Affianced By Force

TWENTY-FIVE - A Journey To Behold

💐💐💐 Assalaam'alaykum lovelies. It's been ages, I know. I have just been a little lazy to make an update here. Please don't be mad. Please Enjoy the ride.💐💐💐

The following months were as hectic for everyone as the very start of a company could get. Their new acquisition needed a transformation and though Umamah was not the head of the game- despite her plea to Faisal to be, she was quite swamped with with work.

Faisal hated how busy she got these days. Okay, Umamah had always been one to get too preoccupied with work and not have time for all else. He had loved that about her. But when it was he who was at the receiving end of that, it didn't go down quite right.

He used all the tricks to get her attention, but something within the files was always won the battle. She wasn't completely oblivious of how much she had deserted him. Sometimes, she dropped by after a general meeting to give him a quick kiss and promise to make it up to him and other times, she just woke him up at night to "show her gratitude at his patience and understanding."

Try as hard as he did, he just didn't get it. He was her Boss. Her Most important Boss. But clearly, Umamah Sulaym didn't even acknowledge that.

He wasn't ungrateful to her. In the past months she had managed to get deals even the Human Resource, Marketing Team and Project Management Team had given up on.

Wile he enjoyed being called the lucky man to hitch the young and most vibrant brain in the industry, it did not skip him, the attention that pulled to his woman. Young CEOs gladly accepted to work with him, because Umamah led the operations. Some, despite knowing her marital status wanted 'more' from her. It was a vile and vexing site.

Though he knew Umamah would never go beyond her limits and in fact, pulled away from some contracts where the intended partners didn't mean 'just business ', it was repeatedly getting vile and vexatious.

She worried about work even while they ate. Their first Ramadhaan together was the only time she spent in worship and paying attention to him. Fausal ts felt like a king, because Umamah had been too scared to ruin a good deed.

Finally, they were leaving for hajj in a month time and, Faisal was finally going to be able to execute his planned trip after the worship.
Yes. He did not intend to return with her to the country until after another month in Shaa Allah. He had it all planned out, and he would be a fool to let it out to the very "industrious Mrs. Sulaym."

"Assalam'alaykum."

You only needed to think of Umamah to see her stride in with a file in her hand. Faisal understood the drill. She would verify some decisions with him and then rush off.

"Wa'alaykumussalaam Wa RahmatuLlaah."
"Uhmmm. I was discussing with the girls and we came to the conclusion that The 5th Icon bidding needs your approval afterall."

When did they never? Faisal thought sarcastically. "And when do I get to be acknowledged and 'approved' by my own wife?

Umamah sub-consciously glanced around the room. She knew Faisal had been complaining about her lack of attention for him, but she had promised to make it up to him after their return from Hajj, In shaa Allah.

Faisal sighed. "Go ahead, use the seal and pass it to me. I will sign it. That's my only use anyways." His feigned melancholy elicited chuckles from her. She crossed over to him and bent down to place a kiss on his forehead.

"I am sooo sorry. I meant it my very sweet husband. I will make it up to you, once this bid is over and we are back from Hajj, In Shaa Allah." She promised gently.

"Why does that sound so familiar?" He mumbled, disgruntled as he affixed his seal to the document before picking a pen to sign on it.

"Most effective Boss ever!" She said, ignoring his sarcastic remark, picked the file up and blew him a kiss, just before she exited his office.

Right then, he decided that if things remained like these, he would lose his wife to work. Faisal picked his phone and dialled a number.

"Yes. Wa'alaykumussalaam Wa RahmatuLlaah. How are the arrangements coming?"

"Oh, they are ready sir. The only thing left are the tickets since we are still almost two months away."

"Good. Keep me updated."

And he ended the calls. Glancing at the door where his wife had existed, Faisal smirked. You will have to make it up to me, Umamah. MY WAY.

The next few days went well. The bid went well as well and the company acquired Fargads old pipelines. While some prepared for eid-el adha in a month, Umamah and her husband were preparing for Hajj.

It was a huge deal for Umamah. She had never been to Hajj before. In fact, Other than for York, she had never been outside the country. Since she discovered a long time ago that she was airsick, her hatred fir jouneys tripled.

But, that wasn't what had her nervous. Her mu'allims had taught her all the rites of Hajj, it's benefits and rewards and it's effects on previous sins of the pilgrim.

She ached to see the soil where the Prophet was born and persecuted for years until Allah granted him victory. She ached to feel what millions of Muslims that went for Hajj yearly felt. But she was scared.

She was no saint and all her life, she had been heedless. Allah forgives and He forgives completely. Yet, she had a long list of what she intended to ask of Allah once she arrived, In Shaa Allah.
Will Allah count her of those whose hajj was accepted this year?

"Penny for your thoughts?" Faisal asked. He had just returned from the restroom, freshly showered.

Umamah shook her head. "Just..."

"Apprehensive of your first hajj?  He knew her so well that sometimes, it shocked her how much.

"Is it that obvious?"

Faisal picked the mouth spray from the dressing table and his eyes danced over the six packed suitcases in front of the closet.

"Yes. Good Grief, Umamah! If I hadn't had Umm Faatimah come over to reduce those for you. Would you have traveled with all 14 boxes?"

"Well, excuse me for not knowing what I would need okay? And you... You aren't helping matters by dropping everything I pick either."

"Six boxes, Umamah? For less than a month? In Macca?" Faisal's eyes glowed with laughter, but he held it in.

"Well again, excuse me for trying to be meticulous."

He nodded and dropped the spray bottle. He threw on a jalabs and went into the prayer room to perform his late night nawafil, but not before he teased again. "You are meticulously ridiculous Sweetheart. But it's fine. You can also be ridiculously sweet, and I accept it."

That was all he got to say before Umamah's pillow hit the door behind him.

She couldn't help the smile that found way in. How Faisal became so humourous amazed her. He laughed and played about everything now and even sometimes, he even initiated it. It was all too good to be true. They were a real couple. They hadn't really had a fight, because Faisal has been complacent, taking it all. But she had promised to make it up to him as soon as they returned from hajj, In Shaa Allah and she was going to keep that.

She turned towards the pile of boxes again. They had been packed for almost a week now.

Despite Umm Faatimah's help in soughting out her needs, she felt it was not enough.

Was she really overpacking?
Faisal had told her all she needed was a box and they could buy anything else, needed there, but she saw it as a waste of money. What happened with all they bought there? But again, he had told her that there were always people who packed them for street sales and they could give them all as sadaqah before returning, In Shaa Allah.

Now, while she agreed, she often found herself reverting to her wardrobe to add "another necessity."

But she was done. No matter how tempting it became, she wasn't going to add anything new.

Faisal's phone rang then and she ignored it. But it became persistent. Faisal had permitted her to answer his calls. Even official. But, it was way past anytime for official calls right now and Umamah wondered who would be calling so late.

Pushing the disturbing thoughts away with the last shred of her clothing, she went into the restroom as well.

***