Hidden bonds of love

42.

"Hanan approached her mother with a heartfelt plea, her eyes filled with hope. 'Mom, could I please spend this weekend with my sister Maryam? I promise to behave and be a good girl,' she implored, while her mother, Sajida, was busy in the kitchen preparing a refreshing fruit salad.

Sajida sighed, placing her hands on her hips as she responded, "Sweetie, you can't go anywhere if you keep getting into fights with the boys at school."

Hanan's frustration was evident as she folded her arms and formed a pout on her lips. She even scrunched up her face to convey her anger. Just then, Nameer entered the kitchen and noticed the tense atmosphere. Curious, he asked, "Why the long face, little one?"

Hanan's irritation flared up as she retorted, 'Daddy, it's so annoying when you call me "baby." I'm a big girl now.' Her face still bore the signs of her vexation.

Nameer chuckled but stood firm, saying, "I'll stop calling you 'baby' when you stop fighting with the boys at school."

Hanan let her hands drop and shot an annoyed look at Nameer. "You two keep talking about me fighting with the boys. I can't just stop that! Ugh, I'm so annoyed right now." She turned her head away, indicating her anger, and continued, "Since Mom won't let me go see sister Maryam and share delicious snacks with her, I won't stop fighting with the boys at school. Don't bother calling me for dinner; I won't eat." With those words, she stormed out of the kitchen, leaving Sajida and Nameer bewildered by her unexpected outburst."

Sajida couldn't help but chuckle as she shared a humorous moment with Nameer. "Promise me, don't go calling her for dinner. Let her experience a little hunger; it might teach her some manners. It seems the older she gets, the more exasperating and impolite she becomes," she said, her voice laced with frustration.

Nameer, taking a step closer to Sajida, tried to reason, "Perhaps we shouldn't let her go to bed with a little hunger; after all, she's still just a child."

Sajida slowly turned her head, her expression now grave. "Today, I've made up my mind. Hanan won't be having dinner tonight, alright? We're not depriving her of food; she does this every time because she knows you'll go to her and plead for her to eat. Indulging her like that makes her believe she's always right and we're wrong," Sajida explained firmly.

Nameer attempted to interject, but Sajida cut him off. "No 'buts,' Nameer, okay? You're not going to her room to coax her into having dinner. If she's hungry, she'll come out and find the food. And don't call a girl who fights with boys at school a baby. Baby my foot," Sajida exclaimed, her eyes locked on Nameer's face, her tone serious and filled with frustration.

"Understood," Nameer responded quickly, recognizing Sajida's unwavering determination. He knew better than to argue when she wore that serious expression.

As he picked up the fruit salad bowl to help her, he attempted to lighten the mood. "Can I at least expect a smile from you, my love?"

Sajida maintained her stern stance. "I won't smile until I wake up tomorrow morning and find out you haven't gone to Hanan's room to beg her to eat or secretly take food to her."

Nameer silently complied and left the kitchen with a smile on his lips, muttering to himself, "Women are such dreamer queens."

The following morning, Hanan was up bright and early, her stomach growling with hunger. She patiently awaited her father's customary plea to eat, but to her surprise, he didn't come, and she went to bed with an empty stomach. The next day, she awoke still feeling the pangs of hunger.

Sitting at the dining table, they all gathered for breakfast. Hanan wasted no time in devouring her portion of fried Arish potato, practically shoveling it into her mouth. Nameer and Sajida exchanged amused glances, stifling their laughter.

"Sweetheart, how did you sleep last night?" Sajida inquired, a warm smile on her face. Hanan, with a mouth full of potato and egg, turned her attention to her parents, suddenly aware of her ravenous eating. Sajida gently instructed her to finish chewing before responding, and Hanan obliged.

"I was hungry, Daddy didn't come," Hanan replied with a hint of sadness in her voice.

Sajida, maintaining her gentle smile, offered a valuable lesson. "Next time, dear, try not to speak to your daddy rudely and walk away from him," she advised. Hanan promptly apologized.

Nameer couldn't help but feel sorry for Hanan; he knew she had a hearty appetite, and this was the first time she had gone to bed without dinner.

"You do eat a lot, Hanan. Maybe it's time to cut down a little," Sajida suggested, and Hanan couldn't help but feel a tinge of regret.

As they continued to enjoy their meal, Nameer's attention briefly shifted towards Hanan, and then he turned his gaze away.

"Hanan, let me share a little story about your mother," Nameer began with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. "When your mother was young, she had quite the appetite. She used to devour two full plates of food, and she was a plump and chubby girl in those days," he recounted, and Hanan burst into laughter.

"Is that really true, Mom?" Hanan asked, still chuckling at the thought. Sajida, however, wore a stern expression, glaring at Nameer while he tried to stifle his laughter.

Sajida seized the opportunity to remind Hanan of a previous lesson. "Hanan, remember what I told you about sneaking meat from the pot? One day, I prepared paper chicken and fried fish because we were expecting guests. I stepped out to pick them, only to return and find your father had devoured all the chicken and fish," Sajida recounted, a sense of satisfaction and mischief in her voice as she observed Nameer's face turning grumpy.

Hanan couldn't hold back her laughter. "You won't believe it, but it was two chickens and three fish. I still can't figure out how he managed to devour all that meat in under 11 minutes," Sajida recounted, her expression a mix of seriousness and satisfaction from getting her revenge.

Hanan chuckled even harder. "Daddy, it turns out you were quite the food enthusiast. Now I understand where I inherited my love for food. Your story is even funnier than Mom's. I can't fathom how you ate all that meat," Hanan continued, laughter still bubbling within her.

Unable to contain her laughter, Hanan stood up from the dining chair and announced her intention to return to sleep. Nameer observed her with a smile as she left the dining area, while Sajida burst into laughter.

Naneer couldn't help but ask, "Why did you do that?"

Sajida responded, "Why are you upset? You started it."

"I just wanted to cheer her up since she was feeling down," Nameer explained.

Sajida chimed in, "Well, she did laugh, thanks to me revealing your part of the story. It's not like I made up anything; everyone contributed to making her laugh."

With a smile, Sajida collected the plates and headed for the kitchen. "Next time, be careful about what you share, because whatever you tell me, I'll share right back. The fun part is that everyone has their own story to tell."

"Whatever," Nameer retorted, making sure she could hear him.

Seeing Sajida smile made Nameer happy. He hadn't seen that special smile from her since last night, and he always felt like he couldn't move forward without it.