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 lay here watching my wife peacefully sleep, as I admire her serene face. The urge to kiss those chubby cheeks is so immense, that I give in, kissing them one by one.
It's 6am on a Sunday and we are supposed to be preparing everything for the Daawat we have planned for today, but my wife is still sleeping.
I caress her little bump and give it a quick kiss before slipping out of the duvet and viewing her properly, making sure she rests well. She has been planning every little detail for the past week and has been exhausted especially yesterday with preparing the meat and sweets to be able to get into cooking right away today.
I freshen up in the bathroom and make my way downstairs. It has been almost a month since that joyous day when I got to know that I will be a father.
It still feels surreal. The happiness I felt is indescribable. Alhamdulilah. I still need to get accustomed to this new phase of our life, but I'm doing my best.
I strive to be the best husband and best father for both my babies, InshaAllah.
In the kitchen I put the marinated meat into separate bowls and put the lamb meat which is supposed to be grilled and the chicken which will go with the biryani to the side.
I start chopping the vegetables for the separate dishes, while I go over all the dishes we will be preparing for today.
After the vegetables are chopped and ready to be cooked, I put each portion beside its respective dish and go over to start cleaning the seafood.
Good two hours pass by until I hear Aaliyah shriek from upstairs. My senses heighten and I drop everything and run upstairs.
In the room I find Aaliyh nowhere in sight, "Aaliyah!" I call out, desperate to see whether she's okay. All the possible scenarios go through my mind in a matter of a few seconds and my heart is thumping loudly.
"Yes," comes her voice from the closet and I wish over. "Aaliyah, what happened?! Are you hurt? Is it paining?" I ask worriedly and examine her from head to toe.
"I overslept! They'll be arriving in four hours!" She exclaims her face full of horror.
"It's okay, I've done half of everything! Don't worry!" I assure her and her face shows relief. She slumps onto the ottoman and I wrap my arms around her.
"I woke up with such a schock, I thought we would embarrass ourselves in front of everyone, on our first invite," she whispers and then grabs her almost invisible bump caressing it, "I'm sorry baby, I scared you too, didn't I?" She murmurs and I chuckle.
"He or she didn't get scared, don't worry!" I assure her and she smiles. "Come on, freshen up and I will be downstairs, okay?" I tell her and she nods.
"Pfuii! What a start!" She murmurs before I pull her up to stand. I lean in and peck her lips, while she fists her hands onto my shirt.
We part ways, I go downstairs and she goes into the bathroom.
