Sweet Haram.

¥ Thirteen ¥

"Ammi why did you say that to her?!" I ask pissed off.

"What's wrong? I just didn't raise my daughter to cook, clean or worship anyone just because they are married". She says back defensively.
"Ammi" I call out but I know she'll never understand.

Reema came with me to see her.
"Reema don't you agree?" she asks her.
Reema stays quiet.

"Did knowing how to cook change anything for you?"
I gasp. Now I get why Abbi does not like going out with her, Ammi doesn't have any filter.

"Uh...it did. More than you can understand but whatever the outcome of my marriage I'm still glad Ma taught me, he might not take it to be anything but his family does".

Ammi smiles feeling embarrassed.
"Sorry" I mouth at Reema.
She shakes her head smiling.

"Lala offer her something, just because you're married doesn't make you a guest".
"I'm okay and I'm family now so if I want anything I'll just get it".

I know Reema is trying to be nice and respectful but I'm sure Ammi's words really hurt her.

"Let's go to my room" I pull her along with me.

We sit on my bed.
"I'm sorry about what she said, sometimes she really doesn't filter her words".

"It's fine actually, the fact that I'm home makes me feel happy and I plan on not letting anything ruin it for me".

"#stayingpositive".
She smiles..

I sometimes feel like it's the other way round and its Reema that is actually 3years older than I am, that's what happens when life humbles you. Dahir still talks about and to her like she's a child but I'm sure even he can sense the difference between back then and now.

"But are you seriously telling me this is your room?" She asks her mouth hanging.
"Ammi made every single decision for me, the only thing she didn't have control over was the guys I dated".

She nods like something clicked in her head.
"What?"
"I heard Ya Dahir telling Hanif that was why he didn't like you, no offence".

I smile, forcefully "I guess I just thought since it was the only thing I could control on my own that I could date as much men as I wanted but now it has come back to bite me in the ass".

She laughs "Ya Dahir is an easy going person. Don't mind the scowl and the things he says, it's actually very easy for him to forgive and forget".

"Are you sure it's not because you're not his sister?"
She giggles "Ask Ya Hanif if you don't trust me".

.

I stare at Dahir in horror. "How much is all this?"
"About 70k but don't worry it's worth it".

I don't get why he loves flowers so much, I think the ones in the house is enough but he just bought a load of them, telling me the qualities and beauty of each one.

"What about the ones we have already? Are we throwing it out?" I ask looking around our compound.
"No. We are adding to it, plus three died this month".

"So you decided to buy 16 more to replace the three?" I ask and he just nods back.
I stay quiet when I notice how happy and proud he looked.

He holds my shoulder "You don't understand the beauty of these things".

No, it's not that I don't understand, it's just that he loves them too much. He keeps feeding every bird that land in this compound now not a second goes by that you don't hear their chirps. And now my house looks like a rainforest. Which one do I deal with?

"You must have gotten it from your mother, that's why your house looked so similar to a forest".

He chuckles "Now you get it. There's this foreign and chilly feel, can't you feel it?"

I shake my head "I'm not sure".
"No not there" he hurries to join the Gardner in arranging the flowers.

Reema was right he is odd in alot of ways.

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Fayza's POV.
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I feel lucky, really really lucky.
But when I think of all the things that passed by me as I watched I feel like a fool.
To Baba and all three of his children we are family but to Ma, Saheeba and I were kids she had no choice but to raise.

Sometimes I wonder how it'd be like if they all think like she does, it would have been really difficult.

But Dahir, for me he was a different case. The way he treated me like his sister made me feel like I was and maybe that might have been one of the reasons I actually started liking him.

Working under him was better, because people tried to treat me differently either because I'm a girl or because I'm their cousin not their sister. So he pulls me around him, whatever he wants to do he pulls me along. That might have been the second thing that made me like him more.

He's the most complex man I have ever met. He's so easy to understand and yet hard to please but I understand him way more than he understands himself and even he knows that. It's not much but knowing that also makes me like him more.

He's a guy so of course he is attracted to women but he doesn't let that bother him, not even a little.

I always knew I had all the qualifications he wanted in a woman and so I felt somewhat relaxed about his choice. Baba always told me he'd want me in his family not someone else's but I misunderstood which family he meant. I forgot he has to Brothers that aren't related to him by blood.

I drop the yam balls in the fire and watch them fry.

I know Hanif always suspected that I might have had feelings for him but honestly I didn't care at all. But things are different now, I still like Dahir and I know he likes me back but Hanif is a great man.

Loyal and understanding and most importantly caring. He might not love me and honestly I couldn't care less but we live in harmony and that's all that matters.

"I'm hungry".
I turn around and see him leaning on the kitchen door frame, his head resting on the door.

"Uhh... Really?"
"How much time will it take?"

I check them.
"If you wait...5mins and if you leave 15mins".

"So you're trying to tell me to stay and keep you company?"
I nod.
"And so I shall".

"When are we going to your parent's house?".
"On Sunday, it seems like things aren't going well at home and Ablaa is alone with those old people".

"What if she comes to stay here with us".
"Hajiya baza ta yarda bah (Hajiya won't agree to it) so we can't".

I huff. "Please pass the plate".
He hurries and passes the bigger one smiling like a child.

"The more the better, right?"
I nod.

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