I Fell In Love With My Beautiful One

Chapter Ten: The Shadows of Family Ties

"Tehani" stood in the living room, looking at the pictures hanging on the wall to pass the time. She saw a picture of a young man with a black ribbon on it.

"Tehani" - sadly -: "Poor 'Hanaa', may God give her patience for his loss!"

"Hanaa" entered with a tray of tea and found "Tehani" in front of her husband's picture.

"Hanaa" - sadly -: "This is a picture of my husband 'Asem', may God have mercy on him!"

"Tehani" - touched -: "May God have mercy on him and forgive him!"

"Hanaa": "Amen!"

"Tehani": "Did you raise your children alone?!"

"Hanaa": "Thank God, God is generous. My mother didn’t leave me; she came and lived with me to help me focus on my work so I could provide for my children!"

"Tehani": "May God grant her a long life. And you, what do you do?!"

"Hanaa": "I am a tour guide in a private tourism company!"

"Hanaa" pointed to a picture hanging behind "Tehani."

"Hanaa": "Look, this is a picture of my brother 'Mahmoud'. He also stood by me and helped me raise my children even with their expenses. He works as a translator in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You know, 'Tehani', he studies six languages and speaks each fluently with the dialect of its people!"

... "The picture is of a handsome man in his forties, with gray eyes and thick black hair." ...

"Tehani" looked at the picture and was amazed by the beauty of his eyes.

"Tehani" - to herself -: "Mashallah, his eyes are very beautiful. I have never seen eyes as beautiful as his. How lucky his wife is!"

"Tehani" quietly swallowed her admiration for the man in the picture.

"Tehani": "Mashallah, you are a good family. May God protect you all!"

"Tehani" drank the tea and placed the cup on the tray.

"Tehani": "Thank you for the tea!"

"Hanaa": "Come, I will introduce you to my mother; she wants to see you, but I wanted you to drink tea first!"

"Tehani" entered a spacious room and felt a strange comfort when she saw an elderly woman sitting at the edge of her bed with a rosary in her hand.

"Tehani": "Peace be upon you, Auntie!"

"Fatima": "And upon you be peace and God's mercy and blessings. How are you, and how is your mother's health? I heard she is ill and that you came for her treatment. May God cure her here. I am 'Fatima', pleased to meet you, my dear!"

"Tehani": "The honor is mine, Aunt 'Fatima'. We will go to the doctor in an hour to check on her, and may we hear reassuring news!"

"Fatima": "Amen, may God reassure you about her!"

After a brief conversation, they were surprised when "Fatima" learned that "Tehani" had not married yet, despite her obvious beauty and calm nature.

"Fatima" - in astonishment -: "You are very beautiful, Mashallah. You don't look like you've surpassed forty?!"

... "Tehani, white, attractive, 42 years old, with shiny brown eyes, short hair dyed light brown, slightly plump with a slim waist, and a height of 165 cm." ...

"Hanaa" - jokingly -: "Do you want the truth? I feel like I see actress 'Marilyn Monroe' back in the world again, ha ha ha!"

"Tehani" felt embarrassed by the praise of her beauty and involuntarily remembered what her sisters used to say when they called her ugly all the time, on and off occasions, until she convinced herself and believed that she might be so without knowing. She thought that her sisters, who loved her and told her the truth for her benefit, prevented her from attending parties and gatherings, out of shame for her appearance, but she discovered too late how much darkness was in their hearts to the point that they could destroy her self-confidence and ruin her life.

Her memories were interrupted by the entrance of a woman with frightening features, who intentionally greeted "Fatima" and "Hanaa" while ignoring "Tehani's" presence.

"Hanaa" - awkwardly -: "Ah, 'Tehani', this is my aunt 'Badria'!"

... "Badria, 58 years old, tall, thin, sharp features, with a thin mouth and a long nose, resembling a cartoon witch. Her heart is full of hatred." ...

"Tehani" was frightened by "Badria's" harsh features and felt repulsed by her, confirming her intuition when she was insulted from the very first moment of their meeting. She reminded her of her sisters with their envy and jealousy and eagerly awaited "Ahmad" with her requests, so she stood up, bid them farewell, and hurriedly escaped to save herself.

"Badria" turned to "Hanaa" angrily.

"Badria": "How could you allow her to enter your apartment when you didn't know her yet?!"

"Hanaa": "She lives in the apartment of our expatriate neighbors, so it's natural for me to get to know her!"

"Badria": "And what kind of description would you give her now that you two know each other?!"

"Hanaa": "They arrived last night, so they still don't know anyone here; it's our duty to help them!"

"Badria": "Listen, I don't want to see her here again; do you understand? My heart is not at ease with her, and I know this type of person!"

"Fatima" - coldly -: "Well, if you don't want to see her here, you can go back to your home and see your son and husband; I'm sure they miss you!"

"Badria" - violently -: "Are you kicking me out because of her?!"

"Hanaa" - quickly -: "No, Auntie, my mother didn't mean that. You are above us, and this is your home, but you must welcome 'Tehani' because she won't be here long. She might stay for a month and then return to her country!"

"Badria" - sharply -: "I don't care if she stays for a month or a day. My word is the one that will prevail, and I will not let you because of one like her. Come on, get up and bring my breakfast!"

"Hanaa": "Okay, Auntie!!"

"Hanaa" stood up from her place, and "Badria's" eyes followed her.

"Badria" - to herself, with hatred -: "Just wait, I left my home and my work to see you all dead in anguish. That day must come, and my heart will rejoice as I see you all destroyed one by one. And now the count has increased by one with their neighbor, the daughter of the sick woman!!"

"Hanaa" stood in the kitchen preparing her aunt's breakfast while thinking of her.

"Hanaa" - to herself -: "What does my aunt want from us? I am tired, and my children live under her mercy? Oh God, when will You remove her from our lives so we can be free from her and her problems? We want to live in peace!"

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"Tehani" walked to her apartment, thinking of "Badria."

"Tehani" - to herself -: "There is a big difference between Aunt 'Fatima' and 'Hanaa' and Aunt 'Badria.' I felt when I was with them as if I were in a beautiful dream, and when 'Badria' came, I entered a terrible nightmare!!"

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