead as she looks intensely into his eyes.

"Almost four months." replies Aden. "Yah, he's sure one of a kind." trails Aden with a smile however suddenly he recalls about the journal which Zhorif had given to him and the sense of solemness begins to sets in Aden's mind.

Nisrin notice the sadness in Aden's eyes, "You have got the journal aren't you?" asked Nisrin making Aden startle upon being shot by that question. Aden nodded however he begins to wonder does Nisrin knew about Zhorif's silent cry for mercy. "Pandora whom I've slain laid motionless right in front of me, but why this sense of guilt still lingers in my soul...despite I have been the valiant knight to change the history....saving the world from evil, darkness and illness..bringing in the gracious, enlightment and the ailing world free from plague...where did I go wrong?" continues Nisrin as she covers her face with her hands and she begins to sob uncontrollably.

Aden held out his hand as he brings Nisrin hand away from her tearful face. "I'm sorry...the guilt after his death has definately haunt me. This is all my fault. I wish, I could just retreat back to where it all begins and rewrite history." cried Aden as he looks straight into Nisrin dark set of eyes.

"After he caught me reading through his journal....we had a terrible arguement. I feel bad too cause it is his journal and I should not have probe on his personal feelings but as his best friend, he should al least let me help him overcome his insecurities and guilt." utters Nisrin. "However, that anger begins to slip away from him as he realised my true feelings for him are genuine..he had name me as Courage." continues Nisrin.

"Those words and sentences seems to be so deeply rooted more about his life, I guess." exclaimed Aden.

"Do you know, he talks about you alot?" asked Nisrin with a smile. "He says...you remind him so much of his kid brother." said Nisrin as she hungs her head low focusing towards the soft grass just beneath her feet.

"I did not know he had a younger brother, where is he then?" asked Aden.

"He pass away right after the bone marrow transplant which had unfortunately gone wrong. And he was only eight." utters Nisrin. " Zhorif was diagnose with some kind of blood disorder disease and the only hope which Zhorif got in order to lead a normal life was through this bone marrow transplant, but sadly things turns unexpectedly not right, Zhorif survive but Zameer's gone." Aden nods his head as he begins to understand the lost and guilt which he had read in his journal. "But their father, can't accept that lost and subsequently keeps on repeating drilling the guilt sense into Zhorif's mind...making him feel so small and frail."

"Now that he is gone, so how was his father reaction to that now?" asked Aden as he can't believe that Zhorif's childhood was fill with so much pain and hollowness.

"That senseless men, he believe it was suicide..it's hurtful.." cried Nisrin as she wipe her falling tears off her face. "Aden, the day before he was cruelly taken away from us, he had called me. And he say things like..he's not coward anymore, he feels great..he told me that you had given him some form of courage to face the truth."

Aden looks at Nisrin with wonder as he does not seems to get the picture, however he remains silence cause he knew exactly where to find that answer..Zhorif amazing but complex words in his journal.

"Thanks for sharing some of Zhorif past history to me. I'm honored." utters Aden as he stood up from the stool.

"Thanks for being his friend. I know he's weird but that's what unique about him." exclaimed Nisrin with a smile which had cause a small dimple on her left cheek. " I'm sorry for my rudeness the other day...and please Aden, stop blaming yourself. I'm sure Zhorif would not want you to feel that way for the rest of your life." Aden nodded and then he left in a cab which he had called on earlier.

The smell of the roasted chicken wings lingers throughout the kitchen as Aden walks into it. It seems that everyone was already in bed. "Hey, dream head, your chicken wings in the oven." love Aleeya. Aden took down the note from the fridge and smile upon it. After he had his dinner and a quick shower, next he took his camera and walks out towards the veranda and begins with his passion of photography after which he had almost lost interest with.

"Still up?" said Adam as he sat on the wooden bench by the porch.

"After few shots, then I shall be in bed." replies Aden with a smile. Adam looks at his son with so much love as he notice Aden had definately grown into a man with full of virtures and courage. "How's Maya now?" asked Aden shortly as he takes few more shots of the green hills agaisnt the night skies.

"She's getting all the professional help which she needed at our welfare home. Umyrah is there to be with her throughout her treatment." replies Adam with a smile.

"That's good." utters Aden with a faint smile.

"Aden, you love her don't you?" asked Adam curiously. Aden looks at Adam for a moment and then he looks away. "Aden, it's okay to feel that sense of love for someone..it's not a sin. Leave this all in the Hands of God cause He's All Knowing. But in a meant time, let her pain and torment be heal first. And furthermore, you still had the vast ocean of undiscovered treasures beneath it, your future...your goal." Aden nods with a smile on his face.

"Hope and Courage lays it's significant values to mankind deeply rooted within their souls. Filling up the empty desire of uncertainty and evolve them into something miracolously more worthy and ordane." Aden smile as he place Zhorif's precious journal as he lays on his bed and he knew somewhere Zhorif is smiling back at him.