LET ME WALK YOU TO JANNAH

Chapter 21

We would be having guests today, Shahzad's mom told me. They were coming to visit the newly wed.

I found Shahzad's mom busy in the kitchen preparing food.

I wheeled inside and asked, "mom can I help you with the preparation?" She turned around and gave me a hard stare.

"Am sure you need help yourself." She said harshly making me almost fall out of the chair. This wasn't a respond I was expecting. My heart clutched in my chest and I couldn't push away the sadness that had a tight grip on me.

I pushed myself out of the kitchen and almost knocked out Fareeha who stood on the gateway wearing a frown.

"Mom! You are so rude!" She bellowed before she crouched down next to me and held my hand giving it a light squeeze. "Am sorry, please don't take it to your heart." I nodded in response swallowing the heavy lump lodged in my throat. 

I was sitting in the living room mindlessly flipping through the channels when Fareeha came holding a bowl in her hand. "Can you please peel these potatoes for me? I am making fries." She placed the potatoes in the bowl on the coffee table and went to get me a knife and a clean empty bowl where I would be placing the peeled ones. I knew this was her way of making up for her mother's outrageous behaviour.

I did the task I was given half heartedly while my mind kept drifting back to the comment my mother in law had given me. She said I needed help myself. She saw me as nothing but feeble woman.

The guest had arived, they were three women and one young man. We were now all sitting around the dining table holding a variety of dishes.

As we all dined, I couldn't help but be filled with uneasiness by the eyes that were giving me odious looks. I played with the fork in my hand hyperconscious of the scanning eyes.

Shahzad must have noticed my discomfort as he slipped his left hand on my hip and gave a light reasuring squeeze. It was his way of telling me that he was there with me and had my back. His hand made heat to spread from my hip-where it was placed- to my heart.

After having dinner and a little chat, to my relief the guest decided to depart. They stood heading towards the gate and I decided to help clear the table. I was putting the utensils in the dish washer when I heard one of the guest saying my name.

"Ameera is her name right?" She asked making my ears to perk on their own accord. Since the window near the dishwasher was facing the porch, I could clearly hear their talk.

It was against my principles to evesdrop because the Quran had warned us against it and it was a grave mistake.

My logic didn't intervene to make me move away from hurting myself and doing something that was totally unacceptable.

"I don't understand why your son, a doctor would choose a crippled woman. She can't even walk." One of the guests said.

"I don't understand either." Shahzad's mother said sounding disappointed.

"You could have stopped your son. He could've found a better wife."

"You don't think I tried? Shahzad was not listening to me. I tried to coax him but failed." My mother in law sighed heavily.

"Why didn't you read Quran on him. She must have casted a spell on him. Women nowadays are doing Sihr(magic) to attract rich men." The woman said crushing every strength I thought I had built over the years. Her words went directly into my heart like a bullet causing me to bleed internally.

I pushed my wheelchair finding it suddenly too heavy to move. I moved out of the kitchen but not before hearing my mother in law's response.
"I could sense from the beginning that she was a witch. Pray for my son. God is more powerful than Sheytan and sihr."

I reached our room and no longer fought the tears that I had been caging. Burying my head in my hand, I sobbed hard letting the tears to untie the knots in my heart.

"What's wrong love." I heard Shahzad's panicked voice. I lifted my head reading the concern written on his face.  He scooched down and instantly pulled me in his arms hugging me tightly like he feared I would evaporate in the air.

I pushed at his chest hating him for bringing me into his house. "Just leave me alone." I cried placing my head into my knees and sobbing more.

"Tell me what's the problem, we can solve it. " He rubbed his hand on my back trying to soothe me but it didn't lessen my pain. The thought that my mother in law believed that I had bewitched her son was the toughest pill to swallow.

"I said leave me alone." I spat out making Shahzad to flinch. I felt bad for taking my anger and pain out on him when he was showing me only concern.

I moved to the bed and laid myself on the mattress and covered myself forcing sleep to take over me.