DALIA (Book 1 in the ISWAJI series)

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Dalia's POV

The drive back home felt dreadful, it felt so long. I didn't want to go and face the demon. Maybe I'd rather see Lucifer than be with my mother.

I step into the house with a sigh, a prayer under my breath.

"Where were you?" Mother asks from the living room.

"I was at taita's house." Better be honest than lie I was out for a run.

"I need to talk to you." She says and I walk and sit at the other side of the room.

Patience, Dalia.

"I don't think you are ready to get married." Mother bluntly says.

"Mum, I'm twenty-four years old, I work, I have a degree like you always wanted me to. What else is wrong?" I bring up the degree knowing very well a few years ago she said no man would marry a woman without a degree.

She stays silent and doesn't respond.

"Are you afraid that after I get married I wouldn't talk to you?" I ask her suddenly, but deep down I actually wish to never speak to her again. In my heart, she is dead to me.

"Not that just that Dalia. Your brother isn't married yet. What are people going to say? The female was married before the male." She brings up society again. What are they going to say.

"That's messed up, okay! God has written these things for us. Stop trying to take this away from me. You didn't even give Waleed a valid reason, or any of us actually, why you refuse."

"He doesn't seem like a good person."

"It's because he is amazing, you are trying not to see that. By saying he doesn't seem like a good person. I know him more than you do. I work with him." I sigh.

"Is that what you have been doing all this time out of the house?! Getting to know him?!" She gets up from her seat and stands trying to scare me.

"No! What is wrong with you mama?! If I wanted to get to know him, I wouldn't have bothered speaking to baba about this."

She frowns.

"You're mad because I told baba first, well I'm sorry. But baba didn't seem to give any of those reasons to me when I told him. He didn't mention anything about him being ethnically Arab. He didn't even bring up the fact I had interest in someone before. Why are you like this?" I tear up. I couldn't handle it anymore.

But knowing my mum, she would never wipe my tears. I don't remember the last time she did so.

The phone starts ringing, breaking the tension, and mum leaves without a word.

With my anger starting to rage, I start cleaning up the house releasing my anger on blankets and cushions.

Waleed's POV

I lie in my bed waiting for something to happen, I just feel upset, maybe even numb.

The one girl I fall in love with, her mum is crazy.

My feelings decide to take over and I settle comfortably in my bed to write a letter to Dalia, one that I would give her as soon as I see her.

It takes me over thirty minutes to come up with the right words. As soon as I was done, I quickly hide it under my pillow.

A knock on my door brings me back to my senses, away from Dalia for the moment.

"Waleed, can I come in?" My mum asks softly.

"Sure." I don't budge from my bed. I still lay down as she enters the room.

I feel the bed dip next to me and I look at my mother.