"Very much so." Risaah agreed. "How can it be so hard to love another person?"
"Because we aren't all lovable creatures." Sumaya told her. "In fact, there will always be something in everyone that disappoints us. Don't be so harsh with your standards."
"Me?" Risaah scoffed. "My standards are the bare minimum! How can one not roll down his car window and give in charity when they stand before you, begging? How can someone just ignore it? Our father has never turned down anyone before!"
"Don't trust your eyes too much, Risaah." Her older sister advised. "All that we see isn't all that we perceive. Don't assume things. You never know, he might be struggling himself and thus is unable to give. Or he might not have spare change. Or he might be stressed, in a hurry or panicking about something. Perhaps he thinks it's not ideal to help beggars — since they've got the energy to run around asking, they might as well use it for income!"
"So... You think I should let it slide?" Risaah asked.
"If it steals your peace of mind, maybe you can talk civilly about it with him — he's your fiancé after all. Otherwise, I wouldn't be one to jeopardize an offer such as his for the wedding. He sounds like a good person, he must have had a reason."
"Hmm, but I never thought I'd feel this way in love." Risaah sighed again. "You know how they said — you learn to love all imperfections of a person?"
"Let me tell you a secret, love turns into resentment quicker than blue water turns into poison. Do not think of love so highly, it only has power over us — not the one we love." Sumaya said wisely.
"Is that why it's exhausting?" Risaah asked, with a little smile.
"Yes. There's no human without flaws, but He is the Most Perfect — thus it has wisdom. We have rewards for being understanding, and for being patient." Her older sister's eyes twinkled.
"Don't look at him through your rose-tinted glasses of perfection, for like you and I, he will have shortcomings too. Step out of your shoes and imagine him as a husband, the father to children who will see him as a role model. Is this what you'd want to see in your children?"
"Then again, don't be so arrogant in measuring someone that you lose sight of who you are and who you want to be. You'll have to prove to yourself that the worth you've seen in righteous women is within you too — no matter how you've lived until now. But keep in mind that you must be a little forgiving, for both of you are only human — love is rare and 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦."
