As soon as the fear and excitement of being found hiding behind the doorframe faded away, the anger over Alice's indifference to the death of the kindest person in the world started bubbling inside Ahmed. How could she just forget him and move on in merely two days' time?! he asked himself.
But then, he thought, he wasn't much better than her himself. He had been finding excuses not to visit Rishabh's family by telling himself the religion barrier would make it awkward for him. Furthermore, it would also be excruciating trying to fit in with Rishabh's extended family as a stranger with no blood ties. But after overhearing this conversation, he decided, none of that mattered. Rishabh would have wanted him to check up on his family.
So Ahmed started turning up to Rishabh's house, day after day, once school was over. He would help around in the kitchen, trying to serve all the guests, who had come to offer their condolences to the family. Very soon, Ahmed's name was in everyone's hearts and on everyone's mouths, asking for food or water or offering him praises for all the hard work he was doing. Some even called him "son" or "brother" and welcomed him to the family as their own.
Rishabh's father tried to put on a brave face in front of everyone, entertaining guests by talking to them and asking those who were crying to cheer up, but when alone, the waterworks in his reddened eyes became unplugged and a pool of water came gushing out.
Rishabh's mother was the same except for the brave face part. She cried no matter if anyone was around or not. It was as if she could not see anyone, just the image of the son she had lost hovering over her ceiling, which was the only direction she stared at from her bed. Several women tried to console her by standing beside her bed and stroking her forehead, but to no avail. Aryan was pretty much a mixture of the two. At first, he had cried a lot, but after some time, only a dead face void of expression stared back at everyone who tried to bring any words out of his sealed mouth.
Ahmed was heartbroken to see Rishabh's family in this state, but he did not know what he could do that the other guests hadn't already tried. So he just tried to help them by running errands.
They invited him to the funeral, which he attended, crying his eyes out along with everyone else.
Ahmed was there after everyone was gone. All through his summer break, too. He was there when Rishabh's mother came out of bed rest and took her first step. He was there when Aryan said his first words after his brother's death. He was there the first night when everyone had finally stopped crying themselves to sleep. He was also there when the headteacher visited their house, offering her condolences and answering their questions.
Ahmed let them be together as a family with the headteacher and went back home so as not to impose, but Aryan filled him in with everything later anyway.