CHAPTER 2

Somewhere, 

Way back in the year 2000….

It was late on bitterly cold winter’s evening. A poor little boy was wandering around in the cold streets. He was barefoot. Earlier on he was wearing shoes, but they were too long for his little feet and he lost them while running fast on the icy streets chased by wild dogs.

He was now standing on the corner of a very busy street.

He was hungry and trembling with cold.

The snowflakes fell upon his long dark hair which curled prettily around his face. He is a good-looking little boy.

For he was hungry and felt so cold he tried to draw attention and beg.

"Alms! Alms, give me a piece of bread."

“Spare me your mercy!"

"Alms!”

People were passing by but no one looked at him. No one stopped.

His little hands were almost dead with cold. He sat down, drawing his feet under his thin clothes, but he was colder than ever.

 He starve to death. He can bear no more.

 He stand up and slowly walked towards the trash cans on the side of the street.

The boy was searching things from garbage.

 He found a thing, a plastic bag which contains food throw away by some children who passed by. 

He sits on the street and started eating the food he got from the trash can.

On the other side of the street, there is a girl who is standing in front of a fast food building.

 Her appearance showed that she is nearly in teenage years. Not really a teenager. She is six or seven years older than the little boy.

 The girl have a long dark brown hair. She is a short and slim girl with white skin complexion. She is pretty.

She was watching the little boy since 2 hours.

She came nearby him and sat beside him,

The little boy was nervous and feel shy.

” What do you want”?  He asked.

“Nothing” she replied. “Are you hungry?”  She asked by breaking heart.

“Yes!” the little boy answered with downcast eyes. He felt ashamed because she saw him eating food from the garbage.

She takes him to the fast food and ordered some food and gave it to him. She was still watching the poor little boy who seems so hungry and cold than her.

 His heart was beating fast. He is hesitant to take the food for he is worried about the bill.

“I have no money to pay that” he said, almost in whisper.

“You don’t have to pay it. It’s yours.” The girl said in soft voice.

“Thank you” he said. His little hand is trembling when he hold the food handed to him by the girl.

Then they walked outside the fast food and walked down the snowy street.

The girl was about to cross on the other side of the street.

But the little boy called her and asked. “Where are you going?” 

“I’m going home. Maybe my cousins are looking for me now. They will get angry because I’ll go home late for I have to cook their dinner for this evening. “She answered in mumbled as if she is talking to herself not to the little boy.

The fear suddenly seemed crossed in her pretty face.

She walked past and the little boy followed her when she crossed the street.

“Wait! What is your name?” the little boy said.

“I’m Haya.” She said without looking at the little boy who followed at her.  

She is walking towards the bus station. She walked as fast as she could and the little boy almost left behind.

The little boy almost running just to catch her.

Then she reached the bus station.

 But before she go up to the bus she turned around. She saw the little boy still followed.

But when he saw that Haya is about to ride on a bus he stopped at a distance. He looked sad.

Then Haya found herself walking back to the little boy and made a promise.

 “Don’t worry. I’ll be back some other time to see you. Wait for me in front of that fast food where we buy food. The same time at the same day. I will be there.” She said and smile to the little boy.

“Okay. I’ll wait you there.” The little boy promised.

Then they walked in separate ways.

Haya ride on the bus while the little boy still wander out on the street.

That evening the little boy temporarily sheltered himself on a footbridge.

While Haya arrived to her cousin’s house who will all cruel. He knocked at the front door.

 A fat middle aged woman opened the door. She is her Aunt. And when she saw Haya, anger crossed her old face.

Haya entered the house.

“Where have you been, Haya?!” her Aunt shout at a harsh voice.

And Haya received a slap on her pretty face.

Haya cannot answer back for she’s trembling in fear.

Then her Aunt Selma shout again.” Cook our dinner!”

Haya drew backed and rushed to the kitchen.

She begun to cooked their dinner.

And while she cooked dinner she was drowning in tears.

As if she cannot breathe because of the emotional pain she felt inside.

She remembered when, how and why she is here in her father’s cousin house.

She was abandoned by her parents when she was small. She was left in this cousin’s house who will all cruel. She remembered when she is begging to her father not to leave her in this house.

Her parents got divorced when she was two years old. Her parents left Haya to her grandparents on father side.

But all of the sudden her grandparents died in a plane crash when she was five years old. So Haya felt abandonment for the second time around.

Leaving her father no choice, he took Haya with him again.  

But that time her father will about to get married again. His new fiancée don’t agreed to bring Haya with them. Her father had no choice but to leave her in this house.

Her mother also had new family she also can’t take Haya to her new house caused her step father don’t allowed her mother to bring Haya with them.

Haya felt abandoned again.

Old alarm clock:  riiiiing, riiiiing, riiiiing, riiiiing,

Digital alarm clock: beep, beep, beep, beep

Cellphone alarm clock: Bzzzzzzz! Bzzzzzzz! Bzzzzzzz!

The message sender wake up from her deep sleep because of the alarm clock of her room mates. It’s already morning, time to go to work again.

At the back of her mind she is aware that she had a long dream last night and she feels that she cried on her dream but she cannot recall what is that dream all about.

For its time to go to work she ignore the thoughts.

She get a towel and take a bath and in just few minutes she was ready to go to work.

She grabbed her backpack and her phone and rushed outside the apartment to catch the company’s shuttle service.

On the other hand, in Bosnia, Its already evening and the young man arrived in their mansion. His eating dinner together with his family. 

While eating dinner her grandfather discuss the new business of the family that he was planning to open.

It’s quite noticeable that the young man keeps on checking his phone. His grandfather notice that his not paying attention to what his discussing to him.

“Atif, what is that? His grandfather call his attention.  

Atif got so surprised and almost dropped his phone on the floor. Fortunately the phone dropped only on his lap.

His grandfather wonder why he behaved like that at this moment.