TRIALS (Completed)

Twenty

Meena watched the wall clock, she blinked at every slow tick. Then she sighed and pressed her thumb into her palm in anticipation. 

What was taking them so long? She wondered, but didn't turn away to face them. 

As the clock read 08:00 p.m., she sighed again. Were they cramming the text? 

"Hmmm," Finally, she turned to her father, Abdul-Hameed, seated across from her, holding her phone, while her mother sat beside him, also peering at the phone, lips puckered as her eyes ran along the lines of Nur's text. 

"Hmmm," Her father let out again before raising his eyes to meet hers, then removing his glasses and placing them on the glass table before him. He leaned back against the yellow sofa and sighed loudly. 

Meena couldn't tell what he was thinking, as he was staring up ahead. She turned to her mother, Fadilah, who was just rounding up. Fadilah placed the phone on the table beside the glass case. She looked up at Meena, then at her husband, before moving back into her seat with a sound at the back of her throat. One that Meena translated as I-told-you-so. 

"I'm confused," Abdul-Hameed said, leaning forward. "Why did he send a text, why not call you?" He leaned back again, shaking his head. "This doesn't sound like him. Or what do you think?" He asked Meena. 

Meena sighed, opened her mouth, then closed it. She had thought of it too, but then she knew Nur had always been more vocal in texts. But another part of her believed that he had done it to lessen the blow for her. At least, she hoped that was it. "I really don't know, Abu."

He nodded. "Have you called him?" 

"Call him for what?" Fadilah piped in, facing her husband. "Why would she do that?" 

Meena sighed in relief at her response, for she knew this meant her mother was on her side. 

"Look, he has already made his decision so why should she bother?"

"Because she loves him," Abdul-Hameed sat up to face his wife. 

"Love, love ke?" Fadilah spat. "If he really loved her, he wouldn't have sacrificed her for his mother."

" Ummi, she's sick." Meena called out, hurt on Nur's behalf. 

"Okay, let me ask you," Fadilah leaned forward and placed her elbow on her lap, "Is his mother going to marry him?" 

Abdul-Hameed opened his mouth to talk, but she held up her palm. "Wait, let's look at this please. Yes, she has cancer and it’s terrible, but stopping her son from settling down is worse. With or without the cancer, she'd have never let him marry in the first place. Ah ah, look at it now!" 

The room descended into silence. Only Shukra's loud snore could be heard from the twins' room.

"Still, I think we should talk about this. Get him and his mother—"
"No! We are talking about anything with them. For God's sake, do you want to disgrace us, make us look desperate?" Fadilah fired at her husband, who calmly stared at her.
 
"We are not desperate." She turned to Meena and rose to her feet. "We're not in a hurry to give you out. I know that," She beat her chest. "As long as Allah is with us, your time will come, what is meant for you will find you, no matter how long it will take."

Meena blinked back tears and nodded. She knew that. She believed it."But why is it taking so long?" She asked as Fadilah sighed, watching her in pity. 

"Look at me," She opened her arms. "I'll be thirty in the next three months. I know I shouldn't be talking like this but…" She shook her head. "I'm tired." She breathed out. "I want to get married, I want to have kids, to love and be loved for the rest of my life. Like you two." She pointed at them. "That's all I want." 

"Ah, omo mi," Fadilah went and sat beside Meena, wrapping her arms around her. "You will get it. In sha Allah, you will get it."

Meena rested her head on her mother's shoulder." When?" She shouldn't be saying all these, but she couldn't help it. How much heartbreak could one take? 

"When it's time," Meena heard her father say, before feeling his hand on her back, warm, soothing. "You just have to keep praying, keep being patient. Remember that Allah tests those He loves."

She nodded and raised her head." I don't know why I just feel as if this is the end of my love story, like I'd never find anyone like him again." She said, waiting for them to reassure her once more. Instead, what she heard was laughter, first from her father, then her mother. 

She looked up in confusion. "What's so funny?" 

Her parents shared a knowing glance before Fadilah said, "Did I ever tell you that our marriage was never planned?" 

Meena's brows raised even higher. She turned to her father. He nodded on confirmation. "I'm confused." She declared. 

"Well, she was supposed to marry my cousin." Abdul-Hameed said. 

"Wow, so what happened?" She faced Fadilah, wiggling her eyebrows. 

Fadilah hissed and pushed her arm.
"We didn't fight or anything o." She sighed, looking down at her hands. On sensing the change in her demeanor, Meena stopped smiling. "He died on our wedding day."

Meena's eyes bulged out, mouth agape. She quickly turned to her father who nodded, “We had an accident on our way to the Masjid. I was the driver." 

Meena covered her mouth and whispered, "Innalillahi Wa Inna ilaihi raji'un." She turned to her mother again, "Ummi," but Fadilah smiled instead.

"Do you see how God plans our affairs? We just never know what's in store for us, so we can only work on what we have now and pray for the best. If anyone had told me that I would end up with your dad ehn, I would've fought the person."

Meena burst into laughter, "Why na?" 

"Because I never liked him, whenever his cousin came, he would stand far from us, as if I was carrying a disease." She scrunched her face, as Meena and Abdul-Hameed laughed. 
"I don't like shy men," Fadilah added. 

"But you ended up with one." Meena said, smiling. 

Fadilah nodded, "That I did. We plan and plan…"

"But God is the best of all planners." Abdul-Hameed finished. 

Meena bobbed her head. She rose from her seat and hugged her parents. "Jazakum Allahu khairan for this. It means a lot." 

"It's our duty, habibty." Abdul-Hameed said, patting her back. 

After pulling away, she smiled at them, her heart getting lighter, still deflated, but determined to wait for God's plans, no matter how long it would take. 

...
There's something about Meena's part that brings a smile to my face. She's just so...😍

How about you? Which character's part has you smiling upandan?

And do you think Meena has done the right thing by Nur?

Vote. Comment. Share.

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