No Conditions, Whatsoever

She is special

Reminder: Pray and make lots of dua for everyone.

Author's PoV:

Feiha entered her house with the kitten in one arm and the other carrying the grocery. She placed the bags on the kitchen counter and was about to leave when she saw Hania slowly entering.

“Hey kiddo,” Feiha smiled, “look what I got us.”

Hania’s eyes lazily landed on the little creature cuddled in Feiha's embrace and the former’s expression changed into a surprised one. 

“Where did you..? Is it a boy or a girl?” She moved closer to run her on the kitten's small form, giggling when she heard her small “meow.” Feiha smiled at her sister, finally happy on hearing the childish sound after a long time.

“A girl,” Feiha answered, “I found her injured on the road. She needs to be taken to a vet.”

Hania nodded and suggested they take their pet to the nearest veterinary clinic which was right next to the masjid of their locality. The two girls kept gazing at the tiny being before Hania suddenly remembered. 

“Oh!” She hurriedly went deeper in the kitchen and began to serve snacks on a plate.

Feiha frowned, “What happened?”

“Aunt Bashira is here,” Hania answered. She turned around to check on Feiha and noticed a sour look on her face. “You don't have to see her if you don't want to. She doesn't know that you're home.”

Feiha didn't dislike Aunt Basheera for nothing. That middle aged woman, who happened to live in the same neighbourhood as theirs, was known to be a gossip monger. In addition to that, she had even tried to set Feiha up with her son.

“I'm ready to help you in unburdening yourself, brother,” she had told Feiha's father, when Feiha was just a freshman in her college. Thankfully, Hafeez Hamdan was an educated man. He had refused the offer of the toxic woman and had clearly told her that he was not intending to “unburden” himself until he had his daughters’ consent.

Feiha rolled her eyes at the memory. She had no wish to face that vile woman after all the garbage she had known about her. But Feiha wanted to meet her father. She had not gotten a chance to check on him that day as she had been busy.

“I don't care about her,” Feiha waved her hand, “besides, I gotta show Chairo to Baba.” 

“Chairo? What's the meaning of that name?”

“Chairo…” Feiha mused, “means “brown” in Japanese.” The kitten's body was covered in dark brown hair and her curious eyes were a beautiful hue of green. 

“Cute,” Hania grinned.

Both of them made their way towards their father's room. “Assalamualaikum,” Feiha greeted and strided straight to sit next to her Baba. 

Hamdan, who was sitting with his back rested against the headboard of the bed, extended his left arm, inviting his eldest daughter to snuggle close to him. He smelled her hair and a sense of peace engulfed him immediately.

“Who is this little guy?” He questioned as he tapped on the kitten's head with his index finger.

“It's a girl, Baba,” Feiha pouted, “and her name is Chairo.”

Khadija was seated on a chair and Bashira was right next to her. They watched the father daughter duo diving deep into a conversation that shifted from one topic to the other.

The former watched them with an adoring stretch of her lips. At hard times like these, it was only a few of such moments that made her happy.

Bashira on the other hand couldn't stay quiet and let out the first thing that came to her mind, “That thing might be infectious.”

“We'll take her to a vet, you don't have to worry about it.” 

It was Hania who had replied to the nosy woman and Feiha smirked at that.

Bashira gave a fake smile and nodded. She then began to talk about her son and how he landed a job in a high tech company. “My Sarim tells me not to brag about him but how can I not? He's such a perfect man. There are so many families trying to set him up with their girls but I am very particular about what I want for him.” 

By the time she finished her small speech, the women in the room were already rolling their eyes. “It's sad that Hamdan Bhaijan didn't consider our proposal.”

Feiha shifted uncomfortably and her father got the cue to take a stand for her. “I am not going to marry my daughters off without their consent, sister.” His voice was polite but firm. “Flower,” he shifted his focus to his left, “why don't you take Miss Chairo to your room and clean her up? I can see that she's injured and needs medication.”

Feiha agreed with him, “You're right. Hania and I are going to take her to the vet.” She got up and signalled Hania to do the same. “Let's go, we'll have to return before it gets dark.”

The girls left and the atmosphere of the room became serious. Khadija was trying to control her anger by telling herself that Bashira was a mere guest and would leave soon. 

The sound of the main door closing reached their ears, telling them that the sisters were gone. Bashira studied the faces of the people in front and let out a dramatic sigh. “It's understandable, Bhaijan. I know you're a bit insecure and that's okay.”

“Insecure?” Khadija frowned, “What for?”

Bashira hid a scoff. She was trying to sound empathetic, not knowing that she was failing miserably. “Feiha, of course. I mean, her condition doesn't really make her an ideal choice for marriage but I'm fine with it. These things can get cured if we tr–”

“That's enough.”

Hamdan’s forbidding voice interrupted Bashira, startling her in the process. He had had enough of her detritus talks. “Let me make this clear to you, even though I already have in the past, that my daughter is not a burden to me. She is not less than any other girl out there. She is special and she deserves someone who will love her and value her and will never make her feel inferior.” 

“And your son,” he looked at his neighbour with a mocking smile, “is, unfortunately, not fit for her.”

Khadija looked at her husband with tears in her eyes. The topic in hand was too heavy for her to handle. “You should leave,” she spoke in a low tone and Bashira gasped at her words. She stood up offended, like this kind of reaction was the last thing she was expecting. She wasn't really fond of Feiha but she was ready to accept her only because of her son. 

Sarim had been crushing on Feiha for a very long time. At first, Bashira had tried to persuade him into giving up on her but he never listened. He instead begged his mother to talk to Feiha's parents and convince them for their marriage.

Bashira gave into her son's wishes but she still saw Feiha as someone not worthy of becoming Sarim’s wife.

Feeling insulted at being called out for her villainy, she stomped out but not before shooting a death glare at the couple who were now trying to recover from their rage and pain.

“You will regret this,” were her last words as she left the house, resembling a volcano ready to erupt.

_________________________________________

So what do you think her "condition" is? Is it something serious? Will it make Ayan question his intentions? And will it break or make their story?

Let me know your guesses in the comment section.

Also, don't forget to vote.

Thanks ❤️