All For You

Chapter - 2

Italy 🇮🇹 

The sky was overcast with fog. Cold winds were blowing wildly.

Afiya Haydari and her husband, Mr Aziz was sitting in the yard in their house in Lazio, working and talking.

Afiya was stitching a piece of brightly coloured embroidery, and Mr Obaidul Aziz was reading a newspaper.

They were mostly silent.

But Afiya broke the silence as a thought arose through her mind.

'Obaidul...'

'Hmmm?' - he muttered while reading his newspaper.

'Don't you think that we should return to Bangladesh to keep our promise and bring our son's wife to our home?"

Mr Obaidul laid his newspaper in his lap and looked up.

His face was calm and considerate.

'I already booked our plane tickets' he replied.

'Are you serious? When?
Why didn't you tell me earlier?' - Afiya asked making an unpleasant face.

'Last week, I called big brother. He informed me about Nikhaat bhabi.

Her health condition isn't good.

We should not delay in visiting her.' - Mr Obaidul said with concern on his face.

'Nikhaat? What happened to her?' - Afiya inquired with panic.

Gently holding Afiya's hand, Mr Obaidul explained to his wife....'Nikhaat bhabi is suffering from CKD - Chronic kidney disease. She had been hospitalised several times. But she insisted to do her treatments from home.'

A shadow came over Afiya's face and her hands began to tremble with fear.

She yelled with embarrassment  'What kind of friend I am?

Nikhaat is ill and I don't even know. And my poor Sarat! H..hospital...operation?

Everything must be so hard on her. She probably would be so scared. Ya Allah. Ya Allah'.

Her husband stood next to her, patting her shoulder he requested "Please, Afiya, calm down. You have high blood pressure. Don't panic. Relax.

I assure you everything will be fine once we go back. Okay? Relax."

She nodded to him with a thick sigh and said 'In sha Allah.'

It was almost evening when Arhaan returned home after hanging out with his friends.

He found his mom packing his clothes.

'Ciao mamma!', he greeted and asked "Are we going somewhere?"

'Yes, Arhaan. Nikhaat is ill. We have to go back to our country.'

'What happened to her mom?'

'She is diagnosed with CKD. I am, I am so.....' she couldn't hold her tears from falling and sat down on the bed grabbing her head with her quivering hand.

Arhaan rushed to support his mom in an instant and told her "Don't cry, mom. Nothing will happen to Nikhaat aunty. She will be fine."

Afiya sobbed.

He continued "How is that girl.....Ummm, Sarat, Sarat dealing with all this?"

"I don't know" - she replied.

"Did dad book flight tickets?"

"Yes, it's tomorrow."

"Non si preoccupi, mom.
We will be there tomorrow. Trust in Allah. Everything will be fine."