WrongSufferedAtHands

15.

When Afiyah attempted to drag the table, it wasn't as heavy as she had anticipated; instead, the table's timber legs produced an unpleasant noise against the rug layered floor.

"Do not pull it; it might be heavy." Soraya insisted, and she simply shrugged and placed the table in front of the visitors.

"Is she carrying a child?"

The plain question sucked all the blood from her face. She glanced at her mother-in-law, who inherently stared back at her, her face frowning.

"Are you not expecting yet?" When the woman pressed her hand against Afiyah's stomach, she tensed; the roughness of those enormous hands contrasted with the tenderness of her belly.

"I'm not sure." She retreated a step.

"It's all fine..." The elderly woman got to her feet to approach Afiyah who kept pacing backwards, "Let me check, let me at least check. I have expertise determining the genders of unborn fetuses in the womb and am highly skilled at determining whether someone is currently pregnant."

The elderly woman's toothy grin faded away as she placed her palm briefly on Afiyah's belly. "Are you having any problems...?" she said, straightening up.

Afiyah cleared her throat, looking down and displaying signals that she genuinely detested the things the woman had done.

"I can give you advice. Meet me some day and I'll reveal details about It." the woman said with a leer.

"I don't require anything right now." Afiyah grinned, a sort of grin that caused the elderly woman to pick up the pace and sit where she was seated before.

She turned to face Soraya, who had a fixed expression on her face and her hands clasped over her canes as she peered over her spectacles. The intense gaze caused Afiyah to examine her attire to see if she was dressed appropriately.

"The public is inquiring." They were having lunch that day, when she overheard Soraya mention.

"It's been only two months." She spoke tensely while barely nibbling on a piece of flatbread to prevent any noise from being made.

"The week after my wedding, I found out I was pregnant. I don't want others to believe that there is a problem with you, therefore her inquiries felt like a dagger in the chest. Or, does any problem exist?"

Afiyah stared at her, unable to speak.

"Are you sterile, young lady?"

"Is it counted as a sin to delay having children?" she said with a wry grin, "What if I decide not to have children straight away? Considering my age-"

"When you're married, age is irrelevant. When a girl gets married, she ceases to be a child. People have children when they are still quite young. By next month, I want you to be expecting."

Afiyah choked as a piece of bread lodged in her throat. She downed the water in a fit of fright.

"You've got me?"

She nodded, wiping the back of her hand across her mouth.

Afiyah recognized that her mother-in-law was truly a demanding woman with expectations that needed to be met. She insisted on getting up early, had strict rules about when to eat breakfast, lunch, and supper, detested wearing tight or short clothing, and reprimanded Afiyah in front of the throng if her scarf ever fell off of her head.

Khizar and Affan were tangled together, and Afiyah was trapped in the middle. She was unsure of what to do initially because she was afraid Khizar might occasionally use blackmail against her and aside from that, she was too conscience and uncomfortable to consider of Affan as a husband with physical relationship. She never considered becoming pregnant, nor did she participate in romantic activity with her husband. After two months, people began to inquire about the "Blessing."