HUSNA

Chapter 56

" life were predictable it would cease to be life, and be without flavor. -Eleanor Roosevelt

                                   *************

Limassol district Cyprus...
A year later...
It was hard to believe it had been a year since her father's passing. The memory of that devastating day still lingered  vivid, heavy, and impossible to erase. It had taken her months to come to terms with the loss, and even now, there were nights when she'd wake up expecting to hear his soft knock on her door.

He's no longer here, she often thought, but he'll always be in my prayers.

Recently, she'd traveled to Kaduna to collect her NYSC certificate. The city felt different  quieter, colder somehow  yet familiar in a painful way. Every corner carried a memory, every scent reminded her of home. The experience felt surreal, as though everything was happening in a blur.

But life, as it always did, moved forward.

On a more positive note, her marriage had been nothing short of beautiful. Alhamdulillah, her husband was everything she had prayed for  kind, supportive, and endlessly patient. Her mother-in-law, too, was a sweetheart; one of the nicest women she had ever met.

This afternoon, she decided to try something new making chocolates. What was supposed to be a cute hobby quickly turned into a delicious disaster.

She laughed at the mess she'd made, shaking her head. "Why is making chocolates so messy?" she groaned, staring at the chaotic mix of white and dark chocolate splattered across the counter  and somehow, her face.

Hameed chuckled softly as he approached her, wiping a streak of chocolate from her cheek with his thumb. "Maybe if you were a bit neater, there'd be more chocolate in the moulds than on your face."

She gasped in mock offense. "I'm going to act like I didn't hear that!" she huffed, crossing her arms only to realize she now had chocolatey handprints all over them. "Ugh, perfect."

He laughed, the sound warm and deep. "Yeah, sure. Blame the chocolate."

He picked up a bowl of melted white chocolate and dripped a few drops of red food coloring into it. She watched as he stirred it gently until it turned into a smooth, rosy pink.

"Why do you make it look so easy?" she asked, pouting. "When I tried, it looked horrible."

He only smiled, pouring the pink chocolate into the molds and letting the excess drip into a rectangular bowl. After setting them in the refrigerator beside hers, he turned to her.

"Captain," she said teasingly, "how do you even know all this? You're full of surprises."

He smirked. "Anything a woman can do, a man can do better."

Her jaw dropped. "Shut up!" she said, hitting him on the shoulder. "That's not the actual proverb! But seriously," she added with a laugh, "I didn't think you even knew how to boil water."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "What do you really think of me, Mrs. Pilot?"

She laughed again, but her smile faded a little when she glanced at the clock hanging on the kitchen wall. His flight time was approaching. He'd be piloting to the USA today.

His phone, which was resting on the kitchen counter, began to ring sharply. He reached for it, glancing at the screen. It was his Team Captain.

He quickly answered, his voice turning professional. "Yes, sir. I'll be there shortly," he said before ending the call.

He sighed, sliding the phone back onto the counter and turning toward her. "Babe, it's almost time," he murmured, pressing a soft kiss on her forehead.