Between The Heavens And The Embers

EPILOGUE /Bonus chapter

     Two years later

         Everything had fallen into place, exactly how she wants it to be and she could finally say, she got her happily ever after.

   Standing by the window of her kitchen with her hands akimbo, she smiled, knowing that she had played with life, danced with death and came out breathing despite the scars. Durrah was sure she had seen every shade there is to life, she had lost her mother and taken care of both her dad and her younger brother.
 
  She had married the love of her life and lost him barely before she even got to know him. She had given birth and raised a child, married again and gave birth to another. Now, she is living the life she had always wanted, peace and tranquility in her kingdom, with a loving husband and two running head aches.

  The whistle of the kettle interrupted her train of thoughts and she immediately moved to the gas to switch it off. Just as she reached for the handle, her one year old daughter, Maryam Jiddah trotted in.

  Maryam Jiddah is a splitting image of her father, and as she grew, the resemblance became more scary. She had inherited everything from his ebony skin to his light brown eyes.

   "Maama, teeee an bichit" she whined, pouting her lips.

  Durrah opened her mouth to answer her but before she could, Junior ran into the room. He was wearing a jersey and shorts with his ball firmly placed in his hands.

   "Maama, please can i go out and play with Al-amin and Sadiq?"

  She opened her mouth yet again only to be interrupted by her husband "hayati, have you seen my wallet anywhere?"

   Durrah decided to handle this like she always did, first come first serve. She turned to her daughter first "Jiddah, tea and biscuit will be ready soon okay, just give maama two more minutes. Junior take your sister to the parlour and play her cartoon then you can go, you know the rules"

"Ok maama"  Junior reached out for his younger sister and walked her out of the kitchen.

    Lastly, she turned to Nadir. His lips as usual, was spotting a small smile as he looked at her with pure adoration.

  "Your wallet is in your bedside drawer" she replied to his earlier question

  Nadir stepped further into the kitchen "is there anything you need me to help with?"

   "No i got it, just Jiddah's tea and biscuit"

"Ok so Jiddah has her tea, Junior goes out to play then it will be me and you?" He smirked

  "I guess so" she laughed

Nadir walked further till he was close enough, then he wrapped his arms around her from behind "Can't wait" he whispered

  "Then let me make the tea or Jiddah will come back here"

  "I am not holding your hands, am i?" He whispered again, sending non-foreign shivers down her spine.

  Durrah sighed and decided it was best she focused on the task at hand, else, Nadir will definitely be the end of her and Jiddah will never get her tea.

  "Maama, Jiddah is being stubborn. She doesn't want to watch anything" Junior yelled, frustration clearly etched in his voice.

  Jiddah's cry came right after "maama" she yelled

  "My friend will you keep quite, just be crying wah wah wah with your big mouth there" Junior chastised

  Jiddah's cry only rang out louder "maama!"

  Durrah turned to her husband "can you?"

  "Its okay" he replied and left the kitchen to tend to their two children that never seemed to co-operate.

  Junior was somehow always getting under Jiddah's skin and she was always either fighting back or crying for backup.

  Durrah reached out for the biscuits when her phone pinged.
A message flashed across her screen, it was written boldly and stated clearly, like it was a threat.

  Durrah hardly had anytime to react when bullets started flying into the house, shattering their windows in the process.

  The message read; Death is only the beggining.