Broken pride and bitter reality

​A whole night had passed since the humiliation of failing to demonstrate the fierce heat of the sun on the desert battlefield. The new morning sun had already risen. Tahir woke up from his bed as usual, but this morning was somewhat different—extremely quiet and strange.

​Usually, even before Tahir opened his eyes, servants and maids would stand around him with folded hands, but today there was no one in the room. There was no one to be seen even to bring morning tea or breakfast. Seeing such negligence hurt Tahir's ego. His anger reached the sky. Getting up from the bed, he stomped out of the room in rage and went straight to the maid who was present before him yesterday as well.

​"Why are you not present at your work today?! How dare you?" Tahir roared, raising his eyebrows.

​Continuing to sweep, the maid just turned her gaze and asked calmly, without any kind of fear, "Which work? I am doing my daily work."

​"Now I will have to remind you of your work!"

​But this time, the maid was not scared at all. She put the broom in her hand aside, stood up straight, and replied, looking directly into Tahir's eyes, "You cannot tell me to do any work now, Tahir."

​Tahir's face turned crimson with rage, "How dare you! You call me by my name? You have forgotten your place. If you have forgotten, then there is no even need to remember it now. I am dismissing you from your work right this moment!"

​Instead of fear, a sarcastic smile appeared on the maid's face. She smiled and said, "I haven't forgotten my place, Tahir... but you have forgotten yours. And as for firing me from the job, you are no longer worthy of giving me any orders."

​"I have forgotten my place?" Tahir said, mashing his teeth, "Just wait a little, you will know your worth right now!"

​The maid said with an impertinent smile, "I am standing right here, show me whatever you want to show."

​Fuming with humiliation, Tahir left from there and set out straight to go to his father, Hanif. When he came to the courtyard outside the house, he saw that his father and Arman, the most loyal servant of the Sama family, were having a serious and important discussion.

​Tahir was so blind in his anger that, forgetting his manners, he jumped between the two and said loudly, "Dad! I need you right now, come inside with me!"

​Hanif was busy discussing some important work of the clan, and he became extremely angry at this kind of unexpected interference from Tahir. Anger flared up in Hanif's eyes, he looked at Tahir and snapped, "Tahir! Can't you see that I am engaged in essential work here? Move back from here!"

Saying this much, Hanif pushed Tahir back forcefully.

​Tahir went two steps back and barely saved himself from falling. His astonishment knew no bounds. His eyes widened, "Until today, father has never behaved like this with me."

​He stood there stunned on one side like a stone idol. Hanif finished his conversation with Arman, and Arman left from there. After that, Hanif walked with heavy steps towards Tahir and asked in a stern voice, "Speak, what was such an important work that you jumped in between?"

​"Dad... that maid! She insults me in front of the whole house, calls me by my name, and even refuses to do my work! Throw her out of this house right this very moment!" Tahir said in a complaining tone.

​"Throw her out?" Hanif asked coldly.

​"Yes dad! We have no need for such a suspicious and useless servant, throw her out by pushing her!"

​Hearing this, Hanif's patience broke. He yelled so loudly that it echoed through the entire courtyard, "The one who needs to be thrown out is not that maid, Tahir... but you!"

​

​Tahir trembled, "Me?! Why dad? I am your son, the heir of this house!"

​"Heir?!" Hanif asked sarcastically, "The maid whom you are talking about throwing out, her son goes to the dangerous territory of the 'Setmo' at the risk of his life and brings food for the entire clan! And then there is you, who still cannot do anything!"

​"But dad, I am the chief's son, I have never done such manual labor, so why this suddenly today?" Tahir asked helplessly.

​"Because now I am not going to support you for free!" Hanif's voice became harsher, "In this difficult life of the desert, the one who possesses the strength to bring food, respect and honor are only for them. In this situation here, even a single grain of food is more valuable than a human life!"

​"But dad, you are the chief of the entire Sama family, the whole clan moves at your signal, so why should I have to go to bring food?" Tahir asked, taking support of his old arrogance.

​Hanif came close to Tahir, placed a hand on his shoulder and gave a jerk, "Fool! A day will also come when I will grow old and lose the strength to bring food. On that day, even my closest friend will not take care of me! This is the rule of the desert—if there is food, there is everything, and if you don't have the strength to bring it, many useless people like you are wandering around!"

​

​Tahir, who always lived in the arrogance of his father's position and the clan's royalty, that pride of his was shattered forever in a single moment today. The truth had come to stand before him, absolutely clear and bitter like glass.

​Looking down, he asked in a trembling voice, "So dad... yesterday I couldn't use the heat of the sun, just for that one reason you and the whole clan are treating me like this?"

​"Yes, this is the only truth. The one who is not powerful has no value," Hanif said ruthlessly and turned his back on Tahir and walked away from there.

​Tahir could not understand anything. He felt as if the ground had slipped beneath his feet. He stood alone in the same place, completely lost, where there used to be a crowd of people around him at one time.