The Secret Wall - S01 E07

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 7

Episode 7: The Secret Wall

The phone in Amina’s hand felt like it was made of fire. It was vibrating so hard that her whole arm was shaking. Bzzz. Bzzz. Bzzz. The bright white light from the screen was shining in the dim living room. Amina looked down at the screen one more time. The words were very clear. The name on the screen said Lawyer Brown. Amina felt like someone had poured a bucket of ice water over her head. She almost dropped the phone on the hard wood floor. She caught it just in time. If the phone had hit the floor, it would have made a very loud sound. It might have broken the screen. But more importantly, it would have left a mark on the floor that Joe would surely see.

Amina’s heart was beating so fast that it felt like a small bird was trapped in her chest, trying to fly out. She could feel the blood rushing in her ears. It was a loud, thumping sound. Thump. Thump. Thump. She looked at the name again. Lawyer Brown. This was not just a friend. This was not a man named Mr. Brown who liked to chat. This was a lawyer. A lawyer is a person who knows all about the law. A lawyer is a person who helps people sign papers and sell things.

Amina felt a wave of sadness wash over her. She thought about her five years of marriage. She thought about all the times she had cooked for Joe. She thought about the times they had laughed together on the sofa. She thought they were a team. She thought they were building a future together. But now she knew the truth. Joe’s plan was moving much faster than she ever thought. He was not just thinking about leaving. He was already talking to a lawyer. He was already making sure that she would have nothing left.

She wanted to scream. She wanted to open the front door and shout to the whole neighborhood that her husband was a thief. She wanted to cry until there were no more tears left in her body. Part of her wanted to just run away. She wanted to pack a small bag and leave the house forever. She wanted to go to a place where there were no secret walls and no red-eyed husbands. But as she looked around the living room, she stopped.

This house was her home.

She looked at the yellow curtains she had picked out because they made the room look like it was full of sunshine. She looked at the soft rug on the floor where she liked to sit and read. She looked at the small table in the corner where she kept her favorite plants. She had worked so hard for this house. She had cleaned every corner. She had saved her own money to help buy the furniture. Her name was on the house papers too. She was not just a guest in this house. She was the owner. If she ran away, Joe would win. He would sell everything and take the money, and she would be left with nothing but a suitcase.

No, Amina said to herself. Her voice was just a tiny whisper in the big, quiet room. I will not run away.

She realized that Joe had been tricking her for many months. He had been pretending to be a loving husband. He had been smiling at her during dinner while he was thinking about how to throw her out. He had been pretending to pray at the wall while he was really talking to a lawyer. It was a very big lie. It was a very cruel trick. He wanted her to be homeless. He wanted her to have nowhere to go.

Amina took a deep breath. She had to be very smart now. She could not act like a victim. she had to act like a detective. She looked at the phone again. The call from Lawyer Brown had stopped, but the screen was still lit up. She saw that there were new messages. She used her finger to scroll through them very quickly. One message was very important. It said, Everything is ready for the meeting tonight. We will sign the final papers at eight o'clock. Do not be late.

Tonight. The final papers were being signed tonight. Amina felt a cold shiver run down her back. Tonight was the end. Once those papers were signed, the house would belong to someone else. Once those papers were signed, Joe would have the money and he would be gone. She only had a few hours left to figure out what to do.

She knew she had to put the phone back. If Joe came home and saw her holding his secret phone, everything would be over. He would know that she knew his secret. He might get very angry. He might try to stop her from leaving the room. She had to be very careful. She reached her hand back into the dark, cold hole in the wall. She felt the rough bricks. She found the small black wire. She plugged the phone back into the charger just the way she found it. She saw the tiny blue light start to blink again. Blink. Blink. Blink.

She moved the big picture of the mountain back into its place. She was very gentle. she did not want to make a scratch on the wall. She pushed the frame until it was perfectly straight. She looked at it for a long time to make sure it did not look tilted. It had to look exactly like it always looked.

Then, she looked down at the floor. She saw some tiny red bits of dust. The dust had fallen from the bricks when she opened the secret door. She knew Joe was very clean. He would notice that dust in a second. Amina ran to the kitchen and got a soft cloth. She came back and knelt on the floor. She wiped up every single tiny bit of dust. She made sure the floor was shiny and clean. She even wiped the picture frame to make sure there were no fingerprints. She was like a ghost. She left no traces behind.

Amina went back to the kitchen and put the cloth away. She washed her hands with cold water. She looked at herself in the mirror. Her face was very pale. Her eyes looked big and scared. She took another deep breath. She patted her cheeks to bring some color back to them. She had to look normal. She had to look like a happy wife who was just waiting for her husband to come home.

She went back into the living room and sat on the sofa. She picked up a magazine and opened it. She tried to read the words, but she could not focus. Her ears were listening for the sound of a car. She was waiting for the sound of the garage door. The house was very quiet. The only sound was the tick-tock of the clock on the wall. Every tick sounded like a drum. Every second was taking her closer to eight o'clock.

She sat there for a long time. She thought about what she should say when Joe walked through the door. Should she ask him how his meeting with his friend was? Should she act like she was tired? She decided to stay very calm. She would not say anything about the wall. She would not say anything about the phone. She would watch him. She would see if he was acting strange.

Finally, she heard it.

The sound of a car engine was coming down the street. It got louder and louder. Then, it stopped in the driveway. Amina felt her stomach do a flip. She held the magazine very tight. Her fingers were turning white. She heard the car door slam shut. Thud. She heard footsteps on the pavement.

The front door opened. Joe walked inside.

He was carrying his bag. He looked very tired, but he also looked like he was in a good mood. He had a small smile on his face. He looked at Amina sitting on the sofa.

"Hello, Amina," he said. His voice was very smooth. It was the kind of voice that sounds very friendly. "I am home. The meeting went very well. My friend was very happy to see me."

Amina looked up from her magazine. She forced herself to smile. It was the hardest thing she had ever done. "That is good, Joe. I am glad you had a good day. Are you hungry? I can make some tea."

Joe walked into the room. He did not go to the kitchen. He did not go to the bedroom. He walked straight toward the big wall. He stood in front of the picture of the mountain. He stood there for a long time. He was not moving. He was just looking at the picture.

Amina felt her heart start to pound again. Had she missed a spot? Was there a fingerprint she forgot to wipe? Was the picture not straight? She watched him from the corner of her eye. She did not want him to see her looking at him.

Joe reached out his hand. He touched the edge of the gold frame. He ran his finger along the side of the picture. He was being very careful. He looked down at the floor where Amina had wiped the dust. He looked at the rug. He looked at the sofa where she was sitting.

Then, Joe turned around. He looked right at Amina. His eyes were very sharp. They were like the eyes of a hawk looking for a mouse. He did not look like a man who was tired. He looked like a man who was thinking very hard.

"Amina," he said. His voice was very quiet. "Did you move anything in here today?"

Amina felt her breath catch in her throat. She tried to keep her voice steady. "No, Joe. I just cleaned a little bit. Why do you ask?"

Joe did not answer. He just kept looking at her. He looked at her face, her hands, and the magazine she was holding. He walked closer to her. He stood right in front of the sofa. He was very tall, and he made a big shadow over her.

"You look a little bit nervous," Joe said. "Your hands are shaking. Are you feeling okay? Or is there something you want to tell me?"

Amina looked up at him. She saw the coldness in his eyes again. She saw the man who was planning to take her home away. She saw the man who was meeting a lawyer at eight o'clock. She wanted to tell him that she knew everything. She wanted to tell him that he was a monster. But she knew she had to stay quiet.

"I am just a little bit tired, Joe," she said. "The house was very quiet today. I think I will just rest for a while."

Joe stayed there for another minute. He did not move. He just stared at her. It felt like he was trying to read her mind. It felt like he was trying to see the secret she was hiding.

But did he know?

Did he know that she had opened the picture? Did he know that she had heard the recording? Did he see the tiny blue light on the phone? Joe was a very smart man. He was a man who had been lying for months. Maybe he knew exactly what she had done. Maybe he was just waiting for her to make a mistake.

Joe finally turned away. "Okay," he said. "Go and rest. I have to go out again in a little while. I have another meeting. It is very important."

He walked toward the bedroom. Amina sat there, frozen on the sofa. She watched him leave the room. She knew where he was going. He was going to meet Lawyer Brown. He was going to sign the papers. And she was the only one who could stop him.

Do you think Joe knows that Amina touched the wall? What did he see that made him ask that question?

Why did Joe tell Amina she looked nervous? Is he trying to scare her so she won't ask questions?

What do you think Amina should do while Joe is at his "meeting" tonight? Should she follow him?

If the papers are signed at eight o'clock, is it too late for Amina to save her house?

The clock is ticking! It is almost eight o'clock, and Joe is getting ready to sign the papers! Will Amina find a way to stop him, or will she lose her home forever?