Turmoils- A Muslim Love Story

Chapter 5

If things between me and Farhan were bad the other day, they just got worse over the weekend. He wanted to fire me to feed his ego but Shaila Aunty, she asked me to call her that, told him that it was no big deal and I had a point.

I sat next to Aunty and massaged her feet with oil. She kept staring towards the ceiling, lost in her own world.

We had grown pretty close. She loves me like her daughter. I also love her like my mother.

"I want to see Farhan's bride before I die," she spoke up, suddenly. Her sentence left me a bit startled.

Was Farhan marrying?

"I'm sure he would bring you the best bride and daughter," I smiled at her in assurance.

Though, on the inside, I was 99.9% sure no stupid girl in, their right mind, would marry that dim bulb.

Aunty Shaila nodded and layed her head back down.

I closed her room door quietly and made my way towards my room. I was really tired and my bones were breaking.

I passed the kitchen and noticed dirt on the floor.

It was a dirt trail. My eyes widened as they followed it and landed on a man hunched infront of the refrigerator.

Ayan.

"Hey what are you doing here?" I asked him, as I entered the kitchen and sat on the stool.

He turned around, gave me a charming smile, and then went back to disturbing the contents of the fridge.

"I was here to see mother but you guys were busy, so I decided to help myself with some snacks." He shut the door then sat on the stool opposite from me.

Ayan was handsome too. His muscles were developed and impressive, but not as gorgeous as Farhan's.

We chirped and chatted until I was too tired to even speak. I went into my room, shut the door. I pulled off the band holding my hair and practically threw myself ontop of my bed.

***

Something kept ringing up. Like over and over. I groaned, turned around and burried my head in the pillow, trying to get away from the horrible noise.

Then suddenly it hit me. The bell! I sat up and sure enough, it was ringing. Aunty Shaila needed me. I looked at the time and it was 1:30 a.m in the morning.

I raced out and across the hall. I pushed open her room door and darted inside. Aunty was lying on her bed. She looked pale and extremely unwell.

"Ayesha..... Ayesha.... Farhan... ," she pointed towards her phone. I quickly grabbed it and found Farhan's number in the contact list.

He picked up on the 4th ring.

"Hello?" His voice sounded hoarse and raspy. He'd been asleep.

"Hello Farhan? It's me Ayesha."

"You? Why did you call me?" He sounded very annoyed. I looked at Aunty Shaila and she seemed to be getting worse.

"Farhan, something is wrong with aunty please come fast please." I pleaded, almost tearing up. She seemed to be in so much pain.

"What? You wait right there I am coming." He hung up.

I quickly reverted my attention back to aunty and grabbed her hand. "Okay, okay. Relax. You just need to tell me where it hurts."

She pointed at her chest, where the bandage had now soaked with blood and turned crimson. Biting my lower lip, I tried to peel it off and replace the gauze. She groaned in pain as I lightly tried to change her dressing.

Farhan came about 15 minutes later. We took Aunty to the hospital. She was having pain in her wound.

I sat outside the emergency room, my dinner rising in my mouth. Farhan was looking at me with pure anger and hatred.

I made face. "What?"

Honestly, I was so done with his 'I've got money and you are filth' attitude. I mean, I work for his mother as a nurse, not as a luggage guy. He could cut me some slack.

"What did you do for mom to go through this much pain?" He snarled.

My mouth dropped open.

He seriously wasn't blaming me for what happened was he?

"Wow! You really aren't-" I scoffed.

Just then, the doctor came out. I dashed to him and so did Farhan.

"How is she? Is she fine?" He asked.

"Yes Mrs. Shaila is alright and she wants to see you both together." He walked away. I looked at Farhan, who moved forward and went in without me.

I followed and entered the room. Aunty was holding his hand and looking at me, expectantly. I sat down on the foot of her bed.

"Ayesha, Farhan as you both know I don't have much time left. But until I am alive, I want to see your bride Farhan. I want you to marry." She said.

I was confused. If this talk was about Farhan's marriage, then why didn't she tell me to leave?

Farhan nodded. "Yes mom. And I-"

"You will marry the girl I will choose for you. Consider this as my last wish son. I want to be the one to choose your bride." She cut him off and continued. Farhan had no other choice but to nod.

"And I have a girl in mind. You have to marry her. As per my wish." She said. He looked at his mother.

"Who is she mum?" He asked.

Aunty looked at me. "Ayesha."

My eyes widened.

Infact, they practically fell out of their sockets. Farhan looked shocked to the core too. But soon his shock turned to anger.

"No way! Under any circumstances am I marrying this girl. She's filthy. And our maid. I don't even sleep in the type of clothes she wears." He scrunched up his nose.

I felt as if someone had slapped me hard. I just looked at him, hurt. Completely hurt.

"Farhan!" Aunty Shaila yelled.

I didn't stay to hear more. I dashed out of the room, down the corridor and outside the hospital door.

I ran and reached a park. I sat on one bench and began to sob silently.

It wasn't my fault that I was poor. That I had no one. It was never my choice. It was Allah's. He was the One who gave me everything and Who took everything from me.

But then again Farhan was right. Little people like me should be squashed and thrown in the bin. The world is made up for all of these rich folks.

The tears kept streaming down my face. I couldn't help them. I knew my reality but Farhan found it necessary to shove it in my face every once in a while.

After crying for sometime, I decided to go back to Aunty Shaila. I dried and washed my face from the bathroom of the hospital. I had to go back, even when I badly didn't want to.

I opened her room door and to my relief, Farhan wasn't anywhere in sight. I sat on the stool and she heard me.

"Ayesha, I know you must be confused why I said something like this. But I really want you to be my daughter-in-law. I know, it has only been a few days since I know you, but I know you will never ever disappoint me. I want this marriage as my last wish. Please grant it my daughter."
She said, looking extremely weak.

What could I say? She wanted this as her last wish. I just couldnt say no to her.

"Alright I'm ready." I said, my voice barely above a whisper.

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