Free The Red Line by R M Reef

new life elsewhere, they left without looking back.

XXIII.
     
    “So, you’re ready to leave now?” Nora, pale and composed, was waiting for her airplane to take off. It was Rheem who had driven her to the airport. So many things had happened in these last few months…It was as if her whole life was drifting…
    When she left Marie to go meet her mom, she never expected to be received with such rejection and bitterness. Her mom, Marcelle , looked older, and her aunt did too.
    "What do you want me to say to you, Nora? You broke my heart. You lied to me for two years. And please don't even try to deny it. I heard the rumors, and I couldn't believe them at first, but they’re true. Aren’t they? Don't even say that you're sorry, because I don't think you are."
    "No, I’m not."
    "You love him do you? Do you know how Muslims treat their women? Like goods, easy to buy and sell. He could throw you out at any time with nothing on your back and without even an excuse. That is, if he did marry you. You slept with him did you? Oh God! What a shame!"
    "Please, Mom. Calm down. I know that you're hurt, especially because all our friends know about me. I'm sorry to have put you through this, but it’s serious between me and this guy. We love each other, and we're thinking about getting married."
    Marcelle stared at her with derision and then laughed. “Married? What are you trying to fix? Your reputation? Or are you pregnant now?"
    Nora knew that her mom was bursting with anger and frustration, so she just stayed quiet. She herself was overwhelmed with an awful feeling; she was aware of the possibility that she was in fact pregnant. So many things had been going on lately that she must have forgotten to take her pill once or twice. She was still in denial and blaming everything on stress, but her period was late. She couldn’t let her mom even suspect that truth. What Marcelle knew already was more than enough to break her heart, so Nora stayed quiet and waited for her mom to calm down.
    Her aunt, who was sitting on the sofa beside her, didn't say a word. She was older than her mom, and she had never married. She’d stayed home to take care of her ailing parents until their deaths. Mirande —that was her name—was Nora's godmother. She’d always surrounded her niece with affection and presents. A devoted Catholic, she used to spend most of her time at church, and not even the threat of a bomb falling on her head could stop her. Nora didn't want to think about her aunt’s reaction to her conduct. Not only had she crossed the line of morality, but she was in love with a non-Christian, a man belonging to a religion which threatened their existence every day!
    Mirande sat there pensively across from her sister, just listening to Marcelle . She wasn't affected by her sister's outburst as much as she was by Nora's distress. " Marcelle , stop. That's enough. Look at Nora. She needs us now more than ever. Please calm down. And you, Nora? Are you sure you're going to marry this guy? What's his name, by the way?"
    "Tamer. What's between us is serious, Aunt Mirande . Tamer has been wonderful to me, and we've been with each other for two years now."
    "Do you know how people will look at you if you stay with him? There is already too much talk. You need to leave, Nora. I mean leave the country. Try to clear your head and your feelings. If your love is really indestructible, then you'll get back together and it won’t matter."
    "Is that what you want, Mirande ? Nora is my only child. She's killing me already, and you want her to leave? What would happen to me then? She will just have to stay here with us, find herself a position in the east side, and forget the past years and the awful situation she put us in!"
    Nora didn't want to listen anymore. She excused herself and went to her room. Her only thoughts were about Tamer and what had happened to him. She felt so scared. It was like a huge fist was squeezing her heart, and a bleak