The call came from an unknown number, just after Yugh had dropped Anisa back home and returned to his own room, his spirits buoyed by the morning's success and the happy news about his brother. đ€©
"Hello, who is this?" he answered.
"Is this Mr. Yugh?" a woman's gentle voice inquired on the other end. đČ
"Yes, that's me. Who is this?" he asked again.
"I'm calling from the city's Safe Haven Orphanage health administration. Do you know a Ms. Asifa?" she asked Yugh. đ§
"Yes, I know her. Is there a problem?" Yugh inquired, curiosity piqued.
"Yes. She was brought to the hospital early this morning with a difficult labour. She gave birth to a healthy baby boy, but..." the woman paused, seemingly unsure how to deliver the rest of the news. đ
"Yes, so what happened? Why are you calling me? Does she need something from me? And how did you get my number?" Yugh fired off the questions tumbling into his mind.
"Ms. Asifa... the hospital couldn't save her. She couldn't withstand it. Her newborn son has been brought to our home as an orphan by the police. However, before we formally admit a child, we try to investigate if there is any family who can take responsibility for their welfare. And, Mr. Yugh, your number was given to us by the police. You see, Asifa's phone had very few saved contacts. The one saved as 'Honey' was disconnected. But your number was saved as 'Yugh brother â€ïžâđ©č.' That's why the police gave us your number, thinking you might be a family member." đŒ
"What about Hasan's mother? " Yugh asked, a cold dread settling in.
"From what we learned from the hospital, when the news of Asifa's death came, her mother-in-law suffered a heart attack on the spot and passed away immediately," the woman relayed the grim facts.
The weight of the situation crashed down on Yugh. In a single morning, a child had been born into the world only to be left utterly alone, his sole connection now a phone contact born of a brief, desperate alliance in a car. The legacy of Hasan's destruction was now a swaddled, innocent baby in an orphanage office, and the call for responsibility had somehow found its way to him. đ”âđ«