Against The Tide (Formerly Two Tribes)

35: Chasing Pennies With Dollars

Afrah had only been gone for two weeks but it seemed like a year because she had taken Jameel's happiness with her.

Najah was not pleased to have the old Jameel back.

The house had become more like a graveyard.

Jameel had drifted farther away from Najah. The conversations they used to have about his day had stopped. He hardly even ate her food. It was becoming unbearable for Najah because she was being punished for no crime at all. While Jameel was being punished by Afrah, Najah was being punished by Jameel. His silence wasn't something she was used to. She had tried many times to make him speak to her but to no avail.

Jameel had left for work and Najah was home alone.

She was seated in the living room, lost in her thoughts. Everything that was happening was taking a toll on her. She thought she would get used to it but every time he ignored or acted formally towards her, the pain would return in folds.

Severally, Najah had tried to talk to him about bringing Afrah back because no matter how she thought of it, she kept realizing that she was his happiness, but to no avail.

"Assalamualaikum!"

"Ilham?" Najah sprung up and rushed to the door to get it.

Over the weeks, Najah and Ilham had gotten incredibly close to each other. They had created a bond worth keeping. Ilham had never gotten tired of lending a listening ear to Najah, and Najah had never felt uncomfortable confiding in Ilham.

"Ilham!" Najah exclaimed and ushered her in. "Why didn't you inform me you were coming?"

"Well, I was in the area...I decided to drop by and surprise you. I knew you'd be home alone and bored.

"Phew! Being bored is an understatement. Nothing is interesting here. Nothing to do and no one to talk to."

Ilham sneered. "Jameel is still giving you attitude?"

Najah gave a closed-lip smile and nodded. "Unfortunately...please have a seat, let me get you some refreshments."

"No, you sit too," Ilham stopped her before she could walk away. "let's talk."

Najah gave her a knowing look before sitting beside her on the couch. She already had an idea of what they would be talking about and she was prepared for it.

"How are you?" Ilham threw the first question at her.

Najah smiled at the question. She smiled not because she was okay but because she didn't have an answer to the question asked. Her emotions were mixed-sad, angry at herself for having little to no confidence in herself, and most of all, fed up.

"What's going on?" Ilham's second question pulled her from her trance. "Jameel is still not talking to you?"

Najah nodded. "He's distancing himself more with every passing day. I don't want it to get to a point where he would leave the house."

"I don't think he'd do that... honestly, I think you two need to sit down and talk."

"And you think I haven't tried to do that? He's not complying. He hardly even speaks to me...he doesn't eat my food anymore. I think he blames me for Afrah leaving the house."

"Why would he blame you?" Ilham asked, furrowing her brows. "Did you say anything to her?"

"We argued some hours before she left."

Ilham had to pick her jaw from the ground. "you got into an argument with her? How did that even happen, and why am I just knowing this?"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you." Najah apologized. She had told Ilham about Afrah's exit from the house but she was yet to tell her the reason Afrah left. Najah didn't want Ilham to feel some type of way about Jameel. "I didn't want to burden you."