His Savior In A Headscarf

1.

The kettle whistled on the stove as water boiled inside. Tabassum ran towards the kitchen to switch off the stove. "Ya Allah! This man is on my back all morning. Tabassum, where's my towel? Tabassum, I can't find my socks. Tabassum, where's my breakfast? Tabassum, Tabassum, Tabassum. Urgh! I can't do anything properly! just was about to explode this kitchen up if I couldn't come in time." She mumbled to herself in an exasperated manner as she busied herself with making breakfast.

"Tabassum!"

She closed her eyes for a second, stopped her hand midway through cutting onions,  taking a deep breath, "Yes, Farhan!" she yelled back in response.

She watched as her husband walked into the kitchen, "Where's Aayat? I can't find her."

"She's asleep."

"It's 8 in the morning, why she isn't up yet? And where's Noman?"

"It's Sunday Farhan, let the kids rest for a bit." She said as she shifted the pancakes to the plates, "sit, I'll serve you breakfast."

Farhan just nodded and went to sit at the dining table. Watched his wife as she severed the breakfast and sat beside him.

They were eating in comfortable silence, but Farhan was uneasy as he wanted to have a family meal with his wife and kids. He wanted to see their faces first thing in the morning. Every morning. Breakfast time is family time.

After a sip from his tea, he called for them to come down. He has this weird habit of yelling and calling everyone so they listen and come to him to ask what he wants. He won't just go and ask them politely.

Typical father.

Upstairs, in a room filled with every necessity, a beautifully decorated room it was with white and violet walls, on the window white net curtains with violet drapes, from which sunlight peeking through and fell on the bed, on the bed she was sleeping under the covers with a teddy held by an arm against her face to block the sunlight.

Ring! ring!

She groaned against the teddy and reached out to the nightstand, unplugged her charger, and held her phone against her ear without looking at the caller id, "Hemllowm!" Her voice came out muffled as her face was still buried against the teddy.

Ring ring!

The phone rang again, but this time right in her ear.

She jerked it back,  slid the screen, and again put it on her ear but this time taking her face out towards the ceiling. "Hellooo!" Groggily she said.

"Hello, Miss Aayat Malik?"

"Yes, speaking. Who is it?"

"This is Jennifer from Walton Russell and Co. Calling to inform you that your interview is scheduled for Monday, tomorrow 9:00 am. Please be on time." The woman replied.

"Uh, ok. Thank you." She still said sleepily.

"Have a nice weekend ma'am." The woman said in a polite tone and then the call disconnected. Her phone slipped from her hand and was now resting on the pillow beside her face.

It took her exactly 15 seconds to register what the woman said. Her brown eyes shot open and abruptly sat up on the bed wide awake, her hair falling on her face.

"Walton Russell, 9 am, interview." She mumbled to herself -a habit she picked up from her mother- repeating what the woman informed her. "Tomorrow."

"TOMORROW!!!" she shrieked as she tossed the teddy away and jumped up on the bed. And started pacing left and right on the bed. Scratching her head a bit, "Monday, tomorrow in New York, interview. They called for the interview! Walton Russell! They called for the interview! Ya Allah! I need to pack, I need to get ready."