Fatima finally looked up, her expression hardened. "I do not condole failure. A Child of Mine must be the first, or nothing else."
How is it a failure, Fatima? Bernard voice was incredulous. A child coming out third in a competition that more than twenty students participated in, and you call it a failure?! He looked at his wife with a mix of frustration and disbelief, then gaze drift to the wall, as if he could see Maisie through the plaster and paint.
How can she be so slow? Fatima hissed, her words laced with venom that made Bernard flinched. Incompetent, dull and ulterly useless! Her hands clenched in a tight fist. That is how she got her son killed, Bernard.
The accusation hung in the air, thick and pressing, the use of his name a chilling indication of her volatile state.
"No Fatima". "Don't you dare". Bernard raised his voice shouting at Fatima. His face drained of colour. The initial disbelief in his eyes morphed into a stark horror. His eyes widened, and his mouth fell slightly open, unable to comprehend what he had just heard. His usual passive demeanor vanished replaced by a stark pained rigidity.
He leaned forward, his gaze fixed on Fatima, a desperate plea forming in his eyes. She didn't kill him, Fatima. It was a mistake, a terrible accident. She was just a child. You can't keep blaming her for that. His voice was low strained, each word a careful step on fragile ground.
Fatima's chest heaved, her breath coming in ragging gasp. If she hadn't gone to carry him that day... Her voice broke, sobs escaping her lips... my child will still be alive.
Fatima, No....