Chapter 2: Hussain’s Obsession

The next morning, Hussain was waiting eagerly to see when his sister Nayla would go to the bathroom so he could secretly watch her.

The scene from the bathroom had kept Hussain from sleeping properly the entire night. Until now, he had been impatiently waiting for Nayla to go to the bathroom. Hussain was sitting in his room, his gaze fixed on his sister's room.

Since there was only one bathroom in the entire house, Hussain was aware that Nayla used it at 6 in the morning.

But that morning, it was already past 6, and there was no movement visible from Nayla's room.

Hussain was sitting and staring, waiting for Nayla to come out of her room.

It was 8 in the morning, and Hussain was starting to worry. "Nayla doesn’t usually sleep this late," Hussain muttered to himself.

By the time it was almost 10 in the morning, Nayla's room was still closed. From the adjacent room, the sounds of his parents waking up began to be heard.

"Come on, everyone, freshen up. I’m preparing breakfast," Hussain's mother called out loudly.

Hearing his mother's voice, Hussain quickly ran to her.

"Mom, Nayla hasn’t woken up yet. Can you please go and check on her?" Hussain said anxiously.

"So what? She must be tired because of the party last night. She’ll wake up. Why are you so worried?" his mother replied.

"No, Mom, Nayla always wakes up at 6. Please just check once," Hussain insisted, his anxiety evident.

"Tell me, what’s going on between the two of you? Did you ask for something yesterday that made her upset?" his mother continued questioning.

"Mom, I’ll explain later. Just go and check on her first," Hussain pressed further.

"Go upstairs and see what’s wrong with Nayla. She’s vomiting in her room," Hussain's father suddenly informed them as he approached.

"Alright, I’ll check," his mother replied briefly, and both she and Hussain hurried to Nayla's room.

The crumpled bed sheet lay on the floor, with visible splashes of vomit staining it. Nearby, stagnant water carried the remnants of the previous night—leftover food, pieces of cake, and traces of the drinks that had come out of Nayla’s throat—all telling the story that Nayla was not in good condition.

Hussain stared intently at the vomit on the floor.

Nayla, with disheveled hair, teary eyes, and a hand on her stomach, groaned in discomfort.

“Mom, why is he here? Send him away,” Nayla said upon seeing Hussain.

“Go outside,” their mother ordered Hussain.

Without a word, Hussain left immediately.

“What happened to you?” Mom asked as she placed her hand on Nayla’s forehead.

“I don’t know Mom. Maybe I ate too much at the party last night,” Nayla replied, holding her stomach.

“Alright, just get some rest,” Mom advised, urging Nayla to lie down.

“What happened between you and Hussain that you’re so angry at him?” Mom suddenly asked.

Hearing this, Nayla turned her face away.

“My stomach hurts a lot, and I feel dizzy. Can you call the doctor?” Nayla informed her mother in pain, still hiding her face.

“Yes, I’ve already called the doctor,” Mom reassured her. “But listen to me, Hussain is your only brother. You shouldn’t always scold him. I don’t know what he asked from you or why you’re upset with him, but he’s growing up now. At this age, being cautious is important. Kids his age start exploring new experiences, and instead of treating them harshly, they should be guided. Since yesterday, Hussain has been very disturbed, and ever since you scolded him, he’s become even quieter and sadder.”

Just then, Nayla’s father entered the room and announced, “The doctor is here.”

After examining Nayla, the doctor advised her to take complete bed rest. She had food poisoning, and seeing her condition, the doctor strictly prohibited her from doing any activities, including walking. The doctor instructed her to be cautious so that her condition would improve as soon as possible.

“What happened to Nayla Sis? Is her condition very bad?” Hussain asked as he saw Mom coming out of the room.

“Yes, she got food poisoning from eating too much at the party last night,” Mom replied.

“What did the doctor say? How can her vomiting be stopped?” Hussain asked impatiently.

“This happens in food poisoning. Frequent trips to the bathroom and vomiting are common,” Mom explained.

“But she hasn’t gone to the washroom even once,” Hussain questioned curiously.

“Yes, maybe that’s why she’s vomiting. The doctor has also advised her not to move around much,” Mom clarified.

“Oh, if the doctor has restricted movement, does that mean she will have to use the bed itself?” Hussain asked further.

“That’s what I was thinking. The doctor said the medicine will help her body get rid of the waste, which means she will need to go to the washroom frequently,” Mom predicted.

“I have a solution. We can use the bedside toilet seat. If we fix it near Nayla Sister's bed, she won’t have to get up and go to the bathroom repeatedly,” Hussain suggested.

“Yes, that’s a good idea. This way, she won’t have to move too much,” Mom agreed.

After a while, Hussain found an old toilet seat in the storage room, carried it in his hands, and stood outside Nayla’s room.

“Come inside. You have to fix this seat yourself,” Mom said, noticing him standing there.

“No, Mom. Nayla Aapi is angry with me. If she sees me, she’ll get upset again,” Hussain said, worried.

“Come inside. I’ve already explained everything to her. She won’t say anything,” Mom reassured him, holding his hand as they entered Nayla’s room.

Hussain walked in cautiously, avoiding eye contact, and reached Nayla’s bedside.

“How are you feeling now?” he asked.

“I just took my medicine, so I’m feeling a bit better,” Nayla replied.

Hussain started fixing the toilet seat near Nayla’s bed. Just then, their father entered the room, joining the family.

“You’re installing this seat, but do you realize it will need to be cleaned frequently? Otherwise, the whole house will start smelling,” their father remarked, looking at the seat.

“Yes, that’s true. I’ll try my best to keep the smell from spreading, and hopefully, Nayla will be fine by tomorrow. We just need to be careful for today,” Mom explained.

“Don’t worry, Mom. My room is nearby. I’ll take care of Nayla's sister's  hygiene and clean the seat whenever necessary,” Hussain assured them while fixing the seat.

“That’s my boy! I know that as long as you’re here, I don’t have to worry,” Mom said, pleased.

Satisfied, Hussain’s father and mother left the room.

Once everyone was gone, Nayla sat up in bed and said softly, “I’m sorry for what I did last night. Maybe my reaction led to this situation as a punishment from Allah.”

“You don’t have to apologize. You’re older than me; you have every right to scold me. Maybe I was the one who couldn’t forget what happened,” Hussain replied and then left the room.

After that, it became part of Hussain’s routine. He would come in at the right time, clean the toilet seat after Nayla was done, and then put it back in place. Sometimes, he would secretly glance at Nayla while she was using it.

The next morning, at 6 AM, Hussain entered Nayla’s room as usual, but this time, the seat was completely clean. He stood there, confused. After a while, Nayla, still lying in bed, opened one eye and looked at him.

“I’m fine now. Take this toilet seat away from me, and don’t come into my room anymore,” she mumbled sleepily.

Hussain was taken aback. “Sister, are you sure you don’t need it anymore?” he asked for confirmation.

“Yes, I just used the bathroom. Now go away and let me sleep,” Nayla snapped, annoyed.

Hussain silently removed the toilet seat, took it back to the storage room, and put it away.