As Ouahib arrives in town , carrying the weight of a family that has weathered hardships, including parental separation, and the lingering echoes of a once vibrant home, he embarks on a new beginning, yearning for a different chapter.
In contrast...
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I give the last bite to Ouahib who is already gathering the dishes. "I'm full, really," He protest and I pout.
I don't know, but I just want to give him the same love he gives me. I want him to feel loved, as he makes me feel loved.
Maybe those messages are making me question our relationship, but I never questioned his care. They made my sleep disappear this morning and thus I went to the terrace.
I refocus on the current reality as Ouahib gives in and purposefully bites lightly on my finger.
"Movie time!" Farah exclaims, as she comes back from the kitchen after putting her plate in the sink. Yasmin and Narjis follow close behind and nod eagerly.
I look over to Ouahib who seems to not be interested in it, at all. I promised Farah the sleepover she wants and if she wants a movie then we'll watch a movie.
"Okay, you go with Ouahib and put on the movie you want and I'll finish here and join you, okay?" I tell them and see that Ouahib is about to open his mouth but I'm fast to cover it with my hand.
"No, I'll do the dishes!" I assert and he mumbles something incoherent below my hand, but I shake my head adamantly.
His shoulders slump and he nods, giving up. I smile at him and the girls are already dragging him up the stairs.
"Let's clean up here, little boy!" I tell Fahad who is still nibbling on his milk bottle. His eyes are droopy and thus I leave him in the living room and decide to clean it up later.
In the kitchen, I wash the dishes and tidy up the counters. I bring the mop and mop the kitchen, before heading to the entrance and all the spots around.
Finally I come into the living room and it's the messiest out of all. I go over to Fahad, but I find him already asleep. I smile at his serene face while he's sleeping and put the bottle aside. I take him up the stairs and just as I'm about to enter our room, I notice the girls whispering in the room beside ours.
We still haven't decided what to turn it into, but as it's right beside ours, it's most probably going to be a nursery, InshaAllah. For now, it is a neutral room with a bed and the other essentials. Kind of a guestroom.
I go over to find the mattress gone and all the pillows, I had decorated the room with. The girls were seated on the couch and giggling over something. I squint at them and decide to head over.
I enter to find our room, looking foreign to me. The bed frame is moved to the far end of the room and the mattress is on the floor and beside it, is another. Oh, the mattress from the room next door.
"Ouahib?" I call out his name in confusion. He is busy at a spot near the two mattresses. There are pillows and duvets on the two mattresses, which are side by side and then there is a little place, which is built up by duvets put on eachother multiple times, creating a little mattress.
