Loving You

chapter six

Why the hell would Yusuf want to get married?

Durdanah shook her head, trying to rid herself of her thoughts. There was no way. No way he was that Yusuf.

Yusuf watched her as she quietly sat down next to her parents, his thoughts all over the place. It was her. He was sure of it. But, could it be? Nah. What were the odds?

"Yusi, this is Duri." Rania grinned, as she introduced her best friend of 12 years.

"Duri? Cool name. Nice to meet you." He nodded at the radiant looking girl in front of him. She sparkled.

"Well, it's Durdanah but Rani here just calls me Duri. Nice to meet you too." She smiled brightly. The girl was practically sparkling, thought Yusuf.

"You must be the ever-famous Yusuf, right?" She teased. "Rania here never shuts up about you!"

"Shut up, Duri!" Rania whispered angrily, "You aren't supposed to say things like that!"

Durdanah burst out laughing seeing the two blush profusely and mumble at each other. They'd put a tomato to shame.

"You're both so cute. I predict you getting married and having adorable kids." She declared as she stepped onto a large rock and waved a stick around like a magic wand. 

"Haram! Fortune teller Duri here, astaghfirullah." Yusuf shook his head, the red blush creeping up his neck as he tried to shake it off by taunting Durdanah.

"Ya! Harami!" Rania laughed, feeling quite happy about her friend's prediction.

Tasneem poked Yusuf. Ouch. "Salam Alaikum, Uncle, Auntie, Durdanah." He could feel her name roll off his tongue. He'd never actually said the name. Even back in the day, he'd call that bright sparkling girl Duri. The name felt strange as he said it. As her name slided off his tongue, and into the silence, he felt odd. Why did he feel so anxious?

"Walaikum Salam, Yusuf." Safia replied as she nudged her husband who grumbled a reply. This Yusuf boy seemed very nice but he was worried for Durdanah. He was scared to let his daughter go again.

Durdanah watched the man in front of her in awe. It couldn't be Yusuf. He'd never called her Durdanah in all the years she'd known him. She was just Duri. Loud, spontaneous, childish Duri.

And yet, he sounded so much like Yusuf.

Why did he sound so much like him?

A part of Durdanah hoped it really was Yusuf. The Yusuf who had laughed with her, joked with her, wiped away her tears, and saved her life. But another part of her prayed it wasn't that Yusuf. That this was just another guy who coincidentally looked and sounded like that Yusuf and just happened to share the same name. Because, if she was right and this was that Yusuf, then why the bloody hell was he trying to get married? It didn't add up and didn't make sense.

Add in the fact that he was holding a child, a beautiful girl. 

"Walaikum Salam." 

***

The evening had passed by in a blur.

"So, Durdanah what do you think?" Safia asked, excitedly. Tariq sighed at his wife's antics. The least Safia could do was give Durdanah some time to think.

But Safia had her heart in the right place and had meant well. She always did.

"Um, okay Mum. Whatever you think. It's a yes from me." 

Tasneem grinned at Yusuf, "Yusuf, love. What do you think?!"

Yusuf didn't even realize what he was saying. "Actually, Ma. I'd like to talk to Durdanah, alone.

Tasneem furrowed her eyebrows. What was he up to? 

Tariq gave a glance at Safia who shook her head. She may have been excited but she wasn't going to let her daughter talk with a strange man all by herself."

Ignoring his wife's suggestion, Tariq gave a faint smile at Yusuf. "Sure, son." He wasn't about to let that same mistake with Arham repeat again. If it was a compatibility issue, then this time it wasn't going to be.

"In the living room," added Tasneem. She trusted her son but she wasn't going to let the two talk in a room with doors. Durdanah would be uncomfortable and her parents wouldn't appreciate that. Besides, they say when a man and a woman are alone, Satan's the one in between. She wasn't going to let that happen. 

"Tariq bhai, Safia. I'll show you to the kitchen." Tasneem offered with the two agreeing.

Yusuf took a deep breath as he thought about what to say next. "

"Um, uh..m-m-may I-I." Durdanah stuttered. She remembered the last time she'd talked out of turn to a man other than her father.

"What the hell did you just say?" Arham spoke quietly, in a controlled tone. Durdanah braced herself. She knew what was coming.

"Who told you to talk back to me?" He took hold of her hair. "Did I tell you to talk?"

She shook her head.

"Then what makes you think you have the right to talk to me?" He traced her face. "Go on, answer me."

"I-I didn-" Durdanah screamed as he grasped her hair harshly. She could feel strands falling onto the ground as he dragged her to the kitchen.

"What did I just tell you? Women are better mute. That's a sharp tongue you've got." He whispered. 

He quietly took a small sharp knife as he heated it at the stove. Durdanah's eyes grew as she watched him. What was he going to do? 

Ya Allah, Please. Please. Please.

He smiled at her. "You're cowering."

She quickly closed her eyes. "Open your eyes. And, keep them open if you don't want it to hurt as much." He warned as he pried her eyes open.

"Hush." He spoke, his voice barely a whisper as he took the hot knife and pried her mouth open as he placed the sharp edge of the burning knife on her bottom lip. She flinched. "

"Now, close your mouth." 

She looked at him, frozen to the spot. Was he saying what she thought he was saying?

"Close it."

And as he whispered warnings into her ear and intimidated her with unforgivable threats of the one thing most precious, most dear to her heart, she couldn't help but close her mouth, as she left a deep scar on both her face and her heart. The pain would be worth it. It was worth her beloved. It was worth it.

"Next time, you'll think twice about talking back to me." He murmured as he walked away, leaving her to clean up the bloody mess all by herself.

Yusuf remained quiet. Her voice sounded the same as Duri. He waited patiently, as she hurried to get her thoughts together.

"U-u-um, m-may I p-please hold her?" She gestured towards Hamsa. She hadn't seen the child at all. And Durdanah loved children.

He listened to her speak and noticed just a hint of a lisp and his eyes fell upon the massive scar grazing her bottom lip and another smaller one on the left most side of her top lip.

Yusuf nodded, she seemed like she'd handle Hamsa well. Hamsa had woken up a little while ago so he passed her over to Durdanah.

Durdanah smiled as she picked the little girl up unaware of how intently Yusuf was looking at her but as she looked into Hamsa's bright hazel eyes, she knew. There was no denying it.

This was Rania's child.

***

So I felt bad for not updating for a while, so today there were two updates! :D It took a while to write this but I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did, writing it.