Hawwa's Paradise

Chapter-23 #Rewritten

The next afternoon, Hawwa was reading "What I Did For A Duke", a novel by Julie Anne Long on her tab. The time read 3:12. It was a romance with a nineteen year age gap. Obviously the male was older, as the reader was Hawwa. She was lying on the bed, her untied hair sprawled on the pillow. It still hadn't dried from the shower she had taken a few hours ago. After finishing the current page, she went to the next page which happened to be the last. After she was done with it, she exited the pdf. Her eyes ran on the lists of books displayed in the home of the pdf reader. She clicked on "Hava" by Tosca Lee. After reading the first page, Hawwa kept the tab aside. Then picking up her mobile from the table next to the bed, she called Qibriyah.

Qibriyah was in the playing room of the mess, at one side of the table tennis board when his phone started ringing. He missed out on hitting the ball coming across the board from a younger officer as he brought out his mobile. The ball dropped on his side of the board. It kept bouncing, till it dropped on the floor.

"Hi." Qibriyah answered as he kneeled down to pick it up.

"Hi. What are you doing?"

"I am playing table tennis." Qibriyah put the ball on the board.

"I am reading a novel based on the biblical story of Adam alaihissalam. Which story of the prophets is your favourite? Mine is Adam alaihissalam."

"I never thought about it." Qibriyah responded.

"Think about it and tell me,"

"Fine." The bell rang.

"Dadima and Chachi might have arrived from shopping." Hawwa got up from the bed. Then she left the room in quick steps. Reaching the door, she peeked through the looking hole. Khadijah and Ruponti were standing outside clad in abayas. Shopping bags were hanging from their hands. "Yeah, they have."

"Then I will hang up."

"Bye." Hawwa said as her hand reached up to pull the down the door hinge.

Hawwa opened the cover of a cardboard box resting on her bed. A red and gold decorated sharee was packed inside. She was standing by her bed. At each of her side, Asma and Marium were standing while Ruponti and Khadija were sitting on the bed. All pairs of eyes were on the sharee.

"Do you like it, Hawwa?"

"Yeah." Hawwa ran her hand over the sharee.

"This is Qibriyah's." Khadija opened another box and it had a black suit in it. There was a black collar and white shirt underneath.

"You should take pictures along with the other things we have bought for you two." Hawwa heard Ruponti when she hovered her mobile over the sharee and suit boxes she had placed together. Hawwa put her phone down seeing Ruponti bringing out two perfume boxes.

After jewelry, a watch, toiletries and more cosmetics were pulled out, with nothing remaining in the shopping bags, Hawwa assembled them together with the above mentioned items and took a picture. She sent it to Qibiryah on whatsapp.

With the ball on his bat, Qibriyah was ready to serve, when his mobile alarm gave off. Bringing out his mobile again, he switched it off. The time on the mobile read 3:45. Then he kept the mobile on the board.

"I am not playing anymore after this serve." He faced his opponent, reverting back to the former position.

"Yes sir." Responded the officer bracing himself before the ball came flying towards him. He shifted to the right for smashing the ball using backhand method. But, missed it for about an inch to the right. Dropping the bat and ball on the board, Qibriyah picked up his mobile. "Sir." The officer saluted him. Qibriyah saluted him back before starting to walk towards the exit. He checked his mobile to see two messages sent by Hawwa seven minutes earlier. The oldest was a picture. The newest was written.

Thank you for the money to buy my wedding gifts.

He responded.

Your welcome.

Then he called Khadija.

"Hello, did you see the picture Hawwa sent you?" Khadija was sitting on a single sofa in the drawing room when she answered the phone. Asma and Marium were sitting on the double sofa watching a movie called "Pathar Panchali" on television.

"Yeah, thanks for buying my stuff and also Hawwa's. The groom staff are supposed to buy the gifts for the bride. In our case, I didn't, as I don't like to spend long hours shopping."

"Your family didn't agree to attend the wedding even after I spoke to your parents. So, think of me as from both the bride and groom's side. I am not going to let you be alone on the groom's side. I was also happy shopping for you two."

"Thank you." Qibriyah's eyes beamed. "Although, I don't mind if my family doesn't attend my wedding."

"What are you doing now?"

"I am heading to the kitchen." Qibriyah responded as he stepped out of the room into the hallway.

"Did you have lunch?"

"Yes. I am going there as I am taking lessons on cooking from a cook."

"Since when?" An amused smile appeared on Khadija's lips.

"Less than two weeks ago."

"Good."